English defender and Charlotte FC player Anton Walkes has died at the age of 25, the Major League Soccer club said on Thursday. Walkes died after being in a boating accident on waters in Miami on Wednesday as the club had arrived in Florida to begin a training camp for the pre-season, according to local media. He began his career with Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur in July 2013. He played one match for the senior side, coming on as a substitute in the 80th minute in a 5-0 win against Gillingham in the League Cup in 2016. Walkes later … Continue reading Former Tottenham defender Walkes dies aged 25

Vietnam’s President Nguyen Xuan Phuc has announced he is stepping down, sparking a potential power shift among the communist-ruled country’s leaders. The move had been widely rumoured and follows the departure of two deputy prime ministers who served under him. Mr Phuc, a former prime minister, had held the post of president since 2021. The news that he is quitting comes during an anti-corruption drive led by hard-liners. Hundreds of Communist Party members are being investigated. The president’s resignation requires approval from the National Assembly, which will hold an extraordinary vote on Wednesday that is expected to be a formality. … Continue reading Power shift in Vietnam as President Nguyen Xuan Phuc quits

US rapper Meek Mill has apologised for surreptitiously filming a music video in Ghana’s presidential palace, also known as Jubilee House. The star caused uproar with the video, which saw him lip-syncing in the palace’s corridors and halls – and even behind the presidential lectern. He was accused of “desecrating” Jubilee House, while MPs raised questions about the potential security risks. In a statement, Mill said he would “take responsibility for my mistake”. “To the people of Ghana, no video I drop is ever meant to disrespect the people of Ghana,” he wrote. “The fastest way to make connection is … Continue reading Meek Mill apologises for filming a video in Ghana’s presidential palace

Veteran defender Dani Alves will become Brazil’s oldest World Cup captain in their final group game against Cameroon on Friday. The 39-year-old former Barcelona full-back was controversially included in head coach Tite’s squad for Qatar 2022 amid reports it was to act as a minder for close friend Neymar. Alves, who now plays in Mexico for UNAM Pumas, will wear the skipper’s armband as Tite prepares to make changes, with top spot in Group G guaranteed if they avoid defeat against Cameroon. Alves, who has recovered from a knee injury to compete at his third World Cup finals, said: “For me it represents the … Continue reading Dani Alves to become Brazil’s oldest World Cup captain against Cameroon

The leader of Burkina Faso’s military junta, Ibrahim Traoré, who led an uprising on September 30 against the then leader, Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, denounced Thursday that an attempted coup d’état took place in the country over the weekend. During a meeting with civil society organizations and religious leaders in Ouagadougou, the capital, Traoré affirmed that he knows those responsible for the “maneuver”, although he has kept silent, alleging that he wants to favor dialogue, according to Radio Omega. Traoré alluded that the alleged perpetrators intend to “undermine the morale and the efforts” of the military junta, while denouncing that there … Continue reading Failed State: Burkina Faso military junta’s coup leader denounces an attempted coup d’état

Russia is now using nuclear-capable missiles with non-explosive warheads to exhaust Ukraine’s air defences, the Ukrainian military has said. It displayed what it said were fragments of Soviet-made X-55 cruise missiles – designed for nuclear use – found in Ukraine’s two western regions. The rockets are being launched to “exhaust the air-defence system of our country,” a Ukrainian official said. He said tests on the fragments did not show abnormal levels of radioactivity. Ukrainian military experts say Russia may have significantly depleted its vast missile arsenal after carrying out wave after wave of massive strikes on Ukraine’s critical infrastructure in … Continue reading Ukraine displays dummy nuclear-capable missile fired by Russia

Kanye West is no longer buying the right-wing social media platform Parler, the firm said, just a month after the tie-up was first announced. Parler’s chief executive announced on social media decision was made “in the interest of both parties”. The rapper, who has changed his name to Ye, has been widely criticised after making a series of anti-Semitic remarks. Firms including Adidas and Gap have stopped working with him. “The company has mutually agreed with Ye to terminate the intent of sale,” Parlement Technologies said in a statement. The firm said the decision was made in mid-November. West had … Continue reading Kanye West no longer to buy Parler social media platform

Hurricane Fiona knocked out all electricity on the US island of Puerto Rico, as winds reached 86mph (140km/h). Though officials said some of the island’s power had been restored, the rest will take days to be reconnected, according to the operator of the island’s grid, Luma Energy. The Category 1 storm caused severe flooding and landslides on the island. President Joe Biden declared a state of emergency for the island, allowing authorities to provide disaster relief. As well as the complete outage of power for the 3.3m people living on the Caribbean island, some health centres running on generators were … Continue reading Hurricane Fiona knocks out Puerto Rico electricity

US life expectancy has fallen to the lowest level seen since 1996, continuing a steep decline largely driven by the Covid-19 pandemic. Government data showed life expectancy at birth now stands at 76.1 compared to 79 in 2019. That is the steepest two-year decline in a century. Covid-19 was the main contributing factor, according to US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention data. Life expectancy of Native Americans and Alaska Natives fell by two years. According to the provisional data, life expectancy fell by 2.7 years between 2019 and 2021. The statistics show that Covid-19 accounted for 50% of the … Continue reading US life expectancy falls to lowest level since 1996

At least 60 people were killed on Monday in an explosion at a make-shift gold mine in a village near Gaoua in south-west Burkina Faso. Dozens more people were injured, including women and children It happened as explosives stored near a gold panning site blew up, local officials and witnesses said. Most of the injured people were evacuated to the Gaoua regional hospital. A regional prosecutor who visited the scene said an investigation had been opened into the tragedy. Accidents are frequent at unauthorized mining operations in some African countries, with safety regulation often minimal or non-existent. This is a … Continue reading Just in: More than 60 people dead in blast at Burkina Faso gold mine