A hundred camels save a murderer’s life

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September 7, 2022

A last-minute agreement to pay 100 camels as compensation has spared a murderer’s life in Somaliland.

The unnamed man was among five convicts set to be executed in the Madheera area, north-east of Hargesia, the capital of the self-declared republic on Tuesday.

Minutes before the firing squad was given their orders, elders from the families of both the murderer and the victim arrived at the execution site and untied him from a pole.

The other four, who had been found guilty over separate murder charges, were shot dead.

Last-minute interventions at execution sites are not uncommon in Somaliland.

In the traditional justice system, the compensation for a man’s murder is 100 camels, but money is often used instead because of a decline in the number of the prized animals in recent years.

This parallel system operates alongside a formal court process which complements or sometimes replaces it entirely.

It has however been criticised because it means people from rich families can buy their freedom while the poor can’t.

Uganda festival back on despite immorality claims

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Henry Williams

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September 7, 2022

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The popular Nyege Nyege music festival in Uganda will go ahead as planned after the government and organisers agreed that strict guidelines would be implemented.

Critics, including several MPs and the speaker of parliament, had called for its cancellation saying the annual festival was promoting immorality.

Some said it was a “breeding ground for sexual immorality” and “homosexuality”.

The government’s decision to give the event the go-ahead has angered some MPs.

One lawmaker questioned whether the government had taken into consideration its capacity to handle emerging health concerns like a global outbreak of monkeypox which mostly affects men who have sex with men.

Nyege Nyege has been a big draw for music fans in the region and beyond and showcases artists from across the continent, along with those in the diaspora.

The festival, which would be taking place for the seventh time, has often attracted controversy.

At least 8,000 people are expected to attend the festival in the city of Jinja, east of the capital, Kampala.

In 2018, it was cancelled on grounds that it was promoting promiscuity but it was allowed to proceed later after a public outcry.

Nigeria Now 9th In FIBA Power Ranking

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Emenike Agu

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September 7, 2022

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Nigeria’s D’Tigers dropped four steps down the ladder in the FIBA World Ranking (Africa) after their poor run of results at the FIBA World Cup qualifying tournament in Abidjan.

Cote d’Ivoire was adjudged the best-ranked team in the continent after winning all their African Qualifiers to become the first team on the continent to qualify for next year’s World Cup even with three games to spare.

The Ivorians have reached the pinnacle of their basketball over the last decade and they are returning to the World Cup for the second straight time.

Nigeria is now ranked ninth in Africa and it would be recalled that by this time in the 2019 World Cup African Qualifiers Nigeria boasted a 9-0 mark and was one of the two teams – alongside Tunisia – to have qualified for the China showdown.

However, having three different head coaches (Julius Nwosu, Alan Major, and Mfon Udofia) over the last nine games, plus a number of new players and an apparent lack of team chemistry seemed to have influenced Nigeria’s current 3-4 record. The two losses to Angola and Cote d’Ivoire in Abidjan last week were major blows for Nigeria to deal with.

Joining Cote d’Ivoire on the top echelon of the ranking are South Sudan, Egypt, Angola, and Senegal completed the top five teams in Africa.

Other down the pecking order include Cape Verde, Tunisia, DR Congo, Nigeria, and Cameroon as well as Guinea and Uganda.

Kebbi Governor Bagudu Dissolves Cabinet

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Koko Lawrence

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September 7, 2022

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Kebbi State governor Abubakar Atiku Bagudu has dissolved the Kebbi State Executive Council members.

Bagudu disclosed this in a statement signed by the Secretary to the State Government Babale Umar Yauri.

The cabinet dissolution takes effect on Wednesday 7 September 2022.

“I sincerely appreciate all the dissolve cabinet members for their contributions also thanked them for their dedication and ensuring peace and steady development of the State during their respective tenures,” Yauri said.

He, however, commended all the Members of the dissolved Council for their performance and dedication throughout their tenure.

Yauri said a newly reconstituted State Executive Council will be announced very soon.

Kenyan president finally speaks to president-elect

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Henry Williams

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September 7, 2022

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Kenya’s newly elected president says he has had a phone conversation with outgoing President Uhuru Kenyatta about the transition.

William Ruto said they spoke about the just-concluded election and the democratic transition:

Mr Kenyatta, who backed Mr Ruto’s rival Raila Odinga for the presidency, had not spoken to the newly elected president since he was declared the winner of the 9 August general election.

In a media briefing on Monday after the Supreme Court confirmed him as the winner, the president-elect said that they had not spoken “for months”.

On the same day, President Kenyatta sent out a statement giving an assurance there would be a smooth transition, without mentioning Mr Ruto or congratulating him for the win.

Some Kenyans online have been criticising Mr Kenyatta for being “petty” about the matter.

Dakin-Biu Community Lauds Club For Free Eye Screening, Glasses

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Olasunbo Okoromi

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September 7, 2022

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Residents of Dakin-Biu community in Utako Abuja, have expressed appreciation to five rotary clubs in Abuja for providing free eye screening, glasses and medications in the area.

Mr Bruno Iwu, President of the Rotary Club of Abuja Utako, the lead partner in the outreach project, said that the exercise was to commemorate the United Nations International Day of Charity.

He said the exercise was in collaboration with Rotary Club of Abuja CBD, Rotary Club of Abuja Sapphire, Rotary Club of Abuja Crystals and Rotary Club of Abuja Jabi.

According to him, the exercise seeks to provide eye care services to members of the community who cannot afford medical treatment for their eyes.

He explained that the exercise involved services such as free eye screening and the provision of eyeglasses and eye drops to those that need them.

Mr Solomon Daniel, a retiree, said the exercise had saved him the cost of replacing his medicated broken glasses.

Similarly, another resident, Mrs Jummai Danjuma, said the eye screening had helped her to be diagnosed of an eye condition that would have gotten worst if not properly cared for.

Also, Mrs Joy James, said the free eye drugs given to her daughter would aide in addressing the itching and reddish condition the baby had been experiencing.

Mr Joseph Abu, President of Rotary club Abuja Lugbe FHA said, “we did assessments and we discovered that there was no eye clinic within the reach of the members of the community.

“The cost of eye care is not what the community can afford. So we reached out to professionals and other partners who came together to provide the eye screening to members of the community.”

Dr Goddy Nnadi, District Governor of Rotary International District 9125, recalled that the club had previously installed a borehole for members of the Dakibiu community.

Nnadi encouraged other Nigerians to join rotary clubs as their contribution and actions will inevitably help the socioeconomic development of the country.

Rotary International is a humanitarian service organization which brings together business and professional leaders in order to provide community service, promote integrity and advance goodwill, peace and understanding in the world.

Nigeria arrests woman with 15 trafficked children

By

Henry Williams

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September 7, 2022

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Nigerian police have arrested a 44-year-old woman for alleged theft of 15 children in the southern Rivers state.

The police say the children were abducted in order to be trafficked by the woman – who claimed to be a nun running an orphanage.

The children are reportedly aged between four and 15 years.

The police said they were working to reunite the children with their parents.

State Commissioner of Police, Friday Eboka, said investigations revealed that some had been abducted years ago, including a nine-year-old boy who had been taken from a market in 2020.

He said some of the children had recounted to the police their experiences of torture and mistreatment.

He said a further probe into the incident was ongoing with a view to arrest other suspects linked to the crimes.

Human trafficking is common in Nigeria.

Man Utd, Arsenal And Roma Headline Europa League Line-Up

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Emenike Agu

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September 7, 2022

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Premier League heavyweights Manchester United and Arsenal begin as the leading contenders for this season’s Europa League, although Jose Mourinho’s Roma are eyeing back-to-back continental titles after claiming the inaugural Europa Conference League earlier this year.

It is a long road to this season’s final at the Puskas Arena in Budapest on May 31, 2023, with clubs facing a packed schedule in order to complete the group stage before the World Cup in Qatar starts on November 20.

That means the likes of United and Arsenal will be relying on their squad depth to get them through some of their less glamorous Thursday night fixtures while they try to maintain challenges at the top of the Premier League.

Returning to the Champions League has to be the priority for both, although winning Europe’s second-tier trophy is one way of getting there.

Eintracht Frankfurt were the surprise victors last season, beating Rangers in a breathless final in Seville, and it is notable that the last four winners of the trophy all began the campaign in the Europa League group stage, rather than dropping out of the Champions League.

The last club to fall out of Europe’s elite club competition and go on to win the Europa League was Atletico Madrid in 2018.

Erik ten Hag’s United should not face too many obstacles in advancing from Group E up against Real Sociedad, Sheriff Tiraspol and Neil Lennon’s Omonia Nicosia.

Real Sociedad, who finished sixth in LaLiga last season, will come to Old Trafford for their opening game with a 36-year-old David Silva in tow but without Alexander Isak following the Swedish striker’s departure for Newcastle United.

Europa League winners in 2017 and runners-up in 2021, United will not fear their other opponents, even if perennial Moldovan champions Sheriff beat Real Madrid away in last season’s Champions League.

Arsenal, off to a fine start in the Premier League, have landed in a Champions League group in the sense that all three opponents dropped out of the qualifying rounds of that competition.

VILLARREAL TARGET CONFERENCE LEAGUE

But none of them will strike fear into Mikel Arteta’s side, with Ruud van Nistelrooy’s PSV Eindhoven having lost to Rangers in the Champions League play-offs.

They will also face Norwegian champions Bodo/Glimt in Group A but start off away to FC Zurich.

The Swiss champions hardly come into the game – which will be played an hour away from Zurich in St Gallen – in great shape, having failed to win in their domestic league so far and having sold Italian international striker Wilfried Gnonto to Leeds United.

Roma are an intriguing prospect as they look to follow up their Conference League victory by winning a competition that Mourinho has got his hands on twice before, including with United in 2017.

Among their group-stage opponents will be Real Betis, whose coach Manuel Pellegrini was Mourinho’s predecessor at Real Madrid over a decade ago.

Roma’s city rivals Lazio, or an ambitious Monaco, might also enter the Europa League with ambitions of winning the trophy, although it is notable that the last 11 editions of the tournament have all been won by clubs from Spain, England or Germany.

This season’s competition will also feature Dynamo Kyiv, who are set to play home matches against Rennes, Fenerbahce and AEK Larnaca in Group B in the Polish city of Krakow as war continues to rage in their home country.

Meanwhile, leading contenders to succeed Roma as Europa Conference League winners include last season’s Champions League semifinalists Villarreal and an expensively-assembled West Ham United squad.

Yet the charm of the Conference League lies in the presence of several genuine minnows for whom the chance of playing in the group stages of such a competition could be transformational.

For Ballkani, champions of Kosovo, and FC Vaduz, who come from Liechtenstein but play in the Swiss second division and qualified by virtue of winning their national cup, just being there is a remarkable achievement.

Putin Says Impossible To Isolate Russia, Hails Strong Asia Ties

By

Koko Lawrence

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September 7, 2022

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RUSSIA-BELARUS-POLITICS-DIPLOMACY-DEFENCE — Russia's President Vladimir Putin watches, alongside his Belarusian counterpart, training launches of ballistic missiles as part of the Grom-2022 Strategic Deterrence Force exercise, from the situational centre of the Russian Defense Ministry in Moscow on February 19, 2022. - Russia on February 19 successfully test-fired its latest hypersonic ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and nuclear-capable ballistic missiles as part of "planned exercises," the Kremlin said, as tensions soar over Ukraine. (Photo by Alexey NIKOLSKY / Sputnik / AFP)

Russian President Vladimir Putin has called Western sanctions imposed on his country following the invasion of Ukraine a “threat to the entire world” while saying efforts to isolate Russia were in vain amid a pivot towards Asia.

Putin made the comments during a speech at the Eastern Economic Forum in Russia’s Pacific port city of Vladivostok on Wednesday, shortly before it was announced that the Russian leader would meet his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, next week in Uzbekistan.

Decrying what he described as “sanctions fever” in the West, Putin called the measures “undisguised aggressive attempts to impose behaviour patterns on other countries, deprive them of their sovereignty and subordinate them to their will”.

The remarks come after the Kremlin on Monday said gas flows via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline to Germany would not resume in full until Western countries lifted sanctions against Russia.

Putin denied that Moscow has “weaponised” the energy market, as many European leaders have claimed.

The speech followed the G7 grouping of the world’s wealthiest democracies last week agreeing on an oil price cap in an attempt to undermine Russian revenues.

European Union ministers are also set to discuss a possible price cap on Russian gas on Friday as the cold winter months approach, a tactic Putin dismissed as “stupid” during his speech in Vladivostok. He pledged to walk away from supply contracts with Europe if countries imposed the caps.

The Russian leader also sought to dispel the notion that actions by Western countries, and the costly ongoing conflict in Ukraine, have had a major effect on his country’s economy, saying that gross domestic product (GDP) would fall by “about 2 percent or a little more” in 2022, a more optimistic forecast than Russia’s economy ministry had previously released.

He said Russia’s budget surplus this year would come in at 1.5 trillion roubles ($24.5bn), although Bloomberg has reported, citing an internal government report, that Moscow is privately preparing for a long, prolonged recession in the coming years.

“No matter how much someone would like to isolate Russia, it is impossible to do this”, Putin said, noting that “the role … of the countries of the Asia-Pacific region has significantly increased”.

He added that partnerships in the region “will create colossal new opportunities for our people”.

Meanwhile, Russian Ambassador to China Andrey Denisov told news agencies that Putin and Xi would meet next week during a regional summit in Uzbekistan. It would be the first in-person meeting since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began on February 24.

Days before the invasion, Putin and Xi had signed an agreement pledging that relations between the countries would have “no limits”.

On Tuesday, Putin attended sweeping military drills in the country’s east that also involved forces from China.

In a sign of further tightening ties, Russia announced on Tuesday that China would be switching from US dollars to the national currencies of the two countries – yuan and rubles – to pay for deliveries of Russian natural gas.

Putin said on Wednesday that “confidence has been lost” in US dollars, euros and British pounds, and Russia was distancing itself from such “unreliable, compromised” currencies.

Chelsea Sack Tuchel, Announce Temporary Replacement

By

Emenike Agu

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September 7, 2022

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Chelsea on Wednesday sacked their manager, Thomas Tuchel, following their UEFA Champions League group stage 1-0 defeat to Dinamo Zagreb on Tuesday.

Chelsea announced this in a statement via its website, adding that the Blues’ coaching staff will temporarily take charge of the first team.

The statement partly read, “Chelsea Football Club has today parted company with Head Coach Thomas Tuchel.

Chelsea’s coaching staff will take charge of the team for training and the preparation of our upcoming matches as the Club moves swiftly to appoint a new head coach.

“There will be no further comment until a new head coach appointment is made.”