London, United Kingdom | AFP | Chelsea manager Antonio Conte rued one costly mistake as Lionel Messi gave Barcelona the upper hand from the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie by salvaging a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge. Messi struck for the first time in nine games against …
Read More »UNICEF issues blank statement slamming ‘war ON children in Syria’
Amman, Jordan | AFP | The UN children’s fund on Tuesday expressed “outrage” over the killings of children in Syria by issuing a blank statement, adding in a footnote that “no words will do (them) justice”. The statement came after a ferocious Syrian regime bombing campaign pounded the rebel-held enclave …
Read More »Wigan to probe crowd trouble after Man City FA Cup shock
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Wigan announced a full investigation on Tuesday into crowd disturbances that marred the club’s dramatic FA Cup victory over Premier League leaders Manchester City. City striker Sergio Aguero became involved in a physical exchange with a Wigan supporter as thousands of fans spilled onto …
Read More »S.Africa’s Ramaphosa wants Marikana massacre ‘atonement’ role
Cape Town, South Africa | AFP | South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said Tuesday he wanted “healing and atonement” following the 2012 massacre of 34 striking workers at a mine run by Lonmin where he was a director. Ramaphosa has been dogged by allegations that he was partly responsible for …
Read More »Japanese ‘baby factory’ man wins custody of 13 kids
Bangkok, Thailand | AFP | A Bangkok court on Tuesday granted a Japanese man “sole parent” rights to 13 children he fathered through Thai surrogate mothers, a ruling that paves the way for him to take custody of the group. Mitsutoki Shigeta caused a “baby factory” scandal in 2014 after …
Read More »Netanyahu associates named as suspects in new corruption probe
Jerusalem, Undefined | AFP | Israeli police revealed Tuesday that two close associates of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were among the suspects in a new corruption probe, with five others central figures in the Bezeq telecommunications group. The seven were arrested on Sunday, just days after police said there were …
Read More »Two Kenyan pilots released by S.Sudan rebels
Juba, South Sudan | AFP | Two Kenyan pilots held for over a month after crash-landing their plane in rebel-held South Sudan have been released, a rebel spokesman said Tuesday. The two men were flying South Sudanese aid workers close to Akobo in the east of the country early last …
Read More »Mission unclear in Brazilian army takeover of Rio security
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | AFP | The takeover of Rio de Janeiro’s security by army generals was meant to bring clarity to a city mired in chaotic crime, but three days later the exact mission remains unclear. President Michel Temer signed a decree Friday putting the police in Rio …
Read More »Peace with Pogba needed for Mourinho to shirk familiar criticism
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Manchester United’s Champions League trip to Sevilla on Wednesday night is the type of occasion for which the English giants swallowed their pride to pay £89 million ($125 million) for Paul Pogba, four years after he left Old Trafford for Juventus as a free …
Read More »ARTS: Portrait of a self-taught artist
Beyond the label, is there any truth to the compartmentalisation? Kampala, Uganda | DOMINIC MUWANGUZI | When Jak Katarikawe started to make art in the 1960s, everyone was stunned. Katarikawe, an illiterate, was a driver for David Cook, a Makerere University Professor of Literature (1962 1977). Katarikawe’s break through as …
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