Author: Editor

SOLDIERS from Sudan’s army have recaptured the headquarters of the state broadcaster in Omdurman, the city just across the Nile from the capital, Khartoum, the army has said. This is a symbolic breakthrough for the army in its 11-month civil war with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The RSF had held the headquarters since just after fighting broke out. The conflict in Sudan has led eight million people to flee their homes and there are warnings of growing hunger. Videos being shared on social media show soldiers celebrating outside the state broadcaster in Omdurman. In a statement, the army called…

FAILED asylum seekers are to be offered up to £3,000 to move to Rwanda under a new voluntary scheme. The plan, first reported by The Times, is understood to be a variation of an existing voluntary returns scheme, where failed asylum seekers receive cash to return to their home country. It will be open to anyone whose asylum claim has been rejected by the UK. In particular it is aimed at those who cannot return to their home countries. The government is already trying to implement a separate scheme under which people deemed to have arrived illegally in the UK…

Q – Salaamu Alaikum, Ya Sheikh, how could the Shaytaan appear to the disbelievers in the battle of Badr when he is chained up during Ramadan and the battle was in Ramadan? Aminu Harisu Kaugama, Jigawa. A – Amin Alaikal Salaam, it is well-known in the books of tafseer and seerah that the Shaytaan was present at the battle of Badr and that he appeared in the form of Suraaqah ibn Maalik. That is mentioned in the commentary on the verse in which Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning): “And (remember) when Shaitan (Satan) made their…

ARSENAL manager Mikel Arteta said a thrilling contest between Liverpool and Manchester City lends even more credit to the fact his side sit top of the Premier League with 10 games to go. The Gunners, who are aiming to win a first league title in 20 years, lead Liverpool on goal difference with third-placed City just one point behind in a thrilling title race. Arsenal were the big winners of last weekend as they struck late to beat Brentford 2-1 for an eighth consecutive league win, while City held Liverpool to a 1-1 draw at Anfield. “It’s great to be…

CRISTIANO Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr were knocked out of the Asian Champions League in a quarter-final penalty shootout loss to Al-Ain. Al-Nassr, who trailed 1-0 after the first leg, fell 3-0 down on aggregate but battled back to force extra time. Ronaldo, who missed a sitter in normal time, then scored an 118th-minute penalty for 10-man Al-Nassr to make it 4-4 on aggregate. Ronaldo was the only Al-Nassr player to score in the 3-1 shootout defeat. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner, 39, had stood in disbelief after somehow missing the target from three yards when the Al Ain goalkeeper spilled a shot…

ISRAELI forces are continuing their offensive and reportedly killing and wounding many people across the Gaza Strip despite the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan on Monday. International mediators have failed to secure a ceasefire to stop the fighting in Gaza before the month of fasting. Local media have reported that “dozens were martyred and wounded” on Monday, “as a result of intense bombardment by warplanes and Israeli artillery shelling on various areas in the Gaza Strip.” One report says 16 people have been killed in northern Gaza. Local health authorities on Monday disclosed that the fighting has…

VLADIMIR Putin is set to secure another six-year term as Russian leader this weekend in a vote the Kremlin says will show society is fully behind his assault on Ukraine. In power as president or prime minister since the final day of 1999, Putin has quashed all forms of opposition and dissent, exerting a level of domestic control that ensures the result is in no doubt. Victory in the March 15-17 contest will allow him to stay in the Kremlin until at least 2030, longer than any Russian leader since Catherine the Great in the eighteenth century. The poll comes…

A TV anchor who was acquitted of murder has now been hired for a senior job in the Kenyan government, to the astonishment of some in the country. Jacque Maribe was cleared of murdering a businesswoman called Monica Kimani, who was found with her throat slit. But Ms Maribe’s ex-partner Joseph Irungu, also known as “Jowie”, was found guilty. Giving the verdict last month, the judge said Ms Maribe should instead be prosecuted for giving the police false information. However she has since been appointed as head of communications for Kenya’s Ministry of Public Service, Performance and Delivery Management, prompting…

THE leaders of Libya’s two rival governments have agreed to form a single unified government, signalling progress in ending a political stalemate that has persisted for more than a decade. In a joint statement on Sunday, the leaders said they had agreed on the “necessity” of forming a new unified government that would supervise long-delayed elections and “unify sovereign positions”. The talks were held in Egypt’s capital, Cairo, and were led by the Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit. The negotiation involved the president of the Libyan Presidential Council and the head of the High State Council, both based…

Q – Ya Sheikh, As-Salamu `alaykum. Ramadan is a special month for Muslims. Would you please shed some light on its virtues and blessings and what a Muslim should do to reap its fruits and get closer to Allah? Jazakum Allah khayran. Yunus Aliyu, Abuja A – May Allah reward you abundantly for your keenness to draw near to Him. We invoke Almighty Allah to enable us to reap the fruits of the blessed month, accept our acts of worship, and grant us forgiveness and immunity against the punishment of Hellfire. It is noteworthy that the month of Ramadan is…

PARIS Saint-Germain coach Luis Enrique defended his stuttering team after they were held 2-2 by Reims in Ligue 1 on Sunday, a third straight domestic draw which still allowed the reigning champions to go 10 points clear at the top of the table. Kylian Mbappe was rested at kick-off after scoring both goals in PSG’s 2-1 midweek win at Real Sociedad which saw them qualify for the Champions League quarter-finals 4-1 on aggregate. Without him, PSG fell behind to a Marshall Munetsi goal following an error by Achraf Hakimi. They hit back and found themselves ahead thanks to a Yunis…

ISRAELI President Isaac Herzog’s presence at the opening of a Holocaust museum in Amsterdam has sparked protests over Israel’s military operations in Gaza. Activists calling for a ceasefire gathered in a square near the National Holocaust Museum, in the city’s Jewish quarter. Some people protesting were, themselves, Jewish. Both Palestinian and Israeli flags were seen being held by demonstrators. Some protesters climbed onto police vans, and riot police beat them away as they started to throw fireworks and eggs, Dutch media outlet De Telegraaf reported. Signs were seen reading “Jews against genocide”, and “The grandchild of a holocaust survivor says:…

OFFICERS arrested a man who crashed a car into the gates of London’s Buckingham Palace over the weekend, police said on Sunday. The Metropolitan Police said the car “collided with the gates” of the royal residence at 02:30 GMT on Saturday. Armed officers arrested the man at the scene on suspicion of criminal damage and he was taken to hospital, a spokesperson for the force said. They added that no one was injured and enquiries were ongoing to establish the circumstances, the spokesperson added. Security measures at Buckingham Palace, the British royal family’s official residence, are stringent, with the building…

CHADIAN junta-appointed Prime Minister Succès Masra has announced he’ll run for presidency, a week after the leader of the junta, interim president Mahamat Déby announced his own candidacy. Mr Masra, a former opposition leader, signed a reconciliation deal with Mr Déby after his return from exile, before he was appointed prime minister in January. He told supporters at a rally on Sunday that he was seeking the top seat so as to unite the people and “heal hearts”. The opposition have criticised the move, saying it’s a ploy to give the appearance of pluralism to an election which Mr Déby…

TO the casual observer, it seemed like the long-cherished dream of a new single currency for East Africa had come to fruition. An account on X, called “Government of East Africa”, complete with a grey tick suggesting it was the real deal, released an image of a specimen note worth five sheafras, featuring a coat of arms and a space for a signature from a central bank governor. The name sheafra was coined by combining shilling of East Africa and franc – currencies in use in the region. The original posts from last Sunday were viewed more than a million…

SOME residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) were on Sunday thrown into darkness as sabouteurs vandalised the Shiroro-Katampe 330kV transmission line. According to the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), the vandalism of the transmission line makes it the fifth of such incident within February and March this. The incident happened at 9am on Sunday. “Following initial investigations, TCN engineers attempted to restore operation but were unsuccessful,” said a spokesperson for the TCN, Ndidi Mbah. Mbah, in a statement, said efforts were made to identify the fault location, while linesmen were dispatched to physically patrol the suspected area. “During the…

CAPTAIN Ahmed Musa has been left out of the Super Eagles’ squad for the March friendly games against Ghana and Mali with Luton’s Gabriel Osho handed his first Nigeria’s call up. Musa was part of the Nigerian side that reached the final of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) but did not play a single minute in the competition. Osho, who was born to Nigerian parents in England, will have the opportunity to play for the Super Eagles after agreeing to feature for the three-time African champions. Ihefu SC of Tanzanian star Benjamin Tanimu also got his maiden call-up…

KAI Havertz spared Aaron Ramsdale’s blushes as Arsenal earned a statement win over Brentford which puts them top of the Premier League before title rivals Liverpool and Manchester City meet on Sunday. Arsenal, looking to lead the table for the first time since December, went in front through Declan Rice’s flicked header. The home side continued to dominate possession and Havertz skewed wide their best opportunity to go further ahead. But, out of nowhere, the good work in an assured first-half performance was undone by Ramsdale’s error. The England keeper, playing because David Raya was ineligible against his parent club,…

AN international effort is gathering pace to get desperately needed humanitarian relief into Gaza by sea in a bid to counter overland access restrictions blamed on Israel as it battles Hamas militants. The dire conditions more than five months into the war have led some countries to airdrop food and other assistance over the besieged Gaza Strip, but a parachute malfunction turned the latest operation lethal on Friday. Five Palestinians were killed and 10 wounded north of the coastal Al-Shati refugee camp, said Mohammed al-Sheikh, emergency room head nurse at Gaza City’s Al-Shifa hospital. A witness told AFP he and…

A STUDENT has been sentenced to 10 days in jail in Moscow after renaming his wi-fi network with a pro-Kyiv slogan. The Moscow State University student had titled the network “Slava Ukraini!” which means “Glory to Ukraine!”. A Moscow court found him guilty of displaying “symbols of extremist organisations” on Thursday. Since the start of Russia’s war in Ukraine, thousands have been handed prison terms or fines for criticising the invasion or supporting Ukraine. The student was arrested on Wednesday morning in Moscow, after a police officer had reported the network name to authorities. According to court documents, officers inspected…