Author: Editor

MOHAMED Salah struck nine minutes from time as Liverpool twice came from behind to draw 2-2 at Premier League title rivals Arsenal on Sunday. A point leaves Arsenal five points adrift of leaders Manchester City and four behind second-placed Liverpool. Liverpool began the weekend on top after winning 11 of their opening 12 games in all competitions under Arne Slot. But a draw sees the Reds fall one point behind Manchester City at the top of the table, with Arsenal now five points adrift of the leaders in third. Bukayo Saka recovered from a hamstring injury to start for Arsenal…

ISRAELI protesters have interrupted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech during a memorial to remember the victims of the October 7 attack as the Gaza ceasefire talks restarted in Doha, Qatar. Netanyahu stood motionless at a podium during the ceremony on Sunday as audience members in the crowd shouted, interrupting him for more than a minute, according to a live broadcast of the speech. Some people shouted “Shame on you” and made a commotion, forcing Netanyahu to stop his speech shortly after it began. One of the protesters repeatedly shouted, “My father was killed”. According to a Times of Israel…

CHINA has slammed the latest round of United States arms sales to Taiwan, vowing to take “all necessary measures” to assert its sovereignty over the self-ruled island it claims as its own. The US State Department on Friday approved a $2bn arms sale package for Taiwan, including advanced surface-to-air missile systems and radar as part of its efforts to counter China’s growing military power in the Asia Pacific. The administration of US President Joe Biden has made countering China’s increasing military and economic “assertiveness” in the region a key pillar of its foreign policy. It has also sought to shore…

A SENIOR UN official in Sudan says she is deeply troubled by reports of “atrocious crimes” in the central Gezira state, including the mass killing of civilians by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Clementine Nkweta-Salami’s comments came after an activist group said that at least 124 people were killed by the RSF in attacks on villages over the past week. The RSF has denied targeting civilians, saying its fighters are clashing with militias armed by the military. The 18-month conflict in Sudan has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced more than 11 million. Gezira state turned into…

PROMINENT Kenyan human rights activist Boniface Mwangi has been detained by police on charges of inciting violence after six masked individuals forcibly took him from his home, his wife has told the BBC. His detention comes after he called for an anti-government protest at a marathon in the capital, Nairobi, on Sunday. Police spokesperson Resila Onyango confirmed to local media that Mr Mwangi was in custody, but did not provide further details. Mr Mwangi’s detention has caused outrage among his supporters, who are demanding his release. Mr Mwangi had been rallying people on X (formerly Twitter) to demand the resignation…

– Commends UNICEF, Imo Govt For Partnership THE Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) has called on state governments in the South-east and South-south geopolitical zones in the country to jointly tackle the security challenges in their states. Arising from a two-day conference with the theme ‘’The Media as Partners in Regional Development’’ held in Owerri, the Imo State capital, weekend, the conference in a communique signed by NGE President, Eze Anaba and the General Secretary, Dr Iyobosa Uwugiaren, also tasked editors to play down on dissemination of information and messages of identified self-seeking groups in the zones promoting insecurity and…

ROBERT Lewandowski struck twice as Barcelona crushed rivals Real Madrid 4-0 on Saturday, inflicting the Spanish champions’ first La Liga defeat in over a year. Teenage winger Lamine Yamal and Raphinha completed the rout, while Madrid superstar Kylian Mbappe had two goals ruled out for offside on a frustrating first Clasico appearance for Los Blancos, who now trail league leaders Barcelona by six points. France captain Mbappe was consistently outwitted by the visitors’ high defensive line to the chagrin of the exasperated Santiago Bernabeu crowd, whose mood darkened as Barcelona hit four second half goals. Barcelona snapped Madrid’s 42-match unbeaten…

ISRAELI forces have withdrawn from Kamal Adwan Hospital after detaining dozens of medics and some patients, and causing widespread damage to one of the last functioning hospitals in northern Gaza, the Health Ministry in the besieged enclave has said. The medical facility is in disarray after it was raided and shelled amid Israel’s three-week offensive in the north, with a top Gaza Health Ministry official urging the World Health Organization (WHO) to evacuate the wounded from the hospital considered a lifeline for people in northern Gaza. “The smell of death has spread around the hospital,” Marwan al-Hams, director of field…

THE Prince of Wales says “inspiration and guidance” from his mother, Diana, has been a driving force behind his personal commitment to tackle homelessness. In a forthcoming ITV documentary, Prince William talks about the profound impact of visits he made to The Passage homelessness shelter with his mother when he was a child – and how it helped him see “outside the palace walls”. The prince admits he sometimes feels guilty about not being able to do more – and wants to share with his own children a sense of empathy for those facing hardship. “When I was very small,…

AT least 50 people have been killed in a single attack by Sudanese paramilitaries who have besieged and raided villages in al-Jazira state, activists said. The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have been at war with Sudan’s regular army since April 2023 but have in recent days intensified their violence against civilians in al-Jazira, south of the capital Khartoum, after their commander in the state defected to the army. “The villages of al-Sariha and Azraq have been under attack” since Friday morning, the resistance committee in Hasaheisa, one of hundreds of volunteer groups coordinating aid in Sudan, said in a…

BOTSWANA’s governing party – in power for almost six decades – is trying to pull off a trick in Wednesday’s general election by using a phrase normally associated with long-suffering opposition groups. In its manifesto, the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) is calling for “change”. “Let’s change together and build prosperity for all,” President Mokgweetsi Masisi – in charge of the country since 2018 – writes in the introduction. It is an acknowledgement that things need to be done differently – the opposition argues that the president’s party is not in a position to do that. Though analysts say the outcome…

ERIK ten Hag has blamed Manchester United’s lengthy injury list for the wretched run that has left the beleaguered boss fighting to save his job. The Dutchman presided over United’s worst start to a top-flight campaign since 1989/90, though last week’s win against Brentford eased the pressure. United are languishing in 12th place in the Premier League as they head to West Ham on Sunday for a match Ten Hag cannot afford to lose. After escaping with a 1-1 draw from Thursday’s Europa League trip to Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce, United have now won just once in their past seven games…

THE Israeli army has carried out strikes on military targets in Iran in response to what it said were months of attacks by “Iran and its proxies” in the region. Also, Iran’s military confirmed that Israeli strikes targeted military bases in the provinces of Ilam, Khuzestan and Tehran, and had caused “limited damage”. Israel had vowed to hit back at Iran following its October 1 missile attack, with Defence Minister Yoav Gallant saying the response would be “deadly, precise and surprising”. Israel has been fighting Iran-backed Hamas in Gaza since the deadliest attack in its history on October 7, 2023,…

ELON Musk, the world’s richest man and an avid supporter of Donald Trump, was plunged into new controversy on Friday after a report that he is in regular contact with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Wall Street Journal story, which has been denied by the Kremlin, comes days after the US Justice Department sent a letter to Musk’s America PAC warning that its $1 million giveaways to registered voters may violate federal law. Musk, 53, the chief executive of SpaceX and Tesla and the owner of X, formerly Twitter, has thrown his millions, time and considerable influence into sending the…

OUTRAGE has erupted on social media after Somalia’s Family Minister Gen Bashir Mohamed Jama shared photos on X of himself and another male delegate representing Somalia at a UN meeting about women’s issues. “It is tone-deaf for the Somali government to have men on the frontline, representing women at the conference,” Fathiya Absie, a well-known Somali author and human rights activist, told the BBC. A senior civil servant has told the BBC that two women also made up Somalia’s four-member delegation to the Women, Peace and Security Focal Points Network event in New York, but were not included in the…

A UGANDAN court has sentenced a former commander in the notorious Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) to 40 years in prison following a landmark war crimes trial. Thomas Kwoyelo was found guilty of 44 charges, including murder, rape, kidnapping and pillaging. He denied all charges that were brought against him. Kwoyelo is the first commander from the feared rebel group to be convicted by a Ugandan court. Founded in the late 1980s, the LRA is accused of carrying out atrocities in Uganda and neighbouring countries. Kwoyelo’s trial was held in the city of Gulu in northern Uganda – the region that…

JOSE Mourinho was sent off as his Fenerbahce side came from behind to condemn his old club Manchester United to a third successive Europa League draw in Istanbul. United had led at the break through Christian Eriksen’s fourth goal of the season. But the hosts levelled four minutes after the restart when Youssef En-Nesyri got between United defenders to head home Allan Saint-Maximin’s cross from close range. With the noise levels rising and excitement at fever pitch, Mourinho was red carded by French referee Clement Turpin just before the hour as he led the home side’s penalty claims after Bright…

IRAN’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Thursday that its ally Hezbollah is Lebanon’s best defence against Israel, which has been pummeling the country for a month to crush the militant group. Israel since September 23 has launched a series of strikes against Hezbollah strongholds, especially around the capital Beirut, and has launched ground operations into southern Lebanon. At least 1,552 people have been killed in the country, according to an AFP count based on official sources, while the UN says some 800,000 have been displaced. “Hezbollah is the strongest defender of Lebanon and the strongest shield against the greed…

POVERTY makes people up to three times more likely to suffer from mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety compared to the wealthy, the United Nations said in a report released Thursday. Competitive, consumption-oriented modern life is a threat to mental health, said a study compiled by the UN special rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, Olivier De Schutter. The report was to be presented Thursday to the UN General Assembly. Entitled “The burnout economy: poverty and mental health,” the report states that “poverty causes mental health conditions, which in turn constitutes an obstacle to escape from poverty.” “Those…

MOZAMBIQUE’s ruling party, Frelimo, has won the country’s divisive, violence-marred election, extending its 49-year grip on power in the southern African nation, according to official results. Daniel Chapo, Frelimo’s relatively unknown presidential candidate, seen as an agent of change, will replace Filipe Nyusi, who has served two terms. At 47, Chapo, who gained 71% of the vote, will be the first president born after independence in 1975. His closest challenger, Venancio Mondlane got 20%. Chapo said in his victory speech: “We remained silent all this time, for respecting the law. We are an organised party that prepares its victories.” Following…