Newcastle, United Kingdom | AFP | Liverpool are seeking to end a frustrating September on a positive note as they face a reunion with their former manager Rafa Benitez at Newcastle on Sunday. Benitez remains a popular figure at Anfield, having guided Liverpool to the Champions League title with a remarkable …
Read More »Aguero, Mendy absences give Chelsea boost
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Manchester City’s defensive resilience and offensive brilliance so far this season face arguably their sternest tests on Saturday against champions Chelsea, with the Premier League leaders without full-back Benjamin Mendy and star striker Sergio Aguero. France full-back Mendy looks set to miss most, if …
Read More »CECAFA confirms Kenya to host Challenge Cup
Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | The Council of East and Central Africa Football Associations (CECAFA) has named Kenya as host of its Senior Challenge Cup, two years since it was last held in Ethiopia. At an executive committee meeting held in Khartoum, Sudan the members expressed solidarity with Kenya over …
Read More »Bed bugs are trying to get into your dirty laundry
Paris, France | AFP | Like a pining lover, bed bugs will seek out your smell and snuggle up to your worn clothes when you are not around, researchers said Thursday. This explains how these tiny, flightless, reclusive creatures have managed their meteoric spread around the world — by catching a …
Read More »China’s Baidu, police crack down on ‘rumours’
Beijing, China | AFP | Chinese internet giant Baidu has teamed up with the country’s cyber police to control the spread of rumors and fake news, the company said Thursday, as authorities continue to tighten censorship ahead a major Communist Party congress next month. Baidu, known as China’s answer to …
Read More »With Hefner gone, Playboy’s impact on women still has people talking
Washington, United States | AFP | Playboy degraded women, it empowered women. It liberated them, and objectified them. The legacy of the iconic magazine founded six decades ago by Hugh Hefner, who died Wednesday at 91, remains a topic of heated debate, especially its impact on women. Playboy brought nudity into …
Read More »Netflix to spend Can$500 mln to make films, TV shows in Canada
Ottawa, Canada | AFP | Netflix will spend Can$500 million (US$400 million) over the next five years to make original films and television shows in Canada, the company and Heritage Minister Melanie Joly announced Thursday. This amounts to about five percent of the video streaming service’s estimated total US$7 billion production …
Read More »Bashir says US sanctions caused immense hardship in Sudan
Khartoum, SUDAN | AFP | President Omar al-Bashir said on Thursday that Washington’s “unjust” trade embargo on Sudan had weakened the African country and caused immense hardship for its people. His comments came just two weeks before US President Donald Trump is to decide whether to permanently lift the embargo that …
Read More »Opposition governor first to announce Nigeria presidency bid
Abuja, NIGERIA | AFP | A leading Nigerian opposition politician on Thursday said he intended to run for president in 2019, becoming the first candidate to stake his claim for the country’s top job. Peter Ayodele Fayose, the governor of the southwestern state of Ekiti, formally launched his bid to be …
Read More »Deep divisions over plan to change Kenya’s election law
Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Kenya’s opposition on Thursday called for demonstrations against the government after the ruling party moved to change the electoral law ahead of next month’s re-run presidential poll. After a case brought by opposition leader Raila Odinga, Kenya’s Supreme Court annulled last month’s presidential election, won by …
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