The U.N. chief says foreign fighters and mercenaries remain in Libya in violation of last October’s cease-fire agreement and called for their withdrawal.
In a report to the U.N. Security Council, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the smooth transfer of power to a new interim government in March has brought renewed hope for the reunification of the country and for a lasting peace.
Guterres said the government of national unity must prioritize security sector reform including filling senior civilian and military appointments, producing a roadmap for reunifying the Libyan army.
He added that the progress must continue on the political, economic, and security tracks to enable elections to go ahead on Dec. 24.
The U.N. estimated in December that there were at least 20,000 foreign fighters and mercenaries in Libya, including Syrians, Russians, Sudanese, and Chadians.
Libya has been plagued by chaos since a NATO-backed uprising toppled dictator Muammar Gadhafi in 2011, and split the North African country between a U.N.-supported government in the capital, Tripoli, and rival authorities based in the country’s east.
In April 2019, east-based commander Khalifa Haftar and his forces, backed by Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, launched an offensive to try and capture Tripoli.
His 14-month-long campaign collapsed after Turkey stepped up its military support of the U.N.-backed government with hundreds of troops and thousands of Syrian mercenaries.
The Ethiopian Electoral Commission says it is postponing parliamentary elections scheduled for June 5 due to growing logistical difficulties, without setting a new date.
Making the announcement on Saturday, Election Commission Chairwoman Birtukan Mideksa said she could not provide a new date until she had reviewed proposals from political parties.
She said her commission was behind schedule on finalizing voter registration, training electoral staff, printing and distributing ballot papers.
She added that it proved almost impossible to achieve all of this by the dates initially set stating the new date would take into account the rainy season which runs from about June to September.
This is the third time the vote meant to usher in new national and regional parliamentarians is being postponed under Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.
Conflict in Tigray and ongoing deadly violence in the Benishangul-Gumuz, Oromia and Afar regions have undermined the success of the exercise.
Also, tensions over the Nile have also jolted Ethiopia which is locked in a dispute with Egypt and Sudan over a mega dam it is developing on the river.
However, Addis Ababa said last week only 37 million people had enrolled for the exercise, out of a population of 110 million.
afael Nadal secured his place in the Italian Open final with a 6-4 6-4 win over American Reilly Opelka.
At 2-1 down in the first set Nadal had to save four break points, but he then broke his big-hitting rival in the next game before going on to claim the set.
One break of serve was also enough for the 34-year-old Spaniard in the second set as he secured victory in Rome.
Nadal will play world number one Novak Djokovic, who beat Italian Lorenzo Sonego 6-3 6-7 (5-7) 6-2, in the final.
Djokovic was on court twice on Saturday as he came from a set down to beat Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas in their rain-affected quarter-final before playing Sonego after Nadal’s match.
Against Tsitsipas, the Serb trailed 6-4 2-1 when the match was suspended because of rain on Friday, but he broke serve twice when it resumed on Saturday to force a decider.
He then twice recovered from a break down in a see-saw final set to win 4-6 7-5 7-5 and reach the last four.
Sonego had also been in action on Saturday as he beat Andrey Rublev 3-6 6-4 6-3 to set up the semi-final with Djokovic.
Nevertheless, the pair produced an enthralling match lasting two hours and 44 minutes.
Djokovic had served for the match at 6-5 up in the second set against 26-year-old Sonego only to be broken.
He was then 3-0 up in the tie-break but lost 7-5 as an inspired Sonego levelled after a second set which lasted 91 minutes.
However, Djokovic reasserted himself in the third before eventually prevailing to set up a sixth Italian Open final against Nadal.
“Rome is such an important tournament for me. To be in the final again is so important for me,” said Nadal.
“In terms of preparation for [the French Open at] Roland Garros, I consider the job done. Tomorrow is not at all preparation. It’s a final, an important one, and I want to be competitive.”
Youri Tielemans produced one of the great FA Cup final goals to give Leicester City the trophy for the first time in their history with victory over Chelsea at Wembley.
The Belgian settled a closely contested encounter with a spectacular right-foot drive that flew beyond Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga into the top corner from 25 yards in the 63rd minute.
It sent manager Brendan Rodgers racing down the touchline in celebration although Leicester’s fans – inside Wembley as 21,000 supporters formed the biggest attendance since lockdown – had to survive a nerve-jangling closing phase before they could celebrate the win in their first final since 1969.
The Foxes were indebted to two crucial saves from keeper Kasper Schmeichel, who turned former Leicester defender Ben Chilwell’s header on to a post then produced an even better stop to turn Mason Mount’s powerful shot wide.
And in a final act of drama, Wes Morgan bundled into his own net following a last-minute goalmouth scramble before it was ruled out by the barest of margins following the intervention of VAR.
Leicester closed out the win to spark emotional scenes as those inside Wembley rejoiced in a landmark victory
Rodgers’ outstanding work gets its reward
Foxes boss Rodgers had a smile that illuminated Wembley as he joined Leicester’s players in joyous scenes of celebration after the manager and his players had written their name into the club’s folklore.
Gifted 24-year-old Tielemans will claim the glory for the sheer quality of the strike that won this FA Cup final and the rest of his performance oozed the quality that saw him named man of the match.
The Foxes had heroes elsewhere, particularly in veteran keeper Schmeichel, who was well protected for most of the match but made a huge contribution when required. His second key save from Mount, one-handed diving away to his left, even had Rodgers turning around and blowing out his cheeks in relief and admiration.
Youngster Luke Thomas was composed and Leicester even survived the premature loss of the experienced and influential defender Jonny Evans, who was a doubt before the game and suffered a recurrence of his heel injury, to keep Chelsea at bay.
And for Rodgers, who cleaned up with Celtic in Scotland, this was another significant addition to his CV, as his expert guidance of Leicester – who are in a strong position to finish in the Premier League’s top four and face Chelsea again at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday – now has a tangible reward in the shape of the FA Cup.
This was the result of outstanding work by Rodgers and his players and the rest of the season may yet produce another high point if they can clinch a place in next season’s Champions League.
“It is such an amazing feeling, in particular as a British coach,” Rodgers told BBC Radio 5 Live. “I have grown up watching this all my life and to be eventually be here and be a winner in the FA Cup is special.
“I knew we had prepared very well. The players have shown through the season they can fight, have quality and have a desire to win. We were playing against the Champions League finalists, with quality and the level they have been at. But I thought tactically we were brilliant.”
Chelsea suffer bitter disappointment
Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel revealed he was in “angry mode” after the surprise home loss to Arsenal suddenly put pressure on their top-four hopes in the Premier League – although the Champions League final against Manchester City could yet prove the most glittering safety net.
He certainly looked an angry man throughout this final, the body language increasingly frustrated right up until that final twist when a late equaliser was snatched from Chelsea’s grasp by VAR.
Chelsea now face a massive game against these same opponents in midweek but they will have to recover swiftly from this disappointment and the knowledge they did not do themselves justice.
They certainly had their moments and will complain of ill-fortune, about a suspicion of handball before Tielemans’ goal and those magnificent saves from Schmeichel but this was a stuttering Chelsea, not the smooth machine that saw off Real Madrid with such comfort in the Champions League semi-final second leg at Stamford Bridge.
Timo Werner seemed a particular source of frustration to Tuchel, the manager enraged when he lost a physical challenge to Tielemans, and it may be he regrets that he did not start with the improving Kai Havertz.
And Chilwell, left out for Marcos Alonso, was a source of real danger when he was eventually introduced as a substitute, almost rescuing Chelsea twice.
Chelsea and Tuchel now face a huge fortnight with the fight for the top four in the balance and that Champions League final to come against Manchester City – and the manager will know they will have to perform better than this.
Fans relish Wembley return
Fans had to present their ticket and a negative Covid test to be allowed into the game
This was the day atmosphere, emotion and deafening noise returned to English football as 21,000 supporters made Wembley sound like it was playing host to a capacity crowd.
Fans relished the traditional FA Cup fanfare from the Coldstream Guards and the hymn Abide With Me before throwing themselves wholeheartedly into an experience they have been largely deprived of since the first coronavirus lockdown began in March 2020.
And how it showed in those final stages, with Leicester’s fans suffering frayed nerves as their team held on for history while Chelsea’s followers urged their side on in the hope of a comeback.
At the final whistle, it was just like old times as those thousands of Leicester supporters stayed in their seats for the trophy celebration to take in scenes that will live with them forever while the Chelsea end was a scene of desolation before it became a sea of deserted red seats.
It only emphasised once more that football quite simply is not the same in any form without fans.
‘I don’t know what is handball or not’
Chelsea boss Tuchel felt VAR decisions proved decisive in the game.
“The players said straight away it was a handball,” he said of the ball appearing to hit Ayoze Perez’s hand in the build up to the goal.
“So now for the second game in a row there was a handball against us, and VAR is not interfering. Against Arsenal there was one on the line, and again today, and they are very decisive.
“I’m not an expert in handball any more, I don’t know when it’s handball or not.
“I don’t know any more when they need to punish it or it’s OK to play with the hand.
“We were unlucky today. But there’s never any guarantee you’ll end up with a trophy.”
Fifth time lucky for Foxes – the best of the stats
Leicester won their first FA Cup final at the fifth attempt, becoming the 44th different side to win the competition.
Chelsea have become the first team to lose the FA Cup final in consecutive seasons since Newcastle United in 1997-98 and 1998-99.
This was the 45th FA Cup final to finish 1-0, at least 20 more times than any other scoreline in the showpiece.
Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers has become the first manager to win both the English and Scottish FA Cup since Sir Alex Ferguson.
Leicester’s Youri Tielemans became the third Belgian player to score in an FA Cup final, with all three going on to lift the trophy that year (Eden Hazard in 2018, Kevin de Bruyne in 2019).
Leicester’s Kasper Schmeichel is the first goalkeeper to captain the winning side in an FA Cup final since David Seaman with Arsenal in 2003.
Chelsea’s Olivier Giroud played in his sixth FA Cup final – since World War Two only Ashley Cole (8), Ryan Giggs (7) and Roy Keane (7) have appeared in more.
At 37 years and 114 days, Leicester’s Wes Morgan became the oldest outfield player to appear in an FA Cup final since Teddy Sheringham for West Ham in 2006 (40y 41d).
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has extended the deadline for the ongoing 2021 UTME/DE registration exercise by two weeks.
The examination body took the decision after a meeting with stakeholders following reports of widespread delay in the registration process among candidates for the 2021 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination.
JAMB Registrar, Ishaq Oloyede, who announced the extension said the exam will now start on the 19th of June 2021 and end on the 3rd of July.
Prof Oloyede also announced that the registration exercise will now end on May 29.
This comes after the JAMB Board earlier announced it’s contemplating an extension to the registration period and change of date for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination
The Registrar and Chief Executive of the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria, Professor Josiah Ajiboye, says the Council is partnering with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, UNESCO, to train 28,000 teachers in Nigeria.
He said that the teaching profession was no longer an all-comers affair because “a new sheriff is in town.”
According to him, Nigerian teachers are currently being sought globally, especially in Europe and Canada, because of the positive changes that have been brought to bear in line with global best practices.
Ajiboye stated these during the second edition of the one-day training workshop for Education Correspondents Association of Nigeria which held in One Man’s Village, in the Karu Local Government Area of Nasarawa State, with the theme, ‘Professionalism of teaching and teacher education in Nigeria.’
He said the narrative about the proficiency of Nigerian teachers had begun to change for the better due to innovations being introduced to keep them at par with their counterparts globally.
According to Ajiboye, “The TRCN is collaborating with UNESCO to train 28,000 teachers in Nigeria. Today, Nigerian teachers are not only sought after locally, but globally, and it gives me joy that Nigerian teachers are becoming more competitive. That is why we are doing everything within our power as a government to improve the welfare of teachers.”
Federal Government’s Visitation Panel to the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) has called on the institution’s community to submit their memoranda and be actively involved in the assessment of the university for its overall development.
They have until May 18, 2021 to submit their memoranda to the panel.
In a statement signed by the secretary to the panel, Bukola Olatunji, its chairman, Professor Gambo Laraba Abdullahi, said the assignment was a very important one aimed at addressing the challenges facing the institution in order to proffer solutions to them.
Professor Laraba who is a former Vice Chancellor of the University of Abuja, said the panel is to review the institution’s performance and advise the Federal Government in the areas of governance, academic standards, quality assurance, management of finances, relationships between management, staff and students as well as conditions of physical infrastructure and instructional facilities, among others.
The Federal Government constituted Visitation Panels to all Federal tertiary institutions with the panels inaugurated by the Education Minister, Adamu Adamu last month at the National Universities Commission, Abuja.
The panel has 60 days to submit their reports covering 2011 to 2015 and 2016 to 2020.
Other members of the UNN Panel are: Prof. Prekeyi Tawari-Fufeyin, Alhaji Jimoh Ayinla Bankole, Prof. Danladi Slim Matawal, Prof. Osy Ezechukwunyere Nwebo, and Abdul Ibrahim Radda.
Their Terms of Reference are:
To inquire into the level of implementation of the White Paper on the last Visitation Report;
To look into the leadership quality of each University in terms of the roles of Governing Council, the Vice Chancellors and other Principal Officers;
iii. To look into the financial management of each institution, including statutory allocations and Internally Generated Revenue over the recommended period and determine whether it was in compliance with appropriate regulations;
To investigate the applications of funds, particularly the special grants and loans meant for specific projects in order to determine the status of such projects and their relevance for further funding;
To examine the adequacy of the staff and staff development programmes of each University;
To determine the relationship between the University and the various statutory bodies it interacts with, according to its Law for the purposes of supervision, planning, finance, discipline, guidance and any other relationship (i.e. Governing Council, National Universities Commission and Federal Ministry of Education);
vii. Examine the Law establishing the University, including the relationship between the various internal organs, units and offices and indicate the ways the Law has been observed by the competent authorities and also suggest any modifications to the Law;
viii. To trace the historical evolution of the University and take stock of its net achievements and problems as well as its style and direction;
To examine the general security in the University and how the University has dealt with it and recommend appropriate measures; and
To examine the process and structures of discipline of students in each University, in line with due process of the rule of law.
The Lagos State University (LASU) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Triune Biblical University (TBU), United States global extension to teach students in Nigeria General Nigerian Studies (GNS) courses.
The signing of the MoU which took place at the Vice Chancellor’s conference room, Babatunde Raji Fashola Senate building, LASU campu, was signed by the Acting Vice Chancellor, LASU, Prof. Oyindamola Oke and the TBU African representative and director of studies, Dr. Maurice Azubuike Odote.
The Director, Centre for General Nigerian Studies, LASU, Prof. Biodun Akinpelu, said the COVID-19 fiasco, had brought the world closer to reality beyond the Global Village concept.
He said it had given a more realistic view of the concept of classroom without walls.
He added: “Today, we are gathered to celebrate an educational handshake between Countries. The Triune Biblical University Global Extension USA that has made its presence felt in a number of States in America, Europe and some Countries in Africa has extended its instructional content interest to Nigeria through the Lagos State University, LASU, and specifically the Centre for General Nigerian Studies of the University. This is a priority that is indeed well placed, as LASU has proven itself over the years as a leading university, not only in Nigeria, but in Africa. Our Human Capital and Teaching-Learning infrastructure stand us out in the competitive Knowledge Industry,”.
Also speaking, Dr. Odote said TBU covers a lot of countries especially in Africa with over 12 countries including Benin Republic, Togo, South Africa, Uganda, and Kenya among others.
He said it sees the need to associate with LASU given it has the requisite facilities.
In a bid to improve school governance and administration in public schools, the Lagos State Government has introduced a Volunteer Mentorship Programme for public school teachers and administrators.
Retired and experienced school principals, teachers and administrators will be engaged to serve as mentors and will coach existing school personnel across the state.
Disclosing this during an interview at her office, the Education Commissioner, Folasade Adefisayo, said the initiative was in line with Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu’s Education Transformation Plan aimed at improving the capacity of school personnel.
She added that the programme would create opportunities for education stakeholders to support the government in mentoring teachers and school administrators.
The Commissioner said the mentorship programme was open to retired permanent secretaries, directors, principals and teachers of private and public institutions who through years of experience in the education sector can collaborate with the state to improve the education system.
She said the selected mentors would engage their mentees on contemporary teaching methods, leverage on feedback for improved performance and work with the school principals for effective and efficient management in their schools.
Adefisayo urged interested professionals to apply online through the “Teachers Mentoring Corp Project” on the Lagos State Volunteer Corp website www.lsvc.ng or through a link on the State Government’s Portal www.lagosstate.gov.ng and social media handles of the Ministry @lasgeducation.
She said the selected mentors would be briefed and provided with handbooks for the assignment.
Delayed by Covid for over a year, the continent’s new pan-African basketball league will finally tip-off on Sunday 16 May.
Backed by the NBA, the Basketball Africa League (BAL) features 12 teams from 12 countries – but how is it going to work? BBC Sport Africa has been taking a closer look:
Africa’s top basketball club sides are set to face off from Sunday in the Rwandan capital Kigali in a new professional competition designed to promote the sport, drive economic growth and unearth the best up and coming talent.
Such aims are part of the reason for the involvement of the NBA, which is helping to organise a league outside of the United States for the first time.
“We’re here in Africa because we think we can have the biggest impact,” said Adam Silver, the Commissioner for the NBA.
“We see an opportunity on the continent with well over a billion people (and) an amazing affinity for basketball.”
Former NBA player and Nigeria international Ben Uzoh will be playing for Nigerian club River Hoopers at the Basketball Africa League.
Basketball’s world governing body Fiba is also involved in the hunt for the next Joel Embiid (Cameroon) or Pascal Siakam (Congo).
“Africa is a continent full of secrets and treasure and I think all this treasure is going to be found,” basketball great Dikembe Mutombo told BBC Sport Africa.
“As this game is about to start, there will be more players coming out from the continent that we haven’t seen before.”
The competition replaces the old Africa Basketball League, another pan-African club tournament, which had been running since 1971.
The BAL was supposed to start in March last year, but Covid put a stop to that, meaning tip-off will finally arrive some 14 months late.
Format
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver (left), Secretary General of Fiba Andreas Zagklis (centre) and the President of the Basketball Africa League Amadou Gallo Fall attended the announcement of the The NBA-backed Basketball Africa League (BAL) in 2019
So how will the BAL work? Well, you can think of it as being a bit like football’s Champions League in Europe.
There are 12 teams involved and for the inaugural season, the national champions from Angola, Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal and Tunisia were all guaranteed a spot.
The other six teams had to go through qualifying – with representatives from Algeria, Cameroon, Madagascar, Mali, Mozambique and Rwanda all making it through.
Teams have been divided into three groups – with the top two, plus the two best third-placed sides overall, qualifying for the knock-out phase, which starts with the quarter-finals.
There will be 26 games in total, with the first set to tip-off on Sunday 16 May, with the final two weeks later on the 30th.
The format has been adjusted, with fewer games than originally planned, because of Covid, with league organisers saying they will have robust safety protocols in place to combat the virus.
Group A
Group B
Group C
GNBC (Madagascar)
Petro de Luanda (Angola)
GSP (Algeria)
Rivers Hoopers (Nigeria)
FAP (Cameroon)
Zamalek (Egypt)
Patriots BBC (Rwanda)
AS Police (Mali)
Ferroviàrio de Maputo (Mozambique)
US Monastir (Tunisia)
AS Sale (Morocco)
AS Douanes (Senegal)
Venue
The Kigali Arena in Rwanda will host the inaugural Basketball Africa League
Matches were originally set to be played in seven cities across Africa – Cairo (Egypt), Dakar (Senegal), Lagos (Nigeria), Luanda (Angola), Tunis or Monastir (Tunisia), Rabat (Morocco) and Kigali (Rwanda).
However, due to the coronavirus pandemic everything will now take place at the Kigali Arena.
Brian Kirungi, the president of local – and new – BAL side Patriots, believes the arena will greatly boost local enthusiasm for the sport.
“Now they can touch and feel basketball in their own arena,” Kirungi told BBC Sport Africa.
“They’re going to see all these ex-NBA players, current NBA players and top European basketballers in Rwanda playing locally.
“I see a huge potential – attract more investment, more partners, the corporate world in Africa to say: ‘look, we are taking ourselves from an amateur to a professional stage’.”
Prior to the pandemic, BAL organisers had insisted that every country wanting to become a part of the league would need to build a stadium fit for the modern day.
“You have to meet the same criteria of the stadium that we have in the United States,” said DR Congo-born Mutombo, adding that he never believed the NBA would stage such a competition in Africa.
Squads
Each team will have 12 players on its roster.
Eight have to come from the home country – with only four foreign players allowed, two of whom must come from other African countries.
That means that a minimum of 120 of the 144 players involved will be African.
“It’s a pleasure to make my dream come true,” said Patriots player Sedard Segamba. “Growing up as a kid, I always wanted to play in the African league. Africa is going to be on the map.”
The Future
During an 18-year career, Mutombo played for six NBA teams and is widely regarded as one of the league’s greatest ever defensive players, ranking second on the all-time list for most shot blocks.
Having only taken up basketball after being spotted while studying to become a doctor at an American university, the eight-time NBA All Star believes the BAL will create a far clearer pathway to the top for African talent.
“It will change (the standard of African basketball),” he said. “Because our goal is to see some of these best talents come play in the NBA or our G-League (the NBA’s development league).
“The only way they will get there is by working with the NBA coaches or NBA development coaches, learning the NBA skills and NBA techniques.”
And the NBA ambassador believes BAL can boost African teams’ fortunes at both world championships and Olympic Games, where the continent’s top sides have often struggled to make an impact.
“The reason that we have not been able to go far in the Olympics is this,” Mutombo explained.
“American players play four games a week, European players practice twice a day, seven days a week, and play one game a week, but African players play once a week or once every two weeks and practice twice a week because of lack of transportation, lack of funds.
“Now we are talking about building more practice facilities where each team will have a place they call home. The NBA, with its investment, is going to change that.”
Organisers will be hoping he’s right and that the Basketball Africa League, after a difficult start, will soon start inspiring the hoop dreams of millions of young Africans for years to come.
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