Author: Editor

NO one can know the mind of Sydney shopping mall killer Joel Cauchi, but psychiatrists say one underlying cause of his rampage is evident: he had schizophrenia, stopped his medication and fell out of treatment. People have searched for a fathomable motive since the April 13 knife attack at Bondi Junction, in which five women and a male security guard were stabbed to death and another dozen wounded, including a nine-month-old girl. Cauchi’s parents have said their son was diagnosed with schizophrenia at the age of 17 and was successfully treated for about 18 years. A serious mental disorder, schizophrenia…

THE United Nations Support Mission in Libya called Sunday for an investigation into a political activist’s death while detained at an eastern military base controlled by military strongman Khalifa Haftar. UNSMIL also demanded the “immediate release” of other prisoners it said were being detained “arbitrarily” by the war-torn country’s eastern-based authorities. In a statement on X, the UN mission said it was “deeply saddened by the death of activist Siraj Dughman while in custody at Rajma military camp” and urged the Libyan “authorities to conduct a transparent and independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death”. Plagued by political instability…

HUNDREDS protested on Sunday against the US troop presence in military-ruled Niger where a delegation from Washington is expected within days to arrange an orderly withdrawal. The United States had on Friday agreed to withdraw its more than 1,000 soldiers from the African nation where Washington built a $100 million base to fly a fleet of drones. The demonstration in the northern desert town of Agadez, home to a US air base, was called by a group of 24 civil society associations that have backed the regime since last year’s coup. “This is Agadez, not Washington, US army go home,”…

FORMER Super Eagles stars have expressed different opinion over hiring a foreigner as coach of the senior national team. Following Jose Peseiro’s departure after guiding the Eagles to the Africa Cup of Nations final in Ivory Coast in February, discussions have intensified over the Portuguese ideal successor with over 60 candidates reportedly applying for the job. With the Nigeria Football Federation on the verge of announcing Peseiro’s replacement, foreigner contenders Danny Buijs, Domenec Torrent and Antonio Conceicao and homeboy Emmanuel Amuneke are reportedly front runners for the position. Former Eagles defender, Abbey George, argued that local coaches might struggle to…

MARK Robins scored the goal that helped launch Manchester United’s era of dominance. Now he is plotting to deepen their misery in the FA Cup semi-final on Sunday as Coventry boss. The 54-year-old scored against Nottingham Forest in the third round of the competition in 1990, a goal that turned out to be a turning point in the history of United and was widely credited with saving Alex Ferguson’s job. Robins also scored the winner in the semi-final against Oldham and United went on to lift the cup, the first of a cascade of trophies under Ferguson, who oversaw their…

AN Israeli air strike on a house in Gaza’s southernmost city of Rafah killed at least 10 people, including six children, hospital authorities said, as Israel pursues its nearly seven-month offensive in the besieged Palestinian territory. Funerals were held on Saturday for those killed in the deadly strike on Rafah’s western Tal as-Sultan neighbourhood the night before, according to Gaza’s civil defence. At al-Najjar Hospital, the site of the area’s main morgue, relatives sobbed and hugged white-shrouded children’s bodies. “Hamza my beloved. Your hair looks so pretty,” a mourning grandmother said. The fatalities included Abdel-Fattah Sobhi Radwan, his wife Najlaa…

TENS of thousands of demonstrators have hit the streets of Spain’s Canary Islands to demand changes to the model of mass tourism they say is overwhelming the Atlantic archipelago. An estimated 57,000 people joined the protests, which began at midday (11:00 GMT) on Saturday, Spanish media reports said, citing the central government’s representative in the islands. Flag-waving crowds packed the streets of the main towns across all of the archipelago’s seven islands, chanting and whistling, and holding placards with slogans like: “The Canary Islands are not up for sale!”; “A moratorium on tourism”; and “Respect my home”. “It’s not a…

AT least 58 people going to a funeral died after their overloaded river boat capsized in the Central African Republic’s capital Bangui, the head of civil protection said on Saturday. “We were able to extract 58 lifeless bodies,” Thomas Djimasse told Radio Guira. “We don’t know the total number of people who are underwater. According to witnesses and videos on social media, the boat was carrying more than 300 people — some standing and others perched on wooden structures — when it sank on the Mpoko river on Friday. The vessel was heading to the funeral of a village chief…

TOGO’s parliament has given final approval to a new constitution extending the president’s term, after critics denounced the move as a coup. The West African country will move from a presidential to a parliamentary system. President Faure Gnassingbé’s supporters argue the changes reduce his powers by transforming the presidency into a ceremonial role. But the opposition said the reforms remove limits on his stay in office. Their removal would enable him to remain president until 2031, they said, after which he could be appointed to the new position of “president of the council of ministers” – in effect prime minister…

ON Wednesday, April 17th 2024, the country’s  media space was awashed by news that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) stormed the Abuja residence of former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello to effect an arrest despite a a subsisting Order of injunction granted on 9th February 2024 by the High Court of Justice, Lokoja Division in Suit No. HCL/68M/2024 between Alhaji Yahaya Bello v. Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, restraining the Commission either by itself or its agents from harassing, arresting, detaining or prosecuting Bello, pending the hearing and determination of the substantive fundamental rights enforcement action. Moments after…

IRAN’s air defences have brought down three small drones over the central city of Isfahan, state media reported, hours after United States broadcasters, quoting senior US officials, said Israeli missiles had hit an Iranian site. Iranian state television reported explosions in Isfahan as air defences were activated and flights across several areas, including the capital, Tehran, and Isfahan, were suspended. Airspace was reopened about four and a half hours after the incident and there were no reports of casualties. Second Brigadier General Siavash Mihandoust, the top military official in Isfahan, told state media that air defence batteries hit “a suspicious…

A MAN has set himself on fire outside the court in Manhattan where former President Donald Trump’s hush-money trial is being held. The man doused himself in a liquid before throwing conspiracy-theory pamphlets into the air, police said. His motive is unknown and police responded to the scene. Mr Trump was in the building to attend jury selection, where he has had a security detail, but the former president left during the incident. Emergency officials said that court security had not been breached in the incident. The case, which had just completed alternate jury selection, resumed later in the afternoon.…

KENYA’s government has sent a team to investigate the helicopter crash that killed military chief Gen Francis Ogolla and nine others. It was not immediately clear what caused the crash. Gen Ogolla was among 12 occupants of the military aircraft that went down on Thursday afternoon shortly after take off in the north-west of the country. The bodies of those who died were flown to Nairobi and the two survivors are being treated in hospital. The four-star general will be buried on Sunday at his home in western Siaya county, his family has said. Announcing three days of national mourning,…

A TRAIN that Ghana recently acquired from Poland has collided with a lorry during a test run in the Eastern Region, the authorities say. It rammed into the abandoned vehicle that was on the tracks of the Tema-Mpakadan railway line on Thursday, causing minor damage to the train’s cabin area, the railway ministry said. The train driver, railway inspectors and passengers all escaped unhurt. Police say they have arrested the driver of the abandoned lorry. There was no-one in the lorry when it was hit and the location where the it was left was not designated as an authorised level…

UEFA announced on Thursday it had fined Barcelona 25,000 euros ($26,680) for racist behaviour by their fans after two supporters were questioned by police following their Champions League quarter-final first leg with Paris Saint-Germain. Barcelona were also banned from selling tickets to their supporters for their next away European game, although that punishment is suspended for a year. Barca lost the tie 6-4 on aggregate after PSG won Tuesday’s second leg 4-1. On April 10, Paris police said they had questioned two people after videos were published on social media of a supporter making monkey noises and another making Nazi…

IRANIAN Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian on Thursday warned that Tehran would make Israel “regret” any attack on his country in response to the Islamic republic’s weekend barrage of missiles and drones. Tehran’s first-ever direct attack on Israel over the weekend came in the wake of a deadly attack on the Iranian consulate in Damascus, widely blamed on Israel. Nearly all of the projectiles were intercepted before reaching their targets. “Iran’s legitimate defense and counter measures have been concluded. Therefore, the terrorist Israeli regime must be compelled to stop any further military adventurism against our interests,” the minister told the UN…

A HAUNTING image of a grieving Palestinian woman embracing her little niece, killed in an Israeli strike in war-torn Gaza, won the 2024 World Press Photo of the Year Award Thursday. The picture taken by Reuters news agency’s Mohammed Salem shows Inas Abu Maamar cradling the body of five-year-old Saly, who was killed with her mother and sister when a missile hit their home in Khan Younis in October. Salem was in Khan Younis’ Nasser hospital on October 17 when he saw Maamar, 36, sobbing and tightly holding the wrapped body of her relative in the hospital’s morgue. The picture…

KENYA’s defence chief and nine other top brass died on Thursday in a military helicopter crash in a remote area of the country, President William Ruto said. “Today at 2:20 pm, our nation suffered a tragic air accident… I am deeply saddened to announce the passing of General Francis Omondi Ogolla,” Ruto told reporters. The president, who had convened an urgent meeting of the National Security Council after news of the accident emerged, said nine other “gallant military personnel” on board were also killed while two survived. He said the Kenya Air Force has dispatched an air investigation team to…

BURKINA Faso’s military junta has expelled three French diplomats, accusing them of “subversive activities”. France said there were “no grounds” to expel the diplomats. The expulsions are the latest sign of worsening relations between the two nations since Captain Ibrahim Traoré seized power in a coup in 2022. He has pivoted Burkina Faso towards Russia, ending its close ties with France, the former colonial power. Russia reopened its embassy in Burkina Faso in December after it was shut more than 30 years ago, while the French ambassador was expelled by the junta the following month. Russia is also helping the…

MIKEL Arteta admitted Arsenal paid the price for making one big mistake as Bayern Munich’s 1-0 victory sent his side crashing out of the Champions League on Wednesday. Joshua Kimmich’s second half header punished slack marking by Arsenal and ended their hopes of reaching the semi-finals for the first time since 2009. The Gunners were beaten 3-2 on aggregate in the quarter-final after a 2-2 draw in the first leg in north London last week. It was a painful experience for Arsenal boss Arteta, who bemoaned the defensive slip that proved decisive in the second leg. “At the moment it…