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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…

RAP artist Sean “Diddy” Combs has been accused of rape and sex trafficking by a female singer. In a lawsuit seen by the BBC, ex-girlfriend Casandra Ventura said she was trapped for a decade in a cycle of abuse and violence. Mr Combs – who has also gone by the stage name Puff Daddy – denies the allegations, accusing the singer of trying to extort him. His lawyer said the claims were “offensive and outrageous”. Ms Ventura – an R&B singer and dancer who performs under the stage name Cassie – alleges that the rap producer raped and beat her…

US-BASED Ethiopian Julie Mehretu has once again broken the record for the highest sale price of any work by an African-born artist at auction. Her abstract painting Walkers With the Dawn and Morning fetched $10.7m (£8.6m) at Sotheby’s in New York on Wednesday. The piece features ink and acrylic on canvas and takes its name from a 1920s Langston Hughes poem. Mehretu, 52, was born in Ethiopia and moved with her family to the US in 1977 at a time of political strife. She has since become one of the most prominent names in the fast-growing contemporary African art world.…

MALAWI’s President Lazarus Chakwera has suspended with immediate effect all international travel for himself and his government in a bid to save money. The measure follows a huge devaluation of the currency as Malawi secures a loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to boost its ailing economy. Mr Chakwera has also ordered all ministers currently abroad to return home. Fuel allowances for senior government officials have been cut by 50%. Malawi’s economy has been undergoing turbulent times, characterised by an acute shortage of petrol and diesel, as well as high inflation. In a televised address, Mr Chakwera said the…

THE Department of State Services (DSS) on Wednesday in Abuja re-arraigned Husseni Ismaila (aka Maitangaran), the alleged mastermind of the 2014 multiple bomb attacks in Kano at the Federal High Court. When the matter was called, the prosecuting counsel, Mr E.A. Aduda, told the court that the DSS had filed an amended charge of four counts against the defendant and prayed the court to read the charge to the defendant to take his plea. The defendant pleaded not guilty to all four count charges, which read in part: “That you Husseni Ismaila, alias Maitangaran, 34-year-old male, professed to be a…

MANCHESTER City announced record-breaking revenue of £712.8 million ($888 million) for their treble-winning season on Wednesday — far outstripping the previous mark reported by Manchester United just last month. The Premier League and European champions reported an increase of nearly £100 million in revenue for the 2022/23 financial year compared with the previous year as profits nearly doubled to £80.4 million. United, who have been in City’s shadow for a decade, announced a Premier League revenue record figure of £648.4 million in late October. Pep Guardiola’s men last season became the second English club after United in 1999 to win…

ISRAELI forces have raided al-Shifa Hospital, where thousands of Palestinians are sheltering, following days of heavy attacks in the area surrounding the complex in Gaza City. Israel’s military said early on Wednesday morning that it was carrying out an “operation against Hamas in a specified area” at al-Shifa. Calling the assault a “targeted operation” on Gaza’s largest medical facility, it said the raid was based on Israeli and United States intelligence. Israel accuses Hamas, the group that governs Gaza, of using the hospital as a base. Hamas rejects the claim. Israel has not produced evidence to back up its assertion.…

THE US and China have agreed to resume military-to-military communications in an effort to ease rising tensions, President Joe Biden says. “We’re back to direct, open, clear communications,” he said following a rare meeting with China’s President Xi Jinping in California on Wednesday. It was the first time the pair had spoken in person in more than a year. Mr Biden also said both leaders had agreed to establish a direct line of communication with one another. At a news conference following the summit, which took place at a historic country estate near San Francisco, Mr Biden said a lack…

MADAGASCAR is holding presidential elections despite an opposition boycott following weeks of protests. A curfew was declared overnight to prevent any trouble. Political tensions have been running high, with the opposition saying that the incumbent, Andry Rajoelina, should be disqualified. There have been six weeks of demonstrations, which have seen opposition supporters clash with police. Angelo Ravelonarivo, a police prefect in the capital of Antananarivo, said the curfew was imposed following “various acts of sabotage” including the “burning of a polling station”. Opposition leaders have complained of an “institutional coup” in favour of Mr Rajoelina. They say he should be…

INITIAL results from the presidential run-off election in Liberia point to an extremely tight race. With almost a quarter of the results in, President George Weah has 49% of the votes, just behind the opposition’s Joseph Boakai who has over 50%. In the first round, both men were also neck and neck – with the third placed candidate securing just two per cent of the votes. Neither President Weah nor Boakai achieved more than 50% of the vote in the first round of the election, triggering the run-off. The same two candidates also faced each other in the 2017 election,…

ONE of the correspondents of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) assigned to cover the Presidential Villa in Abuja has narrated how he was abducted by gunmen. The correspondent had mistakenly boarded a wrong vehicle at the Federal Secretariat, Abuja, on the way home after an assignment. The fear-stricken Reporter, who is yet to recover from the trauma and has become generally afraid of everyone around her, tells his story below: On the said day, I covered an assignment at the Presidential Villa. After the assignment, I filed my story and decided to go home. One of the Directors in…

SUPER Falcons’ Asisat Oshoala and goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie make the cut as Nigeria dominated the shortlist for the 2023 CAF Women’s Awards. The continent’s governing body released the shortlist of nominees on Tuesday afternoon with the Super Falcons, and their coach Wandy Waldrum also making the cut. Oshoala, who plays for Barcelona Femeni, won the treble including the Champions League with the Spanish giants, and is on the cusp of winning a record-extending sixth CAF Women’s Player of the Year Award. She is the current holder – her fifth gong to surpass compatriot Perpetua Nkwocha’s record. She was also a…

A RESOUNDING Under-17s World Cup victory and a return to winning ways, yet still a sense of underachievement from Brazil after an all-time record of 81 efforts on goal. The reigning champions averaged a chance every 75 seconds in their 9-0 win over tournament minnows New Caledonia seeting a new global record in football at all levels. But they could not get close to Spain’s record 13-0 success over New Zealand in the 1997 edition of the competition. Nor was it as impressive as England’s 10 goals without reply against the same opponents in their opening Group C game in…