Ethiopia president replaced after falling out with PM

Ethiopia's Foreign Affairs Minister Taye Atske Selassie speaks during a press conference on the current status of the country after Ethiopia signed a memorandum of understanding with Somaliland to use one of its ports, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, August 30, 2024Reuters

Taye Atske Selassie, who is now president, was appointed foreign minister in February

Ethiopia's parliament has approved the appointment of a new president to replace the country's first female head of state, Sahle-Work Zewde.

Taye Astike Selassie, foreign minister since February, has taken up the largely ceremonial role. In Ethiopia, political power lies with the prime minister - currently Abiy Ahmed.

Sahle-Work had reportedly fallen out with Abiy in recent years.

The prime minister's backing of her initial appointment in 2018 was hailed as a breakthrough for gender equality in Ethiopian politics.

On Saturday, Sahle-Work posted a brief and somewhat cryptic message on X, implying she was unhappy as a result of staying silent for the past year.

Sources close to the 74-year-old told BBC Amharic she had not been happy for some time and was eagerly awaiting the end of her term, due later this month.

During her presidency, she made several calls for peace across the country, though she was criticised for not talking more about the gender-based violence during the two-year civil war in Tigray. But it is believed she was concerned about the current conflicts in Oromia and Amhara regions.

In Amhara, federal forces have been fighting a local militia, which has led to hundreds of deaths and security forces being accused of committing crimes against humanity.

President Taye, 68, an experienced diplomat having served at the UN and in Egypt, is considered close to Abiy. He was sworn in in front of MPs on Monday.

The replacement of Sahle-Work means that Tanzania's President Samia Suluhu Hassan is currently Africa's only female head of state.

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Lagos State Government officially inaugurate the new Chief Imam of New Lagos Surulere Central Mosque on Saturday

by Nurudeen Ismail

28th August, 2024, 11:55 AM

Lagos State Government officially inaugurate the Chief Imam of New Lagos Surulere Central Mosque on Saturday.

All MUSLIM personalities from across Surulere LGA on Saturday 24th of August, 2024 held in national Stadium at Surulere for the inauguration of Alhaji Wahab Folawiyo Central Mosque located in New Lagos, Shitta Area of Surulere, Lagos State.

At the event, the Chief Imam of Lagos and grand patron of the League of Imams and Alfas in Yorubaland, Sheikhs turbaned Alhaji Atanda, as the new chief imam of the mosque and presented him with the certificate and paraphernalia of office.

Officials of the Muslim Ummah of Surulere Nigeria, including the Governor of Lagos, Governor Olusola Sanwo-Olu, and an eminent Creative Media Consultant, Owner Real Africa News, Mr. Tajudeen Olanrewaju Elegbede, attended the inauguration.

The Selected Lecturer, the Sheikh encouraged the audience to follow in the path of the newly turbaned Chief imam, Alhaji Atanda, whose picture is below.

He described the Scholar of the Muslim ummah's who's in his early 60's as an exemplary Muslim whose life has been marked by devotion and contributions to the advancement of Islam.

Alhaji Atanda, in a remark, expressed his gratitude to Allah for the mosque which has been completed for over 20 years, He said He would fully utilised it for worship and promotion of Arabic and Islamic knowledge.

He said he was humbled by his official pronouncement as the new chief imam of New Lagos Surulere Central Mosque and promised to use the position to continue to preach godliness, which he described as the solution to all problems, social and otherwise, in Nigeria and beyond.

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Haaland hat-trick gives Man City 4-2 win over Chelsea

Nizaar Kinsella

A hat-trick from Erling Haaland helped Manchester City to a 4-2 pre-season win over error-prone Chelsea in Columbus.

Haaland, 24, scored twice in the first five minutes, profiting from two disastrous Chelsea mistakes as Enzo Maresca's side gifted the Premier League champions an early lead.

The first goal came from a Tosin Adarabioyo loose pass, with Levi Colwill bringing down Haaland for a fourth-minute penalty, which the Norwegian scored after a re-take.

Haaland doubled City's lead almost straight away when he intercepted a miscued Moises Caicedo pass to slot in.

Another quick-fire pair of soft goals in the second half saw Pep Guardiola's champions build a commanding lead, City's third coming as substitute Raheem Sterling's mistake enabled Oscar Bobb to score through a near-post shot in the 55th minute.

And Haaland got his hat-trick just one minute later after another error from Malo Gusto.

Chelsea did get two goals back after Raheem Sterling volleyed in a cross after 59 minutes and then Noni Madueke scored on the counter attack in the 88th minute in front of 68,000 supporters at Ohio Stadium.

Maresca insisted that his team played well in a "strange" game and both managers also blamed the "dry" pitch for errors in possession.

City now return to the UK to face Manchester United in the Community Shield next Saturday.

Meanwhile, Chelsea remain in the United States for a match against Real Madrid on Tuesday night before facing Inter Milan at Stamford Bridge next Sunday.

Maresca's approach clearly needs refining

It is clear to see that former Leicester boss Maresca is needing time to bed in his tactical approach after just five weeks in the job at Chelsea, compared to Guardiola's eight years in charge.

All four goals were due to mistakes playing out from the back and while Maresca has said errors are inevitable with his approach, he believes it will ultimately lead to progress. Chelsea did, at times, create openings, including two chances missed by Christopher Nkunku and one from Enzo Fernandez.

But City also had 15 senior players out because of international commitments at Euro 2024 and the Copa America, 10 more than Chelsea.

There are legitimate questions whether full-backs like Reece James and Malo Gusto - who unusually started at left-back ahead of Ben Chilwell - can adapt to the latest new Chelsea system which sees several players playing out of their usual positions.

Maresca admitted he is experimenting to find balance and said: "The reason why is because in this moment I need to see things for the rest of the season.

"It is a strange game because you plan the game in one way, then you concede two goals and it changes the dynamic.

“What can I say about the first-half? The team was good on the ball, creating some chances, finding the right players and the right spaces.

“We need to learn that when you concede one, you cannot concede one and then after two minutes another one."

Haaland, Grealish and Bobb prove a deadly trio

Jack Grealish is using the disappointment around his Euro 2024 omission from the England squad to fuel further success in the coming season.

The winger, 28, helped set up the first goal with some sharp pressing and was close to Haaland throughout, allowing him to link up to create dangerous attacks.

"Jack has had an unbelievable three games," Guardiola said. "I said the first game is about rhythm. Against Barcelona he made five shots, one goal and today he is aggressive.

"I remember perfectly the Jack I know. Not how he performs, but how he's training and his behaviours, which are like two seasons ago. A lot of competition is there [in his position] and the best player who produces for the team will play."

Haaland, of course, showed his sharpness for the new campaign with a deadly 56-minute hat-trick.

A host of Man City youngsters impressed, including Bobb who shot through Colwill's legs for the goal, and could have scored another after a brilliant dribble.

Among City's starters were Rico Lewis, James McAtee, who claimed two assists, Josh Wilson-Esbrand and Nico O'Reilly.

Julian Alvarez, Kevin de Bruyne, Jeremie Doku, Bernardo Silva, Phil Foden and Savinho are yet to begin pre-season with the main squad so Grealish, Haaland and Bobb could be the trio to start at Wembley Stadium against Manchester United next weekend.

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Nigerian president demands end to deadly protests

Chris Ewokor in Abuja & Mansur Abubakar in Lagos

Demonstrators nationwide have been chanted slogans such as: “We are hungry”

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has appealed for protests to end after “bloodshed” during three days of demonstrations over a deepening cost of living crisis.

At least seven people have died and more than 700 have been arrested since Nigerians nationwide rallied on Thursday for the first of 10 planned “days of rage”.

“My dear Nigerians, especially our youth, I have heard you loud and clear,” the president said in a televised address, adding that he understood their “pain and frustration”.

He went on to defend his economic reforms, which the protesters blame for their hardships since he came to office in May 2023, including skyrocketing prices.

The president said the protests had been hijacked by looters in some areas, and ending the unrest would create room for dialogue.

But Mr Tinubu did not indicate that he would reverse his policies, which include removing a petrol subsidy or ending the peg of the local currency to the dollar.

The demonstrations were organised via social media using the hashtag #EndBadGovernance and inspired by the recent success of protesters in Kenya, who forced the government there to scrap plans to increase taxes.

Frustrated Nigerians vow 'days of rage' as hardships mount

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President Tinubu also expressed pain over the loss of lives in four northern states and the destruction of public facilities.

Twenty-four-hour curfews remain in place in Borno, Jigawa, Kano and Yobe after authorities there accused “hoodlums” of violence.

Mr Tinubu said “the wanton looting of supermarkets and shops” was contrary to the promise of protest organisers.

AFP

Our government will not stand idly by and allow a few with a clear political agenda to tear this nation apart"

President Bola Tinubu

The protests in Kano city drew the largest crowds on the first day, with police firing live bullets and tear gas to try and disperse thousands of demonstrators. Looting was also reported.

“As a president of this country, I must ensure public order,” the 72-year-old president said in his speech on Sunday morning.

“Our government will not stand idly by and allow a few with a clear political agenda to tear this nation apart.”

Amnesty International has put the death toll at 13 nationwide and on Sunday called on Kano's governor to "set up an independent judicial commission of inquiry to investigate the killing of at least 10 hunger protesters".

Some in Kano went on to ignore the lockdown order and a few of those that gathered in suburbs of the city on Friday and Saturday were filmed waving Russian flags and calling on Russia’s President Vladimir Putin for help.

By Sunday this sentiment was being reflected on WhatsApp with protesters changing their profile photos on WhatsApp to the Russian flag, some with the words “Rasha Uwa”, which means “Russia our mother” in the Hausa language.

Others are posting memes to Kano groups saying: “We Nigerians are dying of hunger and our leaders don’t care. Please President Putin of Russia come to our aid.”

In the capital, Abuja, security forces fired tear gas for a third day on Saturday to stop protesters marching from a stadium - designated for them to gather - on the city centre.

Businesses, which were closed during the first protests, began to reopen in Lagos and parts of Abuja on Friday.

But flights to places like Kano from Lagos have been cancelled indefinitely.

It is not clear if the president's address will be able to assuage the anger of young Nigerians - but first indications suggest not.

Following the speech, a youth leader in the northern city of Kaduna posted on Facebook in Hausa: “Tomorrow everyone will come out with the Russian flags.”

Abiodun Sanusi from the Take It Back Nigeria movement, one of the organisers of the protest, told the BBC. “We can't leave the streets until our demands are met.”

He urged the president to allow protesters to march to the centre of Abuja and meet them there.

“If the president wants to have a dialogue, we urge the president to meet with us at Eagle Square, in the presence of all Nigerians and live on television.

“We are not interested in any secret meetings.”

Mr Sanusi added that the protesters were unhappy about the threat from the defence chief on Friday that the military would "act" if violence continued.

“Only the police should be on the streets, and they should be peaceful too.”

The police have denied using excessive force during the demonstrations.

Respected Nigerian security analyst Bulama Bukarti warned that the use of Russian flags was spreading and was “potentially dangerous”.

“I urge protesters to be cautious and not allow themselves to be manipulated by forces of instability with their own sinister agendas,” he said on X.

Following several coups in West Africa in recent years, Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger - Nigeria’s neighbour to the north - have left the regional bloc and welcomed Russian help in dealing with security issues.

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Fulham agree club record fee for Arsenal's Smith Rowe

Overall, Smith Rowe made 115 senior outings for Arsenal in all competitions, scoring 18 goals and assisting 13 times.

He made his first-team bow for the Gunners in September 2018 when he became the first player born in the 2000s to debut for the club.

"Emile's commitment, attitude and energy every day was first class, always stepping up when the team needed him," said Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta.

"He came into the first team and was instrumental during a difficult moment for us. He created an important impression, with his strong performances making our supporters proud.

"I'm sad that Emile is leaving us, but excited for him to take this new opportunity at this stage of his career, when he needs to be starting matches and playing regularly.

"Emile is loved by everyone at the club and leaves us with our gratitude, absolute respect and best wishes. We all wish Emile and his family well at Fulham."

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Why Putin thinks he's the winner in prisoner swap

EPA President Vladimir Putin welcomes released Russian prisoners at tarmac EPA

Russians returning home included two children

It’s something Vladimir Putin does rarely: go to the airport to meet people off a plane. Personally.

But he was there last night: on the tarmac at Moscow’s Vnukovo Airport to meet and greet those Russians whose release he’d secured from foreign jails; part of the largest prisoner swap between Russia and the West since the Cold War.

Out of the plane and down the steps came 10 people, including spies, sleeper agents and a convicted assassin.

“Congratulations on your return to the Motherland!” he told them.

You could tell that the Kremlin believes it has something to celebrate.

For the returning Russians there was a red carpet reception and a guard of honour. There were bouquets of flowers and - for some - hugs from the president. Mr Putin embraced Vadim Krasikov, the FSB hitman who’d been serving a life sentence in Germany for assassinating a Georgian-born Chechen dissident.

President Putin promised them all state awards.

“I would like to address those of you who have a direct connection to military service,” he continued. “Thank you for your loyalty to your oath and your duty to your Motherland, which has never forgotten you for a moment.”

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Watch: Putin hugs Russian prisoners as they arrive in Moscow

There’s another message the pro-Kremlin press is putting out right now: good riddance to those Russia has freed from its prisons and who’ve been flown abroad.

“Eight Russians who’d been jailed in Nato countries have returned to the Motherland in exchange for individuals who had been acting to the detriment of Russia’s national security,” says the government paper.

Referring to the dissidents released by Moscow, Komsomolskaya Pravda claims “they have ditched their former Motherland and flown to those who hired them.”

Attempts to discredit critics and opponents; lavish praise for loyal supporters who are portrayed as true patriots. All this helps the authorities make the case with the Russian people that the prisoner swap was a success for the Kremlin.

1:01

Russia-West prisoner swap: Watch how the night unfolded

There is little doubt that the Kremlin views the prisoner swap as a victory for Moscow. It got what it wanted… it got its agents back, including the man who was No.1 on its wish list, Krasikov. The German authorities had initially been unwilling to release a convicted assassin, who a German court had concluded had acted on behalf of the Russian authorities.

That reluctance softened as a wider deal took shape.

But why was it so important for the Kremlin to secure Vadim Krasikov’s release and to bring him home?

Today’s Russian newspapers provide a clue.

“We’re returning our guys” is the headline in the government paper Rossiyskaya Gazeta,

“We don’t abandon our own!” declares the pro-Putin tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda.

That is precisely the message the Kremlin wants to send to its agents and spies: if we send you on missions abroad, and things go wrong, we’ll find a way of getting you home.

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Nigerians hit with 24-hour curfews amid protests

AFP Demonstrators gather during the End Bad Governance protest at Ikeja, LagosAFP

Protesters are railing against the high cost of living and what they say is "bad governance"

Millions of residents in northern Nigeria have been placed under 24-hour curfews amid nationwide protests against the high cost of living.

Governments in the states of Kano, Jigawa, Yobe and Katsina have ordered locals not to leave their homes - and therefore not attend protests - on Friday.

The authorities say the curfew is necessary because "hoodlums" have hijacked the protests in order to loot and vandalise properties.

There is a heavy security presence around the country with nine more "days of rage" scheduled by the movement's organisers.

On the first day, demonstrations in the northern city of Kano drew the largest crowds.

Police fired live bullets and tear gas - and sprayed hot water - to try and disperse thousands of demonstrators. Three people were shot dead and many others were injured.

Looters also broke into a warehouse near the Kano governor's house and police say 269 people have since been arrested with the recovery of many 25-litre groundnut oil cartons and other items taken.

According to rights group Amnesty International, 13 protesters across Nigeria were killed by security forces on the first day of the protests.

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On Thursday night, Nigeria's police chief Kayode Egbetokun said four people in the north-eastern state of Borno had been killed by an "explosion" within a crowd of protesters.

Thirty-four others were "severely" injured, he said.

A curfew was announced there after anti-government protesters began marching in the state capital, Maiduguri, although the authorities cited an earlier explosion as the reason why Borno had joined its neighbouring states in imposing a 24-hour lockdown.

The blast on Wednesday night had killed 16 people at a teashop in the rural community of Kawori, according to local reports.

No-one has said they were behind the attack, but locals suspect it was carried out by notorious jihadist group Boko Haram, which has been active in the north-east since 2009.

On Friday, protesters regrouped in major cities across the country. In the capital city, Abuja, police fired tear gas in an effort to stop protesters marching on the city centre and other satellite towns.

In Lagos, Nigeria's biggest city, some banks and shops reopened after closing on the first day of the protests - and the internet connection remains glitchy.

Inspector-General Egbetokun said he had placed his officers on "red alert". The police are prepared to respond swiftly to any threats to public safety and order, he added.

The nationwide demonstrations were organised via social media using the hashtag #EndBadGovernance and inspired by the recent success of protesters in Kenya, who forced the government there to scrap plans to increase taxes.

During Thursday's protests, which were largely peaceful in the south, demonstrators chanted slogans such as: “We are hungry.”

Many of them are angered by President Bola Tinubu’s removal of a subsidy on fuel - announced with immediate effect during his inauguration speech in May 2023.

It was aimed at cutting government expenditure, but sent pump prices soaring with a ripple effect on other goods, such as food.

Protesters also want the government to carry out wide-ranging reforms to the country’s electoral system and the judiciary.

A spokesperson for Kano's governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, said protests there were largely peaceful but a curfew was necessary because of the "rampant looting, destruction of property and violence" unleashed by "thugs".

Likewise, Yobe State Government imposed a curfew on the areas of Potiskum, Gashua, and Nguru, where it says "hoodlums are taking advantage of the protest to vandalise and loot government and private properties".

Katsina's government said "miscreants" had "hijacked the protests" there.

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