Author: Editor

– 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ISRAELI forces have withdrawn from Kamal Adwan Hospital after detaining dozens of medics and some patients, and causing widespread damage to one of the last functioning hospitals in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…

NIGER’s former prime minister Hama Amadou, known as “the Phoenix” for his talent for political comebacks, has died in Niamey aged 74, his family announced on Thursday. Newspaper L’Enqueteur said the “giant of Nigerien politics” had died overnight on Wednesday to Thursday in the capital after contracting malaria. Tributes poured in on social media for Amadou, who was premier from 1995 to 1996 under President Mahamane Ousmane and again from 2000 to 2007 under President Mamadou Tandja. He then became speaker of parliament from 2011 to 2014 under President Mahamadou Issoufou. “Hama Amadou marked the history of our country with…

RAPINHA scored a stunning hat-trick as Barcelona hammered Bayern Munich 4-1 on Wednesday in a blockbuster Champions League group clash. The Catalans had lost their last six games against Bayern but outplayed the six-time winners at the Olympic stadium with Robert Lewandowski also on the scoresheet, while England star Harry Kane struck for the visitors. Hansi Flick, who was in charge of the Bundesliga side in a humiliating 8-2 romp over Barca in 2020, led the Catalans to an emphatic triumph which indicated they may be capable of winning the trophy for the first time since 2015 after a decade…

LEBANON’s Health Ministry said at least one person was killed and five wounded as Israel carried out at least 17 strikes on Beirut’s suburbs overnight. Israel’s attack levelled six buildings in Beirut’s southern suburb of Laylaki in what Al Jazeera’s correspondent in Beirut described as a “very violent night” of strikes that began without warning. Also, UN special rapporteur Francesca Albanese has said Israel’s declaration that six Al Jazeera journalists are members of armed groups “sounds like a death sentence” and has called for their protection. The Committee to Protect Journalists has said it is aware of the accusations against…

RUBBISH carried by a North Korean balloon has landed on South Korea’s presidential compound, authorities have said, in the second such incident in recent months. South Korea’s presidential security service said in a statement on Thursday that a balloon sent from across the inter-Korean border dumped rubbish onto the compound in Seoul’s Yongsan district, but no dangerous items or materials were discovered. South Korea’s Dong-A Ilbo and Chosun Ilbo newspapers reported that the balloon contained propaganda leaflets ridiculing President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife. The incident comes after Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of the North Korean leader…

BRITISH actor Idris Elba has told the BBC that he will relocate to Africa within the next decade as part of his plans to support the continent’s movie industry. The 52-year-old star of the hit series The Wire is behind nascent projects to build a film studio on the Tanzanian islands of Zanzibar as well as one in the Ghanaian capital, Accra. Born in London, Elba, whose mother is from Ghana and father from Sierra Leone, has a strong attachment to Africa. He wants to leverage his star power to back its burgeoning film business as he says it is…