Author: Editor

A PROMINENT Italian journalist has been found guilty of libel after insulting Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in a television interview. Roberto Saviano used a swear word to describe Ms Meloni while attacking her stance on migration in December 2020. He has been handed a suspended fine of 1,000 euros (£864). Though he will only have to pay it if he repeats the offence,campaignerssaid the verdict sent a “chilling message” about press freedom. Speaking to reporters outside the court, Mr Saviano said Ms Meloni’s government had sought to “intimidate” him for calling out “lies” about migrants, news agency AFP reported. Ms…

BURKINA Faso and Russia are on Friday due to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the construction of a nuclear power plant in the west African nation, according to the state-run AIB news agency. The agreement will be a culmination of talks the Burkinabe military ruler, Capt Ibrahim Traore, had with Russian president Vladimir Putin in July during the Russia-Africa summit in Moscow. “The MoU will be signed between Rosatom, the Russian federal atomic energy agency, and the Burkinabe ministry of energy, on the sidelines of Russian Energy Week 2023,” the report further said. Burkina Faso is one of…

WHILE Liberians await the results of Tuesday’s general election, a top EU observer has accused politicians who are already in office of overspending on their electoral campaigns and using government resources for them. Neither President George Weah nor other incumbent politicians have commented on the claim. Andreas Schieder, who’s heading the EU’s election observation mission, told the BBC these actions flouted the rules of Liberia’s electoral code. “During the campaign we observed a lot of issues – and one of such major issues was the lack of level playing fields as it relates the economic side, they used financial supremacy…

ISRAELI strikes targeted Syria’s two main airports on Thursday, Syrian state television said, in the first such attack since a HAMAS assault on Israel at the weekend triggered fierce fighting. “Israeli aggression targets Damascus and Aleppo airports,” the state television reported on the messaging app Telegram, without providing additional details. Israeli strikes have repeatedly caused the grounding of flights at the airports in Aleppo and the capital Damascus, both of which are controlled by the government of war-torn Syria. The latest strikes came as Hamas and Israel traded heavy fire for a sixth day after hundreds of Hamas gunmen stormed…

HARRY Maguire has thanked David Beckham after the former Manchester United star contacted the troubled England defender to offer support when he was booed by Scotland fans earlier this season. Maguire has endured abuse from supporters across the country during his difficult spell at Old Trafford, but the penchant for picking on the centre-back reached a crescendo during England’s friendly in Scotland last month. The 30-year-old was mercilessly goaded at Hampden Park after scoring an own goal in England’s 3-1 win. Maguire laughed it off as a “little bit of banter” immediately after the match but his mother publicly came…

OVER 260,000 people have been forced to flee their homes in the Gaza Strip, as heavy Israeli bombardments from the air, land and sea continue to hit the Palestinian enclave, the United Nations said. Fierce fighting has left thousands dead on both sides since Hamas launched a surprise assault on Saturday, spurring Israel’s reprisal bombing campaign. “Over 263,934 people in Gaza are believed to have fled their homes,” said UN humanitarian agency OCHA said in an update Tuesday, warning that “this number is expected to rise further”. It said that around 3,000 people had been displaced “due to previous escalations”,…

THE United Auto Workers (UAW) union has expanded its ongoing strike by shutting down Ford’s biggest plant. The UAW said 8,700 workers walked out of the truck plant in Kentucky, in response to Ford refusing to move further in contract bargaining. It is a sharp escalation of its strike against Ford, General Motors and Stellantis, which began last month. The UAW is pressuring the carmakers to grant higher pay and make other improvements in new labour agreements. It is the first in the union’s 88-year history to target the Detroit Three automakers, which collectively employ more than 140,000 UAW members,…

THE FBI and the Office of Ghana’s Special Prosecutor (OSP) are looking into the assets and financial transactions of embattled former minister Cecilia Abena Dapaah and her associates in the US. In a post on social media app X, the OSP said: “This collaborative effort is to ascertain the lawfulness of Ms Dapaah and her associates’ wealth, both in the context of their funds transitioning from Ghana to the United States and vice versa.” The former sanitation minister is currently under investigation by the OSP on allegations of corruption and corruption-related offences stemming from the discovery of over $1m (£813,300)…

UGANDAN lawmakers have rejected a government proposal to allow 15-year-old girls to access birth control pills to reduce high levels of pregnancy. Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa called the idea “devilish”, saying it would “formalise [the] defilement” of girls. A senior health ministry official said the “stigma” around young people using contraceptives should end. Nearly a quarter of 15- to 19-year-old girls in Uganda are either pregnant or are already mothers, a survey says. The rate increased sharply during the Covid lockdown when schools were shut for almost two years. During a highly charged parliamentary debate on Tuesday, MP Lucy Akello…

CHAIRMAN of the United States House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee, Michael McCaul, has disclosed that Egypt warned Israel of potential violence three days before HAMAS launched a deadly attack on the Israelis at the border. McCaul made this known while speaking to reporters on Wednesday, adding that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the reports as “absolutely false”. According to BBC, Israeli intelligence services are under scrutiny for their failure to prevent the deadliest attack by Palestinian fighters in Israel’s 75-year history. “We know that Egypt has warned the Israelis three days prior that an event like this could…

NIGER’s post-coup military rulers have demanded in a statement seen by AFP on Wednesday that the United Nations coordinator in the West African country leave Niger within 72 hours. The foreign ministry said in the statement dated Tuesday that the government had ordered Louise Aubin, the UN’s resident and humanitarian coordinator, “to take all necessary measures to leave Niamey within 72 hours”. It pointed to “obstacles” which it said were presented by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres “with a view to thwarting the full and complete participation of Niger” at last month’s UN General Assembly. The military regime has already criticised…

NIGERIA, South Africa and Morocco could be placed in the same group when the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) draw is made in the Ivory Coast on Thursday. The six top seeds include Morocco, who created history at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar by becoming the first semi-finalists from Africa. Nigeria are among the second seeds while South Africa has had to settle for a place among the third seeds for the draw in Abidjan, the Ivorian economic capital. Add surprise 2021 Cup of Nations quarter-finalists Gambia from the fourth seeds and it would be a striking “group of…

LUTON Town say striker Elijah Adebayo is “tired” of the racist abuse aimed at him after suffering it again following his side’s defeat by Tottenham. The Hatters were beaten 1-0 by Spurs on Saturday during a weekend of matches to highlight the Premier League’s No Room For Racism campaign. Luton say the “vile, cowardly act of online abuse” was posted on Instagram. The club has reported the post to Bedfordshire Police, the Premier League and Instagram’s parent company, Meta. “We have spoken to Elijah to offer him our support,” said a Luton statement. “But do you know what the sad…

A SECOND large earthquake has hit Afghanistan just days after a 6.3 magnitude quake in the same region killed more than 1,000 people. The latest quake, of the same magnitude, struck at around 05:10 local time (00:40 GMT) on Wednesday. The epicentre is 28km (17 miles) north of the city of Herat. The impact of the new quake is not yet clear, but many are already sleeping in the open after their homes were destroyed on Saturday. There is also a shortage of blankets, food and other supplies. Saturday morning’s earthquake hit Zindajan, a rural district some 40km (25 miles)…

THE State of Palestine has petitioned the United Nations, demanding that Israel leaves what it described as “its territory” amid the ongoing conflict. On October 8, the Palestinian militant group Hamas attacked Israel in a shocking move. Over 1,500 people have been confirmed dead in the conflict with fears that the death toll could increase. Addressing a press conference in Abuja on Tuesday, the Palestinian Ambassador to Nigeria, Abdullahp Shawesh called on the UN to apply international law on Israel and compel her to seize its occupation of Palestinian territories. Shawesh stated that the applicability of the law will bring…

BURUNDI’s recently dismissed central bank governor has been arrested on allegations of corruption. Dieudonné Murengerantwari has been accused by the justice ministry of “undermining the proper functioning of the national economy, passive corruption, money laundering and misappropriation of public assets”. He has not responded to the allegations against him. On Sunday, Burundian President Évariste Ndayishimiye fired Mr Murengerantwari and replaced him with Édouard Normand Bigendako. Mr Murengerantwari had been appointed to lead Burundi’s central bank for five years beginning in August last year. Attorney General Leonard Manirakiza on Tuesday said that the allegations against Mr Murengerantwari are provisional while investigations…

FIFTEEN opposition MPs in Zimbabwe have filed a court appeal saying they were tricked into losing their parliamentary seats. The losses came after a man falsely claiming to be the party’s secretary said the MPs were no longer members. On receipt of the fake letter, Zimbabwe’s parliamentary speaker declared the 15 seats vacant. Resultant by-elections could hand ruling party Zanu-PF the majority it needs to amend the constitution. Monday’s letter was signed by “Sengezo Tshabangu”, who claimed to be the secretary general for Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC), Zimbabwe’s main opposition party. It was littered with grammatical errors. CCC leader…

ARSENAL forward Bukayo Saka has been ruled out of England’s games against Australia and Italy because of injury. Saka missed his side’s 1-0 Premier League win over champions Manchester City on Sunday with a hamstring injury. The FA confirmed he has withdrawn after being assessed by England’s medical team and would not be replaced in the squad, which now has 25 players. England face Australia on 13 October, before taking on Italy in a European Championship qualifier four days later. “No, he will not make it,” said Gunners boss Arteta after Sunday’s game. “He has not trained for a single…

THE Gaza Strip could be on the brink of a new humanitarian crisis if supplies are not allowed in, authorities say, as Israel responds to the Hamas attacks. On Monday, Israel declared a “complete siege” on the territory, saying electricity, food, fuel and water would be cut off. According to residents, aid has not reached the enclave since Saturday. BBC footage shows deserted streets covered with rubble from collapsed buildings following Israeli airstrikes. Nearly 700 people have died in these attacks and thousands more are reported to have been injured. The area is home to about 2.3 million people in…

ANTI-VACCINE conspiracy theorist Robert F. Kennedy Jr said Monday he was quitting the race for the Democratic US presidential nomination and would pursue his run as an independent. Next year’s election is likely to be a rematch between President Joe Biden and his predecessor Donald Trump. But in a tight race, a third-party candidate siphoning even a few votes from Biden in battleground states could be bad news for the Democrat. Many analysts however believe Kennedy, a long-time spreader of misinformation about public health and a darling of the right-wing US media, would take more votes away from Trump than…