Author: Editor

CONGOLESE-BORN French rapper Maitre Gims has cancelled a concert in Tunisia that was scheduled for 11 August. In an Instagram story, the rapper cited the mistreatment of migrants for the cancellation saying: “Children, women, men expelled from Tunisia to Libya, live in inhumane conditions. I cannot maintain my visit to Tunisia.” Libyan guards recently rescued dozens of sub-Saharan migrants in a desert area on the border between the two countries They said they had been dumped there from Tunisia without water, food or shelter. Tunisia has become the main departure point for migrants trying to cross the Mediterranean to Europe.…

MANUELA Vanegas scored a 97th-minute winner as Colombia stunned Germany at the 2023 Fifa Women’s World Cup. Linda Caicedo netted a wondergoal to give the South Americans the lead, before Germany equalised with an 89th-minute Alexandra Popp penalty. Vanegas then headed Leicy Santos’ corner past Merle Frohms to send the vast numbers of Colombia supporters at Sydney Football Stadium wild. It condemned Germany to a first World Cup group stage defeat since 1995. A manic ending came after Caicedo, 18, had brilliantly curled into the top corner on 53 minutes to shock the two-time world champions. The final round of…

MANCHESTER United manager Erik ten Hag has challenged his side to “raise the bar” and find “consistency” to achieve the targets he has set them. Ten Hag has described his debut campaign in English football one of “progress” at Old Trafford. United ended their six-year wait for a trophy and secured a return to the Champions League with a third-place finish that has only been exceeded twice in the decade since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement. But along the way there were some bitter disappointments, including a 4-0 defeat at Brentford, a record 7-0 humiliation at Liverpool, a 3-0 loss to…

AT least 44 people have been killed in an explosion in Pakistan during a rally organised by an Islamist party. More than 100 people were also injured in the explosion in north-west Bajaur district, where Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) was holding a meeting. Police told the BBC that they have found evidence suggesting the explosion was a possible suicide attack. A rescue operation has been completed and all injured have been taken to hospital, officers said. Officials have warned the death toll may rise further, as 15 people are in a critical condition. The motivation behind the attack is not yet…

DENMARK is considering banning protests involving burning the Quran or other religious texts over security and diplomatic concerns. The Danish foreign ministry said whilst protecting freedom of expression is crucial, such protests benefit extremists and pose a security threat. Copenhagen is looking at legal means to intervene in some circumstances, including protests outside embassies. Sweden’s prime minister also said work on a similar process has begun there. Both Scandinavian countries have come under pressure in recent weeks, after authorities gave permission for a series of controversial protests where Islam’s holy book was destroyed, stoking diplomatic tensions with several Muslim-majority nations.…

FIREBAND Senegalese opposition politician Ousmane Sonko said Sunday he had started a hunger strike from custody after being arrested this week, as his lawyers condemned his arrest. Senegal’s public prosecutor on Saturday announced seven new charges against the politician — a vocal critic of President Macky Sall who has faced a string of legal woes he claims are aimed at keeping him out of politics. “In the face of so much hate, lies, oppression, persecution, I have decided to resist”, Sonko wrote, inviting “all political detainees” to join him on the strike. He is scheduled to be interrogated by a…

WHILE Kolthom was being gang-raped by four paramilitary fighters in Sudan’s war-hit Darfur region, she was also being racially abused. Warning: This article contains details some readers may find distressing. “They were very barbaric. They took turns raping me under the tree where I had gone to gather wood to [make a fire to] keep warm,” she said in a quivering voice, down the phone line. We have changed her name and that of another rape survivor quoted in this article. Kolthoum, who is in her 40s, is from West Darfur’s black African Masalit community, while her rapists were Arabs…

MANCHESTER United have agreed a £72m deal to sign Denmark international striker Rasmus Hojlund from Serie A side Atalanta. The 20-year-old will move to Old Trafford for a fee of £64m, plus a potential £8m in add-ons. Hojlund joined Atalanta in August 2022 and scored 10 goals in 34 appearances last season. His United contract will be for five years, with the option of an additional season. Hojlund will be United manager Erik ten Hag’s third signing of the summer after midfielder Mason Mount joined from Chelsea for £55m and Inter Milan goalkeeper Andre Onana was signed for £47.2m. Although…

CAPTAIN Wendie Renard headed a late winner as France beat Brazil in a thrilling game in Brisbane at the 2023 Fifa Women’s World Cup. Eugenie le Sommer put the French ahead after 17 minutes, before Debinha pulled Brazil level in the second half. There was end to end action as two of the pre-tournament favourites delivered a game which lived up to expectations. But it was Renard – who had been an injury doubt – who headed in the decisive goal with seven minutes to go. “She is the leader of the team,” France manager Herve Renard said of his…

RUSSIAN President Vladimir Putin has said he does not reject the idea of peace talks on Ukraine. Speaking after meeting African leaders in St Petersburg, he said an African and Chinese initiative could serve as a basis for finding peace. President Putin also said it was hard to implement a ceasefire when the Ukrainian army was on the offensive. Ukraine and Russia have previously said they will not come to the negotiating table without certain preconditions. Ukraine wants its borders as they were in 1991 to be reinstated, something the Kremlin is deeply opposed to. Moscow argues instead that for…

AN American nurse and her child have been kidnapped in Haiti, according to a Christian aid charity she worked for. Alix Dorsainvil was working in a community ministry near Port-au-Prince when she was taken, El Roi Haiti said in a statement. The US State Department is aware of reports and is in “regular contact” with Haitian authorities. Officials in Haiti have appealed to the international community to help break the grip of armed gangs on the island. Ms Dorsainvil is understood to be the wife of El Roi Haiti’s director and founder, Sandro Dorsainvil. The age and gender of the…

SUDAN’s paramilitary force has posted a video on Twitter of its leader addressing fighters – his first video appearance since the conflict erupted in April. Gen Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as “Hemedti”, looked thin in the footage and commentators say he was holding one of his arms oddly. There has been speculation that the commander, who is in his late 40s, has been injured in the war. His speech included his usual rhetoric against Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the head of the military with whom he is involved in a bitter power struggle for control of the country. He said…

THE EU has suspended all security cooperation with Niger after the country’s army took power in a coup. It comes shortly after the US declared its “unflagging support” for ousted president Mohamed Bazoum – seen as a key Western ally in the fight against Islamist militants. On Friday the head of the presidential guards unit Gen Abdourahmane Tchiani declared himself Niger’s new leader. He said insecurity, economic woes and corruption led him to seize power. But there are now concerns in the West about which countries the new leader will align with. Niger’s neighbours, Burkina Faso and Mali, have both…

ASISAT Oshoala says her father is still not happy with her celebration after scoring in Nigeria’s 2-3 win over Australia. The Super Falcon netted her side’s third goal of the game to give Nigeria a two-goal cushion at the 2023 Women’s World Cup. She removed her shirt while celebrating the goal, minutes after coming on as a substitute in the Group B encounter. Her celebration has since generated debate among football fans in and around the country. While many see no issue with her celebration, others frowned at it. The Barcelona Femeni forward’s father is among the latter, according to…

JUVENTUS have been kicked out of this season’s Europa Conference League by Uefa and fined for breaching Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules. European football’s governing body has also fined Chelsea for breaching FFP rules as a result of “submitting incomplete financial information”. Uefa says the matter relates to transactions which took place between 2012 and 2019. Juventus have been fined £17.14m, while Chelsea have been fined £8.57m. The Italian club will only have to pay half of their fine if their financial records for the next three years comply with regulations, while Chelsea have already agreed to pay the settlement…

TEARS ran down Lee Meng-chu’s face as he got ready to board a plane at Beijing airport on Monday. The flight out of China marked the end of a harrowing ordeal for the Taiwanese businessman who had been held in the country for more than 1,400 days. “I felt a huge relief after going through the passport check, and I cried a little,” he told the BBC this week. “I have returned to the free world.” Mr Lee was arrested and jailed in 2019 after he snapped pictures of police officers in Shenzhen. He was accused of espionage and stealing…

AT least five people are understood to have been injured after missiles hit two buildings in the eastern Ukrainian city of Dnipro. A BBC team on the ground confirmed the top floor of a large residential tower block was almost completely destroyed in the strike on Friday evening. A building belonging to Ukraine’s security services (SBU) was also hit, according president Volodymyr Zelensky. He blamed “Russian missile terror” for the damage to the buildings. Mr Zelensky posted a video on Telegram showing smoke rising from damaged buildings and a fire at street level. He said he had convened emergency meetings…

SENEGALESE opposition figure Ousmane Sonko was arrested Friday, two members of his party and a senior security official told AFP, though no precise reasons were given. “Ousmane Sonko was arrested — there were gendarmes in front of his house,” said Ousseynou Ly, a spokesman for Sonko’s Pastef party. Djibril Gueye Ndiaye, the politician’s head of protocol, said the gendarmerie came and “took” him. A senior security official confirmed to AFP that Sonko had been arrested but did not specify the reasons. “Ousmane Sonko was arrested — there were gendarmes in front of his house,” said Ousseynou Ly, a spokesman for…

GENERAL Abdourahmane Tchiani, also known by the alias Omar Tchiani, has been named the leader of the junta that took power in Niger on Wednesday, ousting democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum. Here are five things we know about him: Gen Tchiani, 62, has been at the helm of the presidential guard since 2011. The 700-strong force was established by the ousted president’s predecessor Mahamadou Issoufou to guard against military takeovers. He was linked a 2015 coup attempt against Mr Issoufou. A subsequent court case in 2018 cleared him of involvement. He was promoted to the rank of general in 2018…

FORMER Governor of Kano State, Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, visited the immediate past National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Adamu, at his Abuja residence, on Thursday. Adamu resigned as the party’s national chairman because of alleged internal crisis in the ruling party. However, Ganduje, has been tipped as his successor. See pictures of the visit below: