THE Syrian government has cancelled the BBC’s media accreditation over what it called “biased and misleading reports”. Syria’s information ministry said the broadcaster failed to adhere to “professional standards”. A recent BBC story linked the trade of an amphetamine called Captagon with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s family. The BBC said it provided impartial, independent journalism. “We speak to people across the political spectrum to establish the facts,” a BBC spokesperson said. Published last month, the BBC News Arabic Investigations found links between the Captagon drug trade, leading members of the Syrian Armed Forces and Mr Assad’s family. Captagon is a…
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IT is more than four years since a Boeing 737 Max airliner crashed into remote farmland outside the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa. One hundred and fifty seven people were killed. On Monday, an inquest in Horsham, West Sussex will finally take place into the deaths of three of the British citizens who were on board. For relatives of those who died, it is a landmark moment. Lawyers for the families will be seeking a verdict of unlawful killing. The inquest will look into the deaths of humanitarian workers Sam Pegram and Oliver Vick, as well as sustainability campaigner Joanna Toole.…
A SUDANESE army air strike on the capital has killed at least 22 people and injured many others, eyewitnesses and an official have said. Women and children were among the victims, the eyewitnesses told the BBC. The airstrike hit the Dar es Salaam district of Omdurman, on the opposite bank of the Nile to the capital Khartoum, early on Saturday. The army and a paramilitary force have been battling for control of the capital since April. The conflict began after the head of the army, Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the head of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Gen Mohamed…
RIVAL sides in politically divided Libya have agreed to set up a committee to oversee the sharing of oil revenues. Eastern military strongman Khalifa Haftar had threated to force the shut-down of oil production unless the UN-backed Tripoli-based government agreed to address the issue. Libya sits on Africa’s biggest oil reserves but friction between administrations in the east and west have severely hampered production. Crude oil provides the main source of revenue for the country, which has been plagued by unrest since a Nato-backed revolt in 2011 toppled former leader Muammar Gaddafi.
SPANISH goalkeeper David de Gea said “it’s the right time to undertake a new challenge” as he confirmed he is leaving Manchester United. The 32-year-old was a free agent as his contract at the Old Trafford club ended last month. De Gea has been at United for 12 years and his 545 appearances and 190 clean sheets are club records for a keeper. “I just wanted to send this farewell message to all Manchester United supporters,” he wrote on social media. De Gea started his career at Atletico Madrid but joined United for £18.9m in 2011. The announcement of his…
MANCHESTER United are hopeful of concluding a deal for Inter Milan goalkeeper Andre Onana soon. United boss Erik ten Hag is keen to resolve concerns over the goalkeeping situation at Old Trafford amid uncertainty over David de Gea’s future. De Gea’s contract at Old Trafford expired at the end of last month with no agreement over a revised offer put to the former Spain international. Onana, 27, kept eight clean sheets in 24 games in Serie A last season. The Cameroonian also kept eight clean sheets in 13 matches in the Champions League last season – the most of any…
THERE is “no patience” in football and Chelsea must “deliver from day one”, says new manager Mauricio Pochettino. The former Tottenham boss, 51, has taken over at Stamford Bridge on a two-year deal with the option of a third. Chelsea endured a terrible 2022-23 season in which they had three managers and finished 12th in the league. “It is about delivering from now,” Pochettino said at his unveiling. “We cannot tell the people we need six months to create something.” Speaking at his first news conference at Stamford Bridge, he added: “I spoke with the owners in a really good…
A BBC presenter has been accused of paying a teenager for sexually explicit photographs, beginning when they were 17, according to The Sun. The newspaper reported that the unnamed presenter had paid the alleged victim tens of thousands of pounds in total. It is understood that the BBC is looking into the allegations, and that the star is currently not scheduled to be on air in the coming days. The Sun said the young person’s family complained to the BBC on 19 May. The family is reported to have become frustrated that the star remained on air. The mother told…
AT least 50 people, including eight children, have been killed by floods and landslides triggered by monsoon rains that have lashed Pakistan since last month, officials said Friday. The summer monsoon brings South Asia 70-80 percent of its annual rainfall between June and September every year. It is vital for the livelihoods of millions of farmers and food security in a region of around two billion people — but it also brings landslides and floods. “Fifty deaths have been reported in different rain-related incidents all over Pakistan since the start of the monsoon on June 25,” a national disaster management…
FRENCH football star Kylian Mbappé says he is “honoured” to be visiting Cameroon, his country “of origin”. “I’m so happy to be here,” he added, saying that people have shown him so much “love”. Earlier, football fans described to the BBC the excitement they felt about the trip. “We’ve all been awaiting the moment and its finally here,” one man told the BBC’s Newsday radio programme. “It’s a huge boost for Cameroon, not just for Cameroon but for the entire continent,” the fan added. “Having him around shows that home is home – you have to come back to your…
THE Tunisian authorities should to immediately halt what have been described as “collective expulsions” of sub-Saharan migrants, the New York-based organisation Human Rights Watch (HRW) says HRW says that in the past few days Tunisia has expelled several hundred black African migrants and asylum seekers, including children and pregnant women from the port city Sfax, close to the Libyan border. It says they have been left stranded and in dire conditions in a remote desert area. “The Tunisian government should halt collective expulsions and urgently enable humanitarian access to the African migrants and asylum seekers already expelled to a dangerous…
PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has approved the establishment of a Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms. This latest move the presidency says is in consonance with Tinubu’s promise to remove all barriers impeding business growth in Nigeria, According to a statement on Friday by the president’s Special Adviser on Special Duties, Dele Alake, the committee will be chaired by Fiscal Policy Partner and Africa Tax Leader at PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PwC), Mr. Taiwo Oyedele. It will comprise experts from both the private and public sectors and have responsibility for the various aspects of tax law reform, fiscal policy design and coordination,…
REAL Madrid have completed the signing of 18-year-old Turkey playmaker Arda Guler from Fenerbahce. Dubbed ‘the Turkish Messi’, he has penned a six-year deal at the Bernabeu where he will team up with England’s Jude Bellingham. Guler scored four goals and supplied four assists last season, putting in a man-of-the-match display in the Turkish Cup final. Last month, he became the youngest player to score for Turkey. Guler made his Fenerbahce debut at just 16, provided an assist on his first Super Lig appearance and was handed the number 10 shirt last season. Having long been linked with a switch…
GRANIT Xhaka has left Arsenal to join German side Bayer Leverkusen in a 25m euro (£21.4m) deal. The Switzerland midfielder, 30, has signed a five-year deal with the Bundesliga club. Xhaka, who joined the Gunners in 2016 and was briefly captain in 2019, had a year left on his contract but was expected to leave the club this summer. Arsenal are on the verge of signing England midfielder Declan Rice in a British record deal from West Ham. Xhaka scored 23 goals in 297 appearances for the Gunners, helping them win the FA Cup twice and finish runners-up in the…
TWITTER is considering legal action against Meta over its fast-growing rival app Threads. Threads, which was launched to millions on Wednesday, is similar to Twitter and has been pitched by Meta bosses as a “friendly” alternative. Twitter’s Elon Musk said “competition is fine, cheating is not” – but Meta denied claims in a legal letter that ex-Twitter staff helped create Threads. More than 30 million people have signed up for the new app, according to Meta. The look and feel of Threads are similar to those of Twitter, BBC News technology reporter James Clayton noted. He said the news feed…
A TEENAGER in the US state of Iowa who beat his teacher to death with a baseball bat over a bad grade has been sentenced to life in prison. Willard Miller, 17, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in April for his role in the 2 November 2021 killing of Nohema Graber, a Spanish teacher. Miller and co-defendant Jeremy Goodale, now 18, attacked Ms Graber, 66, after she marked down Miller’s work. Aged 16 at the time of the murder, both were charged as adults. Goodale’s sentencing is scheduled for August. On Thursday, Miller was sentenced to life in prison with…
THREE people have been arrested after employees at a Kenyan cheese factory were allegedly forced to undress to check who was on their period. A manager at Brown’s Food Company assembled female workers to find out who had thrown a used sanitary towel in an incorrect bin, an official said. She made the women strip after attempts to get a confession were unsuccessful. Brown’s says it has suspended the accused manager pending an investigation. Three people were facing indecent assault charges over the incident, police in Limuru told local media. In a video posted to Facebook, Senator Gloria Orwoba said…
SOUTH Africa’s former Minister in the Presidency and anti-apartheid veteran Essop Pahad has died at the age of 84, according to a statement from President Cyril Ramaphosa’s office. “We mourn the passing of a veteran of our struggle,” President Ramaphosa said, citing Mr Pahad’s contribution to South African democracy. “Security crackdowns, banning and exile shaped Essop Pahad’s contribution over decades to our struggle and, as Parliamentary Counsellor to President Thabo Mbeki and Minister in the Presidency, to the early design and impact of our democratic state.” Mr Pahad is described as “a thinker and strategist” who first started his political…
KYLIAN Mbappe must sign a new contract if he wants to stay at Paris St-Germain, club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi says. Al-Khelaifi was speaking at a news conference to introduce Luis Enrique as PSG’s new manager following the sacking of Christophe Galtier. France striker Mbappe, 24, has told PSG that he will not extend his contract with them beyond 2024. “Our position is very clear,” said Al-Khelaifi. “If Kylian Mbappe wants to stay – we want him to stay – he needs to sign a new contract. “We cannot let the best player in the world right now leave for free.…
MORGAN Gibbs-White insists England Under-21s “still have loads of work to do” after helping the Young Lions to their first European Championship final since 2009. The Nottingham Forest midfielder opened the scoring in the 42nd minute with a looping header from Cole Palmer’s cross, having missed an earlier penalty. Manchester City forward Palmer then tucked the ball in at the back post from an Emile Smith Rowe ball across the box to double the lead. The excellent Palmer then exchanged passes with substitute Cameron Archer who made sure of the win as he smashed in England’s third. The Young Lions,…