Archive May 12, 2025

Ukraine says Russia fired barrage of drones amid calls for ceasefire

By in News, World News

Ukraine has said Russia fired more than 100 drones overnight, despite attempts from Kyiv’s allies to get Moscow to begin a 30-day ceasefire.

Ukrainian air defences destroyed 55 of the 108 drones that Russia launched since 11pm (20:00 GMT) on Sunday, Ukraine’s air force said in a statement on Monday, the day to begin the ceasefire proposed by Kyiv and its European allies to Russia.

The attacks also included 30 simulator drones that were lost along the way without hitting anything. Drones were shot down in the east, north, south and central parts of Ukraine, the air force said.

One person was wounded and residential buildings were damaged in the southern Odesa region, the military administration said. The attacks also damaged railway infrastructure and wounded a train driver in the eastern Donetsk region.

Ukrainian national railway operator Ukrzaliznytsia said “ceasefire proposals are being ignored, and the enemy continues attacks on railway infrastructure”.

Ceasefire calls, direct talks proposal

On a visit to Kyiv on Saturday, the leaders of France, Germany, Poland, and the United Kingdom called on Russia to agree to an unconditional ceasefire from Monday to allow for peace talks – a proposal they said was backed by the United States.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday proposed direct negotiations with Ukraine in Istanbul on May 15, without specifically addressing the European call but criticising “ultimatums” and “anti-Russian rhetoric”.

“We do not exclude that during these talks we will be able to agree on some new ceasefire,” Putin added.

Insisting that a ceasefire should take effect first, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy later said he would be prepared to meet Putin in Turkiye – but did not say whether he would still attend if Russia refused the truce proposal.

It came after US President Donald Trump said in a social media post Ukraine should agree to Putin’s proposal for direct talks “immediately”.

European leaders, however, reacted with scepticism to Putin’s proposal, with French President Emmanuel Macron warning that he was merely trying “to buy time”.

“An unconditional ceasefire is not preceded by negotiations, by definition,” Macron told reporters as he stepped off a train in the Polish city of Przemysl on his return from Ukraine.

Meanwhile, European ministers were set to meet in the United Kingdom on Monday for “critical” talks on “repelling Russian aggression”, in what will be the sixth gathering of the Weimar+ group.

British Foreign Secretary David Lammy was expected to announce further sanctions targeting those backing Russia’s invasion. “The challenge we face today is not only about the future of Ukraine – it is existential for Europe as a whole,” Lammy said before the talks.

Burkina Faso army, militias killed 130 members of ethnic group, HRW says

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At least 130 civilians belonging to the Fulani ethnic group were killed by Burkina Faso’s army and allied militias near the western town of Solenzo in March, Human Rights Watch (HRW) has said.

The killings took place amid a major weeks-long military campaign by special forces that resulted in “widespread civilian deaths and massive displacement” of the Fulani pastoralist community in the region, the rights group said in a report on Monday.

It added that an Al-Qaeda-affiliated group called the Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM) then carried out a series of retaliatory attacks, hitting villages that the armed group perceived as having assisted the military.

Ilaria Allegrozzi, senior Sahel researcher at HRW, said in a statement the “the viral videos of the atrocities by pro-government militias near Solenzo” that cirinitially circulated “told only part of the story”.

“Further research uncovered that Burkina Faso’s military was responsible for these mass killings of Fulani civilians, which were followed by deadly reprisals by an Islamist armed group,” Allegrozzi added.

“The government needs to impartially investigate these deaths and prosecute all those responsible.”

‘Many women and children died’

HRW had reported in March that the government’s involvement was likely due to video evidence online.

At that time, the government strongly denied the allegations, saying in a statement it “condemned the propagation, on social media, of images inducing hate and community violence, and fake information aimed at undermining social cohesion” in the West African country.

Burkina Faso’s government and army did not immediately react to Monday’s report, which alleged that the Burkinabe army “led and participated in the massacre of more than 130, possibly many more, ethnic Fulani civilians by pro-government militias”.

The rights organisation’s report is based on interviews with witnesses to the attacks, militia members, journalists and civil society members.

Witnesses quoted by HRW said hundreds of government troops and drones, as well as a pro-government militia called the Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland (VDP), were involved in attacks on Solenzo and other towns in the western Boucle du Mouhoun region.

The witnesses said most of the victims in Banwa province were women, children and older people.

Military helicopters and drones surveilled the area, “indicating direct command control of the operation”, HRW said.

A 44-year-old Fulani herder, who lost eight family members, told HRW that thousands of families from more than 20 villages were forced to flee to neighbouring Mali in search of protection.

“However, we couldn’t reach Mali without crossing villages [that were] occupied by the VDPs and the army. The VDPs shot at us like animals, while drones were flying over our heads. Many women and children died because they could not run,” he said.

Military rulers took power in Burkina Faso in 2022, but they have largely failed to provide the stability promised, as more than 60 percent of the country is estimated to be outside government control.

‘Not Nice,’ Robertson Faults Liverpool Fans For Booing Alexander-Arnold

By in News, sport-news

Trent Alexander-Arnold was booed by Liverpool fans during Sunday’s 2-2 draw against Arsenal as Andrew Robertson admitted it was “not nice” to hear the jeers for his team-mate in his first appearance since announcing he will leave the champions at the end of this season.

Liverpool right-back Alexander-Arnold confirmed his impending exit on Monday ahead of a widely-expected move to Real Madrid.

In his first game in front of Liverpool’s fans at Anfield since his decision to quit his boyhood club, the Merseyside-born England star was subjected to audible jeers as he was introduced as a 67th-minute substitute against Arsenal.

There were also some cheers for the 26-year-old product of Liverpool’s youth academy, who has won two Premier League titles and the Champions League with the Reds.

But he was booed several times while in possession in the second half as Arsenal fought back from two goals down despite finishing with 10 men after Mikel Merino’s late dismissal.

Liverpool manager Arne Slot had said prior to the game he would not tell supporters how they should react to the player’s announcement.

Slot dropped Alexander-Arnold from his line-up as he looked to the future by starting with 21-year-old Conor Bradley.

The highly-rated Northern Irishman is viewed as the natural successor to Alexander-Arnold and the crowd sang his name during the game.

“There’s a lot of emotion around it,” Robertson said of the taunts for Alexander-Arnold.

“For Trent, it’s not been an easy one. Of course it’s not. But he’s made the decision.

“It’s not nice to see a friend get booed, it wasn’t nice. But as I said, we can’t tell people how to act.

“I can’t tell you how I feel about it, I’m extremely proud of him. I love him as a player, I love him as a friend. He will be missed as one of my best friends in the game.”

READ ALSO: Fan Violence Casts Shadow Over Nigerian Football League

 ‘There’s a lot of ill-feeling’ 

Slot opted to toe a delicate line between supporting Alexander-Arnold and not angering Liverpool’s fans.

“There were people who were not so happy, there were people who were happy for him. They clapped for him. A few of them booed,” he said.

“I will always back my players, the ones I lead and wear the red shirt.

“It would not be fair to focus only on the Liverpool fans that booed. If they want to, it’s fine but there were a lot of people that were really positive about him as well.”

Slot said he would have no qualms about selecting Alexander-Arnold for Liverpool’s final two games at Brighton and against Crystal Palace at Anfield.

“The thing I consider is I want to win a game of football and if we think we can win with Trent, I owe it to his team-mates and to the fans, because they hired me to win as many games of football as possible,” Slot said.

“And if I think there’s a better chance of winning with Trent, then I will pick him.

“If I think it’s a distraction or whatever can happen for us not to play a good game of football, then I might make another decision.”

Alexander-Arnold is the latest Liverpool star to leave for Madrid after Steve McManaman and Michael Owen in 1999 and 2004 respectively.

Neither have been able to completely heal the wounds caused by their defections to the Bernabeu.

But former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher echoed Robertson’s frustration with the reaction of Reds fans to Alexander-Arnold.

“That’s the story of the game. That’s what we will be talking about after the game, and the back pages of every newspaper tomorrow,” he said.

“I’m surprised how many. When you’re in a crowd of 60,000, there’s no doubt there’s a lot of unhappy people at Liverpool about the situation, and I’ve said that’s understandable.

“But for me, I don’t believe that any player putting that red shirt on, going out to play for the club and trying to win them points or win them trophies should be booed.”

Fan Violence Casts Shadow Over Nigerian Football League

By in News, sport-news

Minutes after the final whistle, Vincent Temitope, a forward with Nigerian football club Plateau United, was bleeding after suffering a horrific cut to his neck.

Temitope was attacked after he had scored in the 3-2 loss away to Nasarawa United last month in the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL).

His club blamed the attack in central Nigeria on supporters of the home team, with director Yaksat Maklek saying some fans attacked him “inflicting a cut on his neck region, causing sustained bleeding”.

Such instances of violence are frequent in a league in which the home teams often deploy means to win at all costs.

A week before Temitope was attacked, players of Lagos-based Ikorodu City were rescued from a stadium in the southwestern Nigerian city of Ibadan after earning a 1-1 draw against the home team, Shooting Stars.

Match officials reportedly had to disguise themselves as policemen to evade violent fans as they tried to leave the stadium.

Only a month before, Shooting Stars’s goalkeeping coach John Dosu was punched by an official of a visiting team.

“Desperation for victory, desperation for points, particularly for teams that want to finish amongst the top three, or teams that want to avoid a drop, is usually at the foundation of crowd violence,” Toyin Ibitoye, a former spokesman for Nigeria’s national football squad, the Super Eagles, told AFP.

Fan violence at stadiums also festers because some clubs tacitly support the perpetrators, Ibitoye said.

The result is a toxic match-day atmosphere, where fans often feel entitled to attack players and officials if results don’t go their way.

Players and match officials are not the only ones at risk.

The police had to fire tear gas to disperse hundreds of angry fans who stormed the pitch and went on the rampage after Nigeria failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup.

But analyst Emeka Nwani suggests that the “violence and hooliganism” are not as rampant as portrayed.

Patrice Motsepe, the president of the Confederation of African Football, told journalists in Ghana last month of his “very deep and steadfast” commitment to eliminating violence in African football stadiums.

“To have a single fan injured at the stadium is something that we do not want to experience under any circumstance,” Motsepe said in response to a question about a recent wave of incidents across the continent.

READ ALSO: ‘Not Nice,’ Robertson Faults Liverpool Fans For Booing Alexander-Arnold

 Unscrupulous referees

The integrity of the Nigerian league is also threatened by dubious officiating, which officials are struggling to crack down on.

As the current season nears its climax on May 18, league organisers are also scrambling to tackle the age-old problem of questionable officiating.

Some fans accuse referees of bias or being compromised, especially in high-stakes fixtures.

In a strongly-worded memo two weeks ago, the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) told referees across all tiers to be fair or face the consequences.

It warned that referees found guilty of malpractice could face a 10-year ban and even be handed over to the police for “further investigation and prosecution.”

For many club officials, the warning was long overdue.

“That’s how you curb the ‘mago mago’ we always see at this point in the league,” an official with one of the local clubs told AFP, using local slang for foul play or manipulation.

 ‘Cosmetic sanctions’

Despite fines and stadium bans occasionally handed down by the NPFL’s board, the sanctions are often seen as merely cosmetic.

Clubs are rarely held accountable beyond token punishments, and banned fans often return to stadiums undeterred.

The league fined Nasarawa United six million naira (about $3,740) after the attack on Plateau United’s Temitope and ordered the club to play its remaining home games in a neighbouring state till the end of the season.

Analysts believe that to counter the violence, the clubs and offending fans should face much tougher punishment.

“The best sanction for me, apart from banning the fans… or banishing the club from their base, is to also deduct points,” Nwani told AFP.

Better officiating standards and enhanced stadium security and fan engagement could also help deter the violence, said Ibitoye, who called for “more surveillance cameras” to identify perpetrators.

Downcast Victoria Beckham snubs usual glam as she struggles with heartbreak over Brooklyn

By in Entertainment News, News

As ‘heartbroken’ Victoria Beckham and husband David headed to New York, it has been claimed that Nicola Peltz and her mother-in-law haven’t seen eye to eye since 2022

Victoria Beckham was casually dressed as she hit the shops in Manhattan(Image: GC Images)

Trendy Victoria Beckham dismissed her usual flawless glam look by sporting a tracksuit and trainers as she put some distance between herself and the Beckham family ‘feud’.

The fashion designer stepped out in New York with her husband David after claims she is ‘heartbroken’ as the row between them and their daughter-in-law Nicola Peltz is said to have worsened. Wearing an all-khaki outfit and shades, Posh Spice clutched her phone tight during a shopping trip.

David wasn’t far behind and was looked stylish in a smart coat and a pair of slouchy trousers, which were tucked into his trainers. His bags were packed as he held a Goyard bag with the couple enjoying some time out in the Big Apple following his birthday celebrations.

Earlier this month, reports of a rift between Brooklyn Beckham and the rest of his family were further fuelled when the 26-year-old failed to show up with Nicola to his dad’s 50th bash in Notting Hill, despite their eldest child being in London at the time.

Victoria Beckham
Victoria looks laidback in a khaki tracksuit in New York(Image: GC Images)
Nicola reportedly doesn't see eye to eye with the Beckhams
But the situation with Brooklyn and Nicola wouldn’t have been far from her mind(Image: Getty Images for ENTER Works)
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A source close to Brooklyn and Nicola later claimed that Victoria and David “refused” to see the couple privately ahead of the birthday do, even though they had “travelled all the way to London specifically to try to repair the relationship”. The couple’s friends have reacted with fury after Nicola’s pals made a series of extraordinary claims about the reason why the rift between Brooklyn and his family emerged.

Her friend claimed: “We are at this point because Nicola, an outsider coming into the Beckham family, has been able to help Brooklyn see the emotional abuse and toxic behavior within his family, that it’s not healthy and it’s not normal and it’s not ok.”

Victoria allegedly has a particular problem with her, with sources claiming that Nicola is a “narcissist”. The pair were said to have had issues three years ago when Brooklyn and Nicola were tying the knot in 2022, but it was thought that she and Victoria had managed to put that behind them.

It is believed to have arisen when Victoria was allegedly disappointed Nicola chose to wear a Valentino dress rather than a dress designed by her own label. Nicola denied the rumours, calling them “hurtful”. “I was going to [wear Victoria Beckham] and I really wanted to, and then a few months down the line, she realised that her atelier couldn’t do it, so then I had to pick another dress,” she told Variety at the time. The pair quashed rumours of a feud between them back then. However, it’s said they’re no longer on good terms anymore.

The Mail On Sunday reported that a source claimed: “The view is that Nicola is a narcissist. Nicola has love-bombed Brooklyn since the day they met and has tried to convince him that she is all he needs, and then she has cut him off from his family.

“Nicola has used Brooklyn for all she can get to elevate herself and that has really worked for her – she’s a Beckham now. Victoria absolutely loves her son – she always will. But with Nicola it’s an entirely different story. She despises her, she tried her best to make up after the wedding row but this time it all seems extremely unlikely. Victoria has had enough.”

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They added that the Beckham family think “Nicola is a nightmare”. The Beckhams’ relationship with Nicola is reported to have become particularly strained recently when one of the billionaire-heiress’ friends claimed that there is “emotional abuse and toxic behavior within his family”.

Gaza’s hospitals cannot provide food to recovering patients

By in News, World News

Hospital patients in Gaza are under increasing threat as Israel’s blockade on food and other supplies entering the enclave enters its third month.

Palestinians across Gaza are struggling to feed themselves, and with hospitals unable to provide food, families must bring whatever they can find for their loved ones.

“Most, if not all, wounded patients have lost weight, especially in the past two months,” said Dr Khaled Alserr, a general surgeon at Nasser Hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis.

Nutritional supplements for intensive care unit patients are lacking, he said. “Our hands are tied when it comes to making the best choice for patients. Choices are limited.”

Aid groups say that malnutrition is on the rise across Gaza.

Thousands of children have been found with acute malnutrition in the past month, but adults are also not receiving proper nutrients, according to the United Nations. It estimates that 16,000 pregnant women and new mothers this year face acute malnutrition.

Since Israel’s blockade began on March 2, food sources have been dwindling.

Aid groups have stopped food distribution. Bakeries have closed. Charity kitchens handing out bowls of pasta or lentils remain the last lifeline for most of the population, but they are rapidly closing for lack of supplies, according to the UN.

Markets are empty of almost everything except canned goods and small amounts of vegetables, and prices have been rising.

Local production of vegetables has plummeted because Israeli forces have damaged 80 percent of Gaza’s farmlands, the UN says, and much of the rest is inaccessible inside newly declared military zones.

Israel says it imposed the blockade and resumed its military campaign in March to pressure Hamas to release its remaining captives and disarm.

Israeli officials have asserted that enough food entered Gaza during a two-month ceasefire earlier this year. Rights groups have disputed that and called the blockade a “starvation tactic” and a potential war crime.

Now, Israel plans to control aid distribution in Gaza, using private contractors to distribute supplies.

The UN and other aid groups have rejected the idea, saying it could restrict who is eligible to give and receive aid and could force large numbers of Palestinians to move, which would violate international law.

Those under care at hospitals, and their families who scrounge to feed them, would face further challenges under Israel’s proposal. Moving to reach aid could be out of the question.

Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 52,829 Palestinians and wounded 119,554, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. The enclave’s Government Media Office updated the death toll to more than 61,700, saying thousands of people missing under the rubble are presumed dead.