SPANISH Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Wednesday faced his first parliamentary test since re-election, with Catalan separatists refusing to back him in the first key vote of the legislature. The lower house was to vote on three decrees adopted in December by Spain’s left-wing government that must receive parliament’s green light within a month. The texts concern the renewal of anti-inflation measures, the functioning of the justice system and measures demanded by Brussels to unblock 10 billion euros of European funding. The vote will be the first test of Sanchez’s fragile network of parliamentary support that handed him a new…
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THE Somali armed group al-Shabab has seized a United Nations helicopter, along with about eight people, both passengers and crew, local sources have told the BBC. The helicopter landed in territory held by the group in central Somalia. The UN’s mission in Somalia (Unsom) confirmed an “aviation incident” involving a UN-contracted helicopter conducting a medical evacuation. It did not mention al-Shabab, but said “response efforts are under way”. A UN memo on the incident seen by AFP news agency says the helicopter crash-landed about 70km (43 miles) southeast of Dhusamareb and no UN staff were on board. The personnel were…
LIBERIA’s former chief justice and justice minister Gloria Maya Musu-Scott has been sentenced to life in prison for the brutal murder of her niece. It marks the fall from grace of one of Liberia’s most famous judges and politicians, who prided herself as a champion of women rights. Musu-Scott, 70, is now in jail, hoping to overturn the ruling on appeal. A judge sentenced the retired judge after a jury convicted her for the murder of Charloe Musu, 29. Musu-Scott’s trial heard that she – along with three other women – had “wilfully, intentionally, purposely and maliciously inflicted several bodily…
FORMER Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, has described the book by Femi Adesina, former Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to former President Muhammadu Buhari, as “very wise and proactive”, as it gives the “the most reliable account’ of his experiences at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa, Abuja. Professor Osinbajo made the comment in Lagos over the weekend when Adesina formally presented a copy of the book, entitled: Working With Buhari; Reflections of a Special Adviser, Media and Publicity (2015-2023), to the former Vice President. The book will be launched on Tuesday, January 16, 2024, at the Transcorp Hilton, Abuja…
CHELSEA missed a host of chances as Championship side Middlesbrough earned a slender advantage in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final at a boisterous Riverside Stadium. Hayden Hackney scored the only goal, opening up his body to slide home an Isaiah Jones cross in the first half. Cole Palmer missed three presentable opportunities as Chelsea, who had 18 shots, but only five on target, failed to score for the sixth time this season. “It is difficult to talk about our performance,” Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino told BBC Radio 5 Live. “We created some chances, but we were not…
THE cost of war on Gaza’s civilians is “far too high”, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said. Mr Blinken said Israel needed to remove barriers so more essential aid could be allowed into Gaza. But he said Israel faced a huge challenge in fighting an enemy in Hamas which had embedded itself within the civilian population. Mr Blinken was speaking after meeting Israeli leaders on his fourth trip to the country since the conflict began. America’s top diplomat told a press conference in Tel Aviv that leaders in the region shared US concerns about the “dire humanitarian situation”…
CUBA’s cash-strapped government announced Monday that fuel prices will soar by more than 500 percent beginning February 1, part of a series of economic measures aimed at reducing the deficit. The cost of a liter of regular gasoline will rise from 25 pesos (20 US cents) to 132 pesos, while the price of premium gasoline will jump from 30 to 156 pesos, Minister of Finance and Prices Vladimir Regueiro said on state television. Authorities also said tourists to the struggling island nation will pay for fuel in foreign currency. Cuba’s government, which subsidizes almost all essential goods and services, announced…
THE army chiefs of landlocked Ethiopia and the self-declared Republic of Somaliland have been discussing military co-operation as concern grows over a deal that could give Ethiopia a naval base on the Gulf of Aden. The two sides signed a deal on 1 January to give Ethiopia commercial and military access to the sea. Somalia called it an act of aggression. It considers Somaliland as part of its territory and has vowed to defend its sovereignty. Somaliland, a former British protectorate, seceded from Somalia in 1991 but is not internationally recognised as an independent state. Ethiopia’s Field Marshal Birhanu Jula…
MIGRATION activists are sounding the alarm this week about mass expulsions and arbitrary arrests in Tunisia, where authorities are seeing more migrants arrive for attempted Mediterranean crossings from the North African nation to Europe. The Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights on Monday accused the government of waging a campaign of repression against migrants at the expense of humanitarian concerns, “to satisfy European blackmail and ensure a steady stream of financial and logistical support.” It said in a statement that witness accounts indicated the situation had become particularly dire around Tunisia’s borders with Libya and Algeria as well as…
Mining Sector Development: Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Dele Alake led the Nigerian delegation to a bilateral meeting with the Saudi Arabia Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources, Bandar AlKhorayef, alongside the Vice-Minister, Mining Affairs, Eng. Khaled AlMudifer on the sidelines of the Future Minerals Forum (FMF) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. 8th January, 2024.
FORMER Arsenal striker Thierry Henry says he “must have been in depression” during his playing career. The 46-year-old scored a club record 228 goals in 377 games for the Gunners and won the World Cup in 1998 and Euro 2000 with France. “Throughout my career, and since I was born, I must have been in depression,” Henry told the Diary Of A CEO podcast. “Did I know it? No. Did I do something about it? No. But I adapted to a certain way.” Henry is now coach of France’s Under-21s, also worked on Belgium’s coaching staff and managed Monaco before…
ISRAEL killed a top commander of the Iran-backed Hezbollah group in a strike on south Lebanon, a security source told AFP Monday, adding to fears the conflict in Gaza could spread. Hezbollah later announced the killing of a “commander” for the first time, naming him as Wissam Hassan Tawil. It said he died “on the road to Jerusalem” — the phrase used for fighters killed by Israel. Tawil “had a leading role in managing Hezbollah’s operations in the south”, the security official said, requesting anonymity for security reasons. The official added that the commander, who held several other top positions…
FRANCE’s Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne is to leave office after less than two years in the job. Her resignation comes with President Emmanuel Macron widely expected to reshuffle his top team ahead of European elections due later this year. In a statement, Mr Macron said Ms Borne had shown “courage, commitment and determination” during her time in office. It is not yet known who will be appointed as her successor. Ms Borne will remain in post until a new prime minister takes over, a statement from the Élysée Palace said. She was France’s second female prime minister and longest serving,…
TWENTY-SEVEN soldiers in Sierra Leone on Monday appeared before a court-martial which charged them with mutiny over their alleged role in what authorities say was an attempted coup in November. Security was stepped up around the courthouse in the capital Freetown where the proceedings were later adjourned to Wednesday. The 27 accused struggled to all squeeze onto the stand at the court-martial. Justice Minister Mohamed Lamin Tarawalley was also present in the courtroom, according to the AFP journalist at the scene. On November 26, armed attackers stormed a military armoury, two barracks, two prisons and two police stations, clashing with…
THE death toll from a petrol tanker explosion in central Liberia has risen to 74, the West African nation’s chief medical officer said Monday. The new figure is sharply up on the previous toll of 40 dead from the December 26 disaster. On Sunday, President George Weah declared a national week of mourning for the victims and their families. “The present toll is over 70 that have died,” Francis Kateh, Liberia’s chief medical officer, told AFP on Monday. “There were others that turned to ashes, and so up until now, we are still trying to figure out” the toll, he…
GERMAN legend Franz Beckenbauer, widely regarded as one of football’s greatest players, has died aged 78. He won the World Cup as captain of West Germany in 1974 and lifted the trophy again as manager in 1990. The former defender also played 582 times for Bayern Munich, again winning the German top flight as both as a player and a manager. Nicknamed Der Kaiser, as a player he also won the European Championship in 1972, as well as the Ballon d’Or twice. A statement from his family to German news agency DPA read: “It is with deep sadness that we…
PEP Guardiola lauded Kevin De Bruyne as a “unique” talent after the Belgian playmaker’s return to action in Manchester City’s FA Cup rout of Huddersfield. The Belgium international came on as a 57th-minute substitute and set up a goal as the holders cruised to a 5-0 win over second-tier strugglers Huddersfield in a thoroughly lopsided clash at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday. This was De Bruyne’s first senior appearance since tearing his hamstring during City’s Premier League opener against Burnley in August. Chants of ‘Oh Kevin De Bruyne’ echoed around the ground when the 32-year-old replaced Julian Alvarez, with City…
AT least 22,835 Palestinians, including over 9,600 children, have been killed by the Israeli army since the start of the war, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. It said at least 113 Palestinians were killed and another 250 injured between Saturday and Sunday, Doha broadcaster Al Jazeera reports. The spokesperson of Palestinian Civil Defence in Gaza has said more than 8,000 Palestinians in Gaza are missing, presumed to be buried under downed buildings, and tens of thousands have been displaced. Real numbers are believed to be much higher as the authorities in Gaza have been unable to regularly update casualty numbers…
A WOMAN in her 90s trapped for five days under rubble caused by a huge earthquake in central Japan was rescued against the odds, but snow and storms were further complicating relief efforts on Sunday. At least 128 people died in the magnitude-7.5 tremor on New Year’s Day and its aftershocks — a toll that is sure to rise, with 195 others reported missing, according to local authorities. The shockwaves toppled buildings, sparked a major fire and triggered tsunami waves over a metre high on the Sea of Japan side of the main island of Honshu. The hope of finding…
FOUR people have been killed and 40 hospitalised after consuming tainted alcohol in southern Tunisia, an official said. An inquiry has been opened and the person who supplied the alcohol has been arrested, Fethi Baccouche, a spokesman for the Medenine court, told AFP. An analysis of the alcohol is underway to determine what was behind the mass poisoning. Of the 40 surviving victims, most left hospital but some were transferred to the capital Tunis for treatment, Baccouche said, without providing exact numbers. Poisonings from incorrectly produced or adulterated alcohol are common in Tunisia and often fatal. In 2021, Tunisian health…