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SENEGAL’s military has seized more than three tonnes of cocaine from a ship moored off the coast, in one of the country’s largest drugs hauls, the navy said Tuesday. Authorities did not provide details on the vessel, its crew or the value of the intercepted cargo. A navy patrol boat “seized nearly 3 tonnes of pure cocaine aboard a ship intercepted 150 km (91 miles) off the coast” of Dakar, the navy posted to X, formerly Twitter. Some 2.975 tonnes of cocaine was seized, a senior Senegalese military official told AFP on condition of anonymity. The army told AFP the…

CRISTIANO Ronaldo is known for his goalscoring exploits but on Monday night the Al-Nassr forward convinced the referee not to award him a penalty. The 38-year-old went down in the second minute after a challenge in his side’s Asian Champions League 0-0 draw with Iranian side Persepolis. But when Chinese referee Ma Ning awarded a penalty, Ronaldo argued the case for the decision to be overturned. Ning was sent to the pitchside monitor and ultimately changed his call. A combination of the video assistant referee and Ronaldo’s honesty came to Persepolis’ rescue. The match went on to finish goalless, with…

A TRUCE between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip will be extended by two days, the Palestinian group and mediator Qatar said Monday, opening the way for further releases of hostages and prisoners. With just hours to go before the humanitarian pause was to end early Tuesday, Hamas said that an agreement had been reached to prolong it by 48 hours under the existing terms. There was no immediate confirmation from the Israeli side of the extension, which was nevertheless hailed by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres as “a glimpse of hope and humanity in the middle of the darkness…

THE first transatlantic flight powered only by sustainable fuels is due to take off on Tuesday morning. Operated by Virgin Atlantic, it will fly from London’s Heathrow to New York’s JFK airport at 11:30 GMT. Airlines see the flight, which is supported by government funding, as demonstrating that a greener way of flying is possible. But a lack of supply remains a challenge, while other technology will be needed to hit emissions targets. So-called sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) can be made from a variety of sources, including crops, household waste and cooking oils. For this flight, a Boeing 787 will…

SOUTH Africa has recorded a fall in the number of people living with HIV, according to a new survey released on Monday. The study, conducted by the Human Sciences Research Council, found that 12.7% of the country’s population are infected with the virus that leads to Aids. The number was down from 14% when the survey was last conducted five years ago, its the first time the prevalence dropped in 15 years. The team behind the research said there was no clear reason behind the fall, but added that the growing use of anti-retroviral therapy medicines had radically changed the…

THIRTEEN soldiers were among the 19 killed during Sunday’s violence in Sierra Leone, which saw gunmen attacking a military barracks and prisons, an army spokesman has said. Sierra Leoneans spent Sunday under a nationwide curfew amid disarray in capital, Freetown. The information minister described the attacks as “co-ordinated and planned”. A BBC correspondent saw armed men on the streets chanting that they would “clean” Sierra Leone. As well as the 13 soldiers, one police officer, one civilian and a private security employee were also killed along with three of the attackers, Army spokesman Col Issa Bangura said. Eight soldiers were…

PRESIDENT Biden apologized to some prominent Muslim-American leaders for publicly questioning the Palestinian death toll being reported by the Hamas-controlled Gaza Ministry of Health, a new report says. Biden huddled with five Muslim American leaders the day after his Oct. 25 comments about reported Gaza deaths roiled the Islamic community, vowing to “do better.” During the meeting, which was initially planned for 30 minutes but lasted more than twice as long, Biden heard the leaders describe individuals they knew who were personally affected by the conflict. “I’m sorry. I’m disappointed in myself,” Biden told the group, the Washington Post reported.…

AHEAD of the numerous Supreme Court political judgments, the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, has reiterated the judiciary’s determination not to be overwhelmed by the sentiments of the “mob” in their decisions. Following the rulings on electoral disputes, which led to the sacking of some governors and lawmakers, many have accused judges of bias. But speaking at the opening of the special session of the 2023/2024 legal year and the swearing-in of 58 newly conferred Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs), Ariwoola asked judges to remain firm. He said, “I expect every judicial officer to work very hard…

“I DON’T think I’ve ever been in a stadium where I’ve seen an overhead kick that good… and I was there for Wayne Rooney’s against Manchester City.” High praise indeed from Gary Neville, but deservedly so as Alejandro Garnacho scored one of the great Premier League goals in Manchester United’s 3-0 win at Everton. The 19-year-old Argentina winger met Diogo Dalot’s cross in the third minute at Goodison Park from about 15 yards out and unleashed a stunning overhead kick into the top corner. “I can’t believe it to be honest,” he said afterwards. “I didn’t see how I scored,…

THE military wing of Hamas said Sunday that the commander of its northern brigade and four other senior leaders had been killed during Israel’s offensive against the movement. In a statement, the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades said Ahmed al-Ghandour was a member of its military council, and named three of the others, among them Ayman Siyyam, head of its rocket division, while its West Bank branch confirmed another leader’s death. “We pledge to Allah we will continue their path and that their blood will be a light for the mujahedeen and a fire for the occupiers,” the statement said, without saying…

A MAN in France on Sunday confessed to killing his three children and turned himself in, said prosecutors and a police source. “A man presented himself to the police in Dieppe (Seine-Maritime) to report that he had killed his three children,” the public prosecutor said, referring to the town in the northern French region of Normandy. The bodies of two children were then found in the town of Alfortville, in the southeastern suburbs of Paris, where the father lives. “Two deaths have been confirmed,” said the public prosecutor. The children were stabbed to death, said a police source, without providing…

SOMALIA has joined the East African Community (EAC) in a move intended to boost economic growth in the country following three decades of war. President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said joining the regional trade bloc was a “beacon of hope” for Somalia. He said it offered “hope for a future of opportunities and prosperity”. Somalia has been wracked by conflict since 1991 and many parts of the country are controlled by jihadist group al-Shabab. Some of its neighbours have sent troops to help fight the Islamist group, which is affiliated to al-Qaeda. The decision to admit Somalia was made after a…

SIERRA Leone has been placed under a nationwide curfew after armed men broke into prisons, setting inmates free. Detainees from a number of “major” facilities were released on Sunday morning, said the West African nation’s information minister. President Julius Maada Bio later said most of the leaders behind the attack had been arrested. In a televised address, he described the events as a “breach of security” and an attack on democracy. He carefully avoided calling them an attempted coup. He said calm had been restored but gave no details about who the perpetrators were or what they wanted. The political…

FORMER England manager Terry Venables has died at the age of 80 after a long illness. Venables managed England from 1994 to 1996, most notably leading them to the semi-finals of Euro 96 on home soil. He also had spells in charge of Barcelona, Tottenham and Australia. “We are totally devastated by the loss of a wonderful husband and father who passed away peacefully yesterday after a long illness,” read a family statement. “We would ask that privacy be given at this incredibly sad time to allow us to mourn the loss of this lovely man who we were so…

KAI Havertz sent Arsenal to the top of the Premier League as the German’s last-gasp goal clinched a hard-fought 1-0 win at Brentford on Saturday. Havertz was a Champions League final hero for Chelsea in 2021, but he has endured a torrid time since crossing London to join Arsenal in the close-season. The 24-year-old midfielder finally gave a glimpse of why Mikel Arteta splashed out £65 million ($80 million) to sign him when he headed home in the closing minutes. Havertz’s second goal for Arsenal was his first in his last 10 appearances, moving his team one point clear of…

A SECOND group of Israeli hostages left Hamas captivity on Saturday, after hours of delay had increased the anxiety of desperate families. The Israeli military said 13 Israelis were released in Gaza and in exchange 39 more Palestinian prisoners were released by Israel in the West Bank. Hamas also released four Thai hostages. The first releases took place smoothly on Friday, under a temporary four-day truce deal brokered by Qatar. Urgent talks saved Saturday’s handover. The Israelis had been expected to be handed over to the Red Cross on Gaza’s border with Egypt at 16:00 (14:00 GMT). The Hamas armed…

DEREK Chauvin, the US police officer whose murder of George Floyd sparked massive racial justice protests in 2020, was stabbed in prison on Friday, the New York Times reported citing unnamed sources. Chauvin knelt on the 46-year-old Black man’s neck for more than nine minutes on a Minneapolis street despite the dying man’s pleas. Floyd’s cries of “I can’t breathe” were a rallying call for demonstrators domestically and abroad who took to the streets in the killing’s aftermath. The US Federal Bureau of Prisons confirmed an assault to AFP without naming the person wounded. “An incarcerated individual was assaulted at…

CHAD’s military-led government has issued an amnesty to security forces responsible for killing at least 50 opposition protestors. In 2022 people took to the streets to oppose interim President Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno extending his rule. The authorities responded with a brutal crackdown which officials say left 50 people dead on what has been called “Black Thursday”. Human rights groups put the number of dead much higher, at more than 300. Over 600 people were arrested, including 83 minors and sentenced in mass trials. The amnesty is part of a deal signed with opposition leader Succès Masra to foster national…

MADAGASCAR President Andry Rajoelina has won re-election in the first round of a ballot boycotted by nearly all opposition candidates in the Indian Ocean island nation, the election commission said Saturday. Rajoelina won 58.95 percent of the votes cast in the November 16 presidential election, according to the results presented by the poll body which need to be validated by the Constitutional Court. Turnout was just over 46 percent, down on the previous presidential election in 2018, which the election commission blamed on “ambient political climate” and “manipulation of opinion”. “The Malagasy people have chosen the path of continuity and…

FRENCH police on Friday detained Algerian international Youcef Atal, who plays for Ligue 1 football side Nice, in a probe into suspected “justification of terrorism” after he published a social media pro-palestine post on the Israel-Hamas war, prosecutors said. Last month the 27-year-old defender was banned for seven matches over the post, which he quickly deleted and subsequently issued an apology. The public prosecutor in Nice opened a probe following a request from the local prefect and mayor of Nice. Prosecutors later said that Atal will face trial for incitement to religious hatred on December 18 at the Nice criminal…