PEOPLE are rushing to markets in Sierra Leone’s capital to stock up on food ahead of elections on Saturday, residents in Freetown have told the BBC. It follows a stand-off on Wednesday between the security forces and supporters of the main opposition party that reportedly left at least one person dead. Businesses shut down briefly amid the chaos and there is now a palpable fear that there could be further violence after Saturday’s poll. Sidi Yahya Tunis, spokesperson for the opposition All People’s Congress (APC), told the Reuters news agency that one of the party’s supporters had been killed by…
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ABOUT two dozen students in northern Mozambique fainted en masse during classes. Pemba Secondary School, in province of Cabo Delgado, confirmed that the fainting spells had mainly affected girls during lessons on Wednesday. Officials say those affected by what seemed to be a contagious phenomenon showed signs similar to those of an epileptic attack. The students all recovered and are reported to be well. Provincial chief physician, Edson Fernando, said it may be related some kind of hysteria causing a ripple effect of emotion. This was not the first time there have been spells of mass fainting at schools in…
BRAZILIAN defender Dani Alves, who is awaiting trial in Spain for an alleged rape, defended his innocence in an interview published Wednesday, saying he has a “clear conscience”. The 40-year-old was detained in January in Barcelona after being accused of raping a young woman in the bathroom of a nightclub in the city in late December. The former Barcelona and Paris Saint-German star has been held in custody without bail because the court investigating him felt there was a risk he would try to flee. “I have a really clear conscience regarding what happened that night in the bathroom of…
GHANA’s record goalscorer Asamoah Gyan has announced his retirement from football. The 37-year-old fought back tears as he revealed his decision while on stage with former Ivory Coast striker Didier Drogba in the Ghanaian capital, Accra. “It’s time to tell everybody. It’s a very, very difficult moment,” said the former striker who scored 51 goals in 109 games for his country. Gyan later took to social media to explain why he was calling time on his 20-year career. “It is time,” he wrote, “to hang the jersey and boots in glory as I retire officially from active football. “A stage…
A GERMAN woman who joined the Islamic State (IS) group has been jailed for nine years for crimes including keeping a Yazidi woman as a slave. The defendant was also found guilty of crimes against humanity and membership of a foreign terrorist organisation. A court in the western city of Koblenz said the 37-year-old had abused the young Yazidi woman for three years while they lived in Syria and Iraq. It also found she had encouraged her husband to rape and beat the woman. “All of this served the declared purpose of IS, to wipe out the Yazidi faith,” said…
A CROSS that former pope Benedict XVI used to wear on his chest has been stolen from a church in southern Germany where it was on display, police said Tuesday. The pectoral cross was in a case in the wall of St. Oswald’s church in Traunstein, in the state of Bavaria, where the late Benedict spent his adolescent years. Thieves broke into the case and took the item, which the former pope had bequeathed to the parish, between 11:45 am (0945 GMT) and 5:00 pm (1500 GMT) on Monday. “For the Catholic Church, the value of this sacred object cannot…
SOUTH African police are investigating the death of Tina Joemat-Pettersson, an MP for the governing African National Congress (ANC) who was recently involved in a bribery scandal. There are suspicions that her death two weeks ago at the age of 59 might not have been due to natural causes. Before she died, Ms Joemat-Pettersson was one of three MPs accused of trying to extort a bribe of around $33,000 (£26,000) from the husband of suspended Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane to make her impeachment inquiry “go away”. All three denied the allegations. Last week, Ms Mkhwebane released some recordings of conversations…
A PROMINENT Tunisian journalist has been arrested on charges of insulting President Kais Said. A judge ordered the detention of Zied el-Heni ahead of a trial in which he could be sentenced to five years in prison. Tunisian activists have expressed concern over his health as he reportedly suffered a stroke some time ago. In recent months, Tunisian judges have detained or opened investigations into more than 20 political, judicial, media and business figures associated with opposition to President Said. The main opposition parties have condemned the arrests as politically motivated.
THE absence of counsel for the Federal Government, on Wednesday, stalled the trial commencement of Tukur Mamu, who is being tried over his alleged relationship with terrorists that were involved in last year’s attack on a Kaduna-bound train. The matter was fixed for trial before Justice Inyang Ekwo of a Federal High Court, Abuja. When the matter was called, only Mamu’s counsel, Obiabo Francis-Amedo, was in court. The lawyer told the court that he was notified through a letter from the prosecution that the prosecuting counsel in the matter had gone on training and that they suggested a date before…
THE Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) has approved a 114 per cent increase in the salaries of elected politicians, including the President, vice president, governors, lawmakers as well as judicial and public office holders. RMAFC is saddled with the responsibility of determining the remuneration appropriate for political officeholders including the President, Vice President, Governors, Deputy Governors, Ministers, Commissioners, Special Advisers, Legislators and the holders of the offices as mentioned in Sections 84 and 124 of this Constitution. The commission urged the 36 states’ Houses of Assembly to hasten efforts on amendment of relevant laws to give room for…
PORTUGAL captain Cristiano Ronaldo scored a last-minute winner on his historic night as he became the first men’s player to win 200 international caps in their Euro 2024 qualifying win over Iceland. The 38-year-old turned home Goncalo Inacio’s header from close range. The goal was initially ruled out for an Inacio offside but was awarded by the video assistant referee. That was Ronaldo’s 123rd international goal, extending his world record. Al-Nassr’s Ronaldo broke Kuwait forward Bader Al-Mutawa’s 196-cap record in March – and was given a certificate by Guinness World Records before kick-off to mark this latest landmark. “For me…
CHELSEA and France midfielder N’Golo Kante has agreed to sign for Saudi Arabian champions Al-Ittihad. The 32-year-old’s contract at Stamford Bridge expires at the end of June. Kante has struggled with injuries and made nine appearances for Chelsea during the 2022-23 campaign. He will join Karim Benzema at Al-Ittihad after his fellow Frenchman left Real Madrid and agreed a three-year deal with them this month. The move brings to an end a highly successful period in English football for Kante. He helped Leicester City win the Premier League in the 2015-16 season before moving to Stamford Bridge. At Chelsea Kante…
FOUR Israelis have been killed in a shooting attack near a settlement in the occupied West Bank, paramedics say. Four others were wounded, one of them seriously, when two Palestinian gunmen opened fire at a restaurant and petrol station on a highway outside Eli. Israel’s military said the assailants were “Hamas-affiliated terrorists”. One was shot dead at the scene by an armed civilian, while the second fled in a stolen car and was later killed by Israeli forces in the town of Tubas. Israel’s prime minister said “all options are open” in response to what he called the “shocking and…
AT least 41 people have been killed in a riot at a women’s prison in Honduras on Tuesday. It is understood that a fight broke out between rival gangs, after which one gang set a cell alight. Officials say the fire caused the majority of the deaths but some of the victims were shot. The country’s Deputy Security Minister, Julissa Villanueva, has declared a state of emergency and promised to crack down on the violence. She also authorised the “immediate intervention” of firefighters, police and military. “The loss of human lives will not be tolerated,” Ms Villanueva said. It is…
LAWYERS representing Rwandan genocide suspect Fulgence Kayishema, who had been on the run for 22 years before his arrest last month, have told the Cape Town Magistrates’ Court that their client will apply for asylum on political grounds in South Africa. It could delay his possible extradition to Rwanda for several years and significantly delay his trial on charges of genocide, complicity to genocide and crimes against humanity. He is accused of directly participating in the killings as well as ordering the massacre on 15 April 1994 of 2,000 ethnic Tutsi people who were hiding in a Catholic Church in…
AS the number of migrants trying to reach Europe grows so does the number of deaths in the Mediterranean. While European Union officials struggle to contain the exodus the plight of those fleeing poverty and persecution is leaving its tragic mark on the shores of Tunisia. As the sun creeps above the horizon off the shores of its eastern coast, fisherman Oussama Dabbebi begins hauling in his nets. His face fixes anxiously on its contents, because sometimes fish are not all he finds. “Instead of getting fish I sometimes get dead bodies. The first time I was afraid, then step…
THE Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) has recommitted itself to creating the enabling and sustainable environment that upholds press freedom and protection of journalists’ rights, in order to ensure the sustainability of democracy and good governance. Conscious of its constitutional and social responsibility, the professional body of all editors in Nigeria also said that its commitment to professionalism will help shape the narratives, influence public opinion, and help forge a society that thrives on transparency, inclusivity, justice and a system of government that is accountable to the citizens. The editors stated these at the end of its two-day national biennial…
THE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, will close their case on Thursday, June 22. This followed the decision of the court to add two extra days to the party, after losing the said days during the matter. According to the timetable, the party was scheduled to close its case Tuesday, but due to the Democracy Day holiday on Monday, June 12, and last Saturday, they lost two days meant to tender documents and field witnesses. Speaking off camera, counsel to PDP, Chris Uche said they had fielded 25 witnesses and would make it a round…
BUKAYO Saka scored the first hat-trick of his career as England made it four wins out of four Euro 2024 qualifiers by thrashing North Macedonia at Old Trafford. Gareth Southgate’s side are well on course to qualify for the tournament in Germany next summer and, even though North Macedonia provided meagre opposition, England still demonstrated the dazzling array of attacking options they have at their disposal. And at the heart of it all was Arsenal’s Saka who struck a superb treble before departing to a standing ovation with the game won. England actually laboured in the early stages in the…
FRENCH champions Paris St-Germain are close to appointing Luis Enrique as their new manager. PSG have not yet confirmed the exit of boss Christophe Galtier, but it is widely assumed his spell at the club will come to an end this summer. Galtier, 56, was appointed as Mauricio Pochettino’s successor in July 2022 but fell short of expectations. Luis Enrique has been linked with numerous jobs since leaving Spain after the World Cup in Qatar. PSG turned to the 53-year-old after talks with former Bayern Munich manager Julian Nagelsmann ended without agreement. Luis Enrique made his name as a player…