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FIFA Ranking: Brazil Hold On, Morocco Highest Mover Up 

By
Emenike Agu
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3

  • Brazil stay on top of the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking 
  • Newly crowned world champions Argentina move to second
  • Morocco the year’s highest climbers

The FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ has just crowned a new champion in Argentina (2nd, plus 1), but that has not stopped Brazil (1st, -) staying out front in the last FIFA/Cola-Cola World Ranking of the year. A Seleção hold a narrow lead over La Albiceleste, who would have jumped ahead of their neighbours and rivals had they beaten France (3rd, plus 1) in last Sunday’s World Cup final in normal or extra time.

Unlucky losers, Les Bleus may have lost their world crown but they are back in the top three. Dropping out of it are Belgium (4th, minus 2), after they failed to reach the knockout phase at Qatar 2022. England (5th, -) complete the top five.

On the back of their respective runs to the last four of the World Cup, Croatia (7th, plus 5) and Morocco (11th, plus 11) have both made spectacular jumps up the Ranking. The Atlas Lions are the year’s highest climbers in fact, having collected no fewer than 142 points over the last 12 months.

Similarly, Australia (27th, plus 11) and Cameroon (33rd, plus 10) have World Cup performances to thank for their climbs of 11 and 10 places respectively, while Saudi Arabia (49th, plus 2), who beat Argentina in the group phase in Qatar move into the top 50, as do Burkina Faso (50th, plus 4).

In total, seven teams have risen by more than ten places in the Ranking since December 2021: Gambia (126th, plus 24), Morocco (11th, plus 17), Costa Rica (32nd, plus 17), Cameroon (33rd, plus 17), Equatorial Guinea (98th, plus 16), Indonesia (151st, plus 13) and Cuba (168th, plus 11).

The next FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking will be published on 6 April 2023.

Leader Brazil (unchanged)
Moves into top 10 Croatia (7th, plus 5)
Moves out of top 10 Denmark (18th, minus 8)
Matches played in total 159
Most matches played Argentina, Croatia, Morocco, Qatar (8)
Biggest move by points Morocco (plus 108.85)
Biggest move by places Australia, Morocco (plus 11)
Biggest drop by points Denmark (minus 58.46)
Biggest drop by places Canada (minus 12)
Newly ranked teams None
Teams that are no longer ranked None
Inactive teams that are no longer ranked None

Heavyweight Champions Fury, Usyk Agree Unification Bout

By
Emenike Agu
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0

yson Fury (left) forecast a clash with Oleksandr Usyk sometime in February or March. 

Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk have agreed to fight each other next in a world heavyweight title unification bout, according to veteran boxing promoter Bob Arum.

Fury defeated his British rival Derek Chelsea for the third time in his career to retain his World Boxing Council (WBC) title earlier in December.

He then called out Ukrainian hero Usyk, the IBF (International Boxing Federation), IBO (International Boxing Organisation), WBO (World Boxing Organisation) and WBA (World Boxing Association) belt-holder, who was ringside at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Following that fight, the 34-year-old Fury forecast a clash with Usyk, either in Saudi Arabia or Britain, sometime in February or March.

“The two fighters have agreed to fight each other next,” the 91-year-old Arum told Sky Sports on Tuesday.

“With Fury and Usyk we’re dealing with two adults, not a lot of (rubbish) back and forth. Usyk is a good friend of mine, he’s very intelligent and Tyson is Superman, both as an athlete and as an intellect.”

The American, involved in some of Muhammad Ali’s celebrated contests of the 1970s, added: “So they want the fight. Both of them want the fight and so there’ll be very little, if any, (messing) around.

“Now the question is what’s the date and what’s the site. But that fight is definitely going to happen and it will happen in the first four months of next year.

“It shouldn’t be too long before a final decision is made. We’ll have it all sorted out, I hope maybe by the end of the year.” 

Usyk, 35, has twice defeated Anthony Joshua, firstly depriving the Briton of his world titles at Tottenham in September 2021 before defeating him again in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, this July.

n September, he said of a possible contest with Fury: “I would really like to see this fight happen next year.

“We do not know what is on his mind. This is Tyson Fury, everyone knows that he is a very crazy kid.”

If the fight were to take place in the UK, Wembley is a very likely venue, while a fight in the Middle East could see a much larger purse available for both fighters.

“We are balancing a couple of significant offers from the Middle East and also there’s the possibility of doing the fight in the UK at Wembley (stadium) with a massive 95,000 crowd in attendance,” added Arum.

“Fighters have a relatively short life and money is important. So if the money which has been proposed to us is real that has to be taken into consideration.

“But to go back to Wembley and do a fight before 95,000 people for me really stirs up the blood.”

Long-cut phones ring again in Ethiopia’s Tigray, bring grief

By
Henry Williams
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0

For a year and a half, phone calls to people trying to survive one of the world’s worst wars didn’t go through. Now, as phone lines start to be restored to parts of Ethiopia’s Tigray region after a fragile peace deal, some Tigrayans are relieved while others grieve.

“I have been dreading receiving phone calls,” said a Tigrayan living in Norway, who like others spoke with The Associated Press on condition of anonymity out of fear of reprisals against his relatives. “You want to speak to your family, but you don’t know what kind of stories you will hear, in terms of who is still alive.”

The conflict between Ethiopian and allied forces against the Tigray side is estimated to have killed hundreds of thousands of people since late 2020, according to the United Nations and the United States, citing academic research. The U.N. secretary-general has said more people have died in this conflict than in Ukraine’s.

Only now are many Tigrayans starting to learn the fate of loved ones as phone lines are reconnected in some areas that have returned to the control of Ethiopia’s federal government.

On Dec. 10, the Tigrayan in Norway spoke with his father and siblings in the central town of Adwa for the first time since June 2021.

Explosion in northern Iraq kills two soldiers, injures three

By
Henry Williams
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2

Two soldiers were killed and three were injured in an explosion in northern Iraq, Iraqi state news said Thursday.

The soldiers were traveling in an army vehicle a day earlier in the Makhmour district when an explosive device detonated, the state Iraqi News Agency reported.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. It was the latest in a string of similar incidents in recent days.

Eight people were killed and three injured Monday in an attack by gunmen on the village of Albu Bali northwest of Fallujah, previously held by the Islamic State extremist group.

On Sunday, an explosive device went off in northern Iraq, killing at least nine members of the Iraqi federal police force who were on patrol in the village of Ali al-Sultan in the Riyadh district of the province of Kirkuk.

On Wednesday, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani had convened a meeting of security officials to discuss the “terrorist attacks” and the army’s plans to respond, according to an official statement.

Iraqi officials declared victory over the Islamic State extremist group five years ago, but the group has continued to carry out sporadic attacks, amid fears of a resurgence.

Fiji calls in military after close election dispute

By
Henry Williams
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0
People's Alliance Party leader Sitiveni Rabuka gestures during a church service at the Fijian Teachers Association Hall in Suva, Fiji, Sunday, Dec. 18, 2022. Fijian police on Thursday, Dec. 22, 2022 said they were calling in the military to help maintain security following a close election last week that is now being disputed.(Mick Tsikas/AAP Image via AP)

Fijian police on Thursday said they were calling in the military to help maintain security following a close election last week that is now being disputed.

It was an alarming development in a Pacific nation where democracy remains fragile and there have been four military coups in the past 35 years. The two main contenders for prime minister this year were former coup leaders themselves.

Police Commissioner Brig. Gen. Sitiveni Qiliho said in a statement that after police and military leaders met with Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama they collectively decided to call in army and navy personnel to assist.

The commissioner said there had been threats made against minority groups who were “now living in fear following recent political developments.”

Reporters in the capital, Suva, said there were no immediate signs of any military presence on city streets.

The military move came after Bainimarama’s Fiji First party refused to concede the election, despite rival Sitiveni Rabuka’s party and two other parties announcing they had the numbers to form a majority coalition and would serve as the next government.

Fiji First Gen. Sec. Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum told media Wednesday that under the nation’s constitution, Bainimarama would remain prime minister until lawmakers returned to Parliament within two weeks to vote on the next leader.

U.N. Security Council approved its first-ever resolution on Myanmar

By
Henry Williams
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1

The U.N. Security Council approved its first-ever resolution on Myanmar on Wednesday, demanding an immediate end to violence in the Southeast Asian nation and urging its military rulers to release all “arbitrarily detained” prisoners including ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi and to restore democratic institutions.

The resolution reiterated the call by the 15-member council for the country’s opposing parties to pursue dialogue and reconciliation and urged all sides “to respect human rights, fundamental freedoms and the rule of law.”

The council vote was 12-0 with three abstentions, China, Russia and India.

Britain’s U.N. Ambassador Barbara Woodward, whose country sponsored the resolution, said it is the first adopted by the U.N.’s most powerful body since the country, formerly known as Burma, joined the United Nations in 1948.

It is the result of the military overturning the results of a democratic election and seizing power on Feb. 1, 2021, plunging the country into a series of cascading crises with “negative consequences for the region and its stability,” she said.

“Today we’ve sent a firm message to the military, that there should be a no doubt we expect this resolution to be implemented in full,” Woodward said. “We stand with the people of Myanmar. It is time for the junta to return the country to them.”

PM designate Netanyahu says he has formed new government

By
Henry Williams
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2

Designated Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced late Wednesday that he has successfully formed a new coalition, setting the stage for him to return to power as head of the most right-wing Israeli government ever to hold office.

Netanyahu made the announcement in a phone call to President Isaac Herzog moments before a midnight deadline. His Likud Party released a brief video clip of the smiling Netanyahu and a recording of the conversation.

“I wanted to announce to you that thanks to the amazing public support we received in the elections, I have succeeded in forming a government that will take care of all the citizens of Israel,” Netanyahu said.

The move came after weeks of surprisingly difficult negotiations with his partners – who still have need to finalize their power-sharing deals with Netanyahu’s Likud Party. Nonetheless, Netanyahu said he intends to complete the process “as soon as possible next week” A date for its swearing-in wasn’t immediately announced.

Even if he is successful, Netanyahu faces a difficult task ahead. He will preside over a coalition dominated by far-right and ultra-Orthodox partners pushing for dramatic changes that could alienate large swaths of the Israeli public, raise the risk of conflict with the Palestinians and put Israel on a collision course with some of its closest supporters, including the United States and the Jewish American community.

Afghan: Taliban-led Administration Suspends Women From Universities

By
Rhoda Onuzulike
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3


Taliban-run higher education ministry on Tuesday suspended access to universities by female students until further notice, drawing strong condemnation from the United States, Britain and the United Nations.

A letter, confirmed by a spokesperson for the higher education ministry, instructed Afghan public and private universities to suspend access to female students immediately, in accordance with a Cabinet decision.

The announcement by the Taliban administration, which has not been internationally recognised, came as the United Nations Security Council met in New York on Afghanistan.

Foreign governments, including the United States, have said that a change in policies on women’s education is needed before it can consider formally recognising the Taliban-run administration, which is also subject to heavy sanctions.

“The Taliban cannot expect to be a legitimate member of the international community until they respect the rights of all Afghans, especially the human rights and fundamental freedom of women and girls,” U.S. Deputy U.N. Ambassador Robert Wood told the council, describing the move as “absolutely indefensible.”

In Washington, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said the United States will look to see what more it can do to hold the Taliban to account.

Britain’s U.N. Ambassador Barbara Woodward said the suspension was “another egregious curtailment of women’s rights and a deep and profound disappointment for every single female student.”

“It is also another step by the Taliban away from a self-reliant and prosperous Afghanistan,” she told the council.

In March, the Taliban drew criticism from many foreign governments and some Afghans for making a U-turn on signals all girls’ high schools would be opened.

U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the move on Tuesday was “clearly another broken promise from the Taliban.”

“It’s another very troubling move and it’s difficult to imagine how the country can develop, deal with all of the challenges that it has, without active participation of women and the education of women,” he told reporters in New York.

U.N. special envoy for Afghanistan Roza Otunbayeva said in a statement that the decision was “devastating.”

Shortly before the announcement from Kabul, Otunbayeva told the Security Council that the closure of high schools had “undermined” the Taliban administration’s relationship with the international community and was “extremely unpopular among Afghans and even within the Taliban leadership.”

“As long as girls remain excluded from school and the de facto authorities continue to disregard other stated concerns of the international community, we remain at something of an impasse,” she said.

The decision came as many university students were sitting end-of-term exams. One mother of a university student, who asked not to be named for security reasons, said her daughter called her in tears when she heard of the letter, fearing she could no longer continue her medical studies in Kabul.

“The pain that not only I .. and (other) mothers have in our heart, could not be described. We are all feeling this pain, they are worried for the future of their children,” she said.

UK Space Regulator Issues Licences To Virgin Orbit Ahead Of Cornwall Space Launch

By
Angel Gimalo
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1

The final remaining licences required for Virgin Orbit to launch from Spaceport Cornwall have been issued by the UK space regulator.

The Civil Aviation Authority has granted the launch operator and range control licences, which have been signed off by the Transport Secretary.

The CAA said it was “another major milestone” towards the first orbital space launch from UK soil.

A launch from the spaceport at Cornwall Airport Newquay is expected in January.

Earlier in December the launch was pushed back due to technical issues.

Virgin Orbit’s Cosmic Girl 747 has been at Spaceport Cornwall since October, followed a week later by their LauncherOne rocket that will carry nine satellites.

The CAA said the company had “taken all reasonable steps to ensure safety risks arising from launch activities are as low as reasonably practicable”.

Tim Johnson, director for space regulation at the UK Civil Aviation Authority, said: “This is another major milestone in enabling the very first orbital space launch from UK shores and these licences will assist Virgin Orbit with their final preparations for launch.”

Spaceport Cornwall was granted an operating licence by the CAA in November.

Each of the nine satellites also requires a licence, but these are understood to be imminent.

The Gambia: 4 Soldiers Arrested As Coup Attempt Is Foiled

By
Angel Gimalo
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2

The Gambia’s government says it has thwarted an attempt to stage a coup.

Four soldiers had been arrested and three alleged accomplices were on the run, a statement said.

It is unclear who exactly was behind Tuesday’s attempt to overthrow President Adama Barrow, who won a second term in elections last year.

The Gambia is a largely stable country in West Africa which is popular with holidaymakers because of its beaches and wildlife.

The capital, Banjul, is peaceful, with life going on as normal.

No gun shots have been heard, and there is no sign that loyalist forces have been deployed to secure strategic sites.

The government statement, however, said that military reservists had been put on stand-by.

“The situation is under total control,” it added.

When reports of a coup attempt first surfaced on Tuesday, the army denied it, saying it had only carried out a “military drill”.

Mr Barrow defeated long-serving President Yahya Jammeh in a shock election victory in December 2016.

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