KENYA’s President William Ruto has made sensational accusations of a plot to abduct and kill the head of the electoral commission in the run up to the announcement of the presidential results last year. Mr Ruto was declared the winner of the presidential election held August 2022, taking 50.5% of the vote, amid dramatic scenes at the vote tallying centre. At the time, electoral commission chairman Wafula Chebukati said he had done his duty despite receiving threats. On Tuesday the president claimed the plot to abduct Mr Chebukati was sanctioned by the “highest” office, according to local media reports. “We…
Author: Editor
RIGHTS group Amnesty International has urged Algeria to immediately release jailed journalist Ihsane El Kadi, The prominent journalist is accused of illegally receiving money from people and organisations “in exchange for carrying out activities that could harm state security”. Amnesty said the accusations against the journalist were “trumped-up state security related offences” and condemned what it called a “ruthless campaign to silence critics”. “El Kadi’s unjustified detention by the Algerian authorities is a grave injustice compounded by the violation of his fair trial rights,” Amnesty said. The journalist was remanded on 29 December, days after being detained. On Sunday, a…
A NUMBER of celebrities have tested positive for Covid-19, following appearances at the Golden Globes. Several stars, including Collin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Jamie Lee Curtis and Michelle Pfeiffer announced they had contracted the virus in the days following the awards. The Critics Choice Awards, which aired on Sunday, required Covid-19 tests for attendees as the list of dropouts grew. Forced to sit out, a few celebrities chimed in over social media. “I’m so sorry to be missing the Critics Choice Awards today,” Pfeiffer wrote in an Instagram post. “Yep, Covid.” Pfeiffer was expected to present actor Jeff Bridges with a…
AS Barcelona continue their pursuit of a new midfielder, they are showing serious interest in signing Manchester City captain Ilkay Gundogan on a Bosman transfer in the summer, reports Mike McGrath on The Telegraph. The 32-year-old midfielder is in the final six months of his contract with the Cityzens and is yet to sign a new deal. It has paved the way for rumours about his future beyond the summer, with Barcelona keen on snapping up his services before next season. Barça are likely to part ways with Sergio Busquets at the end of the season, with the club captain’s…
BRITAIN’s Emma Raducanu and American teenager Coco Gauff will meet for the first time in an eagerly anticipated second-round match on day three at the Australian Open. Raducanu, 20, and the 18-year-old world number seven Gauff will headline the night session on Rod Laver Arena from 08:00 GMT on Wednesday. “It’s going to be a great match,” said 2021 US Open champion Raducanu. “Coco has obviously done a lot of great things and she’s playing well.” She added: “I think we’re both good, young players. We’re both coming through, part of the next generation of tennis, really.” British men’s number…
Wolves 0 vs Liverpool 1 JURGEN Klopp said he has waited “ages” for Liverpool to win a game with a positive performance, after the Reds booked their place in the FA Cup fourth round with a gutsy victory over Wolves at Molineux. Harvey Elliott’s stunning first-half drive earned Klopp’s team their first win since the turn of the year, just three days after a dismal defeat at Brighton in the Premier League. Wolves applied heavy pressure in the latter stages but the much-changed visitors held on to book a fourth-round meeting with the Seagulls on Sunday, 29 January. “It feels…
THE BBC has apologised after sexual noises interrupted live television coverage of the FA Cup. Moaning was heard while Gary Lineker presented the third-round replay between Wolves and Liverpool on Tuesday. The football pundit later posted a picture of a mobile phone he said was “taped to the back of the set”. “We apologise to any viewers offended during the live coverage of the football this evening,” the BBC said. A spokesperson said the BBC was investigating the incident. Lineker tried to laugh off the incident as he presented the programme in a studio at Wolverhampton’s Molineux Stadium alongside pundits…
TOTTENHAM boss Antonio Conte believes it is not his sole responsibility to explain the situation at the club and other figures should be held to account over the team’s poor form. Spurs were beaten 2-0 by leaders Arsenal on Sunday and have lost five of their past nine league games. They have dropped to fifth in the table and face Manchester City on Thursday. “In England I think there’s a bad habit that it’s only the coach [who] talks and explains,” said Conte. “I’ve never seen the medical department coming here to explain. I’ve never seen the club or the…
A FEDERAL High Court in Abuja has summoned Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, to appear on Wednesday over a $53 million judgement debt arising from the Paris Club refunds. Justice Inyang Ekwo in an application for garnishee made on October 20, 2022, ordered Emefiele to appear on January 18 as the hearing date for the matter. The order followed the application by a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Joe Agi, against Linas International Ltd, the Minister of Finance and the CBN through his lawyers, Isaac Ekpa and Chinonso Obasi, seeking an order directing the Inspector General…
BRITISH billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s firm Ineos has officially entered the race to buy Manchester United. United’s owners the Glazer family said in November that they were considering selling the club as they “explore strategic alternatives”. Ineos said the company had “formally put ourselves into the process”. Ratcliffe made an unsuccessful late £4.25bn offer to buy Chelsea last year after owner Roman Abramovich put the London club up for sale. Born the son of a joiner in Failsworth, in Greater Manchester, Ratcliffe is a boyhood fan of United and one of the UK’s richest men. He said he would have…
AbdulSamad Rabiu, Chairman and Founder of BUA Group received a delegation from the International Finance Corporation (IFC) led by Sérgio Pimenta, Regional Vice President for Africa, at the BUA Cement HQ in Lagos State, on Tuesday. – The publication of this picture is supported by BUA Group.
WILL 2023 be a defining moment for the Nigerian youth and the future of Nigeria? Obviously a slippery question that deserves attention. The most recent Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) voter registration data suggests that youths have a historic role to play in the forthcoming election. They have an incredible demographic advantage and, if they choose, can decide the outcome of the election in any way they deem favourable to Nigeria. However, the crucial rhetorical question to consider is: will Nigerian youths constructively deploy this demographic power to influence the outcome of the elections and redefine the future of Nigeria,…
MARVEL Studios’ Black Panther ‘Wakanda Forever’ has smashed its box-office record by becoming the first film to reach N1 billion in Nigeria and Ghana since its release in November 2022. The distributor of blockbuster films in Nigeria and the Walt Disney Company Africa, FilmOne, announced this in a statement on Sunday. “We are ecstatic about the incredible response that Marvel Studios’ Black Panther – Wakanda Forever – has received at the box office,” said co-founders of FilmOne, Moses Babatope and Kene Okwuosa. “The follow-up to Ryan Coogler’s 2018 hit Black Panther has proven a draw for cinemagoers, captivating audiences across…
MUSIC stars Wizkid, Davido , Burna Boy, and Asake have dominated the winners’ list at the eighth All Africa Music Awards (Afrima). Tala, by Ivorian artist Didi B, was named song of the year at the lavish ceremony held in the Senegalese capital, Dakar. This year big names including Ghanaian rapper Black Sherif and Nigerian duo P-Squared performed. Nigerian singer Asake was named Breakout Artist of the Year. During his acceptance speech Asake, whose real name is Ahmed Ololade, said winning was a dream come true: “It started as a dream, but today, it’s a reality. Thanks to God, my…
LEARNING in primary and secondary schools resumes on Tuesday in Malawi’s two major cities following a cholera outbreak that killed hundreds of people. Schools in the capital, Lilongwe, and the commercial hub, Blantyre, had remained closed for at least two weeks after the Christmas holidays. The cholera outbreak began in March last year and has so far killed more than 750 people. Infections are still high in Lilongwe and Blantyre. Health Minister Khumbize Chiponda said schools now have access to safe water and improved sanitation facilities, which will go a long way in reducing infections reported in schools. The minister…
THE co-pilot of the ill-fated flight that crashed in Nepal on Sunday lost her husband in a plane crash 16 years earlier, it has emerged. Anju Khatiwada was co-piloting Yeti Airlines flight 691 when it smashed into a gorge near the tourist town of Pokhara, killing all on board in the country’s worst air disaster in 30 years. Her husband Dipak Pokhrel had also been co-piloting a Yeti Airlines flight when he died – and it was his death that spurred Anju to pursue a career in aviation. Distraught at her loss, alone with their young child, Anju’s grief became…
CHINA’s population has fallen for the first time in 60 years, with the national birth rate hitting a record low – 6.77 births per 1,000 women. The population in 2022 – 1.4118 billion – fell by 850,000 from 2021. China’s birth rate has been declining for years, prompting a slew of policies to slow the trend. But seven years after scrapping the one-child policy, it has entered what one official described as an “era of negative population growth”. The birth rate in 2022 was also down from 7.52 in 2021, according to China’s National Bureau of Statistics, which released the…
SOME 50 women have been abducted in northern Burkina Faso, local officials say. Residents in Arbinda said two groups of women were taken as they were out gathering leaves and wild fruits because of a severe food shortage. A small number managed to escape and raise the alarm. The abductions happened on Thursday and Friday, but news has just emerged, as much of the area has been blockaded by Islamist militants. “The women got together to go and gather leaves and wild fruits in the bush because there is nothing left to eat,” one resident told the AFP news agency,…
SHAKHTAR Donetsk president Rinat Akhmetov has pledged to donate £22m to the Ukrainian war effort following the transfer of Mykhailo Mudryk to Chelsea. The Premier League side signed Mudryk from Shakhtar on Sunday in a deal worth up to £89m, a transfer record for Ukrainian football. Akhmetov said the money would help a project named ‘Heart of Azovstal,’ aimed at “helping Mariupol defenders and the families of fallen soldiers”. Ukraine was invaded by Russia in 2022. “I want to thank the entire civilised world for helping Ukraine,” said Akhmetov. “Today we are able to talk about Ukrainian football thanks to…
LIVERPOOL manager Jurgen Klopp has said he will not leave the club unless he is forced to, and hinted at changes at Anfield during the summer. The German’s comments come amid a run of poor form for the Reds, who are ninth in the Premier League and 10 points off a top-four spot. “Either the manager’s position changes or a lot of other things change,” said Klopp. “So, as far as I am concerned unless someone tells me I will not go.” He added: “So that means maybe there is a point where we have to change other stuff. We…