THE shocking rise of sexual abuse of young girls in northern Uganda was revealed when it was reported that in the wake of the pandemic there was a more than four-fold increase in those aged 10-14 becoming pregnant. BBC Africa Eye has been looking at why perpetrators are getting away with the crime. The heavily pregnant girl – no more than 12 years old – looks down at her hands as the local council chairman asks about her latest visit to the doctor. It is the sort of question a family member should be asking, but this is no normal…
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PRESIDENT-ELECT Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has expressed grief over the death of his staunch supporter and leader of market women in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Chief (Mrs) Toyin Badmus. Mrs Badmus who was the Iyaloya of Abuja and a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) served in various roles in the Tinubu/Shettima campaign. She died on Sunday aged 62. In a condolence message released by his office, the President-elect praised the commitment of the late businesswoman to the ideals of progressive politics and development of Nigeria. “I was deeply saddened by the news of the death of Chief…
BARCELONA failed to score for a third consecutive game as they were held to a goalless La Liga draw at Getafe. Raphinha and Alejandro Balde both hit the post in quick succession in the first half and Barca were unable to find a breakthrough. Sunday’s draw follows a stalemate against Girona on Monday, and a 4-0 Copa del Rey loss to Real Madrid. Despite their goalscoring struggles, Barca hold an 11-point lead over Madrid with nine league games remaining. The visitors hit the woodwork twice in a matter of seconds on 25 minutes – Raphinha went through one-on-one straight from…
ITALY striker Ciro Immobile is being treated for back and rib injuries in hospital after his car was involved in an accident with a tram in Rome. Photographs show police at the scene of a collision between a tram and a car. Immobile, 33, scored in Lazio’s 3-0 Serie A win at Spezia on Friday. Lazio said he had a “sprain trauma of the spine” and a “compound fracture” of his right rib but that “conditions are currently good”. A club statement read: “The player remains under observation at the department of emergency medicine directed by Professor Francesco Franceschi of…
OPPOSITION activist Vladimir Kara-Murza has been sentenced to 25 years in jail in Russia for charges linked to his criticism of the war in Ukraine. He was found guilty of treason, spreading “false” information about the Russian army and being affiliated with an “undesirable organisation”. The Russian-British former journalist and politician is the latest of several Putin opponents to have been arrested or forced to flee Russia. He has denied all of the charges. His 25-year sentence was the top number sought by prosecutors and is the longest sentence an opposition figure has received so far. Last week, he said…
AT least 31 people searching for valuable truffles in the Syrian desert have been killed by the Islamic State (IS) group, human rights activists have said. Civilians and military personnel were among the victims of the armed attack. IS militants have repeatedly preyed on those searching for the mushrooms, with more than 150 people killed this year. A kilogram of the fungus can fetch more than the country’s average monthly wage. The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which relies on a wide network of sources on the ground in Syria, said “civilians and at least 12 pro-regime fighters”…
EXPLOSIONS rocked the Sudanese capital Khartoum Monday as fighting between the army and paramilitary forces led by rival generals raged for a third day with the death toll surpassing 100. The violence erupted Saturday after weeks of power struggles between the two generals who seized power in a 2021 coup, Sudan’s army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who commands the powerful paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The intense conflict, which has seen air strikes, tanks on the streets, artillery fire and heavy gunfire in crowded neighbourhoods both in Khartoum and other cities across Sudan, has…
KENYA’s first earth observation satellite has been launched into orbit by a SpaceX rocket. Elon Musk’s company confirmed the separation of the Taifa-1 satellite about an hour after take off from California. It was developed by a team of Kenyan researchers with the help of a Bulgarian aerospace company. The aim is to collect data to help predict crop yields in Kenya and improve food security. Kenya’s satellite was one of a number to be launched from the SpaceX Falcon-9 under the firm’s rideshare programme.
KYLIAN Mbappe became Paris St-Germain’s all-time leading goalscorer in Ligue 1 as they beat 10-man Lens to move five points clear at the top of the table. Mbappe, who netted his 139th goal in his 169th league match, surpassed Edinson Cavani’s tally. In a crucial match between the league’s top two, Lens midfielder Salis Abdul Samed was sent off after 19 minutes. Lionel Messi and Vitinha also scored for PSG before Lens’ Przemyslaw Frankowski scored a penalty. Second-placed Lens created numerous chances despite trailing 3-0 at half-time but were unable to add to Frankowski’s spot-kick as PSG edged closer to…
SATURDAY’s comfortable 3-1 victory over Leicester City leaves the defending champions trailing the league leaders by just three points. City now face a pivotal three games which could make or break their season as they aim to complete a Treble of trophies. They travel to Bayern Munich with a healthy 3-0 advantage after the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final, before playing Championship side Sheffield United in the FA Cup semi-final on Saturday. Pep Guardiola’s side should progress from both of those ties, but their next league game is a potential title decider against Mikel Arteta’s men, at home…
GUNMEN stormed a water park in central Mexico on Saturday and killed six adults and a child, unleashing panic among those present, local authorities said. Police “arrived at the scene where they found… three dead women, three men and a seven-year-old minor, in addition to one person seriously wounded,” said a statement from City Hall in Cortazar, the municipality where the attack took place. The surrounding state of Guanajuato in central Mexico has seen a surge in drug-related violence in recent years. The gunmen arrived at the La Palma swimming resort at 4:30 pm local time (2230 GMT) “to perpetrate…
THE death toll from a Russian strike on a block of flats in the eastern Ukrainian city of Sloviansk climbed to 11 on Saturday as Moscow claimed advances near embattled Bakhmut. Sloviansk lies in a part of the eastern Donetsk region that is under Ukrainian control. According to Kyiv, it was on Friday struck by seven missiles which hit five buildings, five homes, a school and an administrative building. “The number of victims of the shelling of Sloviansk has risen to 11 people,” a spokeswoman for the State Emergency Service in the region, Veronika Bakhal, said in televised remarks. A…
UGANDA’s Deputy Finance Minister Amos Lugoloobi has been arrested in connection with the misappropriation of iron roofing sheets meant for vulnerable people in the north-eastern Karamoja region. He is now the second Ugandan minister to have been detained over the corruption scandal. It follows this week’s court appearance by the minister for the region, Mary Goretti Kitutu. She pleaded not guilty. It is reported that several other officials and politicians received consignments of some of the 14,500 iron roofing materials. Mr Lugoloobi is reported to have received at least 600 iron sheets. Local media reported in March that he had…
A POWER struggle between Sudan’s army and a notorious paramilitary force has rocked the country, with 57 reported dead and nearly 200 injured. Residents dodged gunfire in the capital, Khartoum, as rival forces battled over the presidential palace, state TV, and army headquarters. Among the dead were three UN workers, who were shot after the two sides exchanged gunfire at a military base. The clashes erupted after tensions over a proposed transition to civilian rule. Both the army and its opponents, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), claimed they had control of the airport and other key sites in Khartoum, where…
GOVERNOR Nyesom Wike of Rivers State paid a courtesy visit to Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, on Saturday. The visit comes at a time the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers is having a running battle with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which Wike represents. Gbajabiamila was among the APC chieftains that Wike warmed up to after falling out with former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, candidate of the PDP in the February 25 presidential poll. The nation’s number four citizen had commissioned some projects executed by Wike’s administration. It’s unclear if their meeting was about the race to…
THE National Universities Commission (NUC) Visitation Team on Wednesday, 12th April, 2023, paid a facility assessment visit to the proposed Canadian University of Nigeria, Abuja. The team comprises Mr. Mustapha Rasheed, Deputy Director (Masterplan & Infrastructure), Mr. Abubakar Girei Deputy Director (Academic Matters), Umma Giwa-Amu, Deputy Director (Governance & Legal Matters) as well as Nkiru Agagwuncha and Oluwayemisi Adeniji who are secretariat staff. The team was in the proposed University to assess the facilities that had been put in place before giving recommendation for the issuance of licence to the University for academic activities to commence. Speaking after assessing the…
MANCHESTER United centre-back Lisandro Martinez will miss the rest of the season after fracturing a metatarsal bone in his foot. The 25-year-old sustained the injury in United’s 2-2 Europa League quarter-final against Sevilla on Thursday. Erik ten Hag’s side were reduced to 10 men when Martinez was helped off in the 86th minute with United leading 2-1. Martinez’s centre-back partner Raphael Varane also sustained an injury and is expected to be out for a few weeks. “Everyone at Manchester United sends Lisandro and Rapha our best wishes for a speedy recovery,” the club said. Martinez, a World Cup winner with…
SUPER Falcons skipper Onome Ebi maintains the team has the quality to reach the semi-final of the 2023 Women’s World Cup. Nigeria, who have been present at the competition since its inception in 1991, has managed one quarter-final outing in the tournament. That was in 1999. Despite this, the Abia Angels star believes the record African title holders can go all the way to the last four of the Australia/New Zealand soccer fiesta. “Honestly, I will say this is the best of my time with the Super Falcons. I have had good moments but right now is the best because…
JAPAN’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has been evacuated unharmed from a public event after what appeared to be a smoke bomb was thrown at him. A person was detained at the scene in Wakayama, where Mr Kishida had been due to give a speech, local media reported. A witness said they saw a person throwing something, followed by smoke, while another said they heard a big bang. No injuries were reported. Video showed officers piling on top of a person, believed to be a suspect. Police say they have made an arrest, but have so far declined to comment further.…
RELICS of ancient viruses – that have spent millions of years hiding inside human DNA – help the body fight cancer, say scientists. The study by the Francis Crick Institute showed the dormant remnants of these old viruses are woken up when cancerous cells spiral out of control. This unintentionally helps the immune system target and attack the tumour. The team wants to harness the discovery to design vaccines that can boost cancer treatment, or even prevent it. The researchers had noticed a connection between better survival from lung cancer and a part of the immune system, called B-cells, clustering…