Author: Editor

WEST Ham turned the set-piece tables on Manchester United to snatch a draw at Old Trafford thanks to Soungoutou Magassa’s 83rd-minute equaliser. The build-up to the Premier League match had centered around head coach Ruben Amorim’s admission he had “stolen” rival managers’ ideas of how to score from set-pieces. It had allowed Manchester United to move alongside Arsenal for the most goals scored via set-pieces this season, while no-one had conceded more than West Ham. There was an element of irony therefore that the visitors should profit from one as Noussair Mazraoui’s goalline clearance from Jarrod Bowen’s flicked header from…

IRELAND, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Spain have said they will boycott next year’s Eurovision Song Contest, following the decision to allow Israel to compete. The response on Thursday came immediately after the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which runs the competition, said there would not be a vote on whether to exclude Israel, despite calls from some countries to do so. Opponents of Israel’s participation criticise it over its genocidal war on Palestinians in Gaza – which has so far killed at least 70,125 people  and over allegations that it unfairly intervened in the most recent competition to the benefit of…

AUTHORITIES in the United States have arrested a suspect believed to be involved in leaving pipe bombs near two major political headquarters in Washington, DC, during the night before the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021. On Thursday, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Department of Justice identified the suspect as Brian Cole Jr in a joint news conference. “ I know some people have given up on finding the perpetrator. But not the FBI and not our partners,” said Darren Cox, a deputy assistant director in the FBI. He explained that the investigation involved sorting through “3 million…

PROMINENT Tanzanian activist Mange Kimambi has accused the government of instigating the removal of her social media accounts that she has been using to mobilise Tanzanians against the government. The former fashion model-turned-activist, who is based in the US, is an outspoken critic of President Samia Suluhu Hassan and had nearly three million followers on Instagram. She has been accused of inciting the recent deadly election protests, sparking calls for her arrest. A Meta spokesperson told the BBC that her Instagram accounts had been “removed for violating our recidivism policy”. Tanzania government spokesman Gerson Msigwa told the BBC that she…

THE leaders of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda have signed a peace deal aimed at ending the long-running conflict in the region at a summit hosted by US President Donald Trump in Washington. Ahead of the summit, there was an escalation in fighting in resource-rich eastern DR Congo between government forces and rebels believed to be backed by Rwanda. DR Congo’s army accused its rivals of attempting to “sabotage” the peace process, but the M23 rebels said the army had launched an offensive in breach of a ceasefire. At the start of the year, the M23 seized large…

STRUGGLING Leeds ended a four-game losing run to dent Chelsea’s Premier League title charge. The Blues dropped to fourth place – nine points behind leaders Arsenal – after a disappointing display at Elland Road. With boss Daniel Farke under pressure, the hosts dominated the first half and struck twice through first Premier League goals for both Jaka Bijol and Ao Tanaka. Chelsea rallied at the start of the second period and half-time substitute Pedro Neto pulled one back in the 50th minute, but Enzo Maresca’s men suffered a massive blow when they conceded a third in the 72nd minute after…

FIVE Palestinians, including two children, were killed in Israeli army strikes in al-Mawasi, near Khan Younis. This came after the Israeli army said that four of its soldiers were wounded in clashes in Rafah. Wafa, the Palestinian news agency, says that dozens of people were wounded in the strikes, in addition to those killed. The attacks caused the burning of several tents housing displaced Palestinians, and medical sources at the Kuwaiti Hospital, which initially reported the casualties to our team on the ground, told Wafa that the bodies of those killed arrived badly charred. Under the terms of the ceasefire,…

A ROADSIDE bomb has killed three Pakistani police officers near the Afghan border, officials say. The blast on Wednesday, in which two other officers were wounded, occurred in the country’s restive northwest region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The continuing cycle of violence in the area has recently sent tension spiralling between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Initial reports suggested the cause was an “improvised explosive device,” Ali Hamza, a police official in the nearby city of Dera Ismail Khan, told the AFP news agency. No group has claimed responsibility for Wednesday’s attack, but Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has been quick to blame the…

KENYA’s parliament has accused British soldiers of decades of sexual abuse, killings, human rights violations and environmental destruction while training in the country. The report detailed harrowing testimony from communities in Laikipia and Samburu counties, near the military training bases. The British soldiers are accused of evading accountability by refusing to cooperate with the parliamentary investigation. The UK High Commission in Kenya said it regretted that its submission was not reflected in the report’s conclusions and affirmed its readiness to investigate the allegations “under our jurisdiction fully, once evidence is provided”. For decades, troops from the British Army Training Unit…

WRAPPING up his first international trip as pontiff, Pope Leo XIV said Tuesday he would like to visit Algeria in 2026 as part of a voyage to Africa, which could be his next overseas destination. “I hope to make a trip to Africa, which could be my next trip,” the US pope said during a press conference aboard the papal plane during his return from a six-day visit to Turkey and Lebanon. “Personally, I hope to go to Algeria to visit the places from the life of Saint Augustine,” he said, in reference to the fifth-century saint from the North…

ERLING Haaland became the quickest player to reach 100 goals in Premier League history on a night when Manchester City ramped up pressure on leaders Arsenal by fending off Fulham’s impressive fightback. Norway international Haaland got his landmark goal in the 17th minute of Tuesday’s game at Craven Cottage, firing in first time from Jeremy Doku’s cross. It meant he reached the century in 111 league games, 13 fewer than it took previous record holder Alan Shearer. The goal also ended a mini drought for Haaland, having gone three consecutive games without scoring. It was his 15th goal in 14…

ISRAELI forces have killed two Palestinian teenagers in separate incidents in Hebron and Ramallah in the occupied West Bank. The Israeli army said 17-year-old Muhannad al-Zughair was shot dead in the Abu Daajan area of Hebron after what it claimed was a ramming attack that injured two soldiers. Al Jazeera’s Nour Odeh, reporting from Ramallah, said, “We do not know whether that attack occurred because no investigation has been launched.” “The teenager was injured and fled towards Hebron. He was later found and killed inside a car. The body is now being withheld by Israeli forces in what is now…

RUSSIAN President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday that Russia was “ready” for war if Europe seeks one, accusing the continent’s leaders of trying to sabotage a deal on the Ukraine conflict before he met with US envoys. The comments came as US envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner were in Moscow for high-stakes talks on ending the nearly four-year war, which were preceded by days of intense diplomacy. “We are not planning to go to war with Europe, but if Europe wants to and starts, we are ready right now,” Putin told reporters in Moscow. “They have…

POPULAR Zambian-American influencer and political vlogger has been sentenced to 18 months in prison for hate speech for making insulting remarks about Zambia’s President Hakainde Hichilema. Zambian-born Ethel Chisono Edwards, who also holds US citizenship and works as an estate agent in New York, has a large following across various social media accounts. Known as “One Boss Lady”, she has become renowned for her rants about the president over the last two years. The 42-year-old was arrested at Zambia’s main airport three months ago after arriving to attend her grandmother’s funeral. She pleaded guilty in a magistrate’s court in the…

A RADIO presenter with South Africa’s public broadcaster has appeared in court on a charge related to the alleged recruitment of men for the Russian military. Nonkululeko Patricia Mantula is among five people who prosecutors say are facing charges for contravening a law which prohibits South Africans from joining a foreign army without official permission. They have not yet been asked to plead. The arrests are the first since the South African government said in November that 17 citizens had “seemingly” been lured to join mercenary forces in the Russia-Ukraine war. Police told the BBC that at this stage, they…

THE White House on Monday confirmed US President Donald Trump would attend the draw for the FIFA World Cup finals in Washington later this week. The United States will co-host the 2026 tournament alongside Canada and Mexico. “On Friday, President Trump will attend the FIFA World Cup final draw at the Kennedy Centre,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters. Trump has made the World Cup a centrepiece event of both his second presidency and the 250th anniversary of US independence next year. But the giant sporting extravaganza has not escaped the political turmoil caused by Trump’s hardline stance…

ISRAEL’s defence ministry announced on Monday the completion of a laser air defence system known as “Iron Beam”, which will be deployed by the end of December. “The Iron Beam laser system is expected to fundamentally change the rules of engagement on the battlefield,” Daniel Gold, head of defence ministry research and development, told a defence summit in Tel Aviv. “With development complete and a comprehensive testing programme that has validated the system’s capabilities,” he added, promising to deliver “initial operational capability” by the end of the year. The announcement comes as Israeli military steps up its strikes against the…

A COURT in Dhaka has sentenced former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in absentia to five years in prison and her niece, British MP Tulip Siddiq to two, for corruption in a case involving the acquisition of plots of land. Rabiul Alam, the judge of Dhaka’s Special Judge’s Court, said on Monday that Hasina – who has lived in exile in India since being toppled in an uprising last year misused her power as premier in the transaction. Siddiq, an MP for the United Kingdom’s governing Labour party, was found guilty of corruptly influencing Hasina to help her mother –…

LEFT-WING Cameroonian opposition figure Anicet Ekane has died in detention, five weeks after he was arrested, his lawyers and party have announced. Ekane, 74, was among the leaders of an opposition coalition who endorsed Issa Tchiroma Bakary in October’s presidential election. Tchiroma Bakary says he was the rightful winner of the poll, officially won by 92-year-old incumbent Paul Biya. Tchiroma Bakary has since fled to The Gambia. No official cause of Ekane’s death has been announced. His party has accused the authorities of denying him access to his medication – a charge the government has denied. According to a spokesman…

A DELEGATION from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has visited Guinea-Bissau for mediation talks with leaders of last week’s coup, as regional pressure mounts on the military leaders who seized power after a disputed election. The mission, led by ECOWAS chairman and Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio, came to Guinea-Bissau on Monday to urge the military authorities for a “complete restoration of constitutional order.” The military has tightened restrictions in the country, banning all demonstrations and strikes. “We’ve had today very fruitful discussions,” said Sierra Leone’s Foreign Minister Timothy Musa Kabba. “Both sides have expressed their…