Hundreds of Senegalese civilians have demonstrated in Dakar by banging pots and pans during president Macky Sall’s end of year speech.
The crowd gathered at the Place de la Nation in Dakar, under the call of a dozen civil society organisations, shouting “thieves” and “You will not digest our billions!
A large police force was deployed around the square to supervise the rally, which was authorised by the prefect and supported by the opposition, which has repeatedly denounced the authorities’ “theft” in recent days.
Both the demonstration and Friday’s protest were to demand legal action after a report on the management of anti-Covid funds was found to contain numerous irregularities.
The opposition has repeatedly denounced the authorities’ “theft” after an audit by the court of auditors pointed shortcomings, overbilling, and lack of evidence of expenditure.
The slogan “No to the third term” appeared on several placards, because of the doubt that persists on the decision of President Macky Sall, elected in 2012 for seven years and re-elected in 2019 for five years, to run again for president in 2024.
Civil society is demanding the resignation of all those implicated and the reimbursement of the alleged misappropriations.
In mid-December, an audit by the Court of Auditors of Senegal on the “Response Fund against the effects of Covid-19” amounting to more than 740 billion CFA francs or over 1.1 billion euros), financed by donors and the state in 2020 and 2021, pointed to “shortcomings”, “overbilling” or “lack of evidence” of expenditure.
The government has defended itself by stressing that the reported shortcomings concern less than one percent of the total amount of the fund and has promised to follow the recommendations of the Court of Auditors.
The European Union has called on Rwanda to stop supporting the M23 rebel group, which has captured swaths of territory in North Kivu province in neighbouring (DRC).
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell on Saturday said the European bloc had urged Rwanda to “stop supporting the M23 and use all means to press the M23 to comply with the decisions taken by the East African Community”
Borrell’s comments come after a United Nations experts’ report on DRC indicated it had collected proof of “direct intervention” by Rwandan defence forces inside DRC territory between November 2021 and October 2022.
The DRC – along with the United States and several European countries – has repeatedly accused its Central African neighbour Rwanda of backing the M23, although Kigali denies the charge.
In a statement on Saturday, Kinshasa welcomed the findings of the UN experts but called for the UN Security Council to examine the experts’ report with a view to possible sanctions against Rwanda.
Meanwhile, Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame blamed Kinshasa for the chaos in its volatile eastern regions in his New Year address.
In a statement, Kagae said after spending tens of billions of dollars on peacekeeping over the past two decades, the security situation in Eastern Congo was worse than ever.
He said, “To explain this failure, some in the international community blame Rwanda, even though they know very well that the true responsibility lies primarily with the government of the DRC.
He added that it was high time that the unwarranted vilification of Rwanda came to an end.
Democratic Forces (ADF) rebel group, which is Islamist in its ideology and operates in both DR Congo and Uganda, had been holding the civilians. Some of the former hostages, which included women and children, were abducted from different villages in different locations.
Describing her escape from the rebel group, one of the victims, Kathungu Syaseya, said the soldiers arrived while they were in the middle of praying. She said the soldiers were firing several bullets, which allowed them to flee.
After the destruction of their camps, the ADF rebels dispersed even further into areas not covered by the coalition forces, allowing them to attempt to re-group.
Civil society organisations are calling on the government in Kinshasa to review the convention with Uganda in order to widen the area of intervention of the FARDC-UPDF joint operations.
Noëlla Katongerwaki of the Collective of Women’s Action for the Vulnerable, called for the rebels to be prosecuted and prevented from massacring people and for these offensives to pursue the enemy wherever they hide.
She also called for these operations to be carried out even on the other side of the main road, national road number 4.
The ADF began its insurgencies by first attacking the Ugandan government in 1995. It then began to fight in DR Congo. It’s believed to have killed around 700 civilians and has also fought with UN peacekeeping soldiers.
Pele will be taken to the Vila Belmiro Stadium in Santos for a 24-hour wake
He will then be taken through the streets to stop outside his mother’s home
Pele will finally be laid to rest in private at the Memorial Necrópole Ecumênica
Pele will be buried in a 14 storey cemetery in the centre of Santos on Tuesday following three days of official mourning.
The three-time World Cup champion, who died yesterday, will be taken from the Albert Einstein Hospital in Sao Paolo on Monday to the Vila Belmiro Stadium where members of the public will be able to pay their final respects.
His body will remain on the center circe for 24 hours before he is taken through the streets of his home city to stop briefly outside the home of his 100-year-old mother, Celeste, who is bed-bound, according to local media.
He will then be taken to the Memorial Necrópole Ecumênica, which was dubbed ‘A Tomb With A View’ in a 2014 short film on the cemetery, claimed to be the world’s tallest.
Football legend Pele, pictured in New York in 1975, will be laid to rest in a massive multi-story cemetery in Santos on Tuesday
He will be laid to rest at the 14-storey Memorial Necrópole Ecumênica cemetery in Santos, pictured
Edson Asante’s Do Nascimento died on Thursday following a long battle against cancer. The legend, better known as Pele, was 82.
The vertical cemetery was built in 1983 and has more than 14,000 vaults. It has a tropical garden, restaurant and even a classic car museum.
Pele won the World Cup in 1958, 1962 and 1970.
His funeral has been delayed to allow the transition of power from outgoing Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro and the inauguration of President-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Monday morning.
Across Brazil, there has been widespread grief with monuments lit upin the nation’s flag to celebrate the footballing legend
A 24-hour public wake will be held at the Vila Belmiro stadium, home of Santos, where Pele played much of his career
Outside Santos City Hall, floral tributes spelling out their most famous son have been left by mourners
Brazilians are beginning three days of official mourning for the three-time World Cup winner
This weekend’s New Year fixtures in the Premier League will pay tribute to the legendary player.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola believes Pele’s influence in the world game will be everlasting.
Three-times World Cup winner Pele, widely regarded as the greatest player of all time, died in Sao Paulo on Thursday at the age of 82 after a lengthy battle with colon cancer.
The Brazilian’s death has sparked a huge outpouring of affection and respect from around the globe.
Guardiola said: ‘On behalf of Manchester City, the biggest condolences for his family and friends. Football is football thanks to these types of people.
‘Neymar said a great sentence when he said before (Pele) number 10 was just a number and after it became something special.
‘Every top player wanted to wear number 10 in their team. What he has done for football is there and always will remain.
Members of the public will be able to get 24 hours to pay tribute to Pele as his coffin lies on the centre circle of the pitch where he played the majority of his career
Monuments across the globe have been lit up in memory of Pele, including the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro
‘It’s like a good movie, the legacy after many years. That we are still talking about him like a good movie or a good book is because he was so good.
‘I think Pele, (Diego) Maradona, (Johan) Cruyff, (Lionel) Messi, (Franz) Beckenbauer, Cristiano Ronaldo – these type of players will be forever, they will be eternal.
‘They have done many things in many years on the pitch and off it and with their teams and countries.
‘These type of players make our business, our work, our job, however you want to say it, a better place because what he produced, what we have seen in the World Cup, what one team can produce can change 48 million people, the country. It’s unbelievable.’
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta said the Brazilian players in his Gunners side, which include Gabriel Magalhaes, vice-captain Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Martinelli and Marquinhos, have been mourning the death of their compatriot.
He said: ‘We did talk about (his legacy) the other day and obviously they are very emotional because he’s one of the most popular figures in Brazil, and it’s a big loss.
‘Obviously everything that I’ve seen of him and hear of him has been through videos and people who knew him personally, and a lot of relationships I’ve had always in football, but someone that probably changed the dimension of a single player in world football, because he could do a bit of everything.
‘He was probably the most complete player that the game has ever seen, and it is a big loss. We had two big losses with him and Maradona in the last (two years).’
Frank Lampard, the former England and Chelsea midfielder who is now manager of Everton, recognises the enormous impact Pele had in the game.
Lampard, 44, said: ‘There’s huge respect for him as a player and as a person, as all the responses since yesterday have shown. He was a great man as well as a great player.
‘He was one of the greatest without doubt, so a sad day for football.
‘The reach of his name in the game was obviously huge. It just gets bigger with age. We have lost him unfortunately but his name will continue for evermore because of his impact on the game.’
The Premier League and EFL have said as a mark of respect, all games this weekend will see players wear black armbands with a minute’s applause prior to kick-off.
Liverpool have lost their first Premier League match of 2023 to Brentford who shockingly defeated the Reds 3-1, in a superb performance at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Brentford outclassed Liverpool in their performance on Monday night finding the back of the net three times, despite playing without their star man, Ivan Toney, who had been ruled out due to an injury.
Liverpool’s centre back, Ibrahima Konate, early in the game scored an own goal, 19′, that saw Brentford take the lead and a distabilised Liverpool had to play catch up from the beginning.
Yoane Wissa, 42′, doubled the scoreline for the Bees and Bryan Mbeoumo tripled it late in the second half, 84′, sinking Jurgen Klopp’s side completely.
Although, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain put in one goal for the Reds early in the second half, Liverpool failed to stage a comeback, despite having more possession, passes and corners in the game.
Brentford climb to seventh place on the league table with 26 points, while the Reds sit in sixth place with 28 points.
FIFA will ask all the world’s countries to name a stadium for Brazilian football legend Pele, the head of the sport’s governing body, Gianni Infantino, said Monday at the late icon’s wake.
Infantino was in the city of Santos, Brazil, to pay his final respects to the player widely considered the greatest of all time, who died Thursday at the age of 82.
“We’re going to ask every country in the world to name one of their football stadiums with the name of Pele,” Infantino told journalists at the Vila Belmiro, the stadium where the player known as “The King” first exploded onto the world stage with his exploits for his longtime club, Santos FC.
Attending the 24-hour wake along with the heads of the South American and Brazilian football confederations, Infantino was among the first to pay homage before Pele’s open casket, which was displayed in the middle of the field at Vila Belmiro stadium.
“We’re here with great sadness,” Infantino said. “Pele is eternal. He’s a global icon of football.”
FIFA had already flown the flags of the world at half-mast Friday outside its headquarters in Zurich in honour of Pele, whom the organisation has named as the greatest player of the 20th century.
Pele, the only player in history to win three World Cups, died at a Sao Paulo hospital after a long battle with cancer.
Monday’s wake will be followed by a funeral procession through the streets of Santos Tuesday, then a private interment ceremony.
Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr have gained over 6.1 million followers on Instagram in just three days since announcing the signing of Portugal star, Cristiano Ronaldo.
Checks on their Instagram page on Monday evening showed that the club followership had taken a quantum leap from 850,000 followers before Ronaldo’s official unveiling to 6.9million as at the time of filing this report.
Ronaldo joined Al Nassr on a two-year contract in a deal worth €200m per year with commercial benefits included.
he 37-year-old Portugal captain was a free agent after leaving Manchester United following a controversial interview in which he heavily criticised the club.
Al Nassr, nine-time Saudi Pro League champions, described the signing of former Real Madrid star as “history in the making.”
AlNassr tweeted, “History in the making. This is a signing that will not only inspire our club to achieve even greater success but inspire our league, our nation and future generations, boys and girls to be the best version of themselves. Welcome @Cristiano to your new home @AlNassrFC.”
Ronaldo signed a contract through to the summer of 2025 and, according to reports, will receive $75 million per year to make him the highest paid player in history.
Tributes to Pele line the route as his coffin is transferred to the city of Santos in Sao Paulo, Brazil, January 2, 2023.
Brazilians bid a final farewell this week to football giant Pele, starting Monday with a 24-hour public wake at the stadium of his long-time team, Santos.
The oceanside home of the team nicknamed “Peixe” – “fish” in Portuguese – is expecting a huge influx of fans looking to honor the “King” of football, who died aged 82 on Thursday after a long battle with cancer.
Stadium doors will open at 10:00 am local time. The coffin bearing the remains of the only player to have won three World Cups will be displayed in the center of the field.
Known as Vila Belmiro after the neighborhood where it is located, the black-and-white stadium has a capacity of 16,000 people.
In the stands, three giant flags could be seen Sunday, one with an image of Pele displaying the famous number 10 on his jersey. Another bore the message “Long live the king”; the third said simply, “Pele 82 years.”
Entry to the stadium will be allowed until 10:00 a.m. Tuesday, officials said. After that, a procession will be held through the streets of Santos, a port city about 75 kilometers from the state capital Sao Paulo.
The hearse carrying Pele’s coffin arrives to Santos as a firework goes off in the early morning ahead of the football legend’s funeral in the stadium in Santos, Brazil, January 2, 2023.
The parade will pass the house of Pele’s mother, 100-year-old Celeste Arantes, who is unaware that her world-famous son has died.
“She doesn’t know,” Pele’s sister Maria Lucia do Nascimento told ESPN on Friday. “She is not conscious.”
The procession will end at a cemetery in Santos, where Pele will be interred in a special mausoleum.
Born Edson Arantes do Nascimento, Pele is widely considered to have been the best player yet of the beautiful game.
His death sparked a global outpouring of tributes, with his native Brazil holding three days of national mourning.
He scored 1,283 goals in a career of 21 years, most of them played at Santos.
Wreaths of flowers left by his fans have brought a splash of color to Vila Belmiro, which houses a bust and a statue of the football great.
Pele’s jersey statue in the early morning ahead of the football legend’s funeral next to Vila Belmiro Stadium in Santos, Brazil, January 2, 2023.
Silvio Neves Souza, an electrician on holiday from Sao Paulo, took a moment on Sunday to visit the stadium since he will not be able to attend the official ceremony.
“I’m sure a lot of people will come to the wake, not just old people who saw him play, but also young people,” the 54-year-old said.
Elsewhere in the city, banners with Pele’s face decorate another monument erected in his likeness. “I loved the world with the ball at my feet,” read one sign.
At the headquarters of the Brazilian Football Confederation in Rio de Janeiro, a giant poster with Pele’s image bears the word “eternal.”
And at the inauguration on Sunday of Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, the ceremony began with a minute’s silence in Pele’s memory.
Brazil’s Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was sworn in as president on Sunday, and in his first address expressed optimism about plans to rebuild while pledging that members of outgoing Jair Bolsonaro’s administration will be held to account.
Lula is assuming office for the third time after thwarting far-right incumbent Bolsonaro’s reelection bid. His return to power marks the culmination of a political comeback that is thrilling supporters and enraging opponents in a fiercely polarized nation.
“Our message to Brazil is one of hope and reconstruction,” Lula said in a speech in Congress’ Lower House after signing the document that formally instates him as president. “The great edifice of rights, sovereignty and development that this nation built has been systematically demolished in recent years. To re-erect this edifice, we are going to direct all our efforts.”
Sunday afternoon in Brasilia’s main esplanade, the party was on. Tens of thousands of supporters decked out in the red of Lula’s Workers’ Party cheered after his swearing in.
They celebrated when the president said he would send a report about the prior administration to all lawmakers and judicial authorities, revoke Bolsonaro’s “criminal decrees” that loosened gun control, and hold the prior administration responsible for its denialism in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Russia deployed multiple exploding drones in another nighttime attack on Ukraine, officials said Monday, as the Kremlin signaled no letup in its strategy of using bombardments to target civilian infrastructure and wear down Ukrainian resistance to its invasion.
The barrage was the latest in a series of relentless year-end attacks, including one that killed three civilians on New Year’s Eve.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said Monday that 40 drones “headed for Kyiv” overnight. All of them were destroyed, according to air defense forces.
Klitschko said 22 drones were destroyed over Kyiv, three in the outlying Kyiv region and 15 over neighboring provinces.
Energy infrastructure facilities were damaged as the result of the attack and an explosion occurred in one city district, the mayor said. It wasn’t immediately clear whether that was caused by drones or other munitions. A wounded 19-year-old man was hospitalized, Klitschko added, and emergency power outages were underway in the capital.
In the outlying Kyiv region a “critical infrastructure object” and residential buildings were hit, Gov. Oleksiy Kuleba said.
Russia has carried out airstrikes on Ukrainian power and water supplies almost weekly since October.
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