US President Joe Biden has ruled out sending F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, despite renewed calls from Ukrainian officials for air support. Asked by a reporter on Monday if the US would be providing the planes, Mr Biden replied simply “no”. His comment comes a day after Germany’s leader also ruled out sending fighter jets. Ukraine has said it needs the jets to take control of its airspace in its ongoing war with Russia. F-16 Fighting Falcons are widely considered one of the world’s most reliable fighter jets and are used by other countries, such as Belgium and Pakistan. They…
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THE death toll has risen to at least 87 people after a mosque suicide bombing which targeted policemen in the Pakistan province of Peshawar. The mosque is within a high-security police headquarters area and a probe is under way into how the bomber got in. Pakistan’s PM and other leaders have condemned the attack – one of the worst in the country in recent years. The Pakistani Taliban has denied involvement after an initial claim by one of its commanders. “Terrorists want to create fear by targeting those who perform the duty of defending Pakistan,” said PM Shehbaz Sharif. On…
THE police officer who left his rifle in a commercial vehicle after allegedly collecting a GH¢100 bribe from the driver has been interdicted. Inspector Sulemana Adam with the Rapid Deployment Force (RDF) was interdicted and referred to the Police Professional Standards Bureau (PPSB). The move, according to the police, is “to allow for a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident”. A press release issued by the Western Regional Command of the Ghana Police Service on Saturday, January 28 said the police inspector and the driver will both assist in investigations. The driver had narrated on Connect FM‘s morning…
LIBERIA’S President, George Weah, has announced that he is standing for re-election. In his annual state of the nation address, Mr Weah said he would be calling on Liberians to renew for a second time the mandate they gave him six years ago. Elections are scheduled for October. Mr Weah has been accused of economic mismanagement during his time in office. Last year, the United States imposed sanctions on a number of senior Liberian officials over corruption allegations, including Mr Weah’s chief of staff.
LEADERSHIP Correspondent in Kogi State, Mr Sam Egwu is dead. The veteran journalist died in his Lokoja residence on Sunday evening at the age of 68. Family sources said Egwu was still active until a few hours before his death. The sources said the deceased was at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC’s) office in Lokoja to monitor the distribution of the permanent voter cards (PVcs) and returned to his house at 2pm. Egwu reportedly died after a few hours while sitting in front of his house. Born in 1955, the late Egwu attended St. Charles College, Ankpa and proceeded…
POLICE in Brazil are searching for one of Rio’s most dangerous drug lords, Jean Carlos dos Santos, after he broke out of jail with two fellow inmates. The three escaped from Bangu prison by tying bed-sheets together and lowering themselves from a prison window to a rubbish dump. Jean Carlos dos Santos, 37, is notorious for having had his lawyer killed after the latter failed to get two gang members released. He had been in prison since 2017. Jean Carlos dos Santos, also known as Jean do Morro do 18, controlled much of the drug trafficking in the Morro do…
THE Kremlin has denied former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s claim that Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened him with a missile strike. The two were on a “very long” and “extraordinary” call in early February of last year before Russia invaded Ukraine, when Putin supposedly issued the threat, though he also conceded it could’ve been a joke. “It’s a lie, there were no threats of missiles,” he told reporters during a press briefing. “Speaking about challenges to the security of the Russian Federation, President Putin noted that if Ukraine joined NATO, the potential deployment of NATO or American missiles near…
MANCHESTER City defender Joao Cancelo is in line to join German champions Bayern Munich before Tuesday’s transfer deadline. A deal for the Portugal full-back is still to be completed but the proposal is for an initial loan with a 70m euro (£61.5m) option to buy in the summer. The 28-year-old signed for City from Juventus in 2019 and has made 98 Premier League appearances. He has won two league titles and the EFL Cup under Pep Guardiola. Cancelo had previously been viewed as one of the key players in Guardiola’s squad due to his ability to drift inside and act…
CHELSEA have bid 120m euros (£105.6m) for Benfica’s Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez in a move that would make him the British transfer record signing. So far there is no indication whether the Blues’ offer, thought to include instalments, will be accepted. But if the deal goes through, it would eclipse the £100m Manchester City paid Aston Villa for Jack Grealish in 2021. Fernandez was named young player of the tournament during Argentina’s World Cup triumph in Qatar. Benfica have previously accused Chelsea of trying to unsettle the midfielder, with the Portuguese side’s manager Roger Schmidt declaring their pursuit “closed”. However,…
THE Supreme Court of Nigeria has affirmed Senator Adamu Aliero as the Peoples Democratic Party’s candidate for Kebbi Central Senatorial District in the forthcoming general election. In a lead judgment by Justice Centus Nweze which was read by Justice Amina Augie on Monday, the apex court held that Aliero’s appeal was allowed and declared that “the judgment of the lower court, which declared Saidu Haruna as the winner of the Kebbi Central Senatorial District primary is hereby set aside.” However, while four justices on the panel unanimously agreed with the lead judgment, Justice Emmanuel Agim disagreed. The judgment followed an…
EVERTON have named Sean Dyche as their new manager on a two-and-a-half-year contract until June 2025. The Toffees sacked Frank Lampard last week with the club 19th in the Premier League and two points from safety. Dyche, 51, had been out of work since he was dismissed by Burnley last April after almost 10 years at the Clarets. He is Everton majority owner Farhad Moshiri’s seventh managerial appointment since buying into the club in February 2016. Dyche, whose first game in charge will be at home against league leaders Arsenal in the top flight on 4 February, said in a…
FORMER Kenyan Prime Minister, Raila Amolo Odinga, has just arrived the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja on Monday, January 30, 2023, ahead of the 14th edition of annual LEADERSHIP Conference and Awards slated for Tuesday, January 31. Odinga will be the keynote speaker at the epock-making event to be chaired by Nigeria’s Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo. The veteran Kenyan politician and his entourage arrived at about 12:10pm Nigerian time and were received by top management staff of LEADERSHIP Newspapers Group alongside officials of the Federal Government of Nigeria. Odinga was accompanied by Hon. Godffrey Osotsi, Prof Makau Mutua and…
THE Somali government says it has killed more than 130 fighters from the Islamist militant group al-Shabab – a dozen top commanders. It says a joint operation was carried out with Somalia’s international partners, which include the US military. The group has recently lost swathes of territory as the result of an operation led by pro-government forces. It is impossible to independently verify the details of this attack but the Somali government has described what sounds like a significant setback for al-Shabab. An information minister said 136 jihadist fighters had been killed in a joint operation with Somalia’s international partners.…
AT least 28 people have been killed in an explosion at a mosque in the Pakistani city of Peshawar. The blast happened when the mosque was packed with worshippers and more than 150 people were injured. A section of the building was destroyed, and officials say people are buried under the rubble. Several others are being taken to local hospitals. The cause of the explosion is unclear. Prime Minister Shebaz Sharif has strongly condemned the attack. In a statement, Mr Sharif said those behind the incident “have nothing to do with Islam”. He added: “The entire nation is standing united…
GIOVANNI Simeone’s late goal helped Napoli to a narrow win over Roma and saw them open up a 13-point gap at the top of Serie A. Victor Osimhen’s volley gave Luciano Spalletti’s side an early lead but Roma levelled through Stephan El Shaarawy. However the hosts, chasing a first Scudetto since 1990 and the days of Diego Maradona, pressed for a winner. And Simeone’s turn away from Chris Smalling and effort into the top corner proved decisive. Napoli now have 53 points from 20 games, with Inter Milan a distant second on 40 points after their 2-1 win at Cremonese…
ON-LOAN Arsenal striker Folarin Balogun scored a dramatic stoppage-time equaliser for Reims against 10-man Paris St-Germain. The result means PSG miss the opportunity to open up a five-point lead over Lens at the top of Ligue 1. Neymar had opened the scoring for PSG who then had midfielder Marco Verratti sent off. Balogun’s equaliser arrived in the 96th minute to extend Reims’ unbeaten run to 14 games in all competitions. The England under-21 international has now scored 11 goals in Ligue 1 this season, the most of any player aged 21 or under in Europe’s big five leagues. Reims, coached…
REAL Madrid lost ground in the La Liga title race as they were held to a goalless draw at home to Real Sociedad. The result left Madrid five points adrift of leaders Barcelona, who won at Girona on Saturday and three points clear of third-placed Sociedad. Brazil winger Vinicius Junior had the pick of Madrid’s chances with three good opportunities. However, goalkeeper Alex Remiro excelled for the visitors with a string of fine saves to frustrate the hosts. Meanwhile, Real’s city rivals Atletico sit fourth in the table after Saul Niguez scored the only goal after coming on as substitute…
GUNMEN opened fire on a group of people celebrating a birthday at the weekend in a township in South Africa, killing eight and wounding three others, police said Monday. The birthday celebrant was among those gunned down in the mass shooting in the southern port city of Gqeberha, formerly Port Elizabeth. “The owner of the house was celebrating his birthday when two unknown gunmen entered the yard” on Sunday evening “and started shooting at the guests,” police said in a statement. The gunmen “randomly shot at guests,” police said, adding “eight people died while three others are still fighting for…
PRESIDENT Vladimir Putin threatened to personally target Boris Johnson with a missile attack just before ordering Russian forces into Ukraine, the former UK prime minister has claimed. The apparent threat came in a phone call just ahead of the invasion on February 24, according to a new BBC documentary to be broadcast on Monday. Johnson and other Western leaders had been hurrying to Kyiv to show support for Ukraine and try to deter a Russian attack. “He sort of threatened me at one point and said, ‘Boris, I don’t want to hurt you, but with a missile, it would only…
THE German chancellor has ruled out sending fighter jets to Ukraine, just days after committing to supplying tanks. In an interview with a German newspaper, Olaf Scholz warned against a bidding war for weapons. But Ukraine has asked allied nations to create a “fighter jet coalition” to bolster their capabilities. The US said it would discuss the idea of supplying jets “very carefully” with Kyiv on Thursday. In an interview with Tagesspiegel, Mr Scholz said his focus was on the delivery of German-made Leopard 2 tanks. “The fact we’ve only just made a decision [on sending tanks] and the next…