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A LEADING Russian general has resurfaced in Algeria after disappearing from public view following the Wagner mercenary group’s attempted mutiny in June. Nicknamed “General Armageddon”, Sergei Surovikin was removed from his post as commander of Russia’s aerospace force in August, two months after the mercenary group sought to topple Russia’s military command. The general — one of the leading commanders of Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine — was a mediator between the Russian army on the one hand, and Wagner and its leader Yevgeny Prigozhin on the other. Surovikin appeared in images published by the Facebook page of the grand…

APPLE will update its iPhone 12 in France after fears about radiation, the country’s digital minister says. Jean-Noel Barrot said Apple would deliver a software update for users in the country in the coming days. Sales of iPhone 12 were halted in France after a regulator detected too much electromagnetic radiation. Apple was told to fix the issue. The firm said the new update would only apply to users in France, where it said a specific testing protocol existed. The American tech giant suggested the radiation findings were a result of that testing regime, and that it was “not a…

THE new military rulers of Niger have cancelled more than 990 diplomatic passports held by nationals and foreigners linked to the ousted regime. The foreign ministry has written to notify diplomatic representations in Niger that the passports are now “lapsed”, according to copies of the letter posted on social networks. The diplomatic documents were held by former senior figures in institutions and ministries as well as ex-MPs and advisers including to the president and prime minister, the official press agency ANP said late Thursday. About 50 of the passports had been given to American, British, French, Libyan and Turkish people…

THE thoughts of one Moroccan schoolteacher immediately turned to her pupils when she felt the 6.8-magnitude earthquake strike a week ago. Nesreen Abu ElFadel was in Marrakesh – but Adaseel, the mountain village that was home to her school and pupils, was closer to the epicentre. The Arabic- and French-language teacher returned to Adaseel where she went searching for the children. She discovered that all 32 – ranging from six to 12 years old – had died. “I went to the village and started asking about my kids: ‘Where is Somaya? Where is Youssef? Where is this girl? Where is…

SPANISH police arrested Thursday three unnamed Real Madrid youth academy players for allegedly distributing a sexual video featuring a minor, a police spokesperson said. Officers detained the players, who are between the ages of 21 and 22, at Real Madrid’s training grounds following a complaint filed in Spain’s Canary Islands earlier this month, a Guardia Civil police spokesman said. “They were detained on suspicion of distributing a video with sexual content involving a minor,” he said. Police questioned a fourth Real Madrid youth player over the incident but it was not clear at this point if he would also be…

JUST a few days after he was nominated for the 2023 Ballon d’Or award, Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen was on Thursday listed for the FIFA Best Player award. Argentine superstar, Lionel Messi; Erling Haaland; Kevin De Bruyne, and Kylian Mbappe were also nominated alongside the Super Eagles forward in the men’s category of the award. Other nominees include Julian Alvarez, Marcelo Brozovic, İlkay Gundogan, Rodri, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Declan Rice, and Bernardo Silva. Osimhen’s nomination makes him the first Nigerian player to be listed for the FIFA Best Footballer Award which was first won by Cristiano Ronaldo in 2016. Osimhen was…

THE father, stepmother and uncle of Sara Sharif have been charged with the murder of the 10-year-old girl, Surrey Police has said. Urfan Sharif, 41, his partner Beinash Batool, 29, and Urfan’s brother, Faisal Malik, 28, all of Hammond Road, Woking, have been charged. They have also each been charged with causing or allowing the death of a child. Sara’s body was found at her home on 10 August. A post-mortem examination found she had sustained “multiple and extensive injuries”. The three adults left the UK for Pakistan on 9 August. They were arrested at Gatwick Airport on Wednesday evening…

US President Joe Biden’s son Hunter was indicted Thursday for illegally buying a gun when he was using drugs, casting a new shadow over his father’s campaign for reelection next year. Hunter Biden was charged with two counts of making false statements when claiming on forms required for the 2018 gun purchase that he was not using drugs illegally at the time. A third charge said that, based on the false statements, he illegally possessed the gun during an 11-day period in October that year. If convicted on all three charges, Biden could in theory face 25 years in prison,…

A TOP court in the Democratic Republic of Congo has jailed an opposition politician for seven years after finding him guilty on 12 charges, including spreading false rumours and insulting the head of state. Jean-Marc Kabund had been detained since August last year, when he was arrested for criticising President Felix Tshisekedi and his government. Mr Kabund is a former vice-president of the DR Congo parliament. He was also a close ally of President Tshisekedi until their fall-out in early last year. He went on to form the Alliance for Change political party, under which he planned to run for…

THE UN envoy to Sudan, Volker Perthes, has announced that he’s resigning. He told the UN Security Council that the Sudan conflict which erupted between rival military factions in April risked becoming a full-blown civil war. It comes more than three months after Sudan declared him unwelcome after the war erupted. Five million people have been displaced in the clashes between the Sudanese armed forces and the rival paramilitary forces, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). In his final speech to the Security Council, Mr Perthes was extremely critical of Sudan’s military ruler, Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the RSF chief…

PRESIDENT Bola Ahmed Tinubu is currently in a meeting with a delegation led by the National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Ganduje, at Aso Rock the Presidential Villa, Abuja. The meeting, which started around 3pm, is also being attended by security chiefs. Although there has yet to be any briefing on the agenda of the meeting, this newspaper gathered that that the delegation will present a document proffering solutions to the farmer-herder crisis. More details shortly…

SAUDI Arabia’s Al-Ittihad Ladies has announced the signing of Super Falcons defender, Ashleigh Plumptre, on a free transfer after leaving Leicester City Women. The 25-year-old was one of the Nigerian players on the spotlights for their impressive performance at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. She played all matches for the Falcons and helped Nigeria reach the round of 16. Reacting to the announcement video released on Tuesday by Al-Ittihad Ladies on X, formerly Twitter, the Nigerian talent wrote, “Grateful to have signed for Al-Ittihad. Excited to start this journey alongside some incredible human beings. My journey of stepping into…

NORWAY’s Princess Martha Louise will marry her American partner, self-styled shaman Durek Verrett, next summer, the couple has announced. King Harald V congratulated the pair, saying he was happy to welcome Mr Verrett to his family. The princess relinquished her royal duties last year to run the alternative medicine business she shares with her fiance. Mr Verrett is known for promoting unfounded medical practices. He has suggested cancer is a choice and sold medallions online said to ward off Covid-19, while Princess Martha Louise has claimed she is able to communicate with angels. They announced their engagement in June 2022…

A MASSIVE hurricane churning in the Atlantic Ocean is set to impact the east coast of the US and Canada this weekend, according to forecasters. Hurricane Lee turned north on Wednesday and is forecast to grow larger as it travels, becoming a huge hurricane off the New England shore by Friday night. Lee currently has sustained winds of 110 mph (175 km/h), according to the US National Hurricane Center (NHC). Residents in coastal Canada have also been warned to brace for the storm. “Slow weakening is forecast during the next few days, however, Lee is likely to remain a large…

HODAN Artan is patching up the roof of her home, sewing together pieces of fabric of different colours with blue string. She works as a cleaner in Somaliland’s capital, Hargeisa. With the little money she earns, a mud hut with a cloth roof flapping in the wind is all the 23-year-old single mother can afford for herself and her baby daughter. Until recently, she did not think she could aspire to anything more. “When I was a child, I couldn’t afford to go to school, neither could my parents,” she says. Ms Artan was never taught to read or write.…

MOROCCO’s young are powering their country’s desperate relief effort. In Taroudant’s youth centre, volunteers from across the city and beyond have been answering calls for help on social media. Activists with rapidly rising numbers of followers are now coordinating the distribution of aid to the hundreds of communities without the most essential items. Milk, nappies, jam and bedding are all being passed along human chains, loaded into trucks destined for villages dotted across the Atlas mountains. In many areas, this grassroots effort is getting supplies to those in need faster than official help. “People are in danger. If we didn’t…

NBA superstars LeBron James and Stephen Curry are among several top players interested in competing for the United States at next year’s Paris Olympics, according to multiple reports on Monday. Two-time Olympic champion and four-time NBA champion James has been recruiting fellow NBA stars for a US squad that seeks a fifth gold medal in a row next year in France, according to The Athletic. Curry, a four-time NBA champion guard with the Golden State Warriors, has expressed a desire to play on the Olympic squad guided by Warriors coach Steve Kerr, ESPN reported. The news comes a day after…

GERMANY gained a home friendly victory over France in their first match since the sacking of German boss Hansi Flick. Ex-striker Rudi Voller was in interim charge, with Flick dismissed following the 4-1 loss to Japan on Saturday. Bayern Munich forwards Thomas Muller and Leroy Sane scored the goals for the hosts in a match played at Borussia Dortmund’s Signal Iduna Park stadium. Antoine Griezmann netted a late penalty for France after Sane fouled Eduardo Camavinga, but it was not enough. It was France’s first defeat since they were beaten on penalties by Argentina in the 2022 World Cup final…

RUSSIAN President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday described legal proceedings against former US president Donald Trump as “politically motivated persecution.” The Kremlin has repeatedly spoken out in defence of the former president, who is facing a series of charges linked to election interference. “As for the persecution of Trump, for us, in the current environment, it’s good because it shows the rottenness of the American system,” Putin said at an economic forum in the far eastern city of Vladivostok. “It is a politically motivated persecution of one’s competitor.” Putin, who served in the Soviet security services, added: “And this shows who…

THE US House of Representatives will open a formal impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden, its most senior Republican has said. Kevin McCarthy said the inquiry would focus on “allegations of abuse of power, obstruction and corruption” by Mr Biden. Republicans have been investigating the president since they took control of the House in January. The hearings have found no concrete evidence of misconduct by Mr Biden. They have, however, shed more light on business dealings by the president’s son Hunter Biden – which Republicans say are questionable – and on Mr Biden’s knowledge of his son’s activities. In a…