Author: Editor

AS THE the rising cost of living continues to bite, many families in northern Nigeria are turning to rice grains that millers once either normally rejected after processing or sold to farmers to feed their fish. These are referred to in the Hausa language, widely spoken in the north, as AFAFATA, which means “battling” because they are literally a battle to cook and eat as the grains are so hard. “A few years ago, people didn’t care about this type of rice, and we usually threw it away along with the rice hulls, but times have changed,” Isah Hamisu, a…

SAUDI Arabia will stage its first ranking snooker event in 2024, with a prize pool of more than £2 million ($2.5 million) for the “fourth major”. The inaugural Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters will trail only the World Championship in terms of prize money. The World Snooker Tour has branded it alongside the sport’s three elite tournaments; the World Championship, the UK Championship and the Masters. A 10-year deal has been agreed for the event, which will take place from August 31 to September 7 in Riyadh and is open to the entire tour, plus six local wild cards. The Riyadh…

A TOP UN official has warned an Israeli assault on Rafah, Gaza’s southernmost city, could lead to a “slaughter”. Humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths said Palestinians in Gaza were already suffering an “assault that is unparalleled in its intensity, brutality and scope”. The consequences of an invasion of Rafah would be “catastrophic”, he said. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to defeat Hamas gunmen he says are hiding in the city. In an unusually strongly worded statement, Mr Griffiths said over a million people were “crammed in Rafah, staring death in the face”. He said civilians in the city had…

RUSSIA declared Estonian leader Kaja Kallas and several other European officials as “wanted” on Tuesday over their alleged involvement in the destruction of Soviet-era war memorials. The monuments, some of which commemorate the Red Army, had long been controversial in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania and seen by many as symbols of their time under Soviet occupation. The three Baltic states began removing and demolishing some of them in response to Russia’s full-scale assault on Ukraine in 2022, prompting outrage in Moscow. Russia said it had added several people to its wanted list in response to the “destruction of monuments to…

SENEGALESE authorities on Tuesday suspended mobile internet and banned a march against the delay of this month’s presidential poll, as the UN voiced concern about tensions in the country. Three people have been killed during violent protests after President Macky Sall’s decision to push back the February 25 vote plunged traditionally stable Senegal into one of its worst crises in decades. “We are deeply concerned about the tense situation in Senegal,” Liz Throssell, spokeswoman for the United Nations rights office, told reporters in Geneva. “Following reports of unnecessary and disproportionate use of force against protesters and restrictions on civic space,…

LIBERIA’s President Joseph Boakai has appointed a retired female brigadier general, Geraldine George, as the acting minister of defence after protests by the wives of soldiers forced the resignation of her predecessor. This is the first time a woman is serving in the post, though it is unclear why Mrs George has been appointed only in an acting capacity. She enlisted in the army in 2006 as it was being rebuilt following the end of a civil war and rose to become part of the elite forces. She has served as the deputy chief of staff for the last six…

THE Police High Command, on Tuesday revealed how its operatives arrested a dismissed officer of the Nigerian Air Force who has been supplying military camouflage and other accoutrements that belong to security operatives to bandits terrorising Zamfara State. The police explained that the former NAF personnel, Ahmed Mohammed, attached to the Air Force Base, Kaduna, only served in the air force for just five years before he was court-martialled by the military for a yet-to-be-revealed offence. Spokesman of the police, Muyiwa Adejobi, an Assistant Commissioner of Police, also disclosed that the dismissed personnel introduced sales of military camouflage and other…

CONOR Gallagher scored twice as Chelsea came from behind to win at Selhurst Park and increase the pressure on Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson. The Blues dominated the opening period of the match but it was Palace who took the lead, with Jefferson Lerma picking up the ball on the edge of the area and rifling the ball into the top corner in the 30th minute. Mauricio Pochettino’s side could not muster a shot until the 45th minute as Palace tried to frustrate their opponents and pick up a much-needed win to widen the five-point gap to the relegation zone.…

DOZENS of people, including children, have been killed as “extremely intense” Israeli airstrikes and shelling pounded multiple locations in Rafah overnight Monday, according to the Palestine Red Crescent Society, as international alarm mounts over Israel’s planned ground offensive in the southern Gazan city. More than 100 people were killed due to Israeli airstrikes as warplanes targeted different areas of the city and helicopters fired machine guns along the border areas, the PRCS said early Monday. The Hamas-controlled health ministry in Gaza said 94 people lost their lives. The discrepancy likely exists because the health ministry only updates death toll numbers…

US Vice President Kamala Harris said she was ready to serve as leader, in a Wall Street Journal interview published Monday, as voter concerns mount about President Joe Biden’s age in an election year. The 59-year-old Harris has faced growing scrutiny about her own abilities as the first in line to the presidency should Democrat Biden, 81, be incapacitated or stand down. “I am ready to serve. There’s no question about that,” Harris told the newspaper when asked whether voters’ concerns about Biden’s age meant she must convince them of her credentials. Everyone who sees her on the job “walks…

THE men’s marathon world record holder, Kenya’s Kelvin Kiptum, 24, has died in a road accident in his home country. He was killed alongside his coach, Rwanda’s Gervais Hakizimana, in a car on a road in western Kenya on Sunday. Kiptum made a breakthrough in 2023 as a rival to compatriot Eliud Kipchoge – one of the greatest marathon runners. Kiptum bettered Kipchoge’s record, clocking the 26.2 miles (42km) in two hours and 35 seconds in Chicago last October. The two athletes had been named in Kenya’s provisional marathon team for the Paris Olympics later this year. Kipchoge said on…

LIBERIA’s Defence Minister Prince Charles Johnson III has resigned following protests by wives of the country’s soldiers, who accuse him of low wages and poor living conditions in the military barracks. The women set up roadblocks near the capital, Monrovia and elsewhere in the country, forcing President Joseph Boakai to cancel National Army Day celebrations on Monday. They demanded the defence minister’s resignation, blaming him for a reduction in the salaries of Liberian soldiers returning from peace missions in Mali. The officers’ spouses also decried a lack of social security, electricity shortages and corruption within the armed forces. Mr Johnson,…

FOR those closely connected to His Excellency, the former Governor of Jigawa State, Dr. Sule Lamido (CON), it is not surprising news that a high-powered delegation from the Jigawa State government, led by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG) Alhaji Bala Ibrahim (Mamser), visited Sule Lamido. Their purpose was to express appreciation and gratitude for Lamido’s generous donation of his magnificent mansion in his hometown of Bamaina, in the Birnin-Kudu area of Jigawa State, to the state university named after him: Sule Lamido University, Kafin-Hausa. the mansion will serve as the Islamic Research Centre, after his demise. Allahu Akbar…

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has praised the Super Eagles for their display in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations final in Ivory Coast. Despite their loss to the host nation, Tinubu said the Eagles demonstrated resilience and talent at the tournament. This was contained in a statement signed by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, late Sunday. The Elephants of Ivory Coast emerged victorious in the 2023 CAF African Cup of Nations (AFCON) final after beating Super Eagles 2-1. Tinubu added that Nigeria has won a great victory in the heart of Africa and the…

ISRAEL says two male Israeli hostages have been rescued in a raid in Rafah, amid reports of heavy Israeli air strikes on the southern Gazan city. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) says the freed hostages are in “good medical condition”, and they have been taken to an Israeli hospital for medical tests. Earlier, the Palestine Red Crescent Society said Rafah was under attack, with a number of deaths reported. Israel said it had conducted strikes in southern Gaza, providing no details. Local residents told the BBC that helicopters and boats were also involved in the attack. There are conflicting reports…

UKRAINE said it destroyed most of the 45 attack drones launched by Russia overnight, with little damage reported on Sunday morning. The announcement comes a day after authorities announced seven were killed in a Russian attack that set a petrol station ablaze in Ukraine’s second biggest city, Kharkiv. “Overnight the occupiers launched 45 attack drones… As a result of combat work, 40 enemy Shahed (UAV) were destroyed,” the Ukrainian air force said on Telegram. Falling debris lightly wounded a 39-year-old man in the southern region of Dnipro, governor Sergiy Lysak said. Authorities from the capital Kyiv and the central Cherkasy…

THOUSANDS of Moroccans have taken to the streets of Rabat calling for an end to ties with Israel, over its actions in Gaza. Some waved placards saying “stop the massacre” and “normalisation is treason” during the Sunday march. Politicians from across the spectrum are reported to have been among the crowds. Morocco established diplomatic ties with Israel in 2020 under the US-brokered Abraham Accords. As part of the deal, Rabat received Washington’s recognition of its claim to sovereignty over the disputed territory of Western Sahara. Opposition to the agreement has grown sharply since the start of the war in Gaza.

A KENYAN court has found a man guilty of murdering a businesswoman, while his ex-fiancé, a popular news anchor, has been acquitted. Joseph Irungu, also known as “Jowie”, slit Monica Kimani’s throat at her home in Nairobi in September 2018, in a case which shocked the nation. Justice Grace Nzioka told the court he did not “give her even one minute to survive” and intended “instant death”. Mr Irungu’s ex-partner, TV presenter Jacque Maribe, was acquitted. But the judge said she should instead be prosecuted for giving the police false information. Following the murder of Ms Kamini, authorities accused Ms…

THE host, Elephants Of Ivory Coast beat Super Eagles of Nigeria 2-1 to win the Africa Cup of Nations 2023. It’s was all Ivory Coast but they weren’t able to make their possession count and Nigeria strike with their first serious attempt in the 38th minute. A corner is only half cleared to William Troost-Ekong who powers a header into the net. The centre-back and captain Troost-Ekong has scored three goals at this year’s Afcon. That’s one more than he managed during his whole 68 appearances in three seasons at Watford. Ivory Coast got a deserved equaliser in the 62nd…

HOSTS Qatar retained the Asian Cup with a 3-1 win on Saturday against surprise packages Jordan with Akram Afif the home hero with a hat-trick of penalties. It was a fitting final act to a month of football that began with 24 teams and witnessed a series of dramatic games. It will also help dispel the memories of Qatar’s World Cup, when they lost all three games, the worst record of any host in the competition’s history. Playing in front of 86,492 spectators at Lusail Stadium, which staged the World Cup final 14 months ago, Jordan were in their first…