US rapper Meek Mill has apologised for surreptitiously filming a music video in Ghana’s presidential palace, also known as Jubilee House. The star caused uproar with the video, which saw him lip-syncing in the palace’s corridors and halls – and even behind the presidential lectern. He was accused of “desecrating” Jubilee House, while MPs raised questions about the potential security risks. In a statement, Mill said he would “take responsibility for my mistake”. “To the people of Ghana, no video I drop is ever meant to disrespect the people of Ghana,” he wrote. “The fastest way to make connection is…
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SOUTH Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa is on Tuesday scheduled to convene a meeting of the National Coronavirus Command Council to discuss a new variant detected in the country this week. The new Covid sub-variant, known as XBB.1.5, has also been recorded in the US and UK. It is an offshoot of the globally-dominant Omicron Covid variant and is highly transmissible. President Ramaphosa confirmed Tuesday’s meeting to local journalists and urged South Africans not to panic. “We are agile enough to want to have that meeting tomorrow, and thereafter there will be information that will be shared with the rest of…
THE first ever satellite mission launched from UK soil has ended in failure. A jumbo jet operated by the American Virgin Orbit company carried a rocket out of Newquay, Cornwall, to release it high over the Atlantic Ocean. The rocket ignited and appeared to be ascending correctly. But word then came from the company that the rocket had suffered an “anomaly”. The satellites it was carrying could not be released and were lost. Cosmic Girl, the carrier 747 jet, returned safely to base. The mission had been billed as a major milestone for UK space, marking the birth of a…
BOOKSHOPS in London opened at midnight to meet demand for Prince Harry’s memoir after it officially went on sale. Fans queuing to buy a hardback copy described wanting to hear the story “from the horse’s mouth”. It follows the chaotic launch of Spare with multiple leaks and copies being made available in Spain last week. Waterstones says Prince Harry’s book has been one of its “biggest pre-order titles for a decade”. The booksellers opened their flagship Piccadilly branch early on Tuesday in expectation of high customer demand, as the book was published around the world in 16 languages. Branches of…
THE US justice department is reviewing documents marked classified found in President Joe Biden’s former office at a think tank, the White House says. About 10 of the files were discovered in a locked closet at the Penn Biden Center in Washington in November by Mr Biden’s legal team, said his lawyer. The batch has been handed over to the National Archives. MR Biden’s predecessor, Donald Trump, is facing a probe for taking classified files to Florida after his presidency. According to the BBC’s US partner CBS News, the FBI is involved in the inquiry into classified documents found at…
THE Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has dismissed four personnel and demoted 14 others for various offences. The spokesman of the NIS, DCI Tony Akuneme, announced this in a statement issued on Tuesday in Abuja. The statement said the personnel were sanctioned after they appeared before the Orderly Room Trial Committee of the Service. It said the move was a part of efforts to rid the Service of bad eggs and in furtherance of the Federal Government’s fight against corruption. ’Two other personnel were redeployed to other locations while 11 were issued warning letters and one was compulsorily retired,’’ the statement…
NIGERIAN filmmaker and founder of the African Movie Academy Awards, Peace Anyiam-Osigwe, is dead. According to reports, she died in a hospital in Lagos State. Ayiam-Osigwe who was also the President of the Association of Movie Producers was reportedly in a coma before she breathed her last. Her colleague, Obi Emelonye, confirmed her death via his Instagram account on Tuesday. He shared her picture and wrote, “Thank you and good night dada Peace.
ALGERIA opened its new 40,000-seat stadium on Saturday just days before the country hosts the 2022 TotalEnergies African Nations Championship (CHAN). The iconic Nelson Mandela Stadium in the capital of Algiers was inaugurated with a friendly match against Ghana following a ceremony attended by several local sporting dignitaries. Vociferous local football fans and families were also present as the Local Desert Foxes played the Black Galaxies to a goalless draw in the entertaining warm-up match. Algeria coach Abdelmadjid Bougherra expressed his admiration for the new Nelson Mandela Stadium, likening it to some of the top stadiums in Europe. “To be…
CHELSEA have signed Atletico Madrid forward Joao Felix on loan for the rest of the season. The 23-year-old played for Portugal at the World Cup and scored one goal in five outings at the tournament. Felix has attracted interest from Arsenal and Manchester United but is understood to favour a move to Chelsea. Atletico made Felix the fifth most expensive player in history when they paid Benfica £113m for the then 19-year-old in 2019. Although he has impressed at times, Felix has not reached the heights expected on a consistent basis. Blues owner Todd Boehly is keen to bolster manager…
FRANCE goalkeeper, Hugo Lloris has announced his retirement from international football aged 36. The Tottenham captain’s decision comes three weeks after France were beaten by Argentina on penalties in the 2022 World Cup final on 18 December. Lloris had captained his country to World Cup victory four years earlier when they won the 2018 tournament. “I’ve decided to stop my international career, with the feeling that I have given everything,” said Lloris. Speaking to French publication L’Equipe, he added: “I think it is important to announce this now, two-and-a-half months before the start of Euro qualifying.” France have been drawn…
PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari (PMB) on Monday inaugurated the Yobe Cargo Airport named after him. The President expressed joy for the honour to commission the airport that was named after him. “It is my singular honour and privilege to commission this project which is named after me,” Buhari said. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the President also commissioned the newly built Police Headquarters, Police Ultra-modern Market, Maternal and Child Healthcare Complex, among others. Buhari was accompanied by the President of the Senate, Ahmed Lawan, Gov. Mai Mala Buni and his Borno counterpart, Babagana Zulum, Minister of Police Affairs,…
CANADA has finalised an agreement with the United States and weapons maker Lockheed Martin to purchase 88 F-35 fighter jets, the government announced, as it seeks to upgrade the country’s ageing fleet. During a news conference on Monday, Defence Minister Anita Anand said the $14.2bn ($19bn Canadian) deal marked the largest investment in the Royal Canadian Air Force in 30 years. As our world grows darker, with Russia’s illegal and unjustifiable invasion of Ukraine and China’s increasingly assertive behaviour in the Indo-Pacific, this project has taken on heightened significance, especially given the importance of interoperability with our allies,” Anand said.…
ISRAEL’s new far-right Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir has instructed police to remove Palestinian flags from public spaces, calling the Palestinian national symbol an act of “terrorism”. Israeli law does not outlaw Palestinian flags but police and soldiers have the right to remove them in cases where they deem there is a threat to public order. Sunday’s directive from Ben-Gvir, who heads the ultranationalist Jewish Power party in Benjamin Netanyahu’s new far-right government and as national security minister oversees the police, appears to signal a hardline and uncompromising attitude towards Palestinian expressions of identity and free speech and pro-Palestinian…
By Bala Ibrahim THE people of Yola, the capital of Adamawa state, and home to the PDP Presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, have joined the bandwagon, by going in the popular trend of supporting the increasingly attractive train of the Tinubu/Shetima campaign caravan, which has made an alarming appearance in the city today. The trio of President Muhammadu Buhari, the National Chairman of the All Progressive Congress, APC, Sen. Abdullahi Adamu and the party’s Presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, stormed the state with a force that clearly ridiculed the rumours of aloofness from the campaign, that is spread by the…
FRENCH Football Federation president Noel le Graet has apologised for “clumsy remarks” he made about Zinedine Zidane’s potential interest in coaching the national team. In an interview with French radio, 81-year-old Le Graet said he “wouldn’t even have taken his call” if Zidane had been in touch. Le Graet said on Monday the comments “do not reflect” his views. France boss Didier Deschamps signed a new contract until 2026 on Saturday. “I would like to apologise for these remarks, which absolutely do not reflect my views nor my consideration for the player he was and the coach he has become,”…
OUSMANE Dembele scored a first-half winner as Barcelona moved three points clear at the top of La Liga by edging to victory against Atletico Madrid. Dembele scored with a sweet side-foot finish following Gavi’s lay-off and also hit a post in the second half. Atletico could have levelled in added time but Antoine Griezmann’s effort was cleared off the line by Ronald Araujo. Both sides finished with 10 men after Stefan Savic and Ferran Torres were dismissed for a scuffle. The two former Manchester City players grappled each other off the ball, ending up on the turf, and were shown…
NEWLY promoted, Bendel Insurance of Benin, yesterday, returned to top-flight league in grand style, when the team defeated Akwa United in the Match Day One fixture of the Nigeria Professional League played at the Akwa Ibom International Stadium, Uyo. Star boy, Imade Osehenkhoe, put the Benin Arsenal in the lead in the 37th minute to record the first goal of the new season of the abridge league. The hosts, the Promise Keepers, threw everything at their visitors to level score, but to no avail, as the Benin-based team frustrated their hosts’ attempt to equalise. Insurance’s Ismael Seriki extended their…
IN an interview with the UK’s ITV news channel, Prince Harry agreed when the interviewer said that he and his brother, Prince William, had a dispute over Africa. In a highly personal and explosive 90-minute interview Harry, who now lives in California, agreed with the suggestion that he had a sibling rivalry with his sibling, which spilled over into charity work in Africa. The prince conceded that his brother did not want him to get too involved in charity work in Africa because William saw the continent as his “thing”, in the words of interviewer Tom Bradby. It is not…
A MAN has appeared in court accused of throwing an egg towards King Charles III during a walkabout. Harry May, 21, of Moreton Road South, Luton, is charged with a public order offence relating to the King’s visit to the town on 6 December. Mr May appeared at Luton Magistrates’ Court, where prosecutors said the case could only be heard by the Chief Magistrate. The next hearing is at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Friday. The defendant, who gave his full name as Harry Spartacus May, is accused of using threatening/abusive words/behaviour likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress. Prosecutor Matthew…
NEARLY 90% of people in Henan, China’s third most populous province, have now been infected with Covid, local health officials say. Provincial official Kan Quancheng revealed the figure – amounting to about 88.5 million people – at a press conference. China is battling an unprecedented surge in cases after abandoning zero-Covid policies in December. The move followed rare protests against lockdowns, quarantines and mass tests. Mr Kan did not specify a timeline for when all the infections happened – but as China’s previous zero-Covid policy kept cases to a minimum, it’s likely the vast majority of Henan’s infections occurred in…