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SOCIAL media and messaging platforms have been blocked in Senegal after unrest erupted over the sentencing of opposition leader Ousmane Sonko. At least nine people were killed when Sonko’s supporters clashed with police in several cities on Thursday. Sonko was not in court when he was given a two-year jail term for immoral behaviour, but cleared of rape charges. The justice minister said he could be arrested at any time – and police are surrounding his house in the capital. His supporters fear the conviction could prevent the 48-year-old politician from contesting next year’s presidential election. Hundreds of officers are…

TANZANIA says its outbreak of the Marburg virus is over. Presence of the haemorrhagic fever was first confirmed in March, in the north-western Kagera region. There were nine cases and six people died. The World Health Organisation said its joint action with Tanzania on an emergency response had enabled the authorities to limit the impacts of a highly infectious disease. The Marburg virus can have a fatality rate of up to 88%.

THE Saudi Pro League can become a “top-five league in the world” if they can attract more big-name players, says Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo. Lionel Messi, Karim Benzema and Luka Modric have been linked with moves to Saudi Arabia and Ronaldo, 38, says they are “very welcome” to join him. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner has completed his first season with Al Nassr after joining in December. He has a contract to 2025 and added he “will continue here” next season. Paris St-Germain have confirmed Messi will leave the club this summer and the Argentina forward, 35, has a role…

LIONEL Messi will play his final game for Paris St-Germain against Clermont on Saturday, says manager Christophe Galtier. BBC Sport reported in May that the 35-year-old Argentina forward would leave when his contract ends this summer. Messi, who joined on a free transfer from Barcelona in July 2021, helped PSG win two successive Ligue 1 titles. “I had the privilege of coaching the best player in the history of football,” said Galtier. “This will be his last match at the Parc des Princes and I hope that he will receive the warmest of welcomes.” PSG increased security at the homes…

PRESIDENT Joe Biden took a face-first tumble on Thursday after tripping over an obstacle on stage at the Air Force Academy in Colorado, but he appeared unhurt. Biden, 80, who had delivered the commencement address to graduates of the military academy, had just shaken hands with a cadet and begun walking back to his seat when he fell. Air Force personnel helped him back up and he did not appear to require further help. As he rose, Biden pointed to the object that had apparently caught his foot. It resembled a small black sandbag on the stage. Biden is the…

A TEENAGER from Florida has won the 2023 Scripps National Spelling Bee in the United States. Dev Shah, a 14-year-old student from Largo, spelled “psammophile” correctly to win the 95th national bee and the $50,000 (£40,000) prize. Charlotte Walsh, also 14, from Arlington, Virginia, was the runner-up, having incorrectly spelled “daviely” as “daevilick”. A psammophile is an organism that lives in sandy areas. Eleven students made the finals after 11 million people entered spelling competitions, according to the organisers. “It’s surreal… my legs are still shaking,” Dev said as he collected the trophy on stage, joined by his family. His…

ROCKETS hit a market in Sudan’s capital, Khartoum, killing 18 people and leaving more than 100 wounded, doctors and residents say. The fighting between rival military forces comes as truce talks mediated by the US and Saudi Arabia collapsed. Wednesday’s violence around a market in Mayo in the south of Khartoum included artillery fire and aerial bombardment. It caused the most civilian casualties in a single incident in the capital since the war began in April. This brings the civilian death toll over seven weeks to at least 883, according to official counts – though the real number is likely…

RIGHTS group Amnesty International is calling on Angola to release an activist, saying he has been detained “arbitrarily” for more than 500 days despite suffering severe health issues. Tanaice Neutro was arrested in January last year after he allegedly shared a video online in which he called Angolan President João Lourenço a “clown” and said the authorities were “ignorant”. The campaign group calls it a “travesty of justice” that he is still detention despite a judge ordering his release. “Tanaice Neutro’s ongoing detention and denial of medical care may amount to torture and other ill-treatment,” said Tigere Chagutah, Amnesty International’s…

NIGERIA’s Flying Eagles stunned Argentina to secure passage into the FIFA U-20 World Cup quarter-finals, courtesy of second-half goals from Ibrahim Muhammad and Rilwanu Haliru Sarki. The Flying Eagles started brightly, but as the first half wore on La Albiceleste began to dominate. Veliz had two semi-sniffs at goal as the break approached, heading one narrowly over and flicking the other into the arms of Kingsley Aniagboso. Nigeria made the breakthrough just after the hour. Emmanuel Umeh flicked the ball over the top for Muhammad, who stabbed it past goalkeeper Federico Gomes Gerth. Argentina piled on the pressure in search…

SEVILLA claimed a record-extending seventh Europa League title as they beat Roma on penalties at a raucous Puskas Arena in Budapest. Gonzalo Montiel, who also scored the winning penalty for Argentina in the World Cup final against France, repeated the trick for the Spanish side following a 1-1 draw, with a retaken spot kick after Roger Ibanez and Gianluca Mancini had missed for Roma. The Spanish side, have now won all seven of the finals they have played in the competition with captain Jesus Navas involved in their first triumph against Middlesbrough in 2006. Their most recent sees them qualify…

ACTOR Al Pacino will soon be a father for the fourth time — at age 83, US media said Wednesday. His partner, 29-year-old Noor Alfallah, is eight months pregnant, according to the showbiz and gossip news site TMZ. Pacino’s agent did not immediately respond to an AFP request for comment. Pacino — known for such films as “The Godfather” (1972), “Scarface” (1983) and “Scent of a Woman” (1992), for which he won an Oscar — has three grown children from previous relationships. Alfallah was previously linked to rock icon Mick Jagger. Fellow movie legend Robert De Niro recently made a…

UKRAINIAN officials say further Russian missile strikes overnight have left at last three people dead in the capital, Kyiv. The attack targeted the Desnyanskyi district in Kyiv’s eastern suburbs. An 11-year-old girl, her mother and another woman were killed in the attack, say authorities. Twenty people are reported to be injured. “Everything happened very fast, probably within 15 minutes,” says resident Liudmyla. The Ukrainian armed forces say its air defence systems intercepted 10 missiles from Russia’s Bryansk region. It is the 18th attack on the capital since the start of May.

ONE of Africa’s most-celebrated authors and playwrights, Ghanaian Ama Ata Aidoo, has died aged 81. A renowned feminist, she depicted and celebrated the condition of African women in works such as The Dilemma of a Ghost, Our Sister Killjoy and Changes. She opposed what she described as a “Western perception that the African female is a downtrodden wretch”. She also served as education minister in the early 1980s but resigned when she could not make education free. In a statement, her family said “our beloved relative and writer” passed away after a short illness, requesting privacy to allow them to…

SUDANESE officials say the army has suspended ceasefire talks with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), accusing the group of repeatedly violating previous truce agreements. The army took the decision “because the rebels have never implemented a single one of the provisions of a short-term ceasefire which required their withdrawal from hospitals and residential buildings, and have repeatedly violated the truce”, a government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, has told the AFP news agency. A Sudanese diplomatic source also informed the Reuters news agency about the army’s withdrawal from the fragile ceasefire talks, which are aimed at enabling humanitarian…

DUTCH international striker Quincy Promes, already facing trial in the Netherlands for stabbing a cousin, has been charged with importing cocaine, the public prosecutor’s office announced on Tuesday. The 31-year-old Spartak Moscow player is accused, along with another 31-year-old Dutchman, of importing “several hundred kilos” of cocaine in January 2020, notably through the port of Antwerp, in Belgium, the public prosecutor’s office told AFP. The preliminary hearing will take place on June 5, local media reported. The player will not be present because of contractual obligations with his club, Dutch news agency ANP reported. The Russian Premier League season ends…

GALATASARAY won the Turkish league title for the 23rd time on Tuesday after beating Ankaragucu 4-1 in Ankara. Argentine forward Mauro Icardi scored twice while Baris Alper Yilmaz and Sergio Oliveira both found the net. It is Galatasaray’s first league title since 2019 and puts them four ahead of Istanbul rivals Fenerbahce in the all-time winners list. The victory lifted Galatasaray five points clear of Fenerbahce at the top of the Super Lig with a game left. It was a perfect response after they finished 13th in the 2021-22 campaign – the worst finish in the club’s history.

A HIGHWAY gun attack on security forces in northern Mexico left 10 people dead on Monday, authorities said. “Civil Force personnel were attacked with bullets by subjects who were traveling aboard three armored trucks,” Nuevo Leon Public Security Secretary Gerardo Palacios wrote on Facebook. Ten criminal suspects were killed and four officers injured, he added. The attack took place along a highway between Nuevo Leon and Tamaulipas states, a region hit by violence connected to organized crime. Roads between the two states have been the scenes of kidnappings, disappearances and robberies. Mexico has counted more than 340,000 killings and some…

NORTH Korea has said an accident happened as it planned to send up its first space satellite, causing it to crash into the sea. Pyongyang announced earlier it planned to launch a satellite by 11 June to monitor US military activities. It now says it will attempt a second launch as soon as possible. The launch sparked a false alarm in the South Korean capital Seoul, while in Japan a warning was issued to residents of Okinawa, in the south. There was chaos and confusion in Seoul as people awoke to the sound of an air raid siren and an…

KENYAN-BORN Bernice Kariuki has resigned as Arsenal’s private chef after two years at the English Premier League club. She announced her departure as Arsenal recorded a thumping victory against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday, winning 5-0 to end the season in second place. “A final day flourish. Finished the season with a bang! Simply the best!!! Arsenal… Arsenal… Arsenal. 2020/2023, the best special season ever. I hang my gloves as a very proud chef, it’s been an honour working for the best club in the whole world. I was truly humbled,” she posted on Facebook. Ms Kariuki was picked by the…

THE Zimbabwean government summoned the acting US ambassador to the country on Tuesday over election-related social media posts, which it said amounted to activism and meddling in the country’s internal affairs. Last week, the US embassy encouraged Zimbabweans to register to vote “and make sure your voice is heard”. In a statement, Zimbabwe’s acting permanent secretary in the ministry of foreign affairs, Rofina Chikava, confirmed the meeting. She said she told the US embassy’s charge d’affairs Elaine French that the posts were unacceptable and deviated from diplomatic norms. A spokeswoman for the US embassy said there was no problem with…