AFTER 18 years of operating in Kampala, the UN’s human rights mission will close on Saturday because the Ugandan government has ended its mandate. Sub-offices in Gulu and Moroto, in northern Uganda, have already closed. It comes after Uganda passed some of the world’s harshest anti-LGBT laws against the advice of local and international rights groups, including the UN. In a statement on Friday, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said he was urging the government to ensure Uganda’s national human rights body can function effectively and independently, as the main body tasked with human rights oversight in…
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THE coup in Niger will undermine the fight against resurgent terror groups in Africa’s Sahel region, France’s defence minister said this week, accusing the country’s junta of taking “hostage” not just President Mohamed Bazoum but the entire country. Speaking in an interview with AFP, French Armed Forces Minister Sebastien Lecornu praised the “strong” actions of regional West African group ECOWAS, which has given the junta until Sunday to restore democratic rule or face the threat of military action. The coup against Bazoum has infuriated France, which has 1,500 troops deployed in the country and was using Niger as a hub…
BAYERN Munich have told Tottenham they want a decision by the end of Friday over whether they are prepared to sell England captain Harry Kane. The German champions have reportedly made at least one offer for Kane, who Bild says has already agreed terms. The deadline is a signal that Bayern are growing frustrated with the current situation, although it is not clear if they would then walk away from any deal if it was not met. Tottenham have refused to comment. Kane, 30, is Spurs’ all-time top scorer but has one year left on his contract. There has been…
ZAMBIA’s football association on Friday expressed “surprise” at claims its women’s coach abused a squad member at the current World Cup, after FIFA launched an investigation into what it called an “allegation of misconduct”. According to a report in the Guardian newspaper, Zambian coach Bruce Mwape is accused of rubbing a player’s breasts after a training session. “We can confirm that a complaint has been received in relation to the Zambian women’s national team and this is currently being investigated,” a FIFA spokesperson said, without specifying the nature of the complaint. “FIFA takes any allegation of misconduct extremely seriously and…
WHEN an intruder broke into the home of retired 87-year-old Marjorie Perkins, he might have thought an older woman would not put up much of a fight. “That was the worst part – to wake up in the dark and have this man standing over you,” the former primary school teacher of 35 years told the BBC. “I’m going to cut you,” the young burglar said to her during the break-in at Brunswick, Maine. Though she was terrified, Ms Perkins leapt into action and fought back. The 17-year-old suspect has been charged with burglary, criminal threatening, assault and consuming liquor…
POLICE in Brazil said Friday they arrested a man for saying he planned to shoot President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, and carried out a raid against another for threatening the left-wing leader online. Both cases were in the northern state of Para, where Lula will arrive later Friday and host a summit of South American leaders next week on protecting the Amazon rainforest. Federal police said they arrested a man in the city of Santarem after he went into a store to buy drinks Wednesday and said he planned to “shoot the president in the stomach.” “He reportedly asked…
ETHIOPIA’s federal government on Friday declared a “state of emergency” as violent clashes escalate between the national army and local fighters from the northern region of Amhara. “It has become necessary to declare a state of emergency as a situation has emerged where it has become difficult to control this unacceptable movement under current law,” the office of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said in a statement posted on social media. The statement did not make clear if the state of emergency applied nationwide or just to Amhara, which lies to the north of the capital Addis Ababa. Abiy’s government did…
SEVERAL Mali soldiers were killed in an attack which the army blamed Friday on terrorists in the northeastern Menaka region. “According to a first tally, we lost six men,” said an army spokesman, adding troops were searching for survivors. “The terrorists lost at least 15 combatants,” he added. A local official said casualties including injured and missing ran to as many as 20 after Thursday’s attack which saw an army column ambushed while escorting trucks towards neighbouring Niger, itself in a standoff with neighbours after last week’s military coup which has sparked a regional crisis. Both the army spokesman and…
TWO US Navy sailors in California have been arrested on charges of providing sensitive military information to China. Jinchao Wei, 22, a naturalised US citizen, is accused of conspiring to send national defence information to a Chinese agent. Petty Officer Wenheng Zhao, 26, was arrested on charges of accepting money for sensitive photos and videos. It is unclear if the same Chinese agent is alleged to have contacted the pair. Both men were arrested on Wednesday in California, Mr Wei while on his way to work at Naval Base San Diego. Prosecutors announced the charges during a news conference in…
SOUTH Korea’s Hyundai Motor and Kia are recalling almost 92,000 vehicles in the US because of a fire risk. The recall affects several models and stems from an issue with an electrical component in a transmission oil pump, which could overheat. The companies advised owners of the vehicles to park outside and away from buildings until they are inspected. This is the latest in a series of fire-related recalls of Hyundai and Kia vehicles in recent years. In relation to the latest recall, Kia said there had been six reports of “thermal incidents” but no crashes or injuries. Hyundai said…
SENEGAL has said it would be prepared to send troops into Niger if regional bloc Ecowas decided to do so. At the weekend, Ecowas heads of state threatened the use of force if elected-President Mohamed Bazoum is not reinstated by next Sunday. He was overthrown in a military coup last week. Ecowas has also imposed economic sanctions. Niger is the fourth country in the region to have experienced a coup since 2020. Senegal’s Foreign Minister Aissata Tall Sall told reporters that there had been “one coup too many” in the region, the AFP news agency quotes her as saying. “Senegalese…
SCIENTISTS have found a naturally occurring strain of bacteria which can help stop the transmission of malaria from mosquitoes to humans. They found it by chance, after a colony of mosquitoes in one experiment did not develop the malaria parasite. The researchers say the bacteria could be a new tool for fighting one of the world’s oldest diseases, which kills 600,000 people every year. Trials assessing its safety in the real world are now taking place. Scientists at a research facility in Burkina Faso, run by the GSK pharmaceutical company, made the discovery after noticing that a colony of mosquitoes…
THE Saudi Pro League’s “remarkable” spending spree on players is set to continue, according to one of its leading executives. “I think the budgets are in place for a number of years – you know, I don’t see this slowing down,” said British director Peter Hutton, who sits on the league’s board. The SPL has lured some of football’s biggest names since five-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo joined in January from Manchester United. They include former Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema, Liverpool’s former captain Jordan Henderson and established players from Chelsea, Manchester City and Bayern Munich. In addition, last…
MANCHESTER City have agreed a 90m euro fee (£77m) with RB Leipzig for Croatia defender Josko Gvardiol. The deal for the 21-year-old does not include add-ons, meaning the £80m Manchester United paid Leicester City for Harry Maguire in 2019 remains the British record for a defender. He has been a key player for Leipzig in the 87 games he played for them since signing from Dynamo Zagreb in 2021. It is expected Gvardiol will fly to England for a medical later this week The deal looked unlikely to be agreed last week when Leipzig insisted they would not sell for…
GERMANY’s armed forces are facing major problems in attracting new recruits, the defence minister said Wednesday, as Berlin seeks to overhaul its creaking military following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The Bundeswehr has long suffered from a lack of resources and funding but the start of the Ukraine war prompted Chancellor Olaf Scholz to pledge to boost spending. However, a central challenge is recruiting the next generation of soldiers, admitted Defence Minister Boris Pistorius during a visit to an armed forces career centre in Stuttgart. “Everyone is talking about a shortage of personnel in the Bundeswehr — and no one knows…
NORTH Korea has responded to requests for information about the whereabouts of US soldier Travis King for the first time since he crossed into the country, the UN Command has confirmed. The 23-year-old private dashed across the border from South Korea on 18 July while on a guided tour. The UN Command refused to give further details “in order not to interfere with our efforts to get him home”. However, the reply indicates Pyongyang could be ready to start negotiating. The UN Command, which polices the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ), had sought information on Pvt King using its direct phone line…
THE United States has ordered the partial evacuation of its embassy in Niger following last week’s coup. Hundreds of foreign nationals have already been evacuated from the country, and on Sunday the French embassy was attacked by protesters. Coup leader Gen Abdourahamane Tchiani has warned against “any interference in the internal affairs” of the country. Niger is a significant uranium producer and lies on a key migration route to North Africa and the Mediterranean. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke to the ousted President, Mohamed Bazoum, on Wednesday, the state department says, adding that the US is committed to…
A GROUP of medical students from Sudan has been welcomed to Rwanda to continue their studies after a civil war erupted in mid-April. Their campus at the University of Medical Sciences and Technology was overrun and turned into a base by fighters in the capital, Khartoum, where paramilitary forces and the army are involved in a power struggle. The 160 undergraduates, who were eight months away from completing their course, have been offered space, along with their lecturers, at the University of Rwanda. The group, who are mainly made up of women, will also be practising in local hospitals. Prof…
THE Senate, on Wednesday, set up a committee to dialogue with protesting unions who broke down the National Assembly Complex first gate. The protesters in their hundreds had marched from the Unity Fountain in Abuja to the NASS Complex in demonstration against the “anti-poor” people policies of the President Bola Tinubu administration. Upon their arrival at the NASS Complex, the protesters pull down the first gate of the Complex and marched to the premises. Senate President Godswill Akpabio immediately entered into a closed-door session with the lawmakers and upon his emergence from the meeting said the red chamber has set…
WORLD Bank President Ajay Banga will begin a three-day visit to Nigeria on Thursday during which he will meet with President Bola Tinubu and Vice-President Kashim Shettima, the international lender said in a statement on Tuesday. The visit is referred to as the next step of a global tour that is at the centre of a mission to write a new playbook for the 78-year-old institution. “Banga will focus his time in Nigeria on identifying opportunities to create jobs for young people and women, addressing energy needs and renewable energy, and further exploring the potential for digitisation,” the World Bank…