CHELSEA have signed teenage midfielder Lesley Ugochukwu from Rennes on a seven-year contract, the Premier League club announced on Tuesday. The France Under-19 international moves to Stamford Bridge for a reported fee of £23.5 million (27.3 million euros, $30 million) as the club continue their rebuild under new boss Mauricio Pochettino. Co-sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley said: “We’re delighted Lesley is joining Chelsea. He is an impressive young player who has already made his mark in Ligue 1. He has a huge amount of potential and we know he is going to continue to develop and improve. We…
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AFTER England sealed their place in the last-16 with a convincing win over China on Tuesday, France, Brazil and Italy are among the teams looking to join them as Group F and Group G wrap up on Wednesday. Sweden are already through to the knockout stages, but the rest of Group G is wide open with any one of Italy, South Africa or Argentina able to progress. Meanwhile, France only need a point from their final Group F match against Panama to guarantee their place in the last 16, while Brazil’s hopes hang in the balance. Could Jamaica defy the…
AN armed gang robbed a Paris store of luxury jewellery and watch brand Piaget on Tuesday, making off with 10 to 15 million euros worth of goods in broad daylight, police and prosecutors said. According to early indications, three people were involved in the robbery at around 1:00 pm (1100 GMT), with at least one of them carrying a weapon. The gang fled the scene with their bounty, estimated at between 10 million euros ($11 million) and 15 million euros ($16.5 million). Nobody was hurt, a police source said. The store is located on the Rue de la Paix in…
FORMER US President Donald Trump has been charged with plotting to overturn his 2020 election defeat. He is accused of four counts including conspiracy to defraud the US, tampering with a witness and conspiracy against the rights of citizens. The indictment caps an inquiry into events surrounding the 6 January 2021 riot at the US Capitol. Mr Trump, 77, who is again running for president, denies wrongdoing. On social media he called the case “ridiculous”. The Republican politician has already been charged in two other cases: with mishandling classified files and falsifying business records to cover up a hush-money payment…
THE first French flight evacuating Europeans from Niger has arrived in Paris with 262 people on board. France began evacuating its citizens from Niger amid anti-French sentiment following last week’s coup. The coup has prompted demonstrations against the former colonial power, with the French embassy coming under attack. However, France says it has no plans to repatriate about 1,000 French soldiers stationed there as part of efforts to counter Islamist militants. Germany has urged its nationals to take up France’s offer to help other Europeans and Italy is also organising a flight. It comes as the juntas in Burkina Faso…
REPORTS from Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso, say bursts of gunfire have been heard in the early hours of the morning from an air base in the centre of the city. A security source said the situation was under control, without giving more details. The incident comes 10 months after a coup, the second in less than a year in the country which has been battling an Islamist insurgency since 2015. It also comes nearly a week after the ousting of the elected government in neighbouring Niger by the military.
THE National Primary Health Care Development Agency says Nigeria has recorded 83 deaths and 836 confirmed cases of diphtheria since the beginning of this year. Executive Director, NPHCDA, Faisal Shuaib said this on Monday in Abuja during a news briefing on the diphtheria outbreak response. He said, “From May 2022 to July 2023, an estimated 2,455 suspected cases have been reported in 26 states. As of July 27, 2023, 836 of these cases have been confirmed in 33 local government areas across eight states: Cross River, Kano, Katsina, Kaduna, Lagos, Osun, Yobe, and FCT. “Tragically, 83 deaths have been reported…
NEW Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana showed he will bring more to Erik ten Hag’s team than ball-playing ability during a 3-2 defeat by Borussia Dortmund in Las Vegas. The 27-year-old Cameroon keeper, who came on at half-time, has a reputation for letting rip at team-mates. And he had a furious rant at Harry Maguire after a slack pass to Christian Eriksen gifted Dortmund a chance. Onana denied Sebastian Haller then raced from his goal to berate Maguire. The former United captain kept his counsel, which is more than could be said of fellow defender Brandon Williams in a separate…
ENGLAND, the United States and the Netherlands will attempt to seal knockout stage places at the Women’s World Cup as Group D and Group E wrap up on Tuesday. European champions England have snatched 1-0 victories from their first two games and will move into the last 16 as Group D winners if they avoid defeat against China, but a heavy loss could see the Lionesses eliminated. The USA beat the Netherlands in the 2019 World Cup final, but both are battling out in Group E this time around. They have four points each and will be looking for convincing…
A FORMER Australian childcare worker has been charged with more than 1,600 offences after allegedly sexually abusing 91 children, filming it, then distributing the content online. Police allege the man preyed on young girls over a 15-year period at a dozen centres in Australia and abroad. He was arrested in August 2022, but it has taken police a year to investigate and identify alleged victims. Authorities say it is one of the most “horrific” cases they have ever seen. The 45-year-old man is facing 246 counts of rape and 673 counts of indecent assault against children – many of them…
A MISSILE strike on a residential building killed six and wounded dozens in Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s hometown on Monday, as Russia said it stepped up strikes against military facilities in response to attacks on its territory, including Moscow. Two missiles landed close to the centre of the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rig just after 9:00 am (0600 GMT), Ukrainian Interior Minister Igor Klymenko wrote on Telegram. Among the dead was a 10-year-old girl and her 45-year-old mother, while 75 people were injured, Klymenko and local authorities said. One of the strikes hit a large nine-storey residential apartment block,…
NIGER’s ousted president has been seen for the first time since the military detained him in a coup last week. Mohamed Bazoum met Chad’s leader, Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno, in Niger’s capital, Niamey. Mr Déby, who also met the coup leaders, is spearheading mediation efforts after West African leaders gave Niger’s military seven days to give up power. The junta accused the ousted government of authorising France to carry out an attack to try to free Mr Bazoum. Gen Abdourahmane Tchiani, the head of the presidential guards unit, declared himself Niger’s new ruler on Friday. Mr Déby said his mediation…
CONGOLESE-BORN French rapper Maitre Gims has cancelled a concert in Tunisia that was scheduled for 11 August. In an Instagram story, the rapper cited the mistreatment of migrants for the cancellation saying: “Children, women, men expelled from Tunisia to Libya, live in inhumane conditions. I cannot maintain my visit to Tunisia.” Libyan guards recently rescued dozens of sub-Saharan migrants in a desert area on the border between the two countries They said they had been dumped there from Tunisia without water, food or shelter. Tunisia has become the main departure point for migrants trying to cross the Mediterranean to Europe.…
MANUELA Vanegas scored a 97th-minute winner as Colombia stunned Germany at the 2023 Fifa Women’s World Cup. Linda Caicedo netted a wondergoal to give the South Americans the lead, before Germany equalised with an 89th-minute Alexandra Popp penalty. Vanegas then headed Leicy Santos’ corner past Merle Frohms to send the vast numbers of Colombia supporters at Sydney Football Stadium wild. It condemned Germany to a first World Cup group stage defeat since 1995. A manic ending came after Caicedo, 18, had brilliantly curled into the top corner on 53 minutes to shock the two-time world champions. The final round of…
MANCHESTER United manager Erik ten Hag has challenged his side to “raise the bar” and find “consistency” to achieve the targets he has set them. Ten Hag has described his debut campaign in English football one of “progress” at Old Trafford. United ended their six-year wait for a trophy and secured a return to the Champions League with a third-place finish that has only been exceeded twice in the decade since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement. But along the way there were some bitter disappointments, including a 4-0 defeat at Brentford, a record 7-0 humiliation at Liverpool, a 3-0 loss to…
AT least 44 people have been killed in an explosion in Pakistan during a rally organised by an Islamist party. More than 100 people were also injured in the explosion in north-west Bajaur district, where Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) was holding a meeting. Police told the BBC that they have found evidence suggesting the explosion was a possible suicide attack. A rescue operation has been completed and all injured have been taken to hospital, officers said. Officials have warned the death toll may rise further, as 15 people are in a critical condition. The motivation behind the attack is not yet…
DENMARK is considering banning protests involving burning the Quran or other religious texts over security and diplomatic concerns. The Danish foreign ministry said whilst protecting freedom of expression is crucial, such protests benefit extremists and pose a security threat. Copenhagen is looking at legal means to intervene in some circumstances, including protests outside embassies. Sweden’s prime minister also said work on a similar process has begun there. Both Scandinavian countries have come under pressure in recent weeks, after authorities gave permission for a series of controversial protests where Islam’s holy book was destroyed, stoking diplomatic tensions with several Muslim-majority nations.…
FIREBAND Senegalese opposition politician Ousmane Sonko said Sunday he had started a hunger strike from custody after being arrested this week, as his lawyers condemned his arrest. Senegal’s public prosecutor on Saturday announced seven new charges against the politician — a vocal critic of President Macky Sall who has faced a string of legal woes he claims are aimed at keeping him out of politics. “In the face of so much hate, lies, oppression, persecution, I have decided to resist”, Sonko wrote, inviting “all political detainees” to join him on the strike. He is scheduled to be interrogated by a…
WHILE Kolthom was being gang-raped by four paramilitary fighters in Sudan’s war-hit Darfur region, she was also being racially abused. Warning: This article contains details some readers may find distressing. “They were very barbaric. They took turns raping me under the tree where I had gone to gather wood to [make a fire to] keep warm,” she said in a quivering voice, down the phone line. We have changed her name and that of another rape survivor quoted in this article. Kolthoum, who is in her 40s, is from West Darfur’s black African Masalit community, while her rapists were Arabs…
MANCHESTER United have agreed a £72m deal to sign Denmark international striker Rasmus Hojlund from Serie A side Atalanta. The 20-year-old will move to Old Trafford for a fee of £64m, plus a potential £8m in add-ons. Hojlund joined Atalanta in August 2022 and scored 10 goals in 34 appearances last season. His United contract will be for five years, with the option of an additional season. Hojlund will be United manager Erik ten Hag’s third signing of the summer after midfielder Mason Mount joined from Chelsea for £55m and Inter Milan goalkeeper Andre Onana was signed for £47.2m. Although…