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A 27-YEAR-OLD electrical engineering student has died trying to fix the power at a hospital affected by the fighting in Sudan’s Darfur region. Muhammedin Fadul Idris Wadi, known to his friends as Ala Danedn, was electrocuted at Sayed al-Shahada Health Centre in Fasher city on Thursday. He was part of a group volunteers trying to keep the clinic going amid fierce clashes and looting. “He was known for his smile, even in the time of the war,” his friend said. “He gave his life as a servant of the people of Fasher,” Ahmed Ishaq, who studied with him at the…

NEARLY 400 bodies have been retrieved following floods and landslides that hit two villages in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo last week. The authorities had previously said 200 people had died following torrential rainfall on Thursday In several villages close to the shore of Lake Kivu, people have been digging through the mud with their hands in a desperate search for missing relatives. The Congolese Red Cross volunteers do not have body bags. They are having to pile up the bodies wrapped up in blankets in the villages of Bushushu and Nyamukubi in South Kivu province. It is now three…

THE authorities in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo say the number of people known to have died in severe flooding and mudslides has risen to 203. The governor of South Kivu province said more people were still missing, feared buried under the mud. At least two villages by Lake Kivu – Bushushu and Nyamukubi – were submerged when rivers in eastern DR Congo burst their banks. There were also severe mudslides that destroyed homes made of wooden planks with corrugated iron roofs. Rescue teams say there are piles of bodies in muddy clothing. Local media is reporting that in one…

KENYA’s president has appointed a commission of inquiry into the deaths of more than 100 people who were members of a cult. They are thought to have starved themselves to death on the advice of the head of the Good News International Church, Paul Nthenge Mackenzie. He is expected to face terrorism charges but has not yet entered a plea. Earlier this the cult leader was arrested in connection with the deaths of two children but was released on bail. A government official said the commission of inquiry will examine whether administrative or intelligence lapses contributed to the deaths. The…

THE death toll after ethnic clashes in India’s remote northeast rose to 54 on Saturday, with fresh violence overnight despite authorities rushing in troops to restore order. Thousands of soldiers were sent to Manipur state after a protest march by a tribal group turned violent on Wednesday. Authorities imposed an internet blackout and issued shoot-at-sight orders in “extreme cases” in an effort to contain the unrest. The situation remained tense after a fresh bout of violence on Friday night, hours after the state’s top police officer warned that rioters had stolen arms and ammunition from police stations. Hospital morgues in…

A GUNMAN has shot and killed eight people shopping at a mall north of Dallas, Texas, emergency services say. Hundreds of people were evacuated from the mall in the city of Allen, as eyewitnesses described a man firing indiscriminately at passers-by. Police said they shot the gunman dead and believe he acted alone. Some of the victims are reported to be children. At least seven people are being treated in hospital, three of whom are critically ill. Allen Fire Chief Jonathan Boyd said seven people – including the gunman – were pronounced dead at the scene and two died later…

RODRYGO scored twice as Real Madrid won the Copa del Rey for the first time since 2014 after beating Osasuna in the final in Seville. The Brazilian was on hand to fire the winner from close range after Toni Kroos’ shot deflected into his path. Osasuna, playing in only their second Copa del Rey final, had threatened an upset when Lucas Torro levelled. Rodrygo handed Real an early lead with the fastest goal in a Spanish cup final for 17 years after 106 seconds. Osasuna, backed by nearly 25,000 fans inside the Estadio de La Cartuja, had their chances as…

MANCHESTER City are four points clear at the top and in control of the Premier League title race, but their manager Pep Guardiola still wasn’t happy after his side’s 2-1 win over Leeds. Goal machine Erling Haaland and match winner Ilkay Gundogan were the players who felt his wrath with Guardiola reminding them that “this is a business” after seeing a late penalty miss allow Sam Allardyce’s side back into the game. Leading 2-0 with six minutes to go, City were cruising towards a 10th-successive victory and were handed a chance to wrap up the points when Phil Foden was…

NIGERIA’s Golden Eaglets will aim to book a spot in the quarter-final of the U-17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) when they take on South Africa. Coach Nduka Ugbade’s side were heartbroken following a 0-1 loss to Morocco in their second Group B game on Wednesday. While they dominated proceedings in the encounter and missed a couple of chances, an early own goal sealed their fate for the day. “We controlled the game but tactically Morocco controlled the outcome,” the coach said. “We had some few mistakes as well but we created so many chances, and the only problem is…

REAL Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti says his players’ focus is fully on Saturday’s Copa del Rey final and not the crucial upcoming Champions League clash with Manchester City. The Spanish giants host City in their semi-final first leg next Tuesday. But they have the chance to win a trophy before then when they take on Osasuna in Seville. “We will go out there without thinking about what’s happening the next day,” Ancelotti, 63, said. “We will go out with all the energy in the world to win another title. The players are motivated.” Cup competitions are crucial for Real Madrid…

THE World Health Organization (WHO) has declared that Covid-19 no longer represents a “global health emergency”. The statement represents a major step towards ending the pandemic and comes three years after it first declared its highest level of alert over the virus. Officials said the virus’ death rate had dropped from a peak of more than 100,000 people per week in January 2021 to just over 3,500 on 24 April. The head of the WHO said at least seven million people died in the pandemic. But Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that the true figure was “likely” closer to 20…

IRAN imposed a travel ban on football star Ali Karimi, his wife and her family during the recent anti-government protests, leaked documents seen by the BBC show. Mr Karimi was among the first celebrities who vehemently criticised the deadly crackdown on the protests which erupted in September. The footballer, known as the Maradona of Asia, lived in the UAE at the time. The protests were sparked by the death in custody of a Kurdish Iranian woman. Mahsa Amini, 22, died after allegedly being beaten by morality police who arrested her for what they said was her failure to wear her…

SAUDI Arabia is to host the first face-to-face talks on Saturday between the warring armies in Sudan, after several ceasefires broke down. A joint US-Saudi statement welcomed the start of “pre-negotiation talks” in Jeddah between the Sudanese army and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). On Friday reports spoke of continuing clashes in Khartoum. The Sudanese army says the talks aim to address humanitarian issues. There has been no official RSF comment. The army confirmed it had sent envoys to Jeddah to engage in the talks, which the UN and aid agencies have been pressing for, faced with a dire humanitarian…

MALI’s military authorities have announced 18 June as the new date for a referendum on a draft constitution. Security forces will vote a week earlier, government spokesman Col Abdoulaye Maïgasaid said in a decree on state television on Friday. The junta had set the referendum on constitutional changes for 19 March, before it was postponed. A new constitution is one of the key steps put in place before the restoration of a civilian government, following the ousting of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita in 2020. Elections are due to be held in February next year. Mali has been facing a growing…

BRIGHTON gained sweet revenge for their defeat to Manchester United on penalties in the FA Cup semi-final on Thursday as Alexis Mac Allister scored from the spot in the dying seconds to earn a 1-0 win. Classy Brighton dominated possession but lacked a cutting edge until Luke Shaw’s handball deep into injury time gave them a chance to take all three points. The Seagulls beat United 2-1 in their first match of the season but suffered a painful defeat in last month’s FA Cup semi-final at Wembley on spot-kicks. The result leaves United in fourth place in the Premier League…

A RECORD eight international players, six of them linemen from Nigeria, were assigned to NFL clubs on Thursday under the league’s International Player Pathway program for the 2023 season. Australia and France will also be represented at clubs by players starting with training camps in July. It’s the most players ever allocated to squads in a single year under the NFL’s global development program, established in 2017 to give global athletes a chance to learn and train with NFL clubs and perhaps find jobs on elite American football rosters. After 38 athletes from 13 nations tried out at Tottenham Hotspur…

THREE Nigerian men have been accused of global sexual extortion that led a teenage boy in the United States to commit suicide. The men who are awaiting extradition to the U.S., have been identified as Samuel Ogoshi, 22, Samson Ogochi, 20, and Ezekiel Ejehem Robert, 19. U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan, Mark Totten on Wednesday, 3 May, 2023, announced the unsealing of a federal indictment charging the three Nigerians with sexually extorting numerous young men and teenage boys in the Western District of Michigan and across the United States. One of the men has been charged with…

SEVERAL people have been killed and at least 10 injured in the second mass shooting in Serbia in as many days. The gunman reportedly fired an automatic weapon from a moving vehicle near a village 60km (37 miles) south of Belgrade. Unconfirmed reports say that the perpetrator is still on the run. Earlier this week, a teenager killed eight students at a school in Belgrade in the worst mass shooting to occur in Serbia in years. On Friday morning, Serbian media said that special police forces had arrived at the villages of Mladenovac and Dubona, where the latest massacre occurred.…

TWO Nigerian girls have been burnt to death by their boyfriends in Burkina Faso, A Catholic source claims. The incident happened on Wednesday, 3 May 2023. According to the Catholic Seminarian, the remains of the girls were buried on the afternoon of Thursday, 4 May. He also added that he will reveal the identity of the girls on Friday as the person who took photos of their bodies was sent to the Nigerian embassy in Ouagadougou. “Two Nigerian girls that came to Burkina Faso to do runs were burnt alive yesterday by their boyfriends. One girl here her mum sold…

THE death of a well-known actress, killed in cross-fire in the north of Khartoum, has shocked residents of Sudan’s capital. But she is just one of many civilians still in the city who are paying with their lives as the fighting continues to rage despite the latest ceasefire. Zeinab Mohammed Salih is a journalist living in Omdurman, next to the Sudanese capital – she describes daily life for people caught up in the conflict. Short presentational grey line Asia Abdelmajid, who was born in 1943, was famous for her theatre performances – first coming to prominence in a production of…