ENGLAND midfielder Jude Bellingham missed a penalty and scored a 95th-minute winner as 10-man Real Madrid snatched a dramatic victory at Valencia to move top of La Liga. Valencia had former West Bromwich Albion boss Carlos Corberan in charge for the first time since he became manager last week and he was on course to guide his new team to a memorable victory, before the exciting finale. In a thrilling match at Mestalla Stadium, the hosts took a first-half lead when Hugo Duro tapped in from close range after Real goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois could only parry Javi Guerra’s powerful strike.…
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AT least 150 people have been killed in two days of intense air strikes on Gaza, including at least 73 people reported killed throughout Friday and 77 confirmed killed on Thursday. Also, Amnesty International said Israel’s detention of Kamal Adwan Hospital director Dr Hussam Abu Safia is emblematic of the “genocidal intent” in Israel’s broader attempts to “annihilate” Gaza’s healthcare sector. This is as Israel is forcing two hospitals in northern Gaza to evacuate under threat of attack. Israeli forces have surrounded the Indonesian Hospital, where many staff and patients sought shelter after nearby Kamal Adwan Hospital was destroyed in…
UNITED States President-elect Donald Trump is set to face a sentencing hearing for his criminal conviction in New York, mere days before he will be sworn in for a second term in the White House. On Friday, Judge Juan Merchan issued an 18-page written decision calling for Trump to appear, either in person or virtually, on January 10 to receive his sentence. Merchan also denied Trump’s bid to dismiss his conviction on 34 counts of falsifying business records in relation to a hush-money payment made during his 2016 presidential campaign. Trump had pushed to have the conviction overturned, in light…
ALL African passport holders are now able to visit Ghana without needing a visa, outgoing President Nana Akufo-Addo has said. He announced the plan last month but in his final state-of-the-nation address on Friday he said that the policy had come into effect at the beginning of the year. Visa-free travel within the continent has long been an aspiration for those promoting pan-African values and is seen as vital for economic cooperation. Ghana is now the fifth African country to offer this to travellers from the rest of the continent. Rwanda, Seychelles, The Gambia and Benin are the others. “I…
A MAGNITUDE 5.5 earthquake struck northern Ethiopia Friday, where a volcano erupted after months of increased seismic activity, the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) and local media said. The EMSC said the quake, which occurred at a depth of about 10 kilometres (6 miles), hit some 55 kilometres (34 miles) northwest of the city of Asbe Teferi. No injuries have been reported so far. A nearby volcano also erupted after months of intense seismic activity, according to local media. Aden Bela, a local official, told the Ethiopian broadcaster EBC that the volcanic eruption had taken place at 5:30 am on Friday…
AGNES Keleti, the world’s oldest Olympic champion and Holocaust survivor, has died at the age of 103. She passed away on Thursday at Budapest hospital, her press official Tamas Roth told AFP, confirming a report from local sports daily Nemzeti Sport. She was hospitalised with pneumonia last week. “We pray for her, she has a great vitality” her son, Rafael Biro-Keleti told local press at the time, saying they would like to celebrate her 104th birthday on January 9th together as a family. Keleti’s life story, including surviving the Holocaust and Olympic glory, reads like a gripping Hollywood film script,…
MULTIPLE Israeli air strikes across the Gaza Strip have killed dozens of Palestinians, including the head of the enclave’s police force and his deputy. Medical sources told Al Jazeera on Thursday that 12 people, including several children, were killed in a strike on a tent encampment in the so-called “humanitarian zone” of al-Mawasi, a coastal area near the southern town of Khan Younis. The attack also killed the chief of Gaza’s police force, Mahmud Salah, and his deputy, Hussam Shahwan. Salah was a veteran officer who had spent 30 years in the force, serving six years as its chief. Gaza’s…
MEGHAN Markle, the actress wife of Britain’s Prince Harry, will launch her new lifestyle and cooking show on Netflix on January 15, she announced Thursday on social media. “I have been so excited to share this with you! I hope you love the show as much as I loved making it,” the Duchess of Sussex wrote on Instagram. Netflix released a trailer for “With Love, Meghan,” an eight-episode series in which the “Suits” star will share tips on cooking, gardening, crafting, flower arranging and hosting. Guests will include celebrated chef Alice Waters, actress Mindy Kaling and close friend Abigail Spencer,…
A DRUNKEN police officer in Zambia freed 13 suspects from custody so that they could go and celebrate the new year, officials say. Detective inspector Titus Phiri was arrested after releasing the suspects from Leonard Cheelo police station in the capital, Lusaka, before running away himself. The 13 detainees were accused of crimes such as assault, robbery and burglary. They are all currently on the run and a manhunt has been launched to find them. Police spokesperson Rae Hamoonga said that Mr Phiri, “in a state of intoxication, forcibly seized cell keys” from constable Serah Banda on New Year’s Eve.…
AN eight-year-old boy has been found alive after surviving five days in a game park inhabited by lions and elephants in northern Zimbabwe, according to a member of parliament. The ordeal began when Tinotenda Pudu wandered 23 km (14 miles) from home into the “perilous” Matusadona Game Park, said Mashonaland West MP Mutsa Murombedzi on X. He spent five days “sleeping on a rocky perch, amidst roaring lions, passing elephants, eating wild fruits”, she said. Matusadona game park has about 40 lions. At one point, it had one of the highest lion population densities in Africa, according to African Parks.…
MIKEL Arteta has revealed Arsenal’s preparations for their 3-1 win at Brentford were hampered by a virus that swept through his squad. Several of Arsenal’s stars were struck down by the illness on the eve of the crucial Premier League clash on Wednesday. German forward Kai Havertz was sent home with the bug, while England midfielder Declan Rice was only able to come off the bench in the second half. Martin Odegaard reportedly struggled with the virus ahead of kick-off and although he was able to start, the Arsenal captain made a mistake that led to Bryan Mbeumo’s opener and…
AT least 11 Palestinians, including women and children, have been killed in an Israeli air strike on makeshift tents housing displaced people in a designated humanitarian safe zone in southern Gaza, local medics and news organisations report. The predawn attack on Thursday in the al-Mawasi area – which Israel’s military declared a “safe zone” early on in its war on Gaza – is reported to have resulted in the killing of three children and two women among the 11 who died. A video clip from the aftermath of the attack showed people searching for survivors among burning tents, scattered debris,…
AT least 15 people have been killed and dozens more injured in New Orleans, the United States, after a man smashed a pick-up truck into New Year’s revellers in an attack that authorities have linked to ISIL (ISIS). US President Joe Biden said on Wednesday that the FBI had informed him that the suspect had posted videos on social media indicating that he was inspired by the Middle East-based armed group. “To all the people in New Orleans who are grieving, I grieve with you,” President Biden said in remarks from the presidential retreat at Camp David. “Our nation grieves…
MOZAMBIQUE’s main opposition leader Venâncio Mondlane has called for unity ahead of a fresh round of protests against the outcome of presidential elections. In a live broadcast on his Facebook page, Mondlane – who is in self-imposed exile – urged citizens to join hands in their neighbourhoods at 11.45pm and sing the national anthem until 2025 kicks in. “We must find ourselves again as Mozambicans,” he said. Mozambique has faced one of is bloodiest weeks since October, when Mondlane first called for protests after rejecting his defeat in the elections. A local monitoring group, Plataforma Decide, said that 179 people…
GUANTANAMO Bay inmate Ridah Bin Saleh al-Yazidi has been repatriated to Tunisia, the US Department of Defense says. He was found eligible for transfer from the detention facility after a “rigorous interagency review process”, a press statement said. Human rights groups say Mr Yazidi was one of the prison’s original detainees in January 2002. The Pentagon did not say if he had accepted any guilt. Since 2002, the Guantanamo Bay detention facility has been used to hold what the US describes as captured unlawful combatants during America’s “war on terror”. The camp is part of a US naval base complex…
RUBEN Amorim said Manchester United are in a battle for Premier League survival after losing 2-0 to Newcastle on Monday to end 2024 14th in the table. United are seven points above the relegation zone but are on the slide since Amorim took charge last month. Alexander Isak and Joelinton struck inside the first 19 minutes as United lost a third consecutive home league game since 1979. “That is really clear so we have to fight,” said Amorim on United being dragged into a relegation battle. “It is a really difficult moment, one of the more difficult moments in the…
A UN report says Israel’s claims that Gaza hospitals are being used for military purposes by Palestinian armed groups are “vague” amid continuing Israeli attacks on health facilities protected under international law. The report – released on Tuesday by the UN human rights office – said Israeli strikes targeting hospitals and their surroundings in the Gaza Strip have pushed the territory’s healthcare system “to the brink of total collapse with catastrophic effect on Palestinians’ access to health and medical care”. The 23-page report looked at the period from October 7, 2023, to June 30, 2024. During this time there were…
A UNITED States military appeals court has denied an effort by Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin to throw out possible plea deals for the alleged mastermind of the attacks on September 11, 2001, and his two co-conspirators. The deals could see the three men — Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Walid bin Attash and Mustafa al-Hawsawi — plead guilty to the attacks, which killed nearly 3,000 people. In exchange, they would be spared the possibility of the death penalty. A plea hearing for Mohammed, who is accused of orchestrating the killings, is set for next week. The New York Times and Associated Press…
IVORY Coast has announced that French troops will withdraw from the West African nation, further reducing the military influence of the former colonial power in the region. In an end-of-year address, Ivory Coast’s President, Alassane Ouattara, said the move was a reflection of the modernisation of the country’s armed forces. Separately, Senegal, which last month announced France would have to close its military bases on its territory, confirmed the withdrawal would be completed by the end of 2025. Ivory Coast is home to the biggest remaining contingent of French troops in West Africa. There are some 600 French military personnel…
ZIMBABWE’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa has approved a law that abolishes the death penalty in the southern African state with immediate effect. Rights group Amnesty hailed the decision as a “beacon of hope for the abolitionist movement in the region”, but expressed regret that the death penalty could be reinstated during a state of emergency. Mnangagwa’s move comes after Zimbabwe’s parliament voted earlier in December to scrap the death penalty. Zimbabwe last carried out an execution by hanging in 2005, but its courts continued to hand down the death sentence for serious crimes like murder. About 60 people were on death…