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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…

NOVAK Djokovic won a record-extending 10th Australian Open and a record-equalling 22nd Grand Slam men’s title by using all of his talent and nous to see off Stefanos Tsitsipas. Serbia’s Djokovic started strongly and dug deep in the second set on his way to a 6-3 7-6 (7-4) 7-6 (7-5) victory. The 35-year-old, who draws level with Rafael Nadal in major wins, will return to the world number one ranking. Greece’s Tsitsipas, 24, continues his wait for a first Grand Slam triumph. “It’s been a long journey, but a very special one,” said Djokovic, who only dropped one set during…

THE Iranian defence ministry says it has foiled a drone attack on a military facility in the city of Isfahan. The ministry said three drones were involved but there were no casualties. One drone was destroyed by air defence systems and two were caught by “defence traps”, causing minor damage to a building, the ministry added. The extent of damage to the site has not been confirmed by the BBC, and there has been no immediate claim of responsibility. Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, Iran’s foreign minister, said the “cowardly” incident was an attempt to destabilise the country. But he added that the…

CHELSEA have signed 19-year-old French right-back Malo Gusto from Lyon for 35m euro (£30.7m). Gusto has signed a deal with the Blues until summer 2030 but will complete the current season at Lyon. Lyon saidexternal-link the deal includes 5m euro (£4.4m) in add-ons. “The defender will now continue his impressive progress on loan [at Lyon] before joining up with the Blues in the summer ahead of the new campaign,” Chelsea said in a statement. Gusto came through the ranks at Lyon before making his first team debut in January 2021. He has made 15 appearances this season for the French…

KAORU Mitoma scored in stoppage time as Brighton knocked holders Liverpool out of the FA Cup with an impressive victory at the Amex. With the game heading to a draw, Japan winger Mitoma produced a great piece of control before firing in from close range to stun the Reds. Jurgen Klopp’s side, who were beaten 3-0 at the Seagulls two weeks ago, took the lead midway through the first half when Harvey Elliott slotted into the bottom corner from Mohamed Salah’s pass following a quick break. However, Brighton equalised when Tariq Lamptey’s shot from distance deflected heavily off Lewis Dunk…

ADAM Montgomery, the father of missing 5-year-old Harmony Montgomery, has been indicted by a New Hampshire grand jury on a second-degree murder charge in her death, according to court documents. Last week’s indictment accuses him of “repeatedly striking Harmony Montgomery on the head with a closed fist,”after she mistakenly broke his favourite coffee cup, causing her death. Grand jurors also allege Adam Montgomery, 33, falsified physical evidence and tampered with witnesses and informants. CNN has reached out to Montgomery’s attorney but has not immediately heard back. He remains in custody. Harmony was reported missing in November 2021 by her mother,…

The 19-year-old from Russia’s Arkhangelsk region must wear the device while she is under house arrest after she was charged over social media posts that authorities say discredit the Russian army and justify terrorism. Russian officials added Krivtsova to the list of terrorists and extremists, on a par with ISIS, al Qaeda and the Taliban, for posting an Instagram story about the explosion on the Crimean bridge in October that also criticized Russia for invading Ukraine. Krivtsova, a student at Northern (Arctic) Federal University in the northwestern city of Arkhangelsk, is also facing criminal charges for discrediting the Russian army…

RANDAL Kolo Muani scored a second-half equaliser as Eintracht Frankfurt held Bayern Munich to a third straight Bundesliga draw. The France international held off Dayot Upamecano’s challenge before finding the far corner for his fourth goal in five league appearances. Leroy Sane had given Bayern the lead from Thomas Muller’s cross. Leaders Bayern are one point clear of second-placed Union Berlin, who beat city rivals Hertha earlier on Saturday. Having already been held by Leipzig and Koln this month, the Munich club have failed to win any of their first three games of a calendar year for the first time…

JURGEN Klopp has reacted to criticism of Liverpool’s recent form, saying he has not become a bad manager overnight. Liverpool, who visit Brighton in the FA Cup fourth round on Sunday, are ninth in the Premier League and 10 points off the top four. Last season they were two games away from a quadruple. “I didn’t become a bad manager overnight. I was never as good as people probably said and not as bad as some people might think,” he said. Klopp signed a contract extension in April until 2026, after arriving at Liverpool in October 2015. He has won…

CASEMIRO underlined his importance to Manchester United with two goals as they cruised past Reading to reach the FA Cup fifth round at Old Trafford. While the Brazil midfielder was brought to the club in August 2022 to deliver steel to the heart of United’s midfield, he displayed his effectiveness further forward to break the Royals’ resistance early in the second half. He scooped home the opening goal after racing on to Antony’s incisive pass, and doubled United’s lead four minutes later, curling in from the edge of the box after collecting Fred’s pass. “He’s done what he was brought…

A Tropical storm followed by heavy rainfall has killed at least 16 people in Madagascar, emergency services say. Seventeen people remain missing after Tropical Storm Cheneso hit, according to the Office for Risk and Disaster Management. More than 60,000 people have been displaced since the storm reached the island just over a week ago. Some 47,000 people are affected, while 13,000 houses and some 100 classrooms are damaged, the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations said Madagascar, Mozambique and the wider southern Africa region have been hit by severe storms and cyclones in recent years. Last year, several storms…

ONLY 3% of school leavers in Ethiopia have won good enough grades to go to university, says Education Minister Berhanu Nega, who has called these latest exam results “shocking”. No exams took place in the war-torn region of Tigray, where the federal government has not provided education for two years. There was also controversy over the timing of the final exams for students living in areas which were heavily impacted by the civil war in the north of the country, including in Amhara where 12,000 students reportedly staged a walk-out. Cheating and fraud have marred previous exams in Ethiopia, so…

CRISTIANO Ronaldo is making the most of his lavish lifestyle out in Saudi Arabia as he is currently occupying 17 suites at The Four Seasons hotel in Riyadh. The 37-year-old made the switch to Al-Nassr earlier this month in a deal worth around £173million-a-year, which is the most expensive contract in world football. However, Ronaldo had to wait over two weeks to make his debut after serving a two-match ban for throwing a phone out of an Everton fan’s hand while playing for Manchester United last April. It meant Ronaldo’s first game in Saudi Arabia was for an All-Star XI…