Author: AFP

Cholera cases rise to 139 in cyclone-hit Mozambique

BEIRA (Mozambique): The number of confirmed cholera cases in cyclone-ravaged Mozambique climbed sharply to 139 Thursday as authorities prepared to roll out a mass vaccination campaign to stem the spread of the deadly disease. “The total number of cholera cases is now 139,” government health officer Ussein Isse told AFP.

15 killed as Shabaab bomb busy Somali restaurant

MOGADISHU: At least 15 people died when a car bomb exploded on a busy street and ripped into a nearby restaurant in Somalia’s capital on Thursday, medics said. Security officials and witnesses reported bodies strewn on the ground as plumes of smoke rose high into the air after the bomb

Philippines rearrests Duterte critic journalist Maria Ressa

MANILA: Philippine journalist Maria Ressa, a prominent critic of President Rodrigo Duterte, was rearrested yesterday in what press freedom advocates called retaliation for her news site’s dogged coverage of the government. Ressa and her website Rappler have been hit with a string of criminal charges in recent months that have

French museum renames masterpieces after black subjects

French art masterpieces have been renamed after their long overlooked black subjects in a ground-breaking new Paris show on the representation of people of colour in art. Manet’s “Olympia”, the scandalous painting of a naked reclining prostitute that marks the birth of “modern art”, has been rebaptised “Laure” after the

Exhibit highlights Wellington’s formative Indian years

An exhibition on the Duke of Wellington’s time in India opens in London Saturday, shedding light on formative years before he defeated French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte at the Battle of Waterloo. Between 1796 and 1804, as the young Arthur Wellesley, he helped overthrow the Tipu Sultan and masterminded victory in

Higuain retires from Argentina duty

BUENOS AIRES: Argentina striker Gonzalo Higuain announced his retirement from international football on Thursday telling critics “I gave everything” for the Albiceleste. He says he can devote more time to his family and more focus on his Premier League club Chelsea. The 31-year-old French-born forward stands down from national duty

Jones in three-way tie for PGA lead at Punta Cana

MIAMI: Australian Matt Jones set an early target with a six-under par 66 and ended Thursday in a three-way tie for the lead in the US PGA Tour’s Corales Puntancana Resort Championship. Jones hit 13 of 14 fairways and 15 greens in regulation as he fired seven birdies with one

Hamilton blasts ‘crazy’ racism in sport

MANAMA: Lewis Hamilton on Thursday said it was “crazy” that racism still exists in sport as he followed his tweet about the “despicable” treatment suffered by England’s footballers in Montenegro with a plea for stricter action against the scourge. Speaking ahead of this weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix, the five-time Formula

Vettel welcomes Mick Schumacher to Ferrari test

MANAMA: Four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel on Thursday welcomed his Ferrari team’s move to give fellow-German Mick Schumacher a Formula One test next week. Speaking to reporters ahead of this weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix, Vettel said he believed the son of his own childhood hero seven-time champion Michael Schumacher, who

Boxers in limbo say Aiba as IOC mull Tokyo 2020 exclusion

LAUSANNE: The under-pressure International Boxing Federation (Aiba) criticised on Thursday the IOC’s decision to wait until late May before delivering their verdict on the sport’s Olympic fate as it fights for its place on the 2020 Tokyo roster after a storm of corruption allegations. Aiba said the International Olympic Committee’s