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GRANIT Xhaka has left Arsenal to join German side Bayer Leverkusen in a 25m euro (£21.4m) deal. The Switzerland midfielder, 30, has signed a five-year deal with the Bundesliga club. Xhaka, who joined the Gunners in 2016 and was briefly captain in 2019, had a year left on his contract but was expected to leave the club this summer. Arsenal are on the verge of signing England midfielder Declan Rice in a British record deal from West Ham. Xhaka scored 23 goals in 297 appearances for the Gunners, helping them win the FA Cup twice and finish runners-up in the…

TWITTER is considering legal action against Meta over its fast-growing rival app Threads. Threads, which was launched to millions on Wednesday, is similar to Twitter and has been pitched by Meta bosses as a “friendly” alternative. Twitter’s Elon Musk said “competition is fine, cheating is not” – but Meta denied claims in a legal letter that ex-Twitter staff helped create Threads. More than 30 million people have signed up for the new app, according to Meta. The look and feel of Threads are similar to those of Twitter, BBC News technology reporter James Clayton noted. He said the news feed…

A TEENAGER in the US state of Iowa who beat his teacher to death with a baseball bat over a bad grade has been sentenced to life in prison. Willard Miller, 17, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in April for his role in the 2 November 2021 killing of Nohema Graber, a Spanish teacher. Miller and co-defendant Jeremy Goodale, now 18, attacked Ms Graber, 66, after she marked down Miller’s work. Aged 16 at the time of the murder, both were charged as adults. Goodale’s sentencing is scheduled for August. On Thursday, Miller was sentenced to life in prison with…

THREE people have been arrested after employees at a Kenyan cheese factory were allegedly forced to undress to check who was on their period. A manager at Brown’s Food Company assembled female workers to find out who had thrown a used sanitary towel in an incorrect bin, an official said. She made the women strip after attempts to get a confession were unsuccessful. Brown’s says it has suspended the accused manager pending an investigation. Three people were facing indecent assault charges over the incident, police in Limuru told local media. In a video posted to Facebook, Senator Gloria Orwoba said…

SOUTH Africa’s former Minister in the Presidency and anti-apartheid veteran Essop Pahad has died at the age of 84, according to a statement from President Cyril Ramaphosa’s office. “We mourn the passing of a veteran of our struggle,” President Ramaphosa said, citing Mr Pahad’s contribution to South African democracy. “Security crackdowns, banning and exile shaped Essop Pahad’s contribution over decades to our struggle and, as Parliamentary Counsellor to President Thabo Mbeki and Minister in the Presidency, to the early design and impact of our democratic state.” Mr Pahad is described as “a thinker and strategist” who first started his political…

KYLIAN Mbappe must sign a new contract if he wants to stay at Paris St-Germain, club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi says. Al-Khelaifi was speaking at a news conference to introduce Luis Enrique as PSG’s new manager following the sacking of Christophe Galtier. France striker Mbappe, 24, has told PSG that he will not extend his contract with them beyond 2024. “Our position is very clear,” said Al-Khelaifi. “If Kylian Mbappe wants to stay – we want him to stay – he needs to sign a new contract. “We cannot let the best player in the world right now leave for free.…

MORGAN Gibbs-White insists England Under-21s “still have loads of work to do” after helping the Young Lions to their first European Championship final since 2009. The Nottingham Forest midfielder opened the scoring in the 42nd minute with a looping header from Cole Palmer’s cross, having missed an earlier penalty. Manchester City forward Palmer then tucked the ball in at the back post from an Emile Smith Rowe ball across the box to double the lead. The excellent Palmer then exchanged passes with substitute Cameron Archer who made sure of the win as he smashed in England’s third. The Young Lions,…

TEN million users signed up for Meta’s newly-launched Threads app in its first seven hours, the company’s chief Mark Zuckerberg says. He pitched the app as a “friendly” rival to Twitter, which was bought by Elon Musk in October. Experts say Threads could attract Twitter users unhappy with recent changes to the platform. Threads allows users to post up to 500 characters, and has many features similar to Twitter. Earlier, Mr Zuckerberg said keeping the platform “friendly… will ultimately be the key to its success”. But Mr Musk responded: “It is infinitely preferable to be attacked by strangers on Twitter,…

THE Ministry of Defence has confirmed for the first time that UK Special Forces are at the centre of a war crimes inquiry. The MoD on Wednesday abandoned an effort to restrict any mention of Special Forces’ involvement in alleged war crimes in Afghanistan. The MoD’s stance had been challenged by bereaved family members and by several media outlets, including the BBC. The inquiry follows years of reporting into alleged SAS unlawful killings. In a statement ahead of a hearing of the Independent Inquiry relating to Afghanistan, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said: “The inquiry is now reaching the stage of…

A SUSPECTED nitrate oxide gas leak in South Africa has led to the deaths of 16 people, local officials say. The victims – including women and children – died from gas inhalation at an informal settlement in Boksburg, east of Johannesburg. Wednesday’s leak has been linked to illegal gold mining in the area. Nitrate oxide gas is often used by illegal gold miners – known locally as zama zamas – to extract gold from soil stolen from abandoned mine shafts. One of the gas cylinders was found leaking in Boksburg’s densely populated Angelo shanty town. The victims were found within…

THE Kenyan government says it’s delaying the reopening of its border with Somalia, after attacks on its soil attributed to the Islamist militant group al-Shabab. Interior Minister Kithure Kindiki said the phased reopening of border posts along the lengthy frontier would not go ahead as announced in May. He said the decision has been informed by the “recent incidents of threats and cases of insecurity in the frontier counties”. It comes as five civilians and eight police officers were killed in separate incidents near the border last month. The border was initially closed in 2011, because of attacks by al-Shabab,…

GOMBE State Governor,  Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya,  CON and Chairman, Nothern States Governors’ Forum,  earlier today,  paid a visit to the National Security Adviser, NSA, Malam Nuhu Ribadu in his office in Abuja. Accompanied by the Federal Commissioner at the Revenue Mobilization,  Allocation and Fiscal Commission,  Malam Muhammad Kabir Usman Kukandaka, the Governor extended the goodwill,  solidarity and best wishes of, not only the government and people of Gombe State,  but the entire Northern Region. Governor Inuwa Yahaya commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for appointing Ribadu to man such a strategic position, especially at this critical time. He described his appointment…

THE National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has listed 14 states and 31 communities that may witness heavy rainfall that may lead to flooding from July 4 – 8. This is contained in a statement signed by Mr Ibrahim Farinloye, Territorial Coordinator, NEMA, Lagos Territorial Office. Farinloye urged relevant stakeholders within the states concerned to take precautionary measures to forestall the loss of lives and property. He listed the states and communities as: Plateau: Langtang, Shendam Kano: Sumaila, Tudun wada Sokoto: Shagari, Goronyo, Silame Delta: Okwe Kaduna: Kachia Akwa Ibom: Upenekang Adamawa: Mubi, Demsa, Song, Mayo-belwa, Jimeta, Yola Katsina: Katsina, Jibia,…

A PROSECUTOR in Brazil fined soccer star Neymar 16 million reais ($3.3 million) for building a lake at his mansion on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro without an environmental license, authorities said Monday. The town council in Mangaratiba issued four fines for “environmental violations in the construction of an artificial lake at the player’s mansion,” the council secretariat said in a statement. “The sanctions add up to more than 16 million reais,” the statement said, a sum set out by the prosecutor’s office in Mangaratiba, a tourist area around 130 kilometers (80 miles) from Rio where the Paris Saint-Germain…

ROBERTO Firmino has joined Saudi Pro League side Al-Ahli on a three-year deal after leaving Liverpool. The Brazil forward, 31, was a free agent after his Liverpool contract expired at the end of last season. Firmino scored 111 goals in 362 games for the Reds after joining from Hoffenheim in 2015. He is one of several big-name signings by Saudi clubs this summer and joins Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy at Al-Ahli after he left Chelsea last week. N’Golo Kante and Kalidou Koulibaly have also left Chelsea for Saudi Arabia, with Karim Benzema, Ruben Neves and Marcelo Brozovic among the others…

A WHITE substance that sparked an emergency evacuation at the White House on Sunday night tested positive for cocaine. The substance was found in a work area at the secure building during a routine inspection, the US Secret Service said. The preliminary positive test was first reported by the Washington Post, citing fire and law enforcement sources. President Joe Biden and his family were away at the Camp David residence when the substance was found. The White House complex was closed as a precaution around 20:45 local time (01:45 BST) on Sunday after Secret Service officers found the white powder…

THE Taliban have ordered hair and beauty salons in Afghanistan to shut in the latest restriction faced by women. A Vice and Virtue Ministry spokesman told the BBC businesses had one month to comply, starting from 2 July when they were first informed of the move. Women’s freedoms have steadily shrunk since the Taliban seized power in 2021. They have barred teenage girls and women from classrooms, gyms and parks, and most recently even banned them from working for the United Nations. The Taliban have also decreed that women should be dressed in a way that only reveals their eyes,…

OVER the past decade growing numbers of women in Kenya have been opting to have fewer children, according to new data. But the government says Kenyans should not worry, since the country’s population will still continue to grow based on the findings from the Kenya Demographic Health Survey (KDHS). It shows that the fertility rate – meaning the number of children born – has declined from 3.9 children per woman in 2014 to 3.4 children in 2022. That means it’s highly likely that a woman aged between 15 and 49 in Kenya these days will opt to have three children…

THREE people have died and three others were injured in a bomb attack that targeted a civilian residence in Waberi district of Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu. A father, a son and a daughter from a family of six died in the attack while the mother and two other daughters were injured. The mortar attacks on Tuesday morning targeted several neighbourhoods in the city. The house that was hit by artillery was located near the security ministry’s offices. The al-Qaeda linked group al-Shabab said it carried out the attack adding that it targeted government buildings including the presidential palace. Mogadishu authorities have…

AMID the controversy trailing the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) result obtained by Miss Ejikeme Mmesoma, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has insisted that her result is “patently fake.” On Sunday, Ejikeme was accused by JAMB of forging her 2023 UTME, a claim she has denied. However, in a statement on Tuesday, JAMB spokesman, Benjamin Fabian, said the body has withdrawn her result and consequently barred her from writing the examination for the next three years. “In the meantime, the management of the Board, after considering the weighty infraction committed by Ms Ejikeme Joy Mmesoma, and in line…