Author: Editor

THE Taliban government have banned women from visiting the Band-e-Amir national park in Bamiyan province. Afghanistan’s acting minister of virtue and vice, Mohammad Khaled Hanafi, said women had not been observing hijab inside the park. He called on religious clerics and security agencies to forbid women from entering until a solution was found. Band-e-Amir is a significant tourist attraction, becoming Afghanistan’s first national park in 2009. It is a popular destination for families and the ban on women attending will prevent many from being able to enjoy the park. Unesco describes the park as a “naturally created group of lakes…

LIBYA’s PM has suspended his foreign minister after she met informally with her Israeli counterpart. Libya does not recognise Israel, as Tripoli backs the Palestinian cause, and the meeting has sparked protests. Israel’s Eli Cohen described the meeting with Najla al-Mangoush as a historic first step in establishing relations. Israel is trying to build closer ties with more Arab and Muslim-majority countries, such as oil-rich Libya. As well as suspending Ms Mangoush, Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah referred her for investigation. Mr Cohen said he met Ms Mangoush last week on the sidelines of a summit in Rome, and they…

A PRIVATE plane found with more than $5m (£4m) in cash, fake gold, guns and ammunition on board is at the centre of a deepening investigation in the Zambian capital, Lusaka. Everyone knows the aircraft flew from the Egyptian capital, Cairo, and landed a fortnight ago in Zambia, but that is where the certainties stop. So far nobody in Egypt or Zambia admits to chartering the plane or owning its contents. With so many questions unanswered rumours have been swirling. Could those involved be high-level Egyptian or Zambian political or military figures? Was this a one-off flight or the first…

KYLIAN Mbappe’s double helped Paris St-Germain beat Lens to claim their first Ligue win of the season. Making his first start of the campaign following a dispute over his future at the club, the French forward thumped a first-time effort into the top corner to double the hosts’ lead and added his second late on. Marco Asensio’s curling effort had put PSG ahead on the stroke of half-time. But Morgan Guilavogui got one back for Lens with the last kick of the game. Mbappe, who came off the bench to score at Toulouse last weekend, was lively from the off…

POLICE in India are investigating a video that shows a school teacher telling her pupils to slap their seven-year-old Muslim classmate. The boy is filmed in tears as he is slapped, allegedly for getting his times tables wrong. The video went viral on social media, and has triggered widespread dismay and condemnation. India’s opposition leader Rahul Gandhi blamed the government for stoking religious intolerance. The incident happened on Thursday at a private school in Uttar Pradesh, a northern state. “Why are you hitting him so lightly? Hit him hard,” the teacher is heard telling the children, as the boy stands…

ONE of Ukraine’s most celebrated fighter pilots and two other airmen have been killed in a mid-air crash. Andrii Pilshchykov won fame taking part in dogfights over Kyiv during the early phase of Russia’s invasion. The Ukrainian military called the airmen’s deaths “painful and irreparable” losses, and paid tribute to Pilshchykov as a pilot with “mega knowledge and mega talent”. The crash involved two L-39 training planes flying over northern Ukraine. An investigation is under way into whether flight preparation rules were not correctly followed, resulting in Friday’s crash in Zhytomyr Oblast. The region is west of the capital, Kyiv,…

ZIMBABWE’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa has been elected to a second term with 52.6% of the vote, the electoral commission says. However, the opposition claimed there had been widespread vote-rigging and international observers said the vote fell short of democratic standards. Mr Mnangagwa is only Zimbabwe’s second president. A 2017 coup against veteran ruler Robert Mugabe put him in charge. Zimbabweans still face high inflation, poverty and a climate of fear. When he first became president, Mr Mnangagwa – known as “The Crocodile” for his ruthlessness – promised a new start for his country’s people. But Zimbabwe had one of the…

THE head of Kenya’s airports authority has been sacked after a power cut left passengers stranded in darkness for hours at Nairobi’s main airport. Alex Gitari was fired by Transport Minister Kipchumba Murkomen, who has apologised for the chaos. He added that political interference had resulted in a demoralised and disorganised workforce. The majority state-owned power company has not explained exactly what caused the countrywide power cut. Although some areas have seen power restored, homes and businesses across much of the country are still affected by the outage that began on Friday. Tourism is a key part of Kenya’s economy,…

FORWARD Raheem Sterling is “100%” focused on scoring goals as his double helped Chelsea cruise past Luton to record their first Premier League win under Mauricio Pochettino. The 28-year-old scored twice and assisted Nicolas Jackson on Friday, and wants to get back to being “obsessed” with football. Sterling, who has started the campaign in excellent form, said he wants to be the club’s top scorer this season. “It’s a target I had to set myself [being Chelsea’s top scorer this season] – it’s something I know I can do,” he told Sky Sports after the match. Sterling received the ball…

FORMER French president Nicolas Sarkozy will be tried in 2025 over allegations he took money from late Libyan dictator Moamer Kadhafi to fund one of his election campaigns, prosecutors said Friday. The trial is set to hear explosive evidence that the rightwinger, along with 12 other co-defendants, conspired to take cash from the Libyan leader to illegally fund his victorious 2007 bid for the presidency. Sarkozy, who has faced a litany of legal problems since his one term in office, denies the Libyan allegations — the most serious he faces. The 68-year-old has already been convicted twice for corruption and…

THE Danish government has proposed a ban on setting the Quran alight in public after a series of burnings led to uproar in Muslim countries. Justice Minister Peter Hummelgaard said such burnings harmed Denmark and risked the safety of Danes. The planned law will make improper treatment of the Quran or Bible a criminal offence punishable by a fine and jail sentence of up to two years. The centre-right government said it wanted to send a signal to the world. Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said Denmark had witnessed 170 demonstrations in recent weeks, including the burning of copies of…

THE government of Mozambique says its armed forces have killed the leader of a terrorist group linked to Islamic State which is fighting in the north of the country. The defence ministry said Bonomade Machude Omar – also known as Ibn Omar – had led the insurgents since the start of the conflict in 2017. A statement said he was killed along with two other senior members. There has been no independent confirmation of the deaths. Two years ago, the US state department designated Omar as a terrorist leader, blaming him for attacks in Cabo Delgado province, including the killing…

AT least 12 people have been killed in a crowd crush at a stadium in Madagascar’s capital Antananarivo, Prime Minister Christian Ntsay says. Another 80 people were hurt during the opening ceremony of the Indian Ocean Island Games at the Mahamasina stadium. “There were a lot of people at the entrance,” Red Cross official Antsa Mirado told the AFP news agency. President Andry Rajoelina, who was at the stadium, said it was a “tragic event”, calling for a minute’s silence. The Mahamasina stadium – with a capacity of nearly 41,000 – is reported to have been packed with spectators. Footage…

AN annual international competition for the Holy Quran is due to begin Friday in Saudi Arabia with a pool of prizes worth SR4 million (N800 million). The 43rd edition of the International King Abdulaziz Competition for the Holy Quran memorisation, recitation and interpretation, will take place at the Grand Mosque, Islam’s holiest site in Mecca, for 11 days with the participation of contestants from 117 countries. The event is organised by the Saudi Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Call and Guidance and held under the auspices of King Salman bin Abdulaziz. This year’s competition has seen the value of its total…

THE Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), has elected Dr. Sule Yau Sule of Image Merchants Promotion alongside 16 others as members of the Governing Council of the Institute. The members were elected at the end of the Institute’ Annual General Meeting in Abuja. The Institute is run by a 22-member Governing Council made up of 17 elected members and 5 nominees of the Federal Government. The Spokesperson’s Digest, a publication of PRNigeria reports that the elected members would form an Electoral College to elect the President and Vice President, who are to also double as Chairman and Vice Chairman of…

DOZENS of Afghan women granted scholarships to study in the United Arab Emirates have been blocked from leaving Afghanistan, one of the women told AFP on Thursday, following outcry from their Emirati sponsor. Laila, 22, was one of around 30 women who had been sponsored to study in the UAE by prominent Emirati businessman Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor, but were stopped from departing on their flights from Kabul airport on Wednesday. Women and girls were banned from attending high school and university in Afghanistan after Taliban authorities took control of the country in August 2021. “It was our only hope…

VLADIMIR Putin has broken his silence over Yevgeny Prigozhin’s reported death – some 24 hours after the Wagner chief’s private jet crashed. Russia’s president said the head of the mercenary group was a “talented person” who “made serious mistakes in life”. Mr Putin also sent condolences to the families of all 10 people said to be on board the plane that went down north-west of Moscow on Wednesday evening. However, he stopped short of explicitly confirming Prigozhin’s death. From the moment the plane came down, there has been frenzied speculation about what caused the deadly crash and whether Prigozhin was…

POLICE in Zimbabwe have arrested 41 election monitors for allegedly trying to disrupt the voting process. Those being held, from civil society groups, were allegedly co-ordinating the release of results from Wednesday’s general election, police say. They are being charged with breaking electoral law, their lawyers say. Civil society groups have tried to do their own vote count to compare results with the official tally in light of disputes over past election results. The 41 are being accused of attempting to announce results before the state elections body – who by law are the only ones who can declare a…

SOMALIA’s ban on TikTok, which is set to take effect on Friday evening, has outraged many users who make a living off the app. The self-proclaimed “president of Somali TikTokers” is nervous about his financial future. Bilaal Bulshaawi, one of the prominent faces on Somali social media, says the app has totally transformed his life. “Before, there were many times when I couldn’t afford to pay for a tuk-tuk ride but now I drive a car and enjoy my luxury lifestyle. I travel to different Somali regions for tourism,” Bilaal told the BBC. He started using the platform when he…

DEFENDING world titleholder Tobi Amusan, on Wednesday, qualified for the final of the 100m hurdles event at the ongoing World Championships in Budapest, Hungary. Running in lane seven, Amusan won the second semi-final despite having a slow start. She is now looking all fired up for Thursday’s final race and defend the title she won last year in Oregon. Amusan was only cleared to run last week over an alleged breaking of the anti-doping rules but the Nigerian came through as a semi-final winner in 12.56sec. She was pushed all the way by young Jamaican Ackera Nugent, who enjoyed an…