Tuesday, 13 January 2026

Author: AFP

Jokic, Serbia crank up assault

FOSHAN (China): Serbia and their NBA All-Star Nikola Jokic turned on the style to reach the second round of the Basketball World Cup with a masterful 126-67 demolition of the Philippines on Monday. The Serbs have a team packed with NBA talent and are the prime threat to reigning two-time

Pound tumbles to 2.5-year low

HONG KONG: The pound plunged against the dollar and euro yesterday after British Prime Minister Boris Johnson threatened to call a snap election to push through Brexit, with analysts warning the currency could fall even further. Johnson’s warning that he will call a poll for October 14 if rebel MPs

Nigeria must stop extrajudicial killings

ABUJA: A UN human rights expert on Monday urged Nigeria to stop extra-judicial killings by security forces in the country. In a preliminary report at the end of a 12-day visit to Nigeria, United Nations Special Rapporteur Agnes Callamard said the perpetrators of such inhuman acts should face justice. “Every

Blogger jailed for ‘extremist’ tweet

MOSCOW: A Russian court yesterday sentenced a blogger to five years in a penal colony for a tweet calling for attacks on the children of police, a ruling his lawyer said was unprecedented. Vladislav Sinitsa, 30, posted the tweets in the wake of a police crackdown against protesters who have

Two politicians, four others killed

BOGOTA: A woman running for small town mayor and a candidate for city council were among six people shot and killed in Colombia, an official said Monday. An armoured car carrying all six was hit by long-range weapons and later set on fire in the attack Sunday night in southwest

German foreign minister Maas arrives in Sudan

KHARTOUM: German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas arrived yesterday in Sudan which is ushering in a long-awaited transition from decades of autocratic rule under ousted leader Omar al-Bashir. The visit by Maas comes after Sudan swore in a new prime minister and a civilian-majority ruling body to steer the country through

Priest bans ‘Harry Potter’ books on exorcist advice

WASHINGTON: Exorcists advised a Nashville school priest to ban the Harry Potter books, over fears the popular children’s novels could be used to summon spirits. Reverend Dan Reehil contacted exorcists in Rome and the US, who recommended removing the fantasy novels from St. Edward Catholic School’s library in Tennessee. Launched

Gas project approved despite reservations

PORT MORESBY: Papua New Guinea said yesterday that a multi-billion dollar liquefied natural gas project led by Total would go ahead, after the government abandoned demands for the contract to be reworked to better benefit locals. “The government has now cleared Total to proceed full steam ahead,” the ministry for

You fall back: Life inside Scotland’s drug death crisis

GLASGOW: One-armed addict Michael arrives at a derelict scrap of land near Glasgow city centre littered with used syringes and other drug detritus to inject cocaine. He is helped by a fellow user, Bryan, who quickly mixes the white powder with distilled water in a small spoon and draws the

Desperate calls for help

PORT SAINT LUCIE: The message was desperate, despondent and urgent. “Anybody who can help me, this is Kendra Williams. I live in Heritage. We are under water; we are up in the ceiling. “Can someone please assist us or send some help. Please.” “Me and my six grandchildren and my