Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | Chelsea winger Victor Moses won and converted a harshly awarded penalty to give Nigeria a surprise 1-0 win in Poland on Friday in a World Cup warm-up. Moses fell after the merest of touches before calmly stroking the ball into the corner of the net …
Read More »Lingard strike sees new-look England enjoy Dutch friendly success
Amsterdam, Netherlands | AFP | Jesse Lingard scored his first England goal as a reshaped side beat the Netherlands 1-0 in an Amsterdam friendly on Friday. This was England’s last away match before they travel to Russia for this year’s World Cup finals and they were rewarded with a well-deserved win …
Read More »IMF releases additional $257 mn for Tunisia
Washington, United States | AFP | The International Monetary Fund on Friday released an additional $257 million in funds for Tunisia as part of its four-year, $3 billion loan agreement. The IMF board approved the second review of the country’s economic performance under the financial aid package that was initially …
Read More »US steps up threat to quit UN rights council
United Nations, United States | AFP | The United States warned Friday that it was losing patience and again threatened to quit the UN Human Rights Council after the Geneva-based body adopted five resolutions condemning Israel. US Ambassador Nikki Haley said in a statement that the council was “grossly biased …
Read More »Mali PM in first top-level visit to restive Kidal since 2014
Kidal, Mali | AFP | Mali’s Prime Minister Soumeylou Boubeye Maiga made a landmark visit to the restive northern town of Kidal on Friday, the first since 2014 by a head of government to an area still in the hands of former rebels. Five French soldiers were wounded in Kidal …
Read More »Facebook as an election weapon, from Obama to Trump
New York, United States | AFP | The use of Facebook data to target voters has triggered global outrage with the Cambridge Analytica scandal. But the concept is nothing new: Barack Obama made extensive use of the social network in 2008 and stepped up “micro-targeting” in his 2012 re-election effort. …
Read More »DR Congo to shun Geneva donors meet, says UN overreacted
Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | The Democratic Republic of Congo on Friday said it was shunning a donor conference in Geneva next month aimed at raising $1.7 billion to tackle what the United Nations has called a catastrophic humanitarian crisis. Prime Minister Jose Makila said the UN had overreacted …
Read More »Zimbabwe opposition fires deputy leader ahead of key polls
Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | Zimbabwe’s main opposition party on Friday fired its deputy president and two other senior officials on misconduct charges, stoking fears of a split in the party ahead of key elections in July, a month after the death of founding leader Morgan Tsvangirai. The Movement for …
Read More »Students spearhead largest-ever US protest for gun control
Washington, United States | AFP | Florida high school student Aalayah Eastmond will join a massive crowd of Americans — expected to number in the hundreds of thousands — taking part in nationwide protests for gun control on Saturday. The 17-year-old says she will be marching not only for tougher …
Read More »‘A top team in a top league’ – Bolt explains his football wish
Dortmund, Germany | AFP | Athletics legend Usain Bolt insists he is serious about realising his dream of becoming a top-class footballer after training with Borussia Dortmund. “I really want to try and make it professionally, to play at a high level,” the sprint superstar told reporters on Friday at …
Read More »