FOR the first time in Tanzania’s history, the president has attended an International Women’s Day event organized by the main opposition party, Chadema. President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s presence was welcomed by Chadema chairman Freeman Mbowe, who said it was the fruit of meetings aimed at achieving reconciliation. Ms Samia, who addressed thousands in the meeting, said that reconciliation was ongoing in Tanzanian politics, and that some steps had already been taken meanwhile others were in progress, including the finding of a new constitution. In her address, President Samia added it had been difficult to start the reconciliation process as some…
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SOUTH Sudanese President Salva Kiir has sacked his foreign minister, less than a week after dismissing the defence and interior ministers. No explanation was given for the dismissal of Mayiik Ayii Deng, which was announced in a decree on the state television. The sacked minister is an ally of Mr Kiir, and previously served as the minister in the president’s office. Last week’s sackings have threatened to derail a peace deal with opposition leader First Vice-President Riek Machar. The opposition called for the reinstatement of Angelina Teny, who Mr Kiir dismissed as defence minister and handed the position to his…
PRESIDENT-ELECT Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has sent his hearty congratulations to the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo (SAN), on his 66th birthday. The Vice President turns 66 today, Wednesday March 8, 2023. Asiwaju Tinubu lauded the leadership and administrative skills of Professor Osinbajo and his professional accomplishments as an academic and erudite lawyer, which have seen him serve successfully as Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice during his administration as Governor of Lagos and now as the Vice President of Nigeria. “I rejoice and celebrate with our Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, on attainment of 66 today. Professor Osinbajo has…
THREE days to the Governorship election, the women leader of the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Sokoto state, Hajiya Kulu Rabah, has joined the All Progressives Congress (APC). Rabah was received into her new party by Senator Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko, APC leader in Sokoto. APC governorship candidate, Ahmed Aliyu, was among those who witnessed her defection. The February 25 presidential election was a stiff one between the PDP and APC, with the ruling party carrying the day but with a margin less than 5,000. The results of the parliamentary elections are still being expected as of the time of…
LAOLU Akande, Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the President, Office of the Vice President, has congratulated Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on his 66th birthday. The vice president turned 66 years old on Wednesday. Akande extended his felicitations in a birthday message to the vice president who was born on March 8, 1957. According to him, Osinbajo exists to inspire to build a better future for individuals, groups and the country. “The place of inspiration and imagination in the pursuit of personal or national fulfilment is not only pivotal but also irreplaceable and this is why people who…
PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has joined Nigerian women in celebrating the International Women’s Day (IWD), observed on March 8, recognising the invaluable role women have played in advancing the progress of the country since independence. The President saluted the hardwork and dedication of Nigerian women working tirelessly and achieving results in different fields of endeavour, from those sacrificing daily in the markets and farms to train the next generation of leaders, to those breaking limits in education, sports, medical field, arts, entertainment and even in politics, where they are still largely under-represented. The President in a statement by his media aide,…
AN area court in Gwagwalada in the FCT on Tuesday ordered that two cattle herders who pleaded guilty to abducting and raping a woman be remanded in a correctional centre pending sentencing on March 22. Earlier, the prosecutor, Dabo Yakubu, told the court that the defendants, Nuru Tukur (21) and Yusufa Haruna (29), on February 25, abducted a woman who was eight months pregnant from her house in Abaji Area Council of the FCT, took her to a bush were both of them raped her. He said one Abubakar Wakili of Yaba in Abaji Area Council reported the matter at…
Chelsea 2 v Dortmund 0 (Aggregate 2-1) GRAHAM Potter enjoyed his finest night as Chelsea manager as they overcame a first-leg deficit against Borussia Dortmund to reach the Champions League quarter-finals. Potter was under huge pressure after a dismal run of results following Chelsea’s huge outlay in the transfer market, but he will hope the manner of this performance and the advance into the latter stages of Europe’s elite competition will deliver a measure of calm and stability to Stamford Bridge. Chelsea fully deserved their win, although they squandered several big opportunities before Raheem Sterling made the breakthrough after 43…
WIDOW of the late football legend Pele will inherit 30 per cent of his assets, according to his Will, which also mentions a woman who could be Pele’s unrecognised daughter, the widow’s lawyer told AFP on Tuesday. The Will states that Marcia Cibele Aoki, Pele’s third and last wife, will inherit his mansion in Guaruja, a seaside resort town south of Sao Paulo, where the couple lived, according to her lawyer Luiz Kignel. Other assets belonging to Pele, who died after battling cancer in late December at age 82, include more real estate and a stake in the Pele brand,…
BARCELONA president Joan Laporta insisted Tuesday his club have never “bought referees” amid investigations into payments made to a former refereeing chief over several years. The Catalan side paid a reported 6.5 million euros ($6.9 million) between 2001 and 2018 to a company owned by Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, a former vice-president of the Technical Committee of Referees (CTA) in Spain, for what they said was advice on refereeing matters. Spanish prosecutors are investigating the payments and Spanish newspaper El Pais said Tuesday they intend to report Barcelona for “continued sporting corruption”. “Let it be clear Barca have never bought…
MORE than 5,000 Iranian schoolchildren have been affected by a spate of poisonings that has targeted mainly female pupils since late November, according to a lawmaker investigating the cases. The mystery poisonings have gripped Iran, triggering a wave of anger and demands for action from the authorities. They have also sparked international concern and Western calls for an independent investigation, particularly as the first cases were reported soon after the start of nationwide protests sparked by the death of Iranian Kurd Mahsa Amini, 22, following her arrest for allegedly breaching Iran’s strict dress code for women. Scores of schools have…
A SPANISH court ordered a man to pay his ex-wife 200,000 euros for 25 years of unpaid domestic labour, based on the minimum wage throughout their marriage, court documents showed Tuesday. The man was ordered to pay her “204,624.86 euros ($218,300), calculating the figure based on the annual minimum wage” throughout their marriage, said the ruling by a court in the southern Andalusia region, a copy of which was seen by AFP. The couple had two daughters, with their marriage governed by a separation of property regime, which specified that whatever each party earned was theirs alone, which in this…
SOUTH Africa’s gross domestic product shrank by 1.3% in the fourth quarter of 2022, much more than was expected. Analysts had predicted a decline of just 0.4%, and blamed the record blackouts for taking a significant toll on productivity. The impact of the rolling blackouts was bound to have a knock-on effect on the economy. Only two days of the fourth quarter were without power cuts. Businesses have been paralysed by the disruptions and have seen production costs rise as they have to purchase contingency power. Seven of South Africa’s 10 industries experienced a decline in the last three months…
GHANA’S Deputy Defence Minister Kofi Amankwa-Manu has apologised for military excesses after soldiers were deployed early Tuesday in Ashaiman, a suburb of capital Accra. The deployment followed the killing of a young soldier allegedly stabbed to death by unknown assailants in the area. Social media users have been sharing pictures and videos of alleged soldiers’ brutality during the operation. “If decent, innocent residents of Ashaiman were caught up in these operations, I, in my capacity as deputy defence minister, I apologise for that, ” Mr Amankwa-Manu said in an interview with a local TV. “It is only proper that we…
AN ELDER statesman, Alhaji Musan Musawa, is dead. Born on April 1, 1937, the deceased was a broadcaster, diplomat and astute politician. He died on Tuesday following a protracted illness. Alhaji Musan Musawa is survived by a number of children and other family members, including the deputy spokesperson of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Barrister Hannatu Musawa, who is also a weekly columnist with the LEADERSHIP Newspapers Group. Meanwhile, the President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has expressed sorrow over the loss of the elder statesman. In a statement Tuesday evening by his media office, Tinubu described the late statesman from…
PETER Obi, the presidential candidate of Labour Party (LP), has received Ireti Kingibe, first female senator-elect of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Kingibe defeated Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) Philip Aduda, who spent four terms at the National Assembly. The Senator-elect picked up her Certificate of Return at the International Conference Centre (ICC) on Tuesday afternoon and met with Obi later. See the pictures below:
NEYMAR is set to be sidelined for the rest of the season after Paris Saint-Germain said on Monday the forward will undergo ankle surgery and be out of action for three to four months. The Brazilian, who suffered the injury on February 19 against Lille in Ligue 1, “has had several episodes of instability in the right ankle in recent years,” said the club, adding that its medical staff “recommended a ligament repair operation” be undertaken in Doha. PSG, still waiting for a maiden Champions League title, bid to overturn a 1-0 first-leg deficit in the last 16 against Bayern…
NOVAK Djokovic extended his record of weeks as world number one to 379 in the latest ATP rankings released on Monday, although Carlos Alcaraz remains in hot pursuit. The 35-year-old winner of 22 Grand Slam titles edged ahead of Steffi Graf’s all-time record last week despite losing in the Dubai semi-finals to Daniil Medvedev. The Russian ended Djokovic’s 20-match win streak and perfect start to 2023 before claiming his third title in as many weeks with defeat of compatriot Andrey Rublev in Dubai. He moved up a place to sixth. Second-ranked Alcaraz will take over at the ATP summit if…
MANCHESTER United’s embarrassing 7-0 mauling by Liverpool was a brutal reality check for Erik ten Hag’s improving side but the manager has urged his men to bounce back this week. Just a week after winning their first silverware for six years, United were put to the sword by Jurgen Klopp’s revitalised side on Sunday, collapsing as Liverpool smashed in six goals in the second half at Anfield. Ten Hag’s men had travelled to the home of their biggest rivals with a spring in their step after just one defeat in 22 games and still on a high after beating Newcastle…
AFGHAN universities reopened on Monday after a winter break, but only men returned to class with a “heartbreaking” ban by the Taliban authorities on women in higher education still in force. The university ban is one of several restrictions imposed on women since the Taliban stormed back to power in August 2021 and has sparked global outrage — including across the Muslim world. “It’s heartbreaking to see boys going to the university while we have to stay at home,” said Rahela, 22, from the central province of Ghor. “This is gender discrimination against girls because Islam allows us to pursue…