Author: Editor

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…

THE Lebanese armed group Hezbollah has claimed responsibility for an attack on a military facility in northern Israel that wounded at least 14 soldiers, saying it was carried out in retaliation for Israeli strikes that killed Hezbollah members. The Iran-aligned group said it launched “a combined attack with guided missiles and explosive drones on a new military reconnaissance command centre in Arab al-Aramshe,” an Arab-majority village of northern Israel near the Lebanese border. The Israeli military said 14 of its soldiers were wounded in Wednesday’s attack and six were in serious condition. It added that it had “struck the sources…

AROUND 70 people have been killed by heavy rains lashing Afghanistan over the past five days, the government’s disaster management department said Wednesday. Afghanistan was parched by an unusually dry winter which desiccated the earth, exacerbating flash-flooding caused by spring downpours in most provinces. Disaster management spokesman Janan Sayeq said “approximately 70 people lost their lives” as a result of rains between Saturday and Wednesday. Fifty-six others have been injured, he said, while more than 2,600 houses have been damaged or destroyed and 95,000 acres of farmland wiped away. Giving a smaller death toll last week, Sayeq said most fatalities…

LEADERS from the West African regional bloc, Ecowas, have climbed down on their initial announcement that they were visiting Togo “due to the seriousness of the controversial constitutional reforms that the government planned to introduce”. Those words were part of a press release that was published on X on Monday then deleted on Tuesday. It was replaced by a new press release, that instead called it a simple “information mission” and insisted that Ecowas delegates would “not engage in any other process as indicated in a previous press release, which has been withdrawn”. The opposition in Togo has denounced a…

SIERRA Leone’s capital, Freetown, and other cities have been plunged into darkness for weeks, due to the non-payment of electricity bills to the power providers. It has severely disrupted daily life, with operations disrupted in major hospitals. Karpowership, the Turkish ship which supplies most of Freetown’s power, has virtually switched off the lights over an unpaid bill of about $48m (£38m), despite repeated assurances by the finance minister to settle the debt. In a statement, Karpowership said it had reduced electricity supply to six megawatts – from 60 megawatts – to only power essential services. CLSG, an Ivorian power supplier,…

MANCHESTER City are closing in on a second consecutive treble, yet Erling Haaland is still facing criticism as Real Madrid visit the Etihad on Wednesday aiming to exact revenge for their Champions League exit last season. The 14-time European champions were humbled 4-0 on their visit to Manchester 11 months ago at the semi-final stage as City went on to win the Champions League for the first time, along with the Premier League and FA Cup. Pep Guardiola’s men are 12 games away from repeating that remarkable feat even without their prolific Norwegian hitting the form he did last season.…

ELEVEN people, including children, have been killed in an Israeli air attack on the Maghazi refugee camp in central Gaza as Israel continues its bombardment of the Palestinian territory. Another seven people were reported killed, including four children, in an Israeli jet attack on a house in the Yabna refugee camp in Rafah. ALjazeera had earlier reported that Gaza’s Civil Defence said “a number” of people had been killed and injured in the attack as they worked to pull the people injured, and the bodies of those killed, from under the rubble. Meanwhile, Al-Jazeera Arabic shared video footage showing Israeli…

THOUSANDS of people in Ukraine were left without power on Tuesday after strong winds and heavy rain damaged electrical infrastructure, authorities said. The overnight storms put further strain on Ukraine’s fragile energy system, already reeling from near continuous Russian bombardment for the past three and a half weeks. “Due to the bad weather, 173 settlements in four regions are without power supply,” Ukraine’s energy ministry said. In the central region of Dnipropetrovsk, the worst affected area, over 15,000 people in 96 towns and villages were cut off, it said. One of the main energy providers, DTEK, said its engineers had…

THE opposition in Togo has denounced a proposed new constitution as a power grab, intended to extend the reign of President Faure Gnassingbé. The reforms would see the West African country move from a presidential to a parliamentary system. But the opposition says they are a ruse to keep Mr Gnassingbé – already in his fourth term – in power. The president’s supporters say the changes would reduce the powers of the head of state by transforming the presidency into a ceremonial role. Human Rights Minister Yawa Djigbodi Tségan says they will “improve democracy in the country”. But the opposition…

MORE than 40 toddlers were taken to hospital in South Africa on Monday after mistaking rat poison for sweets. “Upon medical examination, 17 were admitted for overnight observation, while the remaining 24 were discharged home in a satisfactory condition,” regional health authorities for Gauteng said. Also on Monday, a group of 10 people including eight children were referred to a different hospital in the same province. Health authorities say this is all part of an “alarming” overall rise in food poisoning cases – with a total of 863 such incidents reported since last October. They’re advising parents and guardians to…

THE National Examinations Council (NECO) has re-scheduled the 2024 National Common Entrance Examination into Federal Unity Colleges and the Entrance Examination into Federal Government Academy, Suleja, Niger State. In a statement on Tuesday, a spokesperson for the Council, Azeez Sani, said the common entrance examination earlier scheduled to hold on April, 20 2024, would now hold on June, 1 2024. “Also, the Entrance Examination for Gifted and Talented Children into Federal Government Academy, Suleja earlier Scheduled to hold on 4th May, 2024 will now hold on 25th May, 2024. “The rescheduling of the two examinations was due to low enrolment…

MIKEL Arteta urged his wounded Arsenal stars to show character and leadership after their Premier League title challenge suffered a hammer blow in Sunday’s 2-0 defeat against Aston Villa. Arteta’s side would have gone back to the top of the table with a victory at the Emirates Stadium. But instead Arsenal were beaten for the first time in 12 league games as two goals in the last six minutes from Leon Bailey and Ollie Watkins rocked their title dreams. The second-placed Gunners are two points behind leaders Manchester City with six games left in their bid to be crowned English…

ISRAEL’s war cabinet has met to discuss its response to Iran’s unprecedented drone and missile attack. Israel did not make public whether a decision had been reached. Its allies have strongly condemned Iran’s actions, but urged Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to show restraint. While Iran has signalled it considers the matter closed, the Israeli military’s chief of staff said the attack would not go unanswered. “Look, as we look forward, we weigh our steps, and this launch of so many missiles, cruise missiles, UAVs to the territory of the State of Israel will be met with a response,” Lt Gen Herzi…

FLOODING in Oman has killed at least 16 people, many of them schoolchildren, authorities said following the discovery of the bodies of a child and three adults on Monday. The Gulf sultanate’s official news agency initially reported on Sunday that nine schoolchildren and three other adults had “lost their lives after their vehicles got swept away in gushing wadi waters”. Five individuals were also reported missing in the floods that struck the northeast of the country. The Oman News Agency reported on Monday the bodies of a child and three further individuals and had also been recovered. Violent thunderstorms, heavy…

SEVERAL African countries have called on Israel to show restraint as its war cabinet meets to decide whether to retaliate against an unprecedented Iranian aerial attack on Saturday night. Iran said it carried out the assault in response to an Israeli air strike on its consulate in Damascus on 1 April. The attack killed Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps officers. Saturday’s assault on Israel involved more than 300 drones and missiles, the vast majority of which were intercepted, Israel’s military said. Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa and Somalia have called for restraint to avoid further escalation. South Africa’s Department of International Relations…

A GROUP of civil and human rights groups in Kenya have demanded for an apology from the country’s police chief, after he vowed to take action against striking health workers. Public hospital doctors from the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) have been striking for just over a month, citing grievances like the non-payment of salary arrears and delays by the government to deploy medical interns. Clinical officers – who are less qualified than doctors but have similar responsibilities – have also walked out. Inspector General of Police Japhet Koome on Sunday accused the health workers of being…

THE Attom Foundation, Nigeria, in collaboration with some football players and celebrities,’ will, through a Charity Champions Cup, provide eyecare services for 10,000 Nigerians. Speaking on Thursday in Lagos during a press conference, the convener of Attom Foundation, Attom Yahaya, explained that the Charity Champions Cup was a blend of sportsmanship and a noble cause, aiming to provide essential eye care services for the elderly in Nigeria. According to him some of the players and celebrities are Jay Jay Okocha, Didier Drogba, Victor Osimhen, Kenneth Omero, Tiwa Salvage, Peter and Paul Okoye, Asisat Oshoala, Mario Balotelli, Wilfred Ndidi, to mention…

ROMA defender Evan Ndicka is in “good spirits” in hospital after collapsing during his side’s Serie A match at Udinese on Sunday. The Serie A game was abandoned after the 24-year-old Ivory Coast player collapsed in the 72nd minute and was taken off on a stretcher. He appeared to be conscious as he left the pitch, with the score 1-1. Roma posted a photo of him in hospital, saying he “feels better” and that his team-mates had visited. The statement added: “He will remain under observation for tests in hospital.” After Ndicka’s collapse, Roma’s medical staff and emergency services were…

AFTER numerous countries condemned Iran’s attack on Israel, Tehran’s foreign ministry summoned the French, British, and German ambassadors “following the irresponsible positions of certain officials of these countries regarding Iran’s response”, a statement said. Late Saturday, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps announced that they had launched “dozens of drones and missiles” towards military sites on Israeli territory. “Iran’s military action was in response to the Zionist regime’s aggression against our diplomatic premises in Damascus” earlier this month, the Iranian mission to the UN said, dubbing it “legitimate defence”. Israel’s army said it had shot 99 percent of the drones and missiles…