Author: By AFP

Sudan must face 2022 champions Senegal in the last 16 of the 2025 AFCON after losing 2-0 to Burkina Faso in their final group game, while Algeria beat Equatorial Guinea 3-1 Published Date: 2026-01-01 08:21:03 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

An Israeli military excavator tears down one of 25 residential buildings earmarked for demolition in the Nur Shams camp Palestinian refugees east of the northern Israeli-occupied West Bank city of Tulkarem, amid an ongoing offensives in the occupied-West Bank on December 31, 2025. [AFP] Israel plans to ban 37 aid organisations from operating in Gaza from Thursday unless they hand over detailed information on their Palestinian staff, despite mounting criticism from the United Nations and the European Union. Several NGOs have told AFP the new rules will have a major impact on food and medical shipments to Gaza, and humanitarian…

Senegal saw off Benin to go through to the last 16 of the AFCON 2025 as winners of Group D, leaving the DR Congo to settle for second, which means they will play Algeria Published Date: 2025-12-31 08:46:45 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Residents wave Somali flags as they attend a rally denouncing Israel’s recent announcement recognizing the breakaway Somaliland region, during a gathering calling for Somalia’s territorial unity at Mogadishu Stadium in Mogadishu on December 30, 2025. [AFP] Turkey’s president on Tuesday called Israel’s recognition of Somaliland “illegitimate and unacceptable” as he hosted a visit by his Somali counterpart. “Preserving the unity and integrity of Somalia in all circumstances holds special importance in our view. Israel’s decision to recognise Somaliland is illegitimate and unacceptable,” Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a press conference alongside Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud. Israel sparked…

Yemeni members of the Sabahiha tribes of Lahj, during a rally to show their support for the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC), in Khormaksar Square, Aden, on December 14, 2025. [AFP] A Saudi-led coalition said it targeted Tuesday a large quantity of weapons and combat vehicles destined for separatist forces that were being offloaded from ships at a port in Yemen, coming from the UAE. Yemen has been fighting a crippling war, as armed factions loosely grouped under the government and backed by the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia turn on each other. The UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC),…

Shopkeepers and traders walk over a bridge during a protest against the economic conditions and Iran’s embattled currency in Tehran on December 29, 2025. [AFP] Iran’s president urged his government to listen to the “legitimate demands” of protesters, state media reported Tuesday, after several days of demonstrations by shopkeepers in Tehran over economic hardships. Shopkeepers in the capital had shut their stores for the second day in a row on Monday, after Iran’s embattled currency hit new lows on the unofficial market. The US dollar was trading at around 1.42 million rials on Sunday — compared to 820,000 rials a year…

A vendor sells vegetables to a customer at a market in Naypyidaw on December 29, 2025, a day after the first phase of Myanmar’s general election. [AFP] Myanmar’s junta on Tuesday accused rebels of “malicious and brutal” attacks on the day and eve of military-run elections, wounding at least five civilians with drones, rockets and bombs. The armed forces snatched power in a 2021 coup that triggered civil war, but on Sunday, opened voting in a phased month-long election they pledged would return power to the people. Campaigners, Western diplomats and the United Nations’ rights chief condemned the vote, citing…

Taiwan’s national flag is raised following China’s People’s Liberation Army move to conduct live-fire drills in five designated maritime and airspace areas around Taiwan, in Taipei on December 30, 2025. [AFP] China launched missiles and deployed dozens of fighter aircraft and navy vessels around Taiwan on Tuesday for a second day of live-fire drills aimed at simulating a blockade of the self-ruled island’s key ports and assaults on maritime targets. The two-day war games, code-named “Justice Mission 2025”, began Monday and were slammed by Taipei as “highly provocative and reckless”. China claims Taiwan as part of its sovereign territory and…

Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi (centre) and Japan Business Federation Chairman Yoshinobu Tsutsui during the 14th Keidanren Council Meeting in Tokyo on December 25, 2025. [AFP] Japanese premier Sanae Takaichi may have extra trouble sleeping after she moved into the prime minister’s official residence, where ghosts of Japanese soldiers from a century ago are reputed to reside. Japan’s first woman prime minister transferred on Monday into the stone-and-brick mansion, which adjoins her offices in central Tokyo, more than two months after taking office. Until now she had been staying in accommodation for members of parliament, but drew criticism for taking 35…

Uganda and Tanzania will co-host the 2027 AFCON with neighbours Kenya and the countries are getting a sense of how much progress they must still make on the pitch Published Date: 2025-12-30 08:48:53 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Former world heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua was in a “stable condition” in hospital after a car accident in Nigeria that killed two close friends and associates Published Date: 2025-12-30 08:42:34 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Ayoub El Kaabi scored twice as hosts Morocco eased to a 3-0 victory over Zambia at the AFCON on Monday to secure progress to the last 16 as winners of their group. Published Date: 2025-12-30 08:38:28 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Oswin Appollis converted a late penalty to give South Africa a 3-2 Africa Cup of Nations victory over Zimbabwe in Marrakesh on Monday, and qualification for the knockout stage. Published Date: 2025-12-29 23:00:33 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Sadio Mane’s equaliser earned 2022 champions Senegal a 1-1 draw with the Democratic Republic of Congo in their heavyweight Africa Cup of Nations clash on Saturday. Published Date: 2025-12-27 23:15:28 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

  President Donald Trump calls children as he participates in tracking Santa Claus’ movements with the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) Santa Tracker on Christmas Eve at the Mar-a-Lago resort on December 24, 2025 in Palm Beach, Florida. [AFP] Bold Reporting Takes Time, Courage and Investment. Stand With Us. Support Bold Journalism Unlimited access to all premium content Uninterrupted ad-free browsing experience Mobile-optimized reading experience Weekly Newsletters MPesa, Airtel Money and Cards accepted Already a subscriber? Log in `; } else { teaserEl.innerHTML = “”; } activeEl.innerHTML = “”; paywallEl.style.display = “block”; } else if (now >= saleStart &&…

Morocco missed the chance to guarantee their spot in the last 16 of the Africa Cup of Nations after Lassine Sinayoko’s second-half penalty earned Mali a 1-1 draw with the hosts Published Date: 2025-12-27 01:17:59 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Mohamed Salah scored as 10-man Egypt beat South Africa 1-0 in Agadir on Friday to become the first qualifiers for the knockout stage of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations. Published Date: 2025-12-27 01:13:58 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Veteran Knowledge Musona scored as Zimbabwe came from behind to draw 1-1 with Angola in Marrakesh on Friday as the second round of AFCON group matches kicked off. Published Date: 2025-12-27 01:10:05 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Organisers at AFCON in Morocco are allowing supporters in for free after kick-off in matches where stadiums are not full, a Confederation of African Football source told AFP. Published Date: 2025-12-25 15:46:02 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Captain Riyad Mahrez scored in each half as 2019 champions Algeria eased to a 3-0 win over 10-man Sudan in their opening game at the Africa Cup of Nations. Published Date: 2025-12-24 20:14:47 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Algeria captain Riyad Mahrez is confident his side can make up for poor showings at the last two editions of the AFCON as the 2019 champions begin their campaign today Published Date: 2025-12-24 11:41:10 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Nicolas Jackson scored twice as much-fancied Senegal began their AFCON 2025 bid with a convincing 3-0 win over Botswana, while Nigeria’s Super Eagles beat Tanzania Published Date: 2025-12-24 11:36:45 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Elias Achouri’s double helped Tunisia ease to a 3-1 win over Uganda in their opening game at the Africa Cup of Nations on Tuesday. Published Date: 2025-12-24 11:33:22 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

The DR Congo edged out Benin 1-0 in their opening game at the Africa Cup of Nations on Tuesday, with Theo Bongonda scoring the only goal of the Group D clash. Published Date: 2025-12-23 20:03:21 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

This photo provided by the US Justice Department on December 19, 2025 shows an undated picture of former US president Bill Clinton (C) with US singers Michael Jackson (L) and Diana Ross at an undisclosed location. (Handout / US DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE / AFP)  Victims of disgraced US financier Jeffrey Epstein joined a chorus of criticism on Monday over the Trump administration’s slow release and heavy redaction of records from the investigation into his alleged sex crimes. President Donald Trump said meanwhile, in his first comments since the release of the files, that people who “innocently met” Epstein in the…

Armed members of the militant group Al-Shabaab. [File, AP] A Kenyan member of the Al-Shabaab militant group who received pilot training in the Philippines was sentenced to life in prison on Monday for conspiring to mount a 9/11-style attack in the United States. Cholo Abdi Abdullah was convicted last year of conspiring to murder US nationals, conspiring to commit aircraft piracy and other offenses. “Cholo Abdi Abdullah was a highly trained Al-Shabaab operative who was dedicated to recreating the horrific September 11 terrorist attacks on behalf of a vicious terrorist organization,” US Attorney Jay Clayton said in a statement. “Abdullah…

Armed members of the militant group Al-Shabaab. [File, AP] A Kenyan member of the Al-Shabaab militant group who received pilot training in the Philippines was sentenced to life in prison on Monday for conspiring to mount a 9/11-style attack in the United States. Cholo Abdi Abdullah was convicted last year of conspiring to murder US nationals, conspiring to commit aircraft piracy and other offenses. “Cholo Abdi Abdullah was a highly trained Al-Shabaab operative who was dedicated to recreating the horrific September 11 terrorist attacks on behalf of a vicious terrorist organization,” US Attorney Jay Clayton said in a statement. “Abdullah…

Former world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua knocked out YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul in their controversial Netflix-backed bout in Miami on Friday. Published Date: 2025-12-20 09:38:48 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

US President Donald Trump speaks before signing an executive order easing restrictions on marijuana in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, on December 18, 2025. [AFP] US President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug, paving the way for more medical research on the use of cannabis products. The long-awaited move will take marijuana out of the most hazardous  category of narcotics alongside heroin and LSD, although it does not legalize its use across the United States. But Trump said that while it “no way sanctions its use…

Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro speaking during an event marking the anniversary of the death of Liberator Simon Bolivar in Caracas on December 17, 2025. [AFP] The leaders of Brazil and Mexico on Thursday offered to step in to try and avert the risk of war between the United States and Venezuela. The Latin American heavyweights are looking on in dismay as Washington ramps up military and economic pressure on Nicholas Maduro’s government, raising fears of a direct effort to unseat the Venezuelan leader. The United Nations Security Council will meet next Tuesday at the request of Caracas — backed by…

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (right) and the Prime Minister of Qatar Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani at the State Department in Washington, DC, on December 17, 2025, in Washington, DC. [AFP] The United States on Thursday imposed sanctions on two more judges of the International Criminal Court after they rejected an attempt by Israel to end a war crimes probe in Gaza. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who had already ordered sanctions on judges and prosecutors in the case, explicitly linked the new measures to a vote Monday in which the two judges sided with…

US Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. during an event with President Donald Trump at the White House in Washington, DC, on November 6, 2025. [AFP] The US health department on Thursday announced proposed measures that would effectively ban gender-affirming care for transgender youth, significantly expanding the Trump administration’s efforts to roll back protections for trans people. The series of sweeping proposals announced by US health chief Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and other officials would cut off vital federal funding from hospitals that provide pediatric gender transition services — including puberty blockers and surgical interventions –…

PSG player seems to have recovered and will play a part in helping hosts in chase for glory.He is a key figure in Moroccan plans to end a five-decade wait and lift the trophy a second time. Published Date: 2025-12-18 12:29:06 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

A judge gavel and cuffs. [Courtesy/GettyImages] A former morgue manager at the prestigious Harvard Medical School was sentenced Tuesday to eight years in prison for stealing and selling body parts donated for scientific research, the US Justice Department said. Cedric Lodge, 58, pleaded guilty in May to trafficking the stolen remains, which include internal organs, brains, skin, hands, faces and dissected heads, from 2018 through at least March 2020. He was fired from the university in May 2023, Harvard has said. Investigators said Lodge and his wife, Denise, took body parts from the school near Boston to their home in…

Colonel Oscar Perez, chief of the Providence Police Department, speaks during a press conference into the ongoing investigation into the December 13 mass shooting at Brown University. [AFP] FBI experts on Tuesday combed through the vicinity of a weekend mass shooting that killed two students at the elite Brown University, as the hunt for the gunman dragged into a fourth day. Images posted by the bureau on social media showed laboratory specialists  and evidence response teams conducting a forensic search on the snow-covered grounds outside the Providence, Rhode Island campus. The shooting happened Saturday, when a man with a rifle…

Mourners attend the funeral of Yaakov Levitan Halevi, a victim of Sunday’s Bondi Beach attack, at the Magnolia Chapel at Macquarie Park Cemetery in Sydney on December 17, 2025. [AFP] A young girl and Holocaust survivors were among 15 people allegedly shot and killed by a father and his son at a Jewish Hanukkah festival gathering on Australia’s Bondi Beach. The elder gunman, 50-year-old Sajid Akram, was killed in a shootout with police. His 24-year-old son, Naveed, is in hospital, under police guard and charged on multiple counts including terrorism and 15 murders. The shooting victims, some killed while trying…

Maresca insists that he “absolutely” remains committed to his job as Chelsea coach after saying at the weekend he had suffered his “worst 48 hours” since joining the club. Published Date: 2025-12-16 13:28:11 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Osimhen has never forgotten the role Amuneke played in launching his career, lavishing praise on him during an acceptance speech when voted the best player in Africa. Published Date: 2025-12-16 13:10:03 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

A woman weeps after laying flowers outside Bondi Pavilion in Sydney on December 16, 2025, to honour victims of the Bondi Beach shooting. [AFP] The father and son allegedly behind one of Australia’s deadliest mass shootings spent nearly the entire month of November in the Philippines, authorities in Manila confirmed Tuesday, with the father entering as an “Indian national”. Sajid Akram and his son Naveed, who allegedly killed 15 people and wounded dozens of others at a Hanukkah celebration on Sydney’s Bondi Beach, entered the country on November 1 with the southern province of Davao listed as their final destination.…

A rabbi addresses mourners at a tribute outside Bondi Pavilion in Sydney on December 16, 2025, honouring victims of the Bondi Beach shooting. [AFP] A father and son were driven by “Islamic State ideology” when they fired on crowds at Bondi Beach in one of Australia’s deadliest mass shootings, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Tuesday. Sajid Akram and his son Naveed opened fire on people thronging the famous beach for the Jewish festival of Hanukkah on Sunday evening, killing 15 people and wounding dozens more. Authorities said the attack was designed to sow panic among the nation’s Jews, but have…

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen during the 2025 International Conference of the Global Alliance to Counter Migrant Smuggling at the European Commission In Brussels, on December 10, 2025. [AFP] The EU must take “very important” decisions on funding Ukraine at a crunch summit this week, but talks over using frozen Russian assets are getting harder, the bloc’s top diplomat said Monday. “We are not there yet, and it is increasingly difficult, but we’re doing the work and we still have some days,” EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas told journalists. “We will not leave the meeting before we…

Mohamed Salah heads for Morocco this week to captain Egypt in the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) amid uncertainty over his future at Liverpool. Published Date: 2025-12-15 09:26:08 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Reporters gather outside the headquarters of Unification Church in Seoul on December 15, 2025, as police raid the building. [AFP] South Korean police raided the headquarters of the cult-like Unification Church on Monday and named its leader as a suspect in the bribery of several high-profile politicians. The church, known for its mass weddings, is at the centre of a mounting scandal in South Korea over alleged payments to lawmakers from both ruling and opposition parties. Prosecutors raided the church’s headquarters in Seoul on Monday as well as the imposing countryside residence of leader Han Hak-ja, who is already on…

Mourners gather by floral tributes at the Bondi Pavillion in memory of the victims of a shooting at Bondi Beach, in Sydney on December 15, 2025. [AFP] A father and son opened fire on a Jewish festival at Australia’s Bondi Beach in a shooting spree that killed 15 people, including a child, authorities said Monday, denouncing the attack as antisemitic “terrorism”. The duo fired into crowds packing the Sydney beach for the start of Hanukkah on Sunday evening, sending people fleeing in panic across the tourist hotspot. A 10-year-old girl was among the dead in the country’s worst mass shooting for…

Health workers move a woman on a stretcher to an ambulance after a shooting incident at Bondi Beach in Sydney on December 14, 2025. [AFP] Two gunmen opened fire at Sydney’s Bondi Beach on Sunday, killing 11 people and wounding multiple others in a “terrorist incident” aimed at a gathering for the Jewish festival of Hanukkah in Australia. Emergency responders rushed at least 29 people to local hospitals from the beach, one of the biggest tourist draws in Australia’s largest city, said New South Wales police. One of the alleged shooters was killed, and the second was in a critical…

First responders with the Providence Fire Department near the Barus & Holley building, the site of a mass shooting, at Brown University campus in Providence, Rhode Island, on December 13, 2025. [AFP] Hundreds of police officers hunted Sunday for a gunman who killed two people and wounded nine others at Brown University, plunging the eastern US campus into lockdown. The streets around the university in Providence, Rhode Island were filled with emergency vehicles hours after the shooter opened fire Saturday at a building where exams were taking place. The violence is the latest in a long line of school attacks…

A displaced resident at a temporary camp in Cambodia’s Banteay Meanchey province on December 14, 2025, amid clashes along Cambodia-Thailand border. [AFP] Renewed border clashes between Cambodia and Thailand entered a second week Sunday after Bangkok denied US President Donald Trump’s claim that a truce had been agreed to halt the deadly fighting. The conflict, rooted in a colonial-era demarcation dispute along their 800-kilometre (500-mile) border, has displaced around 800,000 people, officials said. “I have been here for six days and I feel sad that the fighting continues,” 63-year-old Sean Leap told AFP at an evacuation centre in Cambodia’s border…

Former champions Senegal and DRC is one of the main matches to watch at Afcon battle. Published Date: 2025-12-13 12:08:20 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Morocco included injured captain Achraf Hakimi in a 26-man squad named on Thursday for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations. Published Date: 2025-12-13 11:57:03 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

League leaders Arsenal seeking to fire back as they host Wolves today. Published Date: 2025-12-13 11:34:27 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca said he was “completely relaxed” about his side’s dip in form as he seeks greater consistency ahead of today’s home match vs Everton. Published Date: 2025-12-13 07:56:09 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Mohamed Salah has been included in Liverpool’s squad for their Premier League match at home to Brighton following talks with manager Arne Slot Published Date: 2025-12-13 07:52:35 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

A vendor arranges newspapers on a stall in Cotonou, on December 8, 2025. Benin’s president said the “situation is completely under control” after the government thwarted an attempted coup. [AFP] Some 200 Nigerian and Ivorian troops are in Benin as part of a security mission supporting the government after a weekend coup attempt, the country’s foreign minister said Thursday. The small west African nation was rocked by a failed putsch Sunday, which saw Nigeria, France and Ivory Coast mobilise in support of the civilian government. “There are currently around 200 soldiers present, who came to lend a hand at the…

Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro and Russian President Vladimir Putin. [AFP] Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday reaffirmed his support to Venezuela in a phone call with long-time ally President Nicolas Maduro, the Kremlin said. The call comes after the United States seized an oil tanker off the Venezuelan coast, the latest escalation in the long-standing friction between the two countries. Russia has fostered warm ties with Venezuela, and Maduro visited Moscow earlier this year, attending an annual military parade and signing a broad partnership agreement with Putin. Follow The Standard channel on WhatsApp In a phone call on Thursday, “Vladimir…

This aerial photo shows a general view of Peusangan river after flash floods in Bireuen district Indonesia’s Aceh province on December 9, 2025.[AFP] The death toll in Indonesia’s devastating floods closed in on the 1,000 mark Thursday as hundreds of thousands more continued to face shortages, with frustration growing over relief efforts. Disaster mitigation agency spokesman Abdul Muhari said 990 people had died by late Thursday in the deluge, which laid waste to the northwestern island of Sumatra — the biggest disaster of its kind in recent years. More than 220 people are still missing. Tropical storms and monsoon rains…

 Pile of tasks are placed on the ground at the immigration office during a news conference in Bangkok. A global ban on ivory in 1989 halted widespread poaching but it has steadily worsened since 2004, mostly going to Asia to be carved into chopsticks, statues and jewelry.[AFP] Demand for exotic pets drove seizures of live animals to a record high in 2025, the Interpol police agency said Thursday as it announced a clampdown that led to the interception of nearly 30,000 animals. Interpol said that wildlife crime is now an industry worth more than $20 billion a year, ranging from the movement of thousands…

Former Man United and England star Jesse Lingard signed off with a goal in his final game for FC Seoul before bidding a tearful farewell to South Korean football. Published Date: 2025-12-11 12:56:12 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso said he feels backed by his squad to stay at the helm despite a 2-1 Champions League defeat by Manchester City Published Date: 2025-12-11 12:50:39 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Victor Osimhen-inspired Nigeria are hurting after another unsuccessful World Cup qualifying campaign, and the quickest route to recovery would be winning the 2025 AFCON Published Date: 2025-12-11 12:31:01 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

A person whistles as US Customs and Border Patrol agents conduct operations in Kenner, Louisiana, on December 6, 2025.[AFP] Back in 2018, President Donald Trump disputed having used the epithet “shithole” to describe some countries whose citizens emigrated to the United States. Nowadays, he embraces it and pushes his anti-immigrant and xenophobic tirades even further. Case in point: during a rally in the northeastern state of Pennsylvania on Wednesday that was supposed to focus on his economic policy, the 79-year-old Republican openly ranted and reused the phrase that had sparked an outcry during his first term. “We had a meeting…

South Korean Oceans Minister Chun Jae-soo (C) speaks to reporters upon his arrival at Incheon international airport, west of Seoul on December 11, 2025.[AFP] A South Korean minister resigned on Thursday after being accused of receiving illegal funds from the Unification Church, a cult-like movement linked to widespread influence-peddling. The church, known for its mass weddings, is currently being investigated on charges of unlawful donations linked to the country’s former first lady Kim Keon Hee. Kim’s conservative husband, Yoon Suk Yeol, was ousted in April and is now in prison following a disastrous but brief imposition of martial law, with…

RB Leipzig have appointed Tatjana Haenni as the club’s new chief executive, making her the first woman club boss in German football history. Published Date: 2025-12-10 16:12:44 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

At a cafe in a bustling Cairo neighbourhood, Liverpool games once drew wall-to-wall crowds, but with Salah off the pitch, his Egyptian fans would now rather play cards. Published Date: 2025-12-10 16:03:41 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Liverpool great Steven Gerrard believes the club still need Mohamed Salah as he urged the star forward to “reverse away” from his extraordinary outburst Published Date: 2025-12-10 15:59:33 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Gabriel Jesus has been added to Arsenal’s Champions League squad as the Brazil striker steps up his long-awaited return from injury. Published Date: 2025-12-10 12:34:03 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Lionel Messi won his second consecutive Major League Soccer Most Valuable Player award after propelling Inter Miami to the MLS title and leading the league in goals. Published Date: 2025-12-10 12:29:28 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Defending champions Ivory Coast have recalled 33-year-old former Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco. Published Date: 2025-12-10 12:23:58 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Mikel Arteta defended injury-hit Arsenal’s training methods despite admitting his side are in a “dangerous” situation with their fitness problems. Published Date: 2025-12-10 10:58:03 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

While the future of Salah at Liverpool hangs in the balance, Egypt teammates have rallied behind the national team captain ahead of the 2025 AFCON in Morocco. Published Date: 2025-12-10 10:49:26 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Arne Slot dedicated last night’s 1-0 Champions League win at Inter Milan to the players he took to Italy, refusing to further fuel a public row with star forward Mohamed Salah. Published Date: 2025-12-10 10:39:33 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

A man walks by the Wall of Remembrance of the Fallen for Ukraine, a memorial dedicated to Ukrainian soldiers, in Kyiv on December 9, 2025. [AFP] Military aid for Ukraine plummeted in the second half of 2025 as falling European contributions failed to make up for the halt in US support, data from the Kiel Institute showed Wednesday. As US President Donald Trump wound down US contributions at the beginning of the year, Europe stepped up with record pledges of almost 20 billion euros ($23 billion) between March and June, more than offsetting the overall shortfall. But Europe was only…

This photo taken on December 4, 2025 shows an elephant figurine made of ivory displayed at an antiquities shop in Tokyo. [AFP] At his store in Tokyo’s ritzy Ginza district, Hajime Sasaki displays a disparate array of wares, from chopsticks to Buddha statues — including many made of ivory. International trade in elephant ivory is illegal, but Japan hosts one of the world’s largest remaining legal domestic markets for the product, which can only be bought and sold within its borders. It is fed with stockpiles of ivory imported before the international ban more than 30 years ago, or bought…

President Donald Trump during an event at Mount Airy Casino Resort in Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania, on December 9, 2025. [AFP] US and Indian trade negotiators begin two days of talks Wednesday as they try to reach a deal amid geopolitical turbulence after Washington hit New Delhi with huge tariffs over its purchases of Russian oil. The 50 percent levies on most goods was imposed in August, with US officials arguing the imports of discounted Russian crude effectively bankroll Moscow’s war in Ukraine. Deputy US Trade Representative Rick Switzer’s visit comes a week after Prime Minister Narendra Modi embraced Russian President…

Fast bowler Mark Wood will play no further part in the Ashes tour and is to fly home from Australia at the weekend. Published Date: 2025-12-10 00:00:00 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Red Bull’s influential advisor Helmut Marko is leaving the Formula One giants. Published Date: 2025-12-10 00:00:00 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

All Blacks Published Date: 2025-12-09 16:33:52 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

A teenager holds a mobile phone displaying a message from social media platform Instagram after the account was locked for age verification in Sydney on December 9, 2025. [AFP] Australia banned young teenagers from social media on Wednesday, launching a world-first crackdown designed to unglue children from addictive scrolling on the likes of Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. A raft of the world’s most popular apps and websites face US$33 million fines if they fail to purge Australia-based users younger than 16. Australia becomes one of the first nations to so forcefully push back against tech titans wielding immense political power.…

Real Madrid desperately need superstar Kylian Mbappe at his magical best in a pivotal UCL clash against Manchester City and unstoppable striker Erling Haaland. Published Date: 2025-12-09 14:02:52 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Under-pressure Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso insisted the situation he is in can swiftly change ahead of a potentially pivotal Champions League clash against Manchester City Published Date: 2025-12-09 13:55:35 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

A world record run of 18 consecutive victories has set up Achraf Hakimi-inspired Morocco perfectly for their 2025 AFCON campaign on home soil. Published Date: 2025-12-09 12:57:44 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher labelled Mohamed Salah “a disgrace” on Monday after the Egypt star’s stunning outburst at Reds boss Arne Slot. Published Date: 2025-12-09 11:47:32 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Andrej Babis, leader of the ANO movement, addresses a press conference at the ANO headquarters on October 4, 2025, in Prague after the parliamentary elections. [AFP] Andrej Babis, a billionaire supporter of US President Donald Trump, returned to power as Czech prime minister on Tuesday, signalling a possible end to Ukraine aid and potentially rockier ties with the European Union. Babis’s ANO movement, which won October parliamentary elections, teamed up with two eurosceptic parties to form a coalition government. In its policy statement, the coalition said the EU had “its limits” and no right to impose decisions infringing on the…

A worker drives a delivery truck of South Korean e-commerce giant Coupang in Seoul on December 9, 2025. [AFP] South Korean police raided the Seoul headquarters of e-commerce giant Coupang on Tuesday over a recent data leak believed to have affected almost two-thirds of the country’s population. Coupang is South Korea’s most popular online shopping platform, serving millions of customers with lightning-fast deliveries of products from groceries to gadgets. But the company suffered a massive data leak this year and was forced to alert customers that their names, email addresses, phone numbers, shipping addresses and some order histories had been…

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, Britain’s PM Keir Starmer, Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz and France’s President Emmanuel Macron at 10 Downing Street after a meeting in central London on December 8, 2025. [AFP] More than 250 human rights groups and other NGOs on Tuesday renewed pressure on the German government to take in hundreds of Afghans stranded in Pakistan who had been offered sanctuary by Berlin. The organisations, including Amnesty International, Save the Children, Human Rights Watch and church groups, urged the government to bring the roughly 1,800 Afghans to Germany from Pakistan before the end of the year. Those affected…

An Istanbul court ordered the detention of 11 footballers from Turkey’s first and second divisions, nine of whom are accused of betting on their own teams’ matches Published Date: 2025-12-09 07:32:01 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Amorim said Man United had “improved a lot” after they climbed back into the race to qualify for the Champions League as Bruno Fernandes inspired a 4-1 rout of Wolves Published Date: 2025-12-09 07:27:07 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Lando Norris had been dreaming of winning the world championship since he was five and finally fulfilled that dream 21 years later. Published Date: 2025-12-08 09:32:39 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Mohamed Salah plunged his future at Liverpool into serious doubt after claiming he had been made the fall guy for the Premier League champions’ disastrous form this season. Published Date: 2025-12-07 20:20:00 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Lando Norris claimed his maiden drivers’ championship on Sunday to complete McLaren’s first title double since 1998 with a perfectly-judged drive. Published Date: 2025-12-07 19:06:49 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

This photograph taken on October 8, 2025 shows Santosh Devi putting a light bulb at her house in Rajasthan’s Beawar district. [AFP] Santosh Devi is proud to have brought light and hope to her hamlet in western India, taking up solar engineering through a programme for women like her whose husbands suffer chronic disease from mining work. Her husband is bedridden with silicosis, a respiratory illness caused by inhaling fine silica dust which is common across some 33,000 mines in Rajasthan state, where the couple and their four children live. Santosh, 36, has joined seven other women for a three-month…

A horse-drawn carriage carries passengers through a flooded road past an abandoned gas station in Bandung, West Java on December 5, 2025. [AFP] Survivors in Indonesia were piecing back shattered lives Friday after devastating floods killed more than 1,600 people across five countries, with fears of fresh misery as more rain looms. Indonesia has borne the brunt of the disaster, with its toll rising to 846 dead and 547 missing, authorities said. Many are in the island of Sumatra’s northern Aceh province where more than 800,000 people have also been displaced. Sri Lanka has reported 486 deaths, Thailand 276 and…

Former Manchester United andManchester United said Friday that he will leave FC Seoul next week after two seasons in South Korean football. Published Date: 2025-12-05 12:49:13 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

A dolphin swims in the pool of the Dolphins arena of MarineLand theme park in Antibes southeastern France, on November 27, 2025. [AFP] The Mediterranean’s first sanctuary for dolphins that have lived in captivity will open off Italy next year, as demand for re-homing rises with the closure of marine parks across Europe. “We must develop a new model for managing dolphins  in a natural but supervised environment,” Carmelo Fanizza, head of the San Paolo Dolphin Refuge, told AFP. Located off the coast of Taranto in the southern Italian region of Puglia, the sanctuary still needs a final green light…

James Skea, Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) poses during a photo session in Saint-Denis, in the outskirts of Paris, on December 4, 2025. [AFP] With US President Donald Trump and other sceptics calling climate change a hoax, the UN’s climate science body must tell the world in a “very clear way” that humans are heating the planet, its chairman told AFP. Jim Skea, a Scottish professor, chairs the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which held a five-day meeting in a skyscraper outside Paris this week to begin drafting the next major UN climate assessment. The…

A man walks with his bicycle through flood waters on a street in Vietnam’s Lam Dong province on December 5, 2025, following weeks of heavy rain. [AFP] Heavy rain in Vietnam triggered flooding that killed at least two people and caused more than a dozen landslides, state media said Friday, adding to what authorities called the “most unusual” year of natural disasters in the country’s history. South-central Vietnam has been lashed by weeks of heavy rain, submerging hundreds of thousands of homes in coastal tourism hotspots and causing deadly landslides in mountainous regions. Downpours inundated thousands more homes in Lam…

Live Live Live Live Live Live Live Live Live Live Published Date: 2025-12-05 06:14:00 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (R) and Kenyan Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi (L) participate in a Health Framework of Cooperation signing ceremony at the State Department in Washington, DC on December 4, 2025. [AFP] The United States on Thursday signed a $2.5 billion (Sh323.8 billion) health aid deal with Kenya, the first such bilateral agreement since President Donald Trump dismantled the historic US aid agency and sidelined NGOs. Trump administration officials said the agreement would be the first in a series of agreements with developing countries’ governments, which will be asked to share the bill and cooperate with…

EU Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration Magnus Brunner holds a press conference to present the EU Drugs Strategy and the Action Plan against drug trafficking at the EU headquarters in Brussels on December 4, 2025.[AFP] The European Commission on Thursday unveiled a new plan to combat drug trafficking and to alert member states more quickly about new psychotropic substances circulating on the continent. The fight against illicit drugs is primarily the responsibility of the 27 EU members, but the executive wants to push for a coordinated response to the problem. The issue has been brought back into the spotlight…

Arteta fears Arsenal’s mounting injury problems will hamper their bid to win the title after Declan Rice and Cristhian Mosquera limped off in win vs Brentford. Published Date: 2025-12-04 11:34:15 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

The draw for the first 48-team World Cup takes place on Friday, ahead of the finals from June 11 to July 19 next year in North America. Published Date: 2025-12-04 11:27:58 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard