TENS of thousands of Israelis are protesting against the government’s plan to pass a judicial reform bill that they say threatens democracy. Demonstrators from across Israel descended on Jerusalem on Monday to rally near the Knesset for a second straight week ahead of the first reading of the legislation to change the way judges are picked. Many critics say it will upend the country’s system of checks and balances and concentrate power in the hands of the prime minister. They also say that Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister who is on trial on corruption charges, has a conflict of interest.…
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A BABY born under the rubble of a collapsed building in Syria, and the only member of her immediate family to survive a massive earthquake, has been adopted by her aunt and uncle. Thousands of people had offered to adopt the newborn, who was still connected to her mother by her umbilical cord when she was rescued. She was discharged from hospital after a DNA test confirmed her aunt was a blood relative. Doctors said she was in good health. “She is one of my children now,” her uncle by marriage Khalil al-Sawadi told the Associated Press news agency.” I…
CHELSEA manager Graham Potter still has the support of chairman Todd Boehly and the club’s board despite their poor run of form. The Blues have won just two of their past 14 games in all competitions and were beaten 1-0 by Premier League strugglers Southampton on Saturday. Potter was appointed in September following the sacking of Thomas Tuchel. However, Chelsea’s owners have made it clear that hiring Potter was part of a long-term project. It is felt the team needs an opportunity to gel after a rebuild that has seen £583m spent on new players in the past two transfer…
LIVERPOOL owner John Henry says he is not selling the Premier League club, but does expect some investment. Henry’s Fenway Sports Group (FSG), which bought Liverpool in 2010, said in November it “would consider new shareholders” in the Reds. FSG chairman Tom Werner later said the club’s owners were “exploring a sale” but could continue their “stewardship for quite a while”. “Are we selling LFC? No,” Henry told the Boston Sports Journal. “Are talking with investors about LFC? Yes. Will something happen there? I believe so, but it won’t be a sale.” The American was speaking in a question-and-answer session…
THREE people are now said to have died after a 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck southern Turkey, weeks after a deadly quake devastated the region. Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu also said 213 people had been injured in Hatay. Turkey’s disaster and emergency agency Afad said the tremor occurred at 20.04 local time (17.04 GMT). A 7.8-magnitude quake struck the same area on 6 February, killing more than 44,000 people in Turkey and Syria. Those killed by Monday’s tremor were found in Antakya, Defne, and Samandagi, Mr Soylu said, urging people not to enter potentially dangerous buildings. Witnesses told the Reuters news…
IT was an audacious trip almost unheard of for a US president. Appearing in a war zone under regular attack, White House officials describe Joe Biden’s unexpected visit to Ukraine’s capital Kyiv as “unprecedented in modern times”. They say previous presidential trips to wartime Iraq and Afghanistan had the back up of a heavy US military presence. And despite widespread speculation among the press corps that Mr Biden might be planning a trip to Ukraine while he was in Poland, the visit still took everyone completely by surprise. The sight of him appearing beside President Volodymyr Zelensky in the heart…
A 6.4 MAGNITUDE earthquake has struck southern Turkey, weeks after a deadly quake devastated the region. Turkey’s disaster and emergency agency Afad said the tremor occurred at 20.04 local time (17.04 GMT). Witnesses told the Reuters news agency there had been further damage to buildings in Antakya. A 7.8-magnitude struck the region on 6 February, killing more than 44,000 people in Turkey and Syria. The mayor of Hatay, in southern Turkey, has said people are trapped under the rubble. The Turkish vice president said at least eight people were injured in the earthquake. Turkish authorities have recorded more than 6,000…
THE Honourable Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva will on Tuesday perform the groundbreaking of the Oloibiri Museum and Research Center (OMRC), in Ogbia Local Government of Bayelsa State on behalf of President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR. The Minister would also perform the groundbreaking of the NCDMB Conference Hotel Project (CHP), a three-star hotel being developed by the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) at Swali, adjacent to the 17-storey Nigerian Content Tower. The Oloibiri Museum and Research Center will be erected at the location where commercial quantities of oil were first discovered in 1957 by Royal…
TOTTENHAM have called for social media companies to take action after Son Heung-min was subjected to “utterly reprehensible” racist abuse online. The abuse occurred during Sunday’s 2-0 Premier League victory over West Ham, during which substitute Son scored Spurs’ second goal. Tottenham posted on Twitter saying they had reported the abuse towards Son. “We stand with Sonny and once again call on the social media companies and authorities to take action,” they said. Tottenham added: “We have been made aware of the utterly reprehensible online racist abuse directed at Heung-Min Son during today’s match, which has been reported by the…
BARCELONA re-established their eight-point lead at the top of La Liga thanks to a routine win over struggling Cadiz. Sergi Roberto gave Barca the lead late in the first half from a rebound after Robert Lewandowski had a header cleared off the line. Three minutes later Lewandowski drilled in a fine drive from the edge of the box after being picked out by Roberto. It was both players’ first league goal at the Nou Camp since 23 October’s 4-0 win over Athletic Bilbao. Xavi’s side had chances to increase their lead further with Lewandowski hitting the crossbar. The Poland striker…
CHINA is considering giving Russia weapons and ammunition for the Ukraine war, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said. Mr Blinken told CBS News that Chinese companies were already providing “non-lethal support” to Russia – and new information suggested Beijing could provide “lethal support”. This escalation would mean “serious consequences” for China, he warned. China has denied reports that Moscow has requested military equipment. Chinese President Xi Jinping is an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin and is yet to condemn Russia’s invasion – but he has sought to remain neutral in the conflict and has called for peace.…
AUTHORITIES in the Brazilian state of São Paulo say at least 36 people have been killed in heavy flooding and landslides, forcing some cities to cancel annual Carnival celebrations. Video showed neighbourhoods under water, flooded motorways and debris left after houses were swept away. Rescue teams have been struggling to reach survivors and unblock roads. More than 600mm (23.6 inches) of rain fell in some areas on Sunday, twice the expected amount for the month. “Search and rescue teams are not managing to get to several places; it is a chaotic situation,” said Felipe Augusto, the mayor of the hard-hit…
THE deputy head of Sudan’s ruling council, Mohamed Daglo, has called the 2021 military coup a “mistake”. In a televised address, Mr Daglo said it had become a “gateway” for the remnants of the former regime of Omar al-Bashir, who was deposed two years earlier. He said he had made mistakes and that lending support to the latest coup was one of them. Hailing December’s deal to transition Sudan to civilian rule, Mr Daglo promised to pursue security reforms, including integrating his RSF paramilitary group into the national army. Sudan has been in an economic and political turmoil since 2021…
THE African Union has reiterated its zero-tolerance approach to undemocratic changes of power on the continent. On the final day of a summit in Addis Ababa, the AU said it would maintain the suspension of Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mali and Sudan – which are all ruled by military leaders following coups. The commissioner for political affairs, Bankole Adeoye, said the AU was ready to help those countries return to constitutional order and help democracy take root. Leaders at the summit also agreed to press ahead with plans for a free trade deal including almost every country in Africa.
FACEBOOK and Instagram owner Meta will launch a paid subscription service starting at $11.99 a month allowing users to verify their accounts, CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced Sunday, following a similar move by Elon Musk at Twitter. Meta Verified, which will roll out first in Australia and New Zealand this week, will let users “verify your account with a government ID, get a blue badge, get extra impersonation protection against accounts claiming to be you, and get direct access to customer support,” Zuckerberg said. “This new feature is about increasing authenticity and security across our services,” he wrote in a statement…
TURKEY has ended rescue efforts in all but two provinces, almost two weeks after a massive earthquake killed tens of thousands of people, the country’s disaster agency said. Searches will continue in Kahramanmaras and Hatay, the agency’s chief said. However, hopes of finding anyone else alive in the rubble are fading fast. Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has arrived in Turkey and announced $100m (£83m) in humanitarian aid. The epicentre of the 7.8-magnitude earthquake on 6 February was in Kahramanmaras. More than 44,000 people are confirmed to have lost their lives in south-eastern Turkey and northern Syria. The…
SYRIA’S military says five people have died after what it alleged were Israeli missiles hit the capital Damascus and surrounding areas on Sunday. Officials said a building was hit in the central Kafr Sousa neighbourhood, killing four civilians and one soldier. The densely populated district is home to a large, heavily guarded security complex. Israel’s military declined to comment on the strike when approached by Reuters news agency. Israel frequently attacks targets in Syria linked to Iran and Hezbollah militants but rarely acknowledges its actions. However, attacks on residential areas are rare. Sunday’s attack was the first since a devastating…
MARCUS Rashford scored twice to continue his hot streak and help Manchester United overcome Leicester in the Premier League. Rashford is in the form of his career and is leading United’s resurgence, taking his tally to 24 goals for the season with strikes in each half at Old Trafford. Both efforts were clinical finishes, latching on to passes from Bruno Fernandes and Fred before bearing down on goal and coolly slotting past Danny Ward. Substitute Jadon Sancho finished off a fine team move to seal all three points for Erik ten Hag’s side, but it could have been a very…
NEYMAR was carried off on a stretcher before Lionel Messi scored a 95th-minute winner as Paris St-Germain gained an incredible win over Lille. PSG had been 2-0 ahead and 3-2 behind after goals from Lille’s Bafode Diakite, Jonathan David and Jonathan Bamba transformed the match. Kylian Mbappe, who opened the scoring, grabbed his second in the 87th minute to give PSG hope of victory. Messi then won it in dramatic fashion with a 22-yard free-kick. Despite the win, PSG’s main concern will be for Brazil forward Neymar after the 31-year-old, a goalscorer in the first half, was kicked on his…
A MIDDLE-AGED woman, known as Mama Dada, has reportedly set herself ablaze in her rented apartment over her inability to offset a loan of N70,000 she took from a microfinance bank popularly known as LAPO. Our correspondent gathered that the deceased got burnt beyond recognition as the entire building located at the Oke-Keesi, Itoko area of Abeokuta. LAPO is known for lending money to traders and other small-scale business owners with specific instructions for repayment plans. An eyewitness, Bolanle Ajayi, a resident of the area, said that the woman killed herself after she was unable to pay back a loan…