MANCHESTER City delivered a masterclass to overwhelm Premier League leaders Arsenal and strike a huge psychological blow in the title race at Etihad Stadium. The confrontation billed as a potential title-decider turned into an embarrassingly one-sided affair. Pep Guardiola’s side, now two points behind Arsenal with two games in hand, were inspired by the devastating partnership of Erling Haaland and Kevin de Bruyne. Haaland sent De Bruyne away for a silky opener after seven minutes, and Arsenal then survived a constant bombardment of attacks before John Stones headed home from a corner in first-half stoppage time, the goal given by…
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INTER Milan are through to the Coppa Italia final after a narrow win over Juventus at the San Siro. With the semi-final level at 1-1 after the first leg, Federico Dimarco scored the decisive goal for holders Inter after 15 minutes. The left wing-back stabbed home after being picked out by Nicolo Barella’s pinpoint through ball. Simone Inzaghi’s Inter will now play Fiorentina or Cremonese in the final on 24 May. Following a fiery and highly controversial first leg in Turin, Inzaghi chose to leave Romelu Lukaku on the bench. The Chelsea loanee was sent off for celebrating in front…
THE US and South Korea have secured a landmark deal to counter the North Korean nuclear threat. Washington has agreed to periodically deploy US nuclear-armed submarines to South Korea and involve Seoul in its nuclear planning operations. In return, South Korea has agreed to not develop its own nuclear weapons. The Washington Declaration will strengthen the allies’ co-operation in deterring a North Korean attack, US President Joe Biden said. Concern has been rising on both sides about the nuclear threat posed by North Korea. Pyongyang is developing tactical nuclear weapons that can target South Korea, and refining its long-range weapons…
CHINESE President Xi Jinping has spoken to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for the first time since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, with Beijing saying it wanted to send an envoy to Kyiv to serve as a mediator to pursue a “political settlement”. The phone call on Wednesday lasted nearly an hour and was “long and meaningful”, according to the Ukrainian president. “I believe that this call, as well as the appointment of Ukraine’s ambassador to China, will give a powerful impetus to the development of our bilateral relations,” Zelenskyy wrote on Twitter. The first known wartime phone call…
FIGHTING is continuing in parts of Sudan despite a 72-hour ceasefire largely holding. Speaking via phone from Omdurman, the city adjoining the capital Khartoum, the BBC’s Mohamed Osman says fighting broke out near TV and radio buildings. There is no fuel and a lack of doctors, and people are struggling to access food and money, our correspondent adds. Sudan’s army chief has reportedly approved extending the ceasefire – due to expire on Friday – for 72 hours. Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan gave initial approval to the proposal from the regional African bloc Intergovernmental Authority on Development, Reuters news agency reports.…
AT least 55 migrants have been killed when their Europe-bound dinghy sank off the coast of Libya, the UN’s migration agency says. The boat – carrying 60 people – had set sail from a town to the east of the capital, Tripoli, before it capsized. Five migrants survived – including a Syrian child – and were taken back to shore. The Libyan coastguard have been working to retrieve bodies. Libya is a common departure point for migrants attempting the perilous Mediterranean crossing to Europe. Hundreds have died so far this year.
GIRONA striker Valentin Castellanos scored four times as they recorded a resounding victory over reigning La Liga champions Real Madrid. Castellanos, on loan from New York City, headed the opener and then ran onto a long ball before slotting past Real’s Andriy Lunin to make it 2-0. Vincius Jr gave Real hope with a header from Marco Asensio’s cross. But Castellanos, 24, tucked in a cross from Yan Couto and headed a fourth – before Lucas Vazquez’s consolation. Real are 11 points behind leaders Barcelona, having played a game more. They play Manchester City in the Champions League semi-final first…
PROMOTED Burnley finally clinched the Championship title with a win over rivals Blackburn Rovers in the east Lancashire derby at Ewood Park. Manuel Benson’s superb second-half strike broke the deadlock for the Clarets in a feisty match that had a high tempo but saw both sides limited in clear-cut chances in front of goal. Blackburn created more opportunities, with five shots on target to one from Burnley, as Dom Hyam saw a strike from distance saved and Sammie Szmodics almost flicked the ball inside the near post in stoppage time. The hosts also had strong penalty shouts waved away in…
THE Islamic State group mastermind thought to have planned the devastating 2021 bombing at Kabul airport has been killed by Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban, US officials say. The bombing that August killed 170 civilians and 13 US soldiers as people were trying to flee the country as the Taliban took control. The IS figure was killed weeks ago but it took time to confirm his death, US officials told BBC news partner CBS His name has not been released. US officials said they had determined through intelligence gathering and monitoring of the region that the leader had died, though they did…
SINGAPORE has executed a man for conspiring to traffic cannabis despite pleas for clemency from his family, activists and the United Nations. Tangaraju Suppiah, 46, was hanged at dawn on Wednesday over a plot to smuggle 1kg (35oz) of cannabis. Activists said he had been convicted on weak evidence and received limited legal access during his prosecution. But Singapore authorities said he had been given a fair trial and criticised those who questioned the courts. Singapore has some of the world’s toughest anti-drug laws. It argues these are a necessary deterrent to drug crime which is a major issue elsewhere…
EVERYONE finds selling on the streets the easiest way to survive, but you have to be creative.” Noel Ngwenya, 44, from Chivi District of Masvingo Province spends his working days in downtown Bulawayo, the country’s second largest city, with a loudhailer advertising a unique service. He collects torn or soiled foreign currency notes that have been rejected by supermarkets and other traders – mostly US dollars or South African rand, which are both legal tender in Zimbabwe. Mr Ngwenya pays his clients 50% of the value of whichever note they bring – so they get $1 for a torn $2…
A SECOND evacuation flight rescuing UK nationals from war-torn Sudan has landed in Cyprus. The passengers and a further 39 from an earlier rescue flight on Tuesday are expected to be given the chance to fly to the UK from Larnaca Airport later. British troops are attempting to get UK nationals out of the east African country during a 72-hour ceasefire. The BBC was told 39 people were flown out on the first RAF plane – and three rescue flights are planned in total. Trapped British nationals had been told to make their own way to an airstrip near Sudanese…
A NEW group aiming to represent the interests of European football clubs outside the global elite launched in Brussels on Monday, seeking greater distribution of funds to smaller clubs and open and more balanced European competition. The Union of European Clubs (UEC) said some 1,400 professional clubs were not taking part in European competitions and had no voice in decisions taken by governing body UEFA that still had a bearing on them. Representatives of 40 clubs from 25 countries attended, including England’s Aston Villa and Brighton and Hove Albion, Spain’s Sevilla and Valencia and Germany’s Borussia Moenchengladbach. The UEC will…
INTERIM manager Cristian Stellini has been sacked by Tottenham Hotspur after four matches in charge. The decision comes a day after Spurs were thrashed 6-1 at Newcastle – a performance chairman Daniel Levy has described as “wholly unacceptable”. Stellini, 48, was appointed on 26 March after Antonio Conte’s 16-month spell as Spurs boss came to an end. Ryan Mason, who worked under Stellini and took charge when Jose Mourinho was sacked in 2021, succeeds him. Sunday’s defeat at Newcastle, where they trailed 5-0 after 21 minutes, was a significant blow to Spurs’ hopes of securing Champions League qualification. “It was…
MORE than 20 people are feared to have drowned off Italy, the UN’s refugee agency said Monday, as good weather prompted fresh attempts at the perilous Mediterranean crossing. “Two shipwrecks off Lampedusa with 22 missing. Condolences to those who have lost family members at sea,” Chiara Cardoletti, the UNHCR’s representative for Italy, said on Twitter. “Action is needed to stabilise the situation in countries of origin and transit, reducing the reasons that drive so many people to risk their lives at sea,” she said. The 36 survivors of the first shipwreck told the Italian coastguard that 19 people on board…
STREAMING giant Netflix says it will invest $2.5bn (£2bn) in South Korea over the next four years. The firm’s co-chief executive Ted Sarandos made the announcement after he met South Korea’s President Yoon Suk-yeol in Washington. Mr Yoon is currently on a state visit to the US where he is expected to meet President Joe Biden on Wednesday. Netflix has seen success with South Korean productions, including the hugely popular show Squid Game. Mr Sarandos said the money will be spent on making movies and television shows in Asia’s fourth largest economy. “We were able to make this decision because…
ETHOPIAN Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on Sunday said his government had opened talks with Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), a rebel group active in the Oromia region, the country’s largest and most populous region. “A negotiation with Oneg Shene will start a day after tomorrow in Tanzania,” Mr Abiy said, using another name for the OLA. He said the “Ethiopian government and people are in deep need of this negotiation process,” adding, “I call upon all groups to play (their) part.” Mr Abiy said this in a speech to celebrate the peace deal his government signed with the Tigray People’s Liberation…
IN the middle of a forest not far from Kenya’s coast, piles of fresh earth topped with crucifixes await the attention of forensic experts. About 14 mass graves have so far been dug up and Hussein Khalid has spent the past four days watching people exhume dozens of bodies. “The stench is unbearable,” he tells the BBC. The dead – now numbering more than 70 – are thought to have been members of the Good News International Church. It is believed they were persuaded to starve themselves in order to reach heaven before what they were told was going to…
THE United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that Sudan’s warring generals had agreed to a three-day ceasefire starting Tuesday (2200 GMT Monday), after previous bids to pause the conflict quickly disintegrated. “Following intense negotiation over the past 48 hours, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have agreed to implement a nationwide ceasefire starting at midnight on April 24, to last for 72 hours,” Blinken said in a statement two hours before the truce was to go into effect. “During this period, the United States urges the SAF and RSF to immediately and fully…
A CIVIL society group, Social Integrity Network, (SINET), has asked Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, to set up a committee to quickly look at the ongoing plan to concession Ajaokuta Steel Company Limited and Itakpe Iron Ore Company. In a communique after an emergency meeting in Jos, Plateau State, yesterday, SINET urged the senate president to ensure that the process is halted, reversed and handed over to the incoming administration for proper scrutiny and consideration for national interest. The communique was signed SINET’s National Coordinator, Ibrahim Issah. The group said its action was predicated on some newspaper advertorials calling for bids…