FRENCH President Emmanuel Macron has told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu there were “too many civilian losses” in Israel’s war in Gaza, as Paris readied more humanitarian aid for the besieged enclave. Israel has said it wants to destroy the Palestinian armed group after it killed about 1,200 people and took hundreds more captive in a surprise assault on October 7. More than 13,000 people in Gaza, some 70 percent of them women and children according to the United Nations, have been killed in the air and land offensive. Hospitals, schools and refugee settlements have also come under sustained attack.…
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FORMER US first lady Rosalynn Carter, the wife of former president Jimmy Carter, died Sunday at age 96 at the couple’s home in the southern state of Georgia, their nonprofit organization announced. Carter was best known for her work post-White House, as she and her husband championed human rights, democracy and health issues around the world — all while maintaining a notably humble public image. She had joined her husband in at-home hospice care on Friday after being diagnosed with dementia in May. “Former first lady Rosalynn Carter, a passionate champion of mental health, caregiving and women’s rights, passed away…
THE Malian army said at the weekend it discovered a mass grave in Kidal, a northeastern town recently recaptured from Tuareg rebels. “This mass grave recalls the atrocities committed by these terrorists who have neither faith nor law,” the army said in a statement late Saturday. It said the discovery was made Thursday during “operations to secure Kidal”, without providing further details. The armed forces said it was carrying out investigations to “bring those responsible to justice.” On November 14, Mali’s army retook Kidal, a Tuareg separatist stronghold that had not been under central government control since 2014. The town…
AT least 80,000 households across Kenya have been affected by heavy rainfall, flooding and landslides over the last week, the deputy president has said. The emergency services are using helicopters to deliver aid and rescue marooned families, Rigathi Gachagua’s statement says. On Saturday, Kenya Railways said flooding and landslides along the train track between the capital, Nairobi, and the port of Mombasa had forced the operator to close its cargo services. East Africa has experienced intense rains linked to the El Niño weather phenomenon, which have killed dozens of people, including at least 46 in Kenya. Floods have also caused…
MINISTER of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has said Emirates Airline will recommence flight operations in Nigeria very soon. Keyamo, disclosing this via his X account on Sunday, said he met some top officials of the United Arab Emirates flag carrier, adding that they will reveal the exact date to begin operations. The minister said the meeting he had with the representatives of Emirates Airline regarding their Dubai to Nigeria flights was on the sidelines of the Dubai Airshow last week. He added that President Bola Tinubu administration was assiduously working on some details concerning the resumption. “On the…
FRANCE scored seven goals in each half as they recorded their biggest ever win by thrashing 10-man Gibraltar 14-0 in Euro 2024 qualifying. The hosts are already through to the Germany tournament but did not take things easy as Kylian Mbappe hit a hat-trick that included a 40-yard strike. Teenager Warren Zaire-Emery was one of seven different first-half scorers. At 17 years, eight months and 11 days, he became France’s youngest player since 1914. He marked his debut with a goal to make it 3-0 before going off injured. Ethan Santos turned Jonathan Clauss’ cross into his own net after…
SHAKIRA was presented with a Latin Grammy award by former Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos for a song mocking former Barcelona defender Gerard Pique. The song, Shakira: Bzrp Music Session, Vol 53, won Song of the Year and Best Pop Song at the awards. It ridicules Shakira’s former partner Pique and has become the most watched new Latin song in YouTube’s history. Sevilla defender Ramos, 37, was on stage to present Shakira with the award. Despite being successful team-mates internationally, Ramos and Pique held a long-term rivalry at the club level as Real Madrid and Barcelona battled it out for…
AN official of the health ministry in the Gaza Strip said more than 80 people were killed on Saturday in double Israeli strikes on the Jabalia refugee camp. “At least 50 people” were killed in an Israeli strike at dawn on the UN-run Al-Fakhura school in the camp, which had been converted into a shelter for displaced Palestinians, the official told AFP. Social media videos — which AFP was not able to verify — showed bodies covered in blood and dust on the floor of a building, where mattresses had been wedged under school tables. A separate strike on another…
EFFORTS to rescue 40 workers trapped inside a collapsed tunnel in northern India have been expanded to include drilling down from the mountain top. A platform is being prepared to place the drilling machine at the site in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand. Another bid to reach the workers will also be made from the mouth of the tunnel. Three attempts to drill through the debris there have failed so far. Part of the tunnel under construction caved in after a landslide last Sunday. Contact with the men has been established and they are being provided oxygen and food. Explaining…
ZIMBABWE has declared a state of emergency in the capital Harare over a cholera outbreak. The outbreak has so far killed dozens of people with more than 7,000 suspected cases. The city authorities say the outbreak, spreading throughout the city, has invoked memories of a deadly outbreak in 2008, in which thousands died. “We have declared a state of emergency because of cholera,” local media quoted Mayor Ian Makone as saying. The authorities are now asking for help to contain the spread and provide safe water, saying the aid being received is inadequate. Health authorities have been struggling to contain…
KENYA’s President William Ruto has been named by Time Magazine as one of the world’s 100 most influential leaders shaping global climate action. The listing comes in the week he led a national holiday aimed at planting 100 million trees in a single day. Mr Ruto was named alongside the mayor of Sierra Leone’s capital Freetown, Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr. Burkinabé-German architect Francis Kéré and Ethiopian climate entrepreneur Kidus Asfaw also made the Time list. The ranking, known as “Time 100 Climate”, was released on Thursday, and is the magazine’s inaugural attempt to name those it sees as significant in highlighting and…
SUSPECTED Boko Haram fighters ambushed the security convoy of Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe state, on Saturday, killing one policeman and injuring six others. The attack occurred along Jakana-Mainok expressway in Borno State. The security team had reportedly escorted the governor to Maiduguri for the 24th Convocation ceremony of University of Maiduguri, where Vice-President Kashim Shettima was conferred with a honorary doctorate degree. While the team returned to Yobe, Buni was said to have stayed behind in Maiduguri ahead of a trip to Abuja for another official engagement. Confirming the attack, the spokesman of the governor, Mamman Mohammed, said…
ENGLAND and Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham has won the 2023 Golden Boy award – given to the best under-21 player in Europe’s top flights. Colombia and Real Madrid forward Linda Caicedo, 18, won the Golden Girl award. Bellingham, 20, moved from Borussia Dortmund to Real in the summer and has scored 13 goals in 14 appearances. This award comes after he was recognised as the best under-21 player in world football at the Ballon d’Or ceremony in October. “I’d like to thank everyone who has been part of my journey so far at Birmingham, Dortmund and now Madrid. It…
THE health ministry in Gaza, reported on Friday that 24 patients at a hospital in conflict-ridden Gaza had succumbed within 48 hours due to power failures, while Israeli forces were conducting searches in the facility for potential Hamas hideouts This news was released shortly after Israel consented to a US plea to permit two fuel trucks daily into Gaza, in response to a UN alert that the scarcity had stopped aid distributions and exposed people to the threat of famine. The circumstances were critical at the Al-Shifa hospital, Gaza’s largest, where the Israeli military stated it was conducting a third…
RAP mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs and R&B artist Casandra “Cassie” Ventura have settled a legal case one day after she accused him of rape and sex trafficking. The pair said they reached an agreement on Friday, without disclosing details. In a joint statement with Mr Combs, Ms Ventura said that she “decided to resolve this matter amicably on terms that I have some level of control. “I want to thank my family, fans and lawyers for their unwavering support.” Mr Combs wrote: “We have decided to resolve this matter amicably. I wish Cassie and her family all the best. Love.”…
LIBERIAN President George Weah has called his challenger in the presidential race, Joseph Boakai, to congratulate him on his victory. In an address to the nation he said “the Liberian people have spoken and we have heard their voice”. The opposition candidate holds an unassailable lead of 28,000 votes with nearly all ballots counted. A former football star, President Weah has been in power since 2018. He will step down in January. He came into the job on a wave of enthusiasm, especially from younger voters, having won that election – also against Mr Boakai – by a large margin.…
TWO rebel groups from Sudan’s Darfur region say they will fight alongside the army in the country’s civil war. This comes after the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) made major gains in Darfur, where it has been accused of ethnic cleansing. Rebel leader Gibril Ibrahim told BBC Newsday they “want to defend their civilians” from the RSF, which he says has been burying people alive. He said the decision to join forces with the army was not an easy one. The leader of the Justice and Equality Movement (Jem) said it had taken seven months to come to an agreement.…
MOHAMMED Salah scores four goals as Egypt cruised to victory in their first qualifier for the 2026 Fifa World Cup but Nigeria were held to a 1-1 draw at home by minnows Lesotho. Motlomelo Mkwanazi gave Lesotho, ranked 153rd in the world – 113 places below Nigeria – a shock lead with a 56th-minute goal from a corner. West Brom centre-back Semi Ajayi powerfully headed in Kelechi Iheanacho’s corner to level 11 minutes later but the Super Eagles could not find a winner in their Group C opener in a rainy Uyo. Jose Peseiro’s side had dominated the first half…
ANTHONY Joshua and Deontay Wilder will fight on the same night in Saudi Arabia on December 23, but against different opponents in Otto Wallin and Joseph Parker, respectively. Former heavyweight champions Joshua and Wilder have long been touted for a bout despite both losing their world titles. If both win their fights next month, it could finally pave the way for a meeting in early 2024. Britain’s Joshua will take on Swede Wallin after Wilder faces Parker on the undercard. “I can’t predict the future but I know where I want to go, I know what I want to do,”…
THE director of the Gaza Strip’s main hospital raided by Israeli soldiers says the facility has now run out of oxygen and water, and patients “are screaming from thirst”. Muhammad Abu Salmiya said the conditions were “tragic” in Al-Shifa, where there were more than 650 patients, 500 medical staff and 5,000 displaced people. Israeli tanks were surrounding the hospital in Gaza City, he said, with drones buzzing overhead and Israeli soldiers still moving around inside, as their search of the complex lasted a second day. Israel’s army said its operation against Hamas was proceeding in a “discreet, methodical and thorough…