Archive May 12, 2025

Ivory Coast opposition leader resigns but vows to still fight for victory

By in News, World News

Ivory Coast’s main opposition leader has said he is resigning as party leader but would still lead the fight to win the election, after having been barred from standing in an October presidential vote.

“In the interest of the party, I’ve decided to place my mandate as president of the party in your hands, the activists,” Thiam said in a speech published on social media on Monday.

“This decision does not change the commitment I made in December 2023 to personally lead our party to victory in October 2025.”

President Alassane Ouattara, 83, who has been in power since 2011, has yet to say whether he plans to run again but has said he is eager to “continue serving my country”.

Tidjane Thiam’s campaign for the presidency of the West African country has been mired in tussles over his nationality, as presidential candidates are not allowed to hold dual citizenship.

Thiam was born in the Ivory Coast and renounced his French passport in March to enable his run for the top job. However, a court in Abidjan struck him off the electoral list last month, saying the 62-year-old politician had lost Ivorian nationality when he acquired French citizenship in 1987.

Thiam also faces a legal case against his election as head of the Democratic Party of Ivory Coast–African Democratic Rally (PDCI) after a party member also contested his Ivorian nationality at the time he was chosen.

PDCI deputy president Ernest N’Koumo Mobio assumed the party’s interim leadership following Thiam’s announcement. He appealed for “cohesion, serenity and discipline” and called a party meeting early Monday due to “the urgency linked to the political situation”.

Three other opposition figures have also been excluded from the presidential race, including former President Laurent Gbagbo due to court convictions.

Thiam alleged irregularities on Monday. “While we had the right to hope for inclusive, transparent and peaceful elections, it is clear that the unjustified removal of the PDCI candidate is part of the logic of eliminating the leaders of the main opposition parties to ensure tailor-made elections and a certain victory,” he said.

‘I’m heading to a wedding abroad and swear by this on-sale steamer that folds up in hand luggage’

By in Entertainment News, News

My must-have for summer weddings abroad is Phillips’ handheld steamer that easily folds into hand luggage and smoothes out outfits in seconds – and it’s currently on sale

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This steam is compact, lightweight and perfect for travel(Image: Phillips)

I’m heading off to a wedding abroad this summer, and as a bridesmaid, I cannot walk down the aisle in a creased dress. So, to save myself from any fashion disasters, I’ll be packing my go-to portable steamer: the Phillips 3000 Series Handheld Steamer.

This compact steamer might be small, but it seriously does the job when it comes to smoothing out suitcase-wrinkled clothes. With continuous steam power of up to 20g/min, it effortlessly gets out those tough creases and even manages tricky spots like shirt cuffs and collars.

And the best part? It’s affordable, and currently on sale. The blue colourway I’ve got is still full price at a still wallet-friendly £37.99. However, the purple version is currently on offer on Amazon for £31.99.

Working in a fashion team, I’ve tried my fair share of steamers over the years, including Steamery’s Black Handheld Steamer, currently priced at £60, and Tefal’sDT2022 Clothes Steamer, priced at £49.99. But, Phillips’ offering is the one I always come back to.

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Phillips Handheld Steamer
The steamer folds up and the water tank can be removed for easy storage(Image: Grace Salmon)

One of the main selling points for me is that you can steam your outfits horizontally, without that dreaded water leak, so there’s no need to find a hanger or ironing board. This is especially a lifesaver when you’re travelling and find it hard to come by those things.

It’s also totally safe on all fabrics, including silk – I’ve tried them all! This is thanks to the SmartFlow steam plate, which won’t burn your clothes.

Not to mention its lightweight, foldable, and fitted with a detachable water tank, meaning it can easily slip into a backpack or hand luggage without taking up too much space. It’s my go-to for effortless outfit prep wherever I am.

The main downside for me is that, as it’s portable, the water tank can really only get through one outfit or item before needing to be refilled. Plus, the short cord means you need to be directly next to a plug socket, as it doesn’t stretch very far.

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Despite this, however, considering how compact and practical it is, I can overlook these minor issues.

Tom Kerridge shares secret he’s hiding from wife as she’ll ‘go mental’

By in Entertainment News, News

Celebrity chef Tom Kerridge is a man of many talents – but there’s one thing he’s keeping from his wife, Beth, and it’s all to do with his love for the band Oasis

Tom Kerridge says there’s a secret he won’t divulge(Image: Dave Benett, Dave Benett/WireImagevia Getty Images)

Celebrity chef Tom Kerridge and his wife Beth have been a couple since their fateful meeting in 1997, when she boldly asked him for £3 to cover the cost of a stripper at his mate’s birthday party.

Despite facing numerous challenges together, including the gruelling hours spent launching their now-famed eatery The Hand and Flowers in Marlow, there remains one thing Tom refuses to share with his other half.

Speaking to The Guardian, Tom, an ardent Oasis fan, expressed his excitement for the band’s upcoming reunion concerts later this year but also shared his concerns – particularly one he’s keeping under wraps from Beth.

He admitted: “I had to pay a huge amount of money for the tickets,” confessing only they cost “a lot”. He added: “I can’t divulge because my wife would go mental.

“One, because I had to pay a huge amount of money for the tickets. And two, because it’s in September so they might not even be together by then!”

Tom Kerridge (L) and Beth Cullen-Kerridge attend a private view of sculptor Beth Cullen-Kerridge's new exhibition 'Femella' at Gallery 8 on November 08, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by David M. Benett/Jed Cullen/Dave Benett/Getty Images)
Tom Kerridge won’t tell his wife Beth(Image: Dave Benett, Jed Cullen/Dave Benett/Getty Images)
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While tickets for the iconic Manchester group’s eagerly awaited Wembley Stadium gigs were originally set between £75 and £200, they’ve skyrocketed on resale platforms like StubHub, fetching up to £8,000 for a pair, reports Gloucestershire Live.

Not only did Tom secure a Michelin star within a year of opening The Hand and Flowers with Beth, but his deep-seated passion for Oasis also saw him clinch one of his most cherished achievements – being crowned the winner of Celebrity Mastermind.

“Oasis was my specialist subject,” he revealed to Kate Thornton on her White Wine Question Time podcast. “Two Michelin stars, the first, first pub in the world to ever do it, and Celebrity Mastermind winner!”

Tom shared a hilarious anecdote with Kate about the time one of his musical heroes visited his Buckinghamshire pub while keeping his trademark jacket on during the entire meal. “He’s a very funny character,” Tom said, reminiscing about the visit.

Liam Gallagher performs during the
Oasis are due to reunite with gigs later this year(Image: Daniel Boczarski, Redfernsvia Getty Images)

“He’s very full-on. He came to eat one day in the Hand and Flowers, and not once did he never stop being Liam Gallagher.

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“He spent the whole lunch with his cagoule on, zipped up to the top. He was drinking espresso martinis right, from the start, all the way through to the end. And when he finished his lunch, he moon-walked into the kitchen to thank all the chefs.”

The chef didn’t hold back his admiration for the rock icon, telling Kate: “He’s actually Liam Gallagher but on steroids! He’s twice the Liam Gallagher you ever think he’s gonna be.”

UPDATED: Nigeria’s Flying Eagles Beat Senegal, Soar Into U-20 AFCON Semi-Final

By in News, sport-news

The Flying Eagles have advanced to the semi-final of the U-20 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), beating defending champions Senegal 3-1 on penalties.

Monday’s match ended barren in normal and extra-time, pushing the match to the spotkicks, where Nigeria emerged 3-1 winners. 

That victory earned Nigeria a spot in the U-20 World Cup, billed for Chile later in the year.

Coach Aliyu Zubair’s boys could not break the Young Lions of Teranga’s defence in a feisty game at the Suez Canal Stadium in Egypt.

The Flying Eagles were undefeated in the group stages, earning five points.
But many were unconvinced by the side’s showing, especially after the draw with already-eliminated Kenya.

As the game unfolded on Monday, the West African giants failed to convert their chances. The extra time also did not result in a goal.

But in the penalty shootout, Coach Aliyu Zubair’s boys maintained their cool as Precious Benjamin, Emmanuel Chukwu, and Israel Ayuma scored their spot kicks.

Goalkeeper Ebenezer Harcourt was the hero after saving two penalties.
Senegal failed to score their spotkicks as Pierre Dorival’s effort was saved, the same as Mame Mor Faye’s strike.

Ousmane Konaté also saw his penalty come off the crossbar.

READ ALSO: Carlo Ancelotti To Take Over As Brazil Coach

Although Seydi Diouck scored his kick, it was a little too late for the Senegalese.

With the result, the Flying Eagles soared closer to a record-extending eight U-20 AFCON crown.

An excited Coach Zubairu was full of praise for his boys for beating the defending champions despite the pressure that came with the match.

“We prepared for all scenarios, including penalties. I’m proud of the boys for executing under pressure,” he said.

Is Trump abandoning Israel? Not really

By in News, World News

United States President Donald Trump descends on Tuesday on the Middle East for a regional tour that will begin in Saudi Arabia and include stops in the United Arab Emirates and Qatar. It is a business trip in every sense of the term, involving potentially trillions of dollars in investment and trade deals.

The UAE, for example, has already pledged $1.4 trillion in investments to the US over 10 years in sectors ranging from artificial intelligence and energy to mining and aluminium production. Saudi Arabia, for its part, has committed to investing $600bn in the US over the next four years. According to the Reuters news agency, Trump will also be offering the kingdom an arms package to the tune of $100bn.

Meanwhile, in keeping with the president’s solid history of nepotism and self-enrichment, it just so happens that the Trump Organization is currently presiding over real estate projects and other business ventures in all three Gulf countries he is slated to visit.

And yet one country is conspicuously absent from the regional itinerary despite being the US’s longstanding BFF in the Middle East: Israel, the nation that has for the past 19 months been perpetrating genocide in the Gaza Strip with the help of gobs of US money and weaponry. The official Palestinian death toll stands at nearly 53,000 and counting.

Although the genocide kicked off on the watch of his predecessor President Joe Biden, Trump was quick to embrace mass slaughter as well, announcing not long after reassuming office that he was “sending Israel everything it needs to finish the job” in Gaza. It appears, however, that Israel is taking a bit too long for the US president’s liking – particularly now that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has prescribed an intensified offensive against an enclave that has already been largely reduced to rubble.

The issue, of course, is not that Trump cares if Palestinian children and adults continue to be massacred and starved to death while Israel takes its sweet time “finishing the job”. Rather, the ongoing genocide is simply hampering his vision of the “Riviera of the Middle East” that will supposedly spring forth from the ruins of Gaza, the creation of which he has outlined as follows: “The US will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it too. We’ll own it.”

So while war may be good for business – just ask the arms industry – it seems that too much war can ultimately be a counterproductive investment, at least from a Trumpian real estate perspective.

In the run-up to Trump’s Middle Eastern expedition, reports increasingly circulated of tensions between the US president and the Israeli prime minister – and not just on the Gaza front. On Sunday, NBC News noted that Netanyahu had been “blindsided – and infuriated – this past week by Trump’s announcement that the US was halting its military campaign against the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen”.

Even more annoying to the Israeli premier, apparently, is Trump’s refusal to endorse military strikes on Iran. Plus, the US has reportedly discarded the demand that Saudi Arabia normalise relations with Israel as a condition for US support for the kingdom’s civilian nuclear programme.

What, then, does the strained Trump-Netanyahu rapport mean for the ever-so-sacred “special relationship” between the US and Israel? According to an article published by the Israeli outlet Ynetnews: “Despite the tensions, Israeli officials insist behind-the-scenes coordination with the Trump administration remains close, with no real policy rift.”

The dispatch goes on to assure readers that US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee has “denied rumors that Trump might announce support for a Palestinian state during the visit” to the three Gulf nations. Of course, it’s not quite clear what sort of “Palestinian state” could ever be promoted by the man proposing US ownership of the Gaza Strip and expulsion of the native Palestinian population.

Although Israel may be sidelined on this trip, that doesn’t mean it won’t continue to serve a key function in general US malevolence. Just last month, Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir – source of the idea that there is “no reason for a gram of food or aid to enter Gaza” – was hosted by Republican officials at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. After a dinner held in his honour, Ben-Gvir boasted that Republicans had “expressed support for my very clear position on how to act in Gaza and that the food and aid depots should be bombed”.

Flashy trillion-dollar Gulf deals aside, rest assured that the Trump administration remains as committed as ever to capitalising on Israeli atrocities.

Bears on loose and Tigers’ next hire – Premiership talking points

By in News, Sports News
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Mike Henson
BBC Sport rugby union news reporter
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Leicester have filled one of their big vacancies, bringing in Geoff Parling to replace the outgoing head coach Michael Cheika.

The hunt for a 10 goes on though.

Handre Pollard was superb in the Tiger’s comeback win over Sale under the Friday night lights, landing seven out of seven from the tee and sparking the fightback with a pinpoint crossfield kick to unleash Ollie Hassell-Collins.

The 31-year-old is returning to South Africa and the Bulls at the end of the campaign however and, with Jamie Shillcock also bound for French side Brive, a big-name stand-off is top of the shopping list.

Munster’s Jack Crowley reportedly considered a big-money offer from the Midlands before renewing terms with Munster. Gloucester’s Gareth Anscombe, now off to Bayonne, was apparently under consideration. Even an audacious succession plan that featured England and Northampton’s Fin Smith has been floated.

Earl gets more midfield experience

Ben Earl playing for SaracensGetty Images

A theme of the Lions squad announcement on Thursday was the value of versatility, with head coach Andy Farrell making it clear the ability to play at full-back as well as fly-half had been Marcus Smith’s trump card.

With only Jack Conan as a specialist in the party to tour Australia, number eight might be Ben Earl’s best route into the Test team, however, the 27-year-old is working up his side hustle as a centre.

Having shifted into midfield mid-match against Italy and Wales during the Six Nations, the mere prospect of his hard-line running pinched the Falcons defence in Saracens’ win over Newcastle.

He also picked up a try after tracking wing Tobias Elliott’s full-pelt break.

Bears stray across the Severn

Ellis Genge poses for a selfie with a fanGetty Images

Transferring a regular-season home game onto a grander stage is a difficult trick to get right.

Harlequins, with Twickenham’s Allianz Stadium just over the road, have managed to make their Christmas fixture an annual tradition. Saracens make use of north London neighbours Tottenham’s home ground for their derby against Quins. Northampton have staged some European ties half an hour up the road at 30,000-seater Stadium MK in Milton Keynes.

But most clubs are already the biggest show in their local area.

Bristol’s plan to host a game at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium, which has 47,000 more seats, but is an hour away from Ashton Gate, was bold and took some negotiating with the Welsh Rugby Union.

But it paid off.

With 51,095 tickets sold, the Bears gave value for money by beating Bath, with a win which featured six tries, a superb performance from centre Benhard Janse van Rensburg and a trademark Viliame Mata big hit.

Bristol’s chief operating officer Tom Tainton told Planet Rugby afterwards that there is an aspiration to follow rugby league’s lead and take a game to the United States in future.

Lop-sided selections raise questions

Vannes' players slump to the floor after La Rochelle's late drop goalGetty Images

If Bristol’s Big Day Out, Harlequins’ Big Summer Kick-off event and confirmation of a new television deal, were all boosts to the Premiership, two matches being skewed by second-string teams detracted from the weekend.

Northampton and Bath, with the Champions Cup final to come and a play-off berth secured respectively, both rested stars and took defeats.

A plan to scrap relegation, at least as a concept decided solely on the pitch, in the English top flight will only lower levels of jeopardy at the back end of the season.

It was difficult not to cast an envious eye over the Channel where Vannes, bottom of the Top 14, were only beaten by a final-play drop-goal at home to La Rochelle and Perpignan and Stade Francais fought out an enthralling basement dogfight, with never more than a converted score between them.

Pounds of prizemoney for regular-season points tallies? Reprimands for unduly weakened sides? More ambitiously, a draft of centrally contracted young stars to spread talent through the league?

Win does little to raise Chiefs spirits

Paul Brown-BampoeGetty Images

Don’t be deceived by the scoreline.

Rob Baxter wasn’t.

The Exeter boss “fuming, absolutely fuming” over the deficiencies that lay beneath a flattering 42-14 scoreline against a much-rotated Northampton.

With more of a cutting edge Saints, who had more possession and entered the Exeter 22m 18 times compared to the Chiefs’ 12 visits to the danger zone, might easily have won.

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