Author: Editor

ENZO Maresca said he will treat Sunday’s FIFA Club World Cup final against Paris Saint-Germain “like a chess match” after claiming his Chelsea side must beat the “best team in the world” when they face the European champions. PSG, who sealed a domestic league, cup and Champions League treble with a 5-0 Champions League final win against Inter Milan in May, go into the New Jersey clash as strong favourites to triumph and become the first winners of the 32-team tournament. But with Maresca confirming that midfielder Moisés Caicedo is on course to be fit for the game after returning…

AT least 87 Palestinians have been killed since dawn in Israeli attacks across Gaza, with dozens of children dying from malnutrition during Israel’s punishing months-long blockade, as ceasefire talks reportedly stall. Among the victims on Saturday, 14 were killed in Gaza City, four of them in an Israeli strike on a residence on Jaffa Street in the Tuffah area, which injured 10 others. At least 30 aid seekers were killed by Israeli army fire north of Rafah, southern Gaza, near the one operating GHF site, which rights groups and the United Nations have slammed as “human slaughterhouses” and “death traps”.…

UNITED States President Donald Trump has imposed a 30-percent tariff on imports from Mexico and the European Union starting on August 1, weeks after negotiations with the major trading partners failed to reach a more comprehensive trade deal. Trump announced the new tariffs on two of the US’s biggest trade partners in separate letters posted to his Truth Social platform on Saturday. He said they were due to what he called Mexico’s role in undocumented migration and illicit drugs flowing into the US and a trade imbalance with the EU, respectively. Earlier this week, Trump issued new tariff announcements for…

LIBERIA’s president was “honoured” to meet US counterpart Donald Trump this week and wasn’t offended by Trump’s comment about his fluency in English — his mother tongue — Liberia’s foreign minister said on Friday. The US president’s comment has even inspired a catchy tribute song in the West African country. Trump praised President Joseph Boakai on Wednesday for his English-speaking skills, apparently unaware that English is the official language of Liberia. Responding to remarks Boakai made at a White House mini-summit of the presidents of five mineral-rich countries in West Africa, the US leader said, “Such good English… Where were…

TURKISH President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan hosted Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud in Ankara on Friday for a high-level meeting focused on strengthening bilateral relations, particularly in the areas of counterterrorism and regional cooperation. The talks were held behind closed doors at the Presidential Complex, according to a statement released by Türkiye’s Communications Directorate. The meeting comes as tensions between Somalia and Ethiopia escalate as mediation efforts over a controversial port access agreement stall. The talks, brokered by Turkey since February 2024, aim to resolve a dispute triggered by a deal signed on January 2024 between Ethiopia and the self-declared Republic…

LIVERPOOL are to retire the number 20 shirt in honour of forward Diogo Jota, who tragically died in a car crash along with his brother Andre Silva. The Reds took the decision after consulting with Jota’s wife Rute Cardoso and his family which means the Portugal international “will forever be Liverpool’s number 20”. A Liverpool statement, external said the number “will be retired in honour and memory of Diogo across all levels”, including the women’s team and throughout the academy. They added: “The move is recognition of not only the immeasurable contribution our lad from Portugal made to the Reds’…

PHILIPPE Lazzarini, head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, has accused Israel of engineering the “most cruel and Machiavellian scheme to kill” in Gaza, which has become “the graveyard of children and starving people”. The UN’s World Food Programme says that as Israeli attacks intensify, hunger in Gaza is “worse than ever”, with 90,000 children needing urgent treatment from malnutrition. Meanwhile, as reported, the Israeli army plans to concentrate a vast percentage of Gaza’s population into a camp in south Gaza’s Rafah, from which they would not be able to leave. The plan is part of Israel’s proposed ceasefire…

THE United Nations has appealed to the international community to bolster its support for Haiti after a report revealed that gang violence has claimed 4,864 lives from October to June. More than 20 percent of those deaths unfolded in the departments of Centre and Artibonite, indicating that intense violence is spilling into the areas surrounding the capital, Port-au-Prince. In a report released on Friday, the UN explained that the growing presence of gangs like Gran Grif in those areas appears to be part of a broader strategy to control key routes connecting the capital to Haiti’s north and its border…

THERE are “reasonable grounds” to believe war crimes and crimes against humanity are being committed in western Sudan, said the International Criminal Court (ICC) at the United Nations Security Council on Thursday. Targeted sexual violence against women and girls of specific ethnicities was named as one of the most disturbing findings to emerge from an ICC investigation into crimes committed in Darfur. War broke out between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in April 2023, leading to what the UN calls “devastating civilian casualties”. ICC Deputy Prosecutor Nazhat Shameem Khan said it was “difficult to find appropriate…

ON Monday, as anti-government protests swept across parts of Kenya, 12-year-old Bridgit Njoki sat watching television in her family’s modest home. She had no idea that the deadly clashes between these protesters and Kenya’s armed police would find their way into her living room. A single bullet pierced the roof, puncturing the ceiling and striking Njoki in the head, her mother, Lucy Ngugi, tells the BBC. Within hours, she was pronounced dead in hospital. “She was my everything,” Ms Ngugi says, while sobbing in her home just outside the capital, Nairobi. “She was all I had.” “Let me be the…

PREMIER League side West Ham United are reportedly eyeing a summer move for Atalanta forward Ademola Lookman as a potential replacement for Mohammed Kudus, according to Sky Sports France. With Kudus attracting serious interest from Tottenham Hotspur, the Hammers are preparing for his possible departure and have identified Nigerian international Ademola Lookman as a top target. The 27-year-old enjoyed a sensational campaign with Atalanta last season, scoring 20 goals and registering seven assists in 40 appearances across all competitions. His standout performances have placed him firmly on the radar of clubs across Europe. Lookman, who previously played in the Premier…

ISRAELI forces intensify air and ground attacks on Gaza, killing at least 82 Palestinians, including nine aid seekers, across the besieged territory in 24 hours, according to the enclave’s Health Ministry. The head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees slams Israeli plans for the mass displacement of Palestinians towards Rafah in southern Gaza. Doctors at Gaza’s largest hospitals say the lives of more than 100 premature babies and 350 dialysis patients are at risk because of fuel shortages caused by Israel’s ongoing siege. Meanwhile, Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) has urged Canadian Prime Minister…

MAHMOUD Khalil, a former student activist imprisoned for more than three months, has filed a wrongful detention claim against the administration of President Donald Trump, seeking $20m in damages. Thursday’s court filings allege that the Trump administration smeared his reputation, maliciously prosecuted Khalil and unlawfully imprisoned him. The claim names the United States Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Department of State as defendants. In an interview with The Associated Press (AP), Khalil said he hopes his claim will show that the Trump administration cannot bully activists into silence. “They are abusing their power because…

LESOTHO has declared a national state of disaster over the country’s “high rates of youth unemployment and job losses” as uncertainty over US tariffs hits the landlocked nation. Lesotho was hit by higher tariffs than any other country – 50% – when they were announced by President Donald Trump in April, although they have since been paused. Deputy Prime Minister Nthomeng Majara said the state of disaster would be in force until 30 June 2027. Unemployment in Lesotho stands at 30% but for young people the rate is almost 50%, according to official figures. The declaration, in line with the…

KENYA’s President William Ruto has ordered police to shoot protesters targeting businesses in the legs, ensuring they are incapacitated but not killed. The UN and human rights groups have accused the police of using excessive force in the recent wave of anti-government protests – 31 people were killed on Monday, according to a state-run body. “Anyone caught burning another person’s business or property should be shot in the leg, hospitalised, and later taken to court. Don’t kill them, but ensure their legs are broken,” the president said. He further warned his political rivals against sponsoring and using violent protests and…

PARIS St-Germain demolished Real Madrid to set up a Fifa Club World Cup final against Chelsea on Sunday. This semi-final tie at the MetLife Stadium was over as a contest within 24 minutes as the Champions League winners tore the Spanish side apart. Fabian Ruiz tapped in the sixth-minute opener following a big mistake from Real defender Raul Asencio – after the referee let play continue following Thibaut Courtois’ foul on Ousmane Dembele. French winger Dembele raced away three minutes later to finish calmly after a mis-kick from Antonio Rudiger. Ruiz then slotted home the third after a fantastic give-and-go…

ISRAEL intensifies air attacks across the Gaza Strip with a missile barrage pounding a densely populated residential area in Gaza City. Health officials warn hundreds of patients will die from power outages in hospitals in Gaza as fuel supplies expire because of Israel’s blockade. At least 105 Palestinians, including seven aid seekers, have been killed and 530 injured in Israeli attacks across Gaza in the past 24-hour reporting period, according to the territory’s Health Ministry. Meanwhile, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has warned continuing Israeli bombardment is driving up casualties, displacing civilians and destroying essential…

A SOUTH Korean court has issued an arrest warrant for former President Yoon Suk-yeol over his attempt to impose martial law on December 3. The arrest warrant was issued in the early hours of Thursday, according to the South Korean news agency Yonhap. Yoon had appeared in a Seoul court on Wednesday for a seven-hour hearing to review the arrest warrant requested by prosecutors, and was then taken to a detention centre while he waited for the court’s decision. Yoon, a conservative, was removed from his position as president by South Korea’s Constitutional Court in April over his martial law…

US President Donald Trump will host five leaders from West Africa Wednesday for a White House summit aimed at fostering trade to counter the growing regional influence of Russia and China. The White House is seeking to strengthen economic ties with the mineral-rich region as it curbs foreign aid to Africa, where countries have been hit by a 10 percent global import tariff announced by Trump. Talks with the presidents of Senegal, Liberia, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania, and Gabon are expected to focus on commercial opportunities and security. “This summit marks a pivot point and test for how the Trump administration’s foreign…

TUNISIAN opposition leader Rached Ghannouchi has been sentenced to 14 years in prison, adding to a string of other jail terms he has received in separate cases. Ghannouchi, who heads the moderate Islamist Ennahda party, was among 18 politicians and officials sentenced on Tuesday for “conspiring against state security”. Ghannouchi’s defence team denied the charges brought against the 84-year-old, saying the proceedings did not meet the standards of a fair trial. Over the past few years, rights groups have repeatedly denounced the jailing of opposition figures in Tunisia, saying the sentences highlight an aggressive crackdown against critics of President Kais…