TANZANIA has opened its first bone marrow transplant centre in the capital, Dodoma. According to the director of Benjamin Mkapa Hospital, it marks a milestone for the country’s health sector and the unit will focus on treating patients with sickle cell. Very few countries in Africa offer bone marrow transplants – only Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, South Africa and Tunisia have similar treatment programmes. Sickle cell is an inherited disorder and most cases are found in sub-Saharan Africa. It is caused by a faulty gene that affects how red blood cells develop and the condition can cause severe pain and organ…
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THE Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, has cleared the air over the Senate’s probe of its budgets for 2021 and 2022. In a statement of clarification, the NDDC Managing Director urged the public to avoid jumping to conclusions based on the Senate’s decision and assured them of the NDDC’s commitment to transparency and accountability. He said the NDDC respects the oversight function of the Senate and is ready to cooperate with the investigation committee. He also appealed to the general public to refrain from making hasty judgments based on Senate’s decision. In the…
PRESIDENT-ELECT, Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Wednesday afternoon left Nigeria for Europe on a working visit. He will use the opportunity of the trip to finetune the transition plans and programmes, and his policy options with some of his key aides without unnecessary pressures and distractions. During the visit, the President-elect will engage with investors and other key allies with the goal of marketing investment opportunities in the country and his administration’s readiness to enable a business-friendly climate through policies and regulations. Already, meetings with multi-sectoral actors in Europe’s business community including manufacturing, agriculture, tech and energy have been lined up.…
KEVIN de Bruyne’s screamer earned Manchester City a Champions League semi-final first-leg draw at Real Madrid to keep their dream of a Treble on track. City know any win next Wednesday at home against Madrid will send them to only their second Champions League final, against either Inter Milan or AC Milan. Pep Guardiola’s side dominated the early stages at a nervy Bernabeu, with Thibaut Courtois denying De Bruyne, Rodri and Erling Haaland twice. But Vinicius Jr scored with Real’s only chance of the first half, a 25-yard thunderbolt which flew past Ederson following a brilliant run by Eduardo Camavinga.…
BRAZIL’s Dani Alves has had second a request to be released from jail on bail rejected by a Spanish court as an investigation continues into an alleged sexual assault. Alves, 40, has been held since January over an allegation he assaulted a woman in a Barcelona nightclub in December. He denies any wrongdoing. His lawyer offered to surrender both his passports, Brazilian and Spanish. The court rejected the request as there was a “high risk” he would try to flee. The High Court of Justice of Catalonia said Alves’ wealth “could allow him to leave Spain at any time”. He…
THE United States on Tuesday announced a new $1.2 billion security assistance package for Ukraine to boost the country’s air defenses and provide it with additional artillery ammunition. The package underscores the continued US commitment to Ukraine “by committing critical near-term capabilities, such as air defense systems and munitions, while also building the capacity of Ukraine’s armed forces to defend its territory and deter Russian aggression over the long term,” the Defense Department said in a statement. The assistance comes in the form of Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative funds, which pay for the procurement of equipment from the defense industry…
AT least 21 people died on Tuesday when a bus crashed off a bridge in India, officials said, reportedly after the driver fell asleep at the wheel. The vehicle smashed through a barrier and plummeted around six metres (20 feet) onto a dry river bed south of the central city of Indore in Madhya Pradesh state. “At least 21 people have died,” a senior police official said, without wishing to be named. The dead included three children and 10 women, the Times of India newspaper reported. The bus driver had fallen asleep at the wheel before the crash and had…
TWO visitors and two security guards have been killed in a gun attack near Africa’s oldest synagogue, on the Tunisian island of Djerba. The attack took place during an annual pilgrimage to the island, which attracts Jewish visitors from Europe and Israel. A guard reportedly shot dead his partner before opening fire on visitors and security forces near the synagogue before being killed himself. His motivation was not clear. One of the visitors killed is a French national. Four other visitors and five members of the security forces were injured. It is not clear whether the visitors were pilgrims visiting…
THE number of people displaced inside Sudan by fighting between rival military factions has more than doubled in the past week to around 700,000, a UN agency has said. The increase in displacements has raised fears of an escalation in violence despite ceasefire talks being held in Saudi Arabia. Air strikes and ground battles are continuing in the capital Khartoum. Entire neighbourhoods have become empty as residents flee their homes. Khartoum had a population of 5.4 million, but the once-peaceful city has been devastated by the conflict that broke out on 15 April between the army and the paramilitary Rapid…
PRESIDENT-ELECT Bola Tinubu has congratulated Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke over his victory at the Supreme Court, urging him to now move quickly to unite the state. The President-elect said with the final court in the land giving its verdict on the Osun governorship tussle, all must respect the judgement. Asíwájú Tinubu also commended the immediate-past governor of the state, Alhaji Adegboyega Oyetola, for discharging himself creditably during his first term and for deepening democracy by pursuing his democratic rights peacefully to the end. In a statement on Tuesday by his office, the President-elect said: “I congratulate Mr. Ademola Adeleke…
RODRYGO Goes’s two goals earned Real Madrid the Copa del Rey and highlighted his taste for the big occasion, but Champions League semi-final opponents Manchester City need no reminder of that. The Brazilian’s dramatic strikes in the 90th and 91st minutes against City last season snatched City’s ticket to the final out of their grasp. Madrid clinched victory in extra-time at the Santiago Bernabeu to progress and went on to win the competition for a record-extending 14th time. In contrast, Pep Guardiola’s side are yet to get their hands on the trophy. With the lethal Erling Haaland leading the line,…
ARGENTINA and Paris Saint Germain veteran star Lionel Messi on Monday scooped a unique double, landing individual and team Laureus awards for his exploits and those of his World Cup winning nation. Messi, 35, finally landed a first World Cup winners medal in Qatar last December after a thrilling penalty shootout final win over France — enough to earn him an individual accolade while the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner also accepted the team award at a prestigious Paris ceremony. The Argentine, who attended the ceremony with wife Antonela Roccuzzo, previously had won the award jointly with British Formula One champion…
AT least 22 people died when a tourist boat capsized in India, officials said Monday, with many of those on board thought to be children. It was not clear why the double-decker boat carrying at least 30 people tipped over in the southern state of Kerala’s Malappuram district late Sunday. Dozens of people searched for survivors in and around the stricken vessel all night, which was partially submerged, and the search continued into Monday. Some used ropes to stabilise the boat while others were in the water, desperately looking inside the vessel’s windows for any survivors. “We have recovered 22…
A US court heard closing arguments Monday in a closely watched civil trial that accuses ex-president Donald Trump of raping and defaming an American former magazine columnist. Lawyers for accuser E. Jean Carroll urged the nine-person jury to find Trump liable for the alleged sexual assault in a New York department store in the mid-1990s. “No one, not even a former president, is above the law,” attorney Roberta Kaplan told the Manhattan federal court. Carroll, 79, sued Trump last year, alleging that he raped her in the changing room of the luxury Bergdorf Goodman store on Fifth Avenue in either…
SUDANESE military fighter jets are continuing with air strikes in the capital Khartoum and the adjacent cities of Bahri and Omdurman, despite ceasefire talks taking place in Saudi Arabia. Ground battles are also taking place between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in two areas in the centre of Bahri – Shambat and Halfiya. The fighting in Shambat is near a huge base of the army, while the battle in Halfiya appears to be for control of a key bridge, which is currently in the hands of the RSF. The fighting has left people terrified, forcing them…
SOUTHERN African countries have agreed to deploy forces to the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo where dozens of rebel groups are fighting. The decision was reached at a meeting of the regional body SADC, attended by several heads of state, including DR Congo’s Felix Tshisekedi. Since December an East African regional military force has been deployed in eastern DR Congo, mainly in response to the threat posed by the M23 rebel group. It is widely reported to be backed by Rwanda although Kigali denies it. Since it re-launched a rebellion in late 2021 close to a million people…
VICTOR Osimhen is now the highest-scoring African in the Italian Serie A following his strike against Fiorentina on Sunday. The Nigerian, who was pivotal to Napoli’s first league triumph in 33 years, netted his 47th Serie A goal in the 1-0 win, eclipsing Liberian legend George Weah (he scored 46). Weah’s record had stood since 1999. The 24-year-old Nigeria had scored the equaliser last week to earn his side their first Scudetto since 1990. Sunday’s strike took his tally in the league to 23rd this season. With four goals ahead of Argentina striker Lautaro Martinez, the Super Eagle is keen…
DAVID De Gea made a huge goalkeeping howler as Manchester United suffered a 1-0 defeat at West Ham on Sunday that threatens to send their season into a tailspin. Just a few days ago United were heavy favourites to finish in the Premier League’s top four and qualify for next season’s Champions League but now they are wobbling badly while the Hammers look safe from relegation. The result hinged on a catastrophic first-half error by De Gea, who let a tame shot from Said Benrahma squirm past him in the 27th minute after his team had largely dominated the opening…
AT least 27 workers have died in a fire at a gold mine in a remote area of southern Peru, authorities said on Sunday. A short circuit caused the fire, which broke out Saturday in a tunnel inside the La Esperanza 1 mine in the Arequipa region, police and the public prosecutor’s office said. Public prosecutor Giovanni Matos told channel N television that there were “27 dead inside the mine.” Local media said the blaze started after an explosion at the mine in the remote Condesuyos province, a 10-hour drive from the city of Arequipa, the regional capital. The explosion…
EIGHT people have been killed in the US state of Texas after a car struck a group at a bus stop close to a shelter for the homeless and migrants. The incident happened in the city of Brownsville near the Mexican border at about 08:30 local time (14:30 GMT). At least five other people have been injured, some of them critically. The driver has been arrested and charged. Brownsville police say it is not clear whether the incident was intentional. Earlier US media reports quoted police as saying it appeared to be a deliberate attack. The director of the nearby…