Author: Editor

LIVERPOOL boss Jurgen Klopp said “it felt like us, it looked like us,” after the Reds recorded their first Premier League win in 2023 with a comfortable Merseyside derby victory over Everton at Anfield. Sean Dyche’s reign as Everton manager got off to the perfect start with a win over league leaders Arsenal at Goodison Park, but the task he has taken on after succeeding sacked Frank Lampard was laid out before him in graphic detail as they remain rooted in the bottom three. Everton had actually kept Liverpool at arm’s length before they were caught by a devastating counter-attack…

UEFA itself bears “primary responsibility” for failures which “almost led to disaster” at the 2022 Champions League final in Paris between Liverpool and Real Madrid, a report commissioned by the European football body said Monday. The report also claimed the policing model was influenced by a view of Liverpool based on the deadly 1989 Hillsborough disaster on incorrect assumptions that the city’s supporters were a threat to public order. The report said that the panel “has concluded that UEFA, as event owner, bears primary responsibility for failures which almost led to disaster.” The panel also said it was astonished that…

ONE of Africa’s most prestigious universities has banned those attending its graduation ceremony from carrying phones, cameras and video cameras. Uganda’s Makerere University will from Monday hold a five-day graduation ceremony at its Freedom Square. Faculties have been assigned different graduation dates across the week. No reason was given for the banning of cameras at the graduation square, but other items prohibited from the ceremony include alcohol, cigarettes, canned foods and bottled drinks. “A detailed list of prohibited items has been inserted in the graduation invitation package that is presented to the graduands and invited guests,” the head of ceremonies…

SOUTH Africa declared a national disaster on Monday as floods hit seven of its nine provinces, damaging roads and bridges and leaving at least seven people dead. Heavy rains have hit large parts of the country, and the deluge is expected to continue, according to the national weather service. The government has “declared a national state of disaster to enable an intensive, coordinated response to the impact of floods” affecting the seven provinces, mainly on the east coast of the country, the statement said. Disaster management centres report seven deaths so far but no national toll has been announced. Five…

SAUDI Arabia will send its first ever woman astronaut on a space mission later this year, the latest move by the kingdom to revamp its ultra-conservative image. Rayyana Barnawi will join fellow Saudi Ali Al-Qarni on a 10-day mission to the International Space Station (ISS), the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said. Barnawi and Al-Qarni will fly to the ISS aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft as part of a mission this spring by the private space company Axiom Space, SPA and Axiom said. Also on board Ax-2 will be Peggy Whitson, a former NASA astronaut who will be making her…

A BRITISH security guard at the UK’s embassy in Germany who pleaded guilty to spying was snared in an elaborate sting after sending sensitive material to Russia, prosecutors said Monday. David Ballantyne Smith, 58, has admitted to eight charges and London’s Old Bailey criminal court is now considering arguments ahead of his sentencing on Friday. Smith, who worked at the Berlin embassy for five years, pleaded guilty in November to violating the Official Secrets Act. The court was told that he was motivated by an intense hatred for his homeland. Making their case for a strong sentence, prosecutors on Monday…

Bags KADCCIMA Award PAN-AFRCAN conglomerate, the Dangote Group, is not relenting in buoying investment opportunities across Africa through numerous businesses and philanthropic forays. This is the consensus of economists and stakeholders who participated in the just concluded 44th Kaduna International Trade Fair. Dangote Group also bagged the First Runner-Up award at the annual event. Speaking to newsmen on the sideline of the company’s Special Day, Professor of Economics, Umar Dantsoho, said Dangote Industries Limited has been creating investment and job opportunities for Africans through its cement establishments in Nigeria and in Africa. He said the key to developing the African…

A LAGOS High Court sitting in Ikeja has sentenced a teacher, Chukwu Ndubuisi, to life imprisonment for defiling a six-year-old pupil (name withheld) of Mind Builders School, Lagos. Justice Sedoten Ogunsanya handed down the sentence to Ndubuisi aged 41 for his act of forceful penetration of the minor. Ndubuisi was the art teacher of the school as of June 2016 when the offence was committed. He was first arraigned at an Ogudu Magistrate Court on a charge of forceful penetration which he pleaded not guilty. His case was later transferred to High Court before Justice Sedoten Ogunsanya following the advice…

A SOFT deadline of 17 February is approaching for the first round of proposals to buy Manchester United. United’s owners, the Glazer family, are considering selling the club as they “explore strategic alternatives”. There has only been one public declaration so far, from businessman Sir Jim Ratcliffe, and there is uncertainty about interest in the Premier League club from Qatar. Despite suggestions that United have not attracted the interest expected by their owners, insiders have told BBC Sport the process has proceeded positively. As they stated in their announcement on a potential sale in November, the Glazer family are still…

KYLIAN Mbappe has returned to training ahead of schedule before Paris St-Germain’s Champions League last-16 first-leg tie with Bayern Munich. The France forward was expected to be out for three weeks after suffering a thigh injury earlier this month. Mbappe trained on the eve of Tuesday’s heavyweight contest, a repeat of the 2020 final, which Bayern won 1-0. “We’re not sure yet whether he will be on the match sheet,” said PSG boss Christophe Galtier on Monday. Galtier added: “Kylian did the whole session today. We made the decision that he would train with everyone today. “We will decide tomorrow…

MOLDOVA’s president has accused Russia of plotting to use foreign “saboteurs” to overthrow her pro-EU government. Maia Sandu nominated a new prime minister on Friday, Dorin Recean, who is pro-EU like his predecessor. President Sandu said the “plot” would involve “protests by the so-called opposition”, aiming to “overthrow the constitutional order”. Russia’s war in neighbouring Ukraine has put Moldova – one of Europe’s poorest countries – under great strain. Last week Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Kyiv’s intelligence service had uncovered a Russian plan to destroy Moldova. Moldova, wedged between Romania and Ukraine, became a candidate for EU membership last…

A YOUNG girl has been saved from the rubble of a block of flats in southern Turkey, more than a week after the devastating earthquake struck. Miray had been trapped in the ruins for 178 hours – seven-and-a-half days. Video showed workers cheering and shouting “God is great” as she was lifted out of the darkness. Several others were saved on Monday, including a 13-year-old boy trapped for 182 hours. But rescues are becoming rarer as the death toll passes 35,000. This is partly due to limits on how long the human body can survive without water. Other factors include…

GUNMEN on Sunday night burnt the Oguta High Court located in the Oguta Local Government Area of Imo State. Our source gathered that, the attackers arrived around 11.30pm and attacked the facility, which is located inside the local government headquarters. A source, who doesn’t want his name to be mentioned for security reasons, told our source that the Magistrate’s Court Registry, Appeal Court Record Office, File Room, Secretary to the High Court Judge’s office, office of the High Court bailiff, the chamber of the High Court judge were burnt. The source said, “The Magistrate Court Registry, Appeal Court Record Office,…

NAPOLI extended their lead at the top of Serie A to 16 points after victory over bottom-of-the-table Cremonese. Goals from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Victor Osimhen and Eljif Elmas gave Napoli their 19th win of the season. The Naples club, chasing their first Italian title since 1990, have now won six matches in a row and have dropped just seven points this season. Second-placed Inter Milan can reduce Napoli’s lead when they play Sampdoria on Monday. Earlier in the day, Adrien Rabiot’s goal gave Juventus a 1-0 win over Fiorentina. The result sees Juve, who were docked 15 points in January because…

BARCLEONA moved 11 points clear at the top of La Liga with a battling win over Villarreal in a scrappy encounter. Pedri’s goal after 18 minutes was enough to give the 26-time champions their sixth consecutive league win. Xavi’s side have conceded just seven goals in the league and their only defeat came to Real Madrid in December. They took advantage of Real’s absence from the weekend’s fixtures because of their participation in the Fifa Club World Cup to extend their lead. Real will return to league action against Elche on 15 February after beating Al-Hilal 5-3 in the Club…

SOME 46,000 homes have lost power as Cyclone Gabrielle lashes the north of New Zealand. Authorities have issued warnings of heavy rain and winds, and hundreds of flights have been cancelled. Some areas have declared a state of emergency, as Gabrielle nears the North Island. It comes weeks after Auckland and surrounding areas were hit by record rainfall that sparked floods and killed four people. “Extreme weather event has come on the back of extreme weather event,” said New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins, who announced a NZ$11.5m (£6m; US$7.3m) aid package. “Things are likely to get worse before they…

AT least 11 people have died in an attack in central Syria that has been blamed on Islamic State militants, a war monitor has said. Militants attacked a group of about 75 people picking mushrooms near Palmyra, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said. Syria’s state news agency SANA reported a lower death toll of four. The attack took place away from parts of northern Syria that were hit by Monday’s deadly earthquake. The SOHR, which monitors developments in Syria through a network of sources, said that Islamic State cells have been exploiting the “preoccupation of the international…

THE Kano governorship candidate of the Labour Party, LP, Bashir Bashir, has abandoned his ambition to join the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC. On January 21, the governorship candidate staged a boycott on the party’s presidential rally in Kano alongside the chairman of the Presidential Campaign Council, Mohammed Zarewa; state coordinator of Peter Obi’s campaign, Balarabe Wakili and; a member of the presidential campaign council, Idris Dambazau. A source close to the candidate confirmed the defection of Mr Bashir and other LP leaders to APC on Sunday, saying major reason for their defection is the exclusion of major Northern stakeholders…

Leeds 0 vs Man United 2 MANCHESTER United scored twice in the final 10 minutes at Elland Road to leave managerless Leeds deep in relegation trouble. Five days on from Marcus Rashford netting the Red Devils’ first goal as they came back from 2-0 down at home to draw against the same opponents, the England striker broke the deadlock when he met Luke Shaw’s curling cross to head in his 21st goal of the season. Substitute Alejandro Garnacho then outpaced the home defence before beating Illan Meslier at his near post to the obvious joy of manager Erik ten Hag…

MEMPHIS Depay struck his first Atletico Madrid goal to help his team steal a late 1-0 win at Celta Vigo on Sunday in La Liga. Diego Simeone’s side, down to 10 men after Stefan Savic’s red card, were outplayed but Depay reacted quickly to spin and bury a loose ball in the 89th minute. The Dutch forward, signed from Barcelona in January, netted in La Liga for the first time since September to help Atletico consolidate their hold on fourth place. Goalkeeper Jan Oblak made a string of stunning saves, while Celta striker Iago Aspas hit the crossbar from a…