French President Emmanuel Macron looked to cement his legacy, and take on political opponents, with the inauguration on Monday of a monument to the French language deep in far-right heartland.Modern French presidents love a cultural “grand projet” — an imposing monument to “scratch” their name on history, as ex-leader Francois Mitterrand put it in the …

Macron makes legacy bid with French language museumMon, 30 Oct 2023 11:50:10 GMT Read More »

Defence, discipline and set-piece mastery again proved key as South Africa ran out back-to-back winners of the Rugby World Cup in France.The Springboks, with iconic captain Siya Kolisi to the fore, beat New Zealand 12-11 in a gripping final for a record fourth title, the All Blacks reduced to 14 men on 29 minutes after …

Springboks fall back on old recipe for World Cup successMon, 30 Oct 2023 04:52:58 GMT Read More »

Sudan’s rival generals have returned to the negotiating table in Saudi Arabia, but the fighting shows no sign of easing as they wrestle to control the country’s second-largest city.In six months, the war of attrition between army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who commands the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces …

Return to Sudan talks brings no respite for DarfurMon, 30 Oct 2023 02:56:21 GMT Read More »

The African Football League semi-finals are balanced on a knife edge after Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa and Wydad Casablanca of Morocco built 1-0 first-leg leads at home on Sunday.A snap long-range shot by Thapelo Maseko on 52 minutes that took goalkeeper Mohamed el Shenawy by surprise brought Sundowns victory over Al Ahly of Egypt …

Sundowns, Wydad build slender semi-final leads at homeSun, 29 Oct 2023 21:52:11 GMT Read More »

Strength in depth and the positional versatility of the 33-strong squad were behind South Africa’s record fourth World Cup title, coach Jacques Nienaber said, warning not to dub his staff “geniuses” over their leftfield selection.Cobus Reinach and Manie Libbok had been first-choice half-backs in the run-up to Saturday’s final in which South Africa edged New …

‘We’re not geniuses!’ Nienaber says after final selection pays offSat, 28 Oct 2023 23:13:28 GMT Read More »

Springbok captain Siya Kolisi said New Zealand had taken his side to a “dark place” in the Rugby World Cup final, but praised his South Africa side for finding a way to win a record fourth title.The Boks had led 12-6 at half-time in Paris, Handre Pollard kicking four penalties to two from Richie Mo’unga. The …

Kolisi happy to escape ‘dark place’ for World Cup glorySat, 28 Oct 2023 22:08:06 GMT Read More »

Handre Pollard kicked four penalties to help South Africa to a nail-biting 12-11 victory over 14-man New Zealand in the Rugby World Cup final on Saturday to claim a record fourth title.As is so often the case with finals, the match proved to be a tight, edgy encounter at a rain-soaked Stade de France where …

South Africa beat New Zealand by a point to win record fourth Rugby World CupSat, 28 Oct 2023 21:21:14 GMT Read More »

Ghana received a fleet of 100 armoured vehicles from the European Union on Saturday as part of increased aid for border security to coastal West African nations facing spill over from the Sahel region’s jihadist conflicts.Ghana, along with Gulf of Guinea neighbours Togo, Benin and Ivory Coast, are increasingly at risk from violence in the …

Ghana gets more EU aid for border securitySat, 28 Oct 2023 15:12:41 GMT Read More »

When he was barely a teenager, Kenyan goatherder Lisoka Lesasuyan lost both arms to an unexploded bomb while crossing a field used in joint military exercises with the British army.For decades Britain has sent its forces to train in central Kenya but their presence has long attracted controversy, with soldiers accused of rape and murder, …

Divisive legacy of a British army base in KenyaSat, 28 Oct 2023 07:08:37 GMT Read More »

Pakistan team director Mickey Arthur warned against a “witch-hunt” after their World Cup dream suffered a likely fatal blow on Friday.Pakistan slipped to a one-wicket loss at the hands of South Africa, their fourth defeat in six games in India.They will have to win their remaining three matches and hope other results go their way …

Arthur warns against Pakistan ‘witch-hunt’ after World Cup flopFri, 27 Oct 2023 18:40:51 GMT Read More »