South African stage legend John Kani shuffled between rows of red chairs in the 450-seat theatre named after him, searching for one in particular.”I think it’s this one,” he exclaimed, pointing at 15E near the stairs leading to the stage. “This used to be Nelson Mandela’s seat!”The actor laughed as he recalled how South Africa’s …
Guinean writer Tierno Monenembo will boycott his country’s upcoming constitutional referendum, calling the vote a “farce”. Unwaveringly critical of the authoritarian junta in power, he said he is ready to “die for his ideas”.In the lush garden of a Conakry bar he frequents, Monenembo — one of Africa’s most highly regarded Francophone writers — spoke …
The top UN court will rule Friday in a long-running dispute between France and Equatorial Guinea over a multi-million-euro Paris mansion seized during a corruption probe into the country’s vice-president.Equatorial Guinea has asked the International Court of Justice to issue emergency orders to prevent France selling the luxury building, also seized in 2012, which boasts …
ICJ to rule on France-Equatorial Guinea mansion rowFri, 12 Sep 2025 05:47:36 GMT Read More »
Investigators searching for the man who killed right-wing activist Charlie Kirk appealed for the public’s help Thursday, with no one in custody more than a day after a murder that has rocked America’s fractious politics.Kirk, a 31-year-old superstar on the Republican right who harnessed surging youth support for US President Donald Trump, was shot dead while addressing a large crowd at Utah Valley University on Wednesday.Hundreds of agents from across 20 law enforcement agencies are combing for clues to the identity of the culprit, but at a Thursday evening media briefing, they appeared to have little to show.”We cannot do our job without the public’s help,” Utah Governor Spencer Cox told reporters, adding they had received more than 7,000 leads.”We need as many, as much help as we can possibly get. Any videos or photos that you might have… should be submitted to our digital media tip line.”FBI Director Kash Patel, who on Wednesday tweeted that agents had someone in custody before having to walk that back, stood mutely as Cox spoke.No one took any questions from the assembled press corps.Pictures released Thursday showed a man detectives want to question.He was wearing Converse shoes, a black baseball cap, dark sunglasses and what appeared to be jeans, with a long-sleeved top emblazoned with a design that included an American flag.Police say they believe the shooter fired a single bullet from a rooftop up to 200 yards (180 meters) away, hitting Kirk in the neck.A video played at the press conference shows a figure running across a roof at the university, then jumping to the ground and making his way off campus towards some trees — apparently the location where a high-powered bolt-action rifle was recovered. – Dark moment -Reflecting the highly political nature of the killing, Kirk’s coffin was transported to his home city of Phoenix on JD Vance’s official plane.Footage showed the vice president with his hands on the casket as it was carried to Air Force 2.Kirk’s widow, Erika, held hands with Vance’s wife after the plane arrived in Arizona, the headquarters of the powerful Turning Point USA.The right-wing mediasphere remained in a state of heightened emotion Thursday, with Fox News contributors recounting the impact Kirk had on their lives.Fox News host Jesse Watters said Wednesday the killing showed his side of the political spectrum was under attack.”Whether we want to accept it or not, they are at war with us. And what are we going to do about it?” he asked his audience.Trump urged supporters to respond peacefully, telling reporters that Kirk had been “an advocate of nonviolence.””That’s the way I’d like to see people respond,” he said.- ‘Totally surreal’ -Students at Utah Valley University on Thursday described their shock, and their broader fears as political divisions deepen across the country.Dave Sanchez told AFP witnessing the killing made him “sick to my stomach.””We watch him all the time and so it really does feel like one of your own family members, your own brother’s been killed,” said Sanchez, 26.In Orem Park, several hundred people wearing red MAGA caps and holding American flags attended a vigil on Thursday evening, where they prayed and held a moment of silence.”It still feels insane that this happened,” Jonathan Silva, 35, told AFP. “It’s totally surreal.”Silva’s wife Angelina, 27, told AFP about how the violent political polarization made the couple question their plans to have a child.”It seems a little hopeless to try to start a family and raise children in a society where there’s so much hatred and so much division,” she said.Kirk, whom supporters have hailed as a “martyr”, co-founded Turning Point USA in 2012 to drive conservative viewpoints among young people, with his natural showmanship making him a go-to spokesman on television networks.The father-of-two used his audiences on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube to build support for anti-immigration policies, outspoken Christianity and gun ownership, and to spread carefully edited clips of his interactions during debates at his many college events.Three months ago, a Minnesota man shot dead a Democratic lawmaker and her husband in their home. In July 2024, Trump survived an assassination attempt during his election campaign.
Green Bay quarterback Jordan Love threw for 292 yards and two touchdowns as the Packers romped to a 27-18 NFL victory over the Washington Commanders on Thursday.After beating the NFC North division champion Detroit Lions in week one, the Packers cruised past a Commanders team that made it to the NFC championship game last season.”It’s a great start to the season, we’ve just got to keep building on it,” Love said.Green Bay’s offense put up 404 total yards compared to Washington’s 230.Love connected with tight end Tucker Kraft six times for 124 yards, including an eight-yard TD in the fourth quarter that helped squelch any thoughts of a Commanders comeback.Love had hit Romeo Doubs for a touchdown in the first quarter and Josh Jacobs ran for a two-yard TD to put Green Bay up 14-0 before the Commanders’ Matt Gay drilled a 51-yard field goal that made it 14-3 at halftime.A Brandon McManus field goal pushed Green Bay’s lead to 17-3 midway through the third.Washington quarterback Jayden Daniels found Zach Ertz for a 20-yard touchdown early in the fourth.But Green Bay responded with Kraft’s touchdown and a 56-yard field goal by McManus.In his second game since joining Green Bay in a blockbuster trade from Dallas, Micah Parsons had a pair of tackles and was credited with half a quarterback sack and three quarterback hits.Love credited the Packers’ defense with containing the Commanders.”You hold a good offense like that (to) 18 points and let us go score, we’re gonna win those games,” he said.Packers coach Matt LaFleur also praised the defensive performance.”I think our players are doing a great job of feeding off one another,” he said. “It’s definitely exciting to watch our defense go out there and perform because they allow us to get up on somebody.”The Packers did suffer a blow on the opening drive when wide receiver Jayden Reed was injured after making a catch and reaching the end zone.The touchdown was also negated by a holding penalty.Reed, who landed hard on his right shoulder on a tackle by Quan Martin, made his way to the sideline but was ruled out for the rest of the game with what LaFleur later said was a broken collarbone.”He’s going to miss a lot of time, unfortunately,” the coach said. “Certainly I would expect him back at some point this season.”The Commanders lost defensive lineman Deatrich Wise Jr. to a quadriceps injury and tight end John Bates to a groin injury.Washington running back Austin Ekeler departed on a cart after suffering a non-contact Achilles injury in the fourth quarter.
Israeli referee Sapir Berman beamed as she recalled the moment her “dream came true” earlier this year, when she became the first transgender woman to officiate an international football match.”I always wanted to be a woman, and I always wanted to be a football referee — and then those two came together and fused into one dream that just exploded with joy,” the 31-year-old told AFP. “It’s an uplifting, powerful feeling — the feeling that I’m doing the right thing, that I’m choosing myself, that I’m showing the world it’s possible.”Since I was five, I remember wanting to be a woman, wanting to be a girl. And when I started playing football, I realised that the dream of being a woman and playing football didn’t go together,” she said.”So I decided to hide who I was and just keep playing football. I hid myself for almost 26 years.”Berman grew up in a football-loving family, playing as a defender for around 10 years from around the age of five.When she realised her professional ambitions were not working out, she joined the referees association and worked her way up to preside over men’s matches in the Israeli Premier League.But all the while, Berman felt she was hiding her innermost secret and was even frustrated during the initial stage of her hormone therapy.It was when the Covid-19 pandemic hit and Berman was plunged into lockdown that she began reflecting on the future.”I asked myself: ‘Is this what life will look like? Is this where it’s going?'” she said.”I decided to reveal myself.”Berman initially feared her career in football was over, but said her brother suggested she try to make it work.- ‘A lot of questions’ -England’s Lucy Clark became the first transgender woman in the world to referee a match in 2018, in the third tier of English women’s football, but has never officiated internationally. When Berman officiated the Women’s Under-17 Euro qualifier between Northern Ireland and Montenegro in Belfast in March, it was a first for European football, according to UEFA.Berman said the journey was not always easy, despite great support and professionalism from Israel’s referees association.”There were a lot of questions, and a lot of moments where they said: ‘We don’t know what to do.’ And I also didn’t know what to do, what it involved, what to expect, or how the process would go,” she said. Berman said that when she began hormone therapy as part of her transition, she initially felt resentful towards her body.”Outside the field, I felt amazing. On the field, I felt that I destroyed my career,” she said.She failed two fitness tests and was moved down a league, but with the help of a sports psychologist and “a lot of trial and error”, she made her comeback. Berman received her international badge earlier this year and dreams of refereeing a match in the Champions League, the European Championship or the World Cup.- ‘Different layers’ -Transgender participation has become a hot-button issue as different sports try to balance inclusivity with ensuring fair competition.Earlier this year, England’s Football Association announced that transgender women would no longer be allowed to play in women’s football.Berman said she trusted those in decision-making bodies and expected them to “find the way to integrate, to unite, to diversify”.”Human beings are made up of so many different layers, and you come and reject us for just one reason,” she said, explaining how an athlete’s performance could also be affected by mental, financial, geographical or familial factors. On the pitch, Berman said she has received positive reactions from both players and supporters.”The fans continued to curse me — only now, they did it in the feminine form,” she said, adding it “was a kind of stamp of approval — that they see me exactly as I am”.And on the street, young people have told her that her story has given them hope. “That fills me up. It gives me so much strength to keep going and doing what I do — because at the end of the day, I chose myself.”
