SDP’s Ardo Withdraws Appeal Against Fintiri’s Re-Election

The SDP candidate withdrew his appeal against Governor Ahmadu Fintiri's re-election at the Supreme Court after the Tribunal and appellate court affirmed the governor's victory.

The 2023 governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in Adamawa State, Umar Ardo, has withdrawn his appeal against Governor Ahmadu Fintiri’s re-election at the Supreme Court.

Ardo had sought the nullification of Fintiri’s re-election on the grounds that there was substantial non-compliance with the Electoral Act, corrupt practices, threats, and violence during the exercise

Counsel for the SDP, Sylvester Imanobe, said the party had 6,000 votes during the election and the court pointed out that there was a difference between the integrity of the election and numerical strength.

Towards this end, they saw the mood of the court and took the hint to withdraw the appeal.

The Court of Appeal in Abuja had in November dismissed a petition filed by Ardo, challenging Fintiri’s victory in the 2023 polls.

Delivering ruling, Justice Ugochukwu Ogakwu affirmed a previous decision of the Tribunal led by Justice Theodora Uloho, which had dismissed Ardo’s petition for being incompetent and not properly filed.

The appellate court held that the appellants did not prove the allegations of corrupt practices and non-compliance to the Electoral Act, against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Justice Ogakwu said there was no basis to grant the appeal.

The SDP candidate and his party had filed a petition at the State Governorship Election Tribunal after Fintiri was declared the winner of the poll.

Ardo had sought the nullification of Fintiri’s re-election on the grounds that there was substantial non-compliance with the Electoral Act, corrupt practices, threats, and violence during the exercise.

Ardo subsequently appealed the tribunal’s judgment but the appellate court dismissed his petition.

The SDP candidate further approached the Supreme Court but later withdrew his appeal against the governor.

Gabriel Attal Picked As France’s Youngest PM

 

Following days of speculation, Macron late Monday accepted the resignation of Elisabeth Borne, 62, who stepped down along with the rest of the government after serving less than two years in office.

French leader Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday picked Gabriel Attal as prime minister to give new momentum to his presidency, with the 34-year-old becoming France’s youngest and first openly gay head of government.

Following days of speculation, Macron late Monday accepted the resignation of Elisabeth Borne, 62, who stepped down along with the rest of the government after serving less than two years in office.

The overhaul comes ahead of the Olympic Games in Paris and European parliament elections this summer where Macron’s centrist forces risk defeat at the hands of the far-right under Marine Le Pen.

A wider cabinet reshuffle is expected this week as Macron seeks to sharpen his team for the final three years of his presidency.

“The president of the republic appointed Mr Gabriel Attal prime minister, and tasked him with forming a government,” a presidential statement said.

Attal is set to to bring a major change of style to the office of the prime minister following Borne, only the second woman to lead the French government.

Her austere and no-nonsense demeanour won respect from colleagues but not necessarily popularity from the public, whereas Attal is the most popular figure in government after his stint at the politically crucial education ministry.

The appointment of Attal had been expected after Borne’s resignation on Monday and the absence of the swift announcement fuelled talk that heavy-weight government figures were unhappy over Attal’s meteoric promotion.

However sources close to those said to be behind the tensions, including Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin and Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire, vehemently denied this.

– ‘Fragile as ever’ –

Borne’s resignation letter to Macron, a copy of which was seen by AFP, hinted that she would have preferred to stay in her job.

“While I must present the resignation of my government, I wanted to tell you how passionate I was about this mission,” she wrote.

Commentators see the reshuffle as essential to relaunch Macron’s centrist presidency for its last three years and prevent him becoming a “lame duck” leader after a series of crises.

Since he defeated the far right to win a second term in 2022, Macron has faced protests over unpopular pension reforms, the loss of his overall majority in parliamentary elections and controversy over immigration legislation.

While Macron cannot run again in the 2027 presidential elections, relaunching his government is seen as crucial to helping prevent Le Pen from becoming president.

The conservative daily Le Figaro said Borne was leaving a political situation “that remains as fragile as ever.

“Changing a face at the top doesn’t change the overall picture,” the newspaper said, adding Borne’s successor was facing “an overwhelming pile of political emergencies” including the task of uniting a fragmented nation.

– ‘Offensive strategy’ –

Under the French system, the president sets general policies and the prime minister is responsible for day-to-day government management, meaning the latter often pays the price when an administration runs into turbulence.

European Parliament elections in June will pose a major test, with Macron’s Renaissance party risking embarrassment at the hands of Le Pen’s National Rally (RN).

He will go toe-to-toe ahead of the European elections with another rising star of French politics, the even younger Jordan Bardella, just 28, who is now party leader of the far-right RN.

Constitutional expert Benjamin Morel told AFP that Attal’s appointment signals a “very offensive strategy with a view to the European elections” in June.

But political scientist Bruno Cautres said he would “not solve the problem of the majority, nor the main problem which is where the the mandate (of Macron) is heading”.

Other key posts are also subject to uncertainty, in particular that of Darmanin, 41, a right-winger said to covet the post of foreign minister held by Catherine Colonna.

The new head of government will be the fourth prime minister since 2017 under Macron, who critics accuse of micro-managing and centralising power in the Elysee

France Closes Roads As Cold Wave Hits

 

In the northern town of Blendecques, the frosty weather turned mud on the roads to ice.

French authorities temporarily closed two motorways on Tuesday as authorities scrambled to deploy salt trucks and tow vehicles after a cold wave hit the country.

“Everything is being done to resolve this as fast as possible,” Transport Minister Clement Beaune said on Tuesday morning, when 400 vehicles were blocked on icy roads in the Paris region.

Beaune, whose future is uncertain ahead of an expected cabinet reshuffle, argued the national weather agency had not predicted the snow overnight.

He told radio broadcaster RMC that the situation was improving since 1,000 trucks and cars had initially been blocked on the roads near the capital at the start of the night.

The A13 and A12 motorways west of Paris were cordoned off “to guarantee commuters’ safety”, police said.

A 10-kilometre (six-mile) stretch of the A13, which connects the capital to western France, would be closed all morning, the transport ministry said.

Thermometers across the country were forecast to drop below zero degrees Celsius (32 degrees Fahrenheit) on Tuesday, except for a tiny sliver of southeastern France, according to the national weather office.

Nine departments were on “orange alert” because of icy roads and snow, while two in the north were on the same alert level because of floods last week, it said.

The cold was expected to compound problems in the northern region of Pas-de-Calais near the Belgian border, which has seen devastating floods in recent weeks.

In the northern town of Blendecques, the frosty weather turned mud on the roads to ice.

Two departments in northwest France halted school transport for the day.

On Monday, Deputy Minister for Housing Patrice Vergriete said 120 million euros ($130 million) had been earmarked to provide emergency shelter for some 10,000 homeless people, especially women and children.

Around 3,000 women and children could be in need of shelter, according to estimates by the United Nations children’s agency UNICEF and non-governmental organisations.

Pope Francis Calls For Global Ban On Surrogacy

 

In his New Year's address to diplomats at the Vatican, the 87-year-old pontiff said it was a "grave violation of the dignity of the woman and the child".

Pope Francis called Monday for a global ban on surrogacy, saying the practice of a woman carrying another person’s child was “deplorable”.

In his New Year’s address to diplomats at the Vatican, the 87-year-old pontiff said it was a “grave violation of the dignity of the woman and the child”.

In a speech dominated by calls for an end to conflicts around the world, the head of the worldwide Catholic Church said: “The path to peace calls for respect for life.”

This began “with the life of the unborn child in the mother’s womb, which cannot be suppressed or turned into an object of trafficking”, he said.

“In this regard, I deem deplorable the practice of so-called surrogate motherhood, which represents a grave violation of the dignity of the woman and the child, based on the exploitation of situations of the mother’s material needs.

“A child is always a gift and never the basis of a commercial contract. Consequently, I express my hope for an effort by the international community to prohibit this practice universally.”

In June 2022, the pope condemned surrogacy as an “inhuman” practice.

“Altruistic” surrogacy, whereby a woman gives birth to a baby on behalf of another woman or couple but no money changes hands, excluding for expenses, is legal in countries including Belgium, the Netherlands, the UK, Canada, Brazil and Colombia.

Commercial surrogacy is permitted in some US states.

Osimhen Dreams Of AFCON Title To Break Eagles’ 11-Year Jinx

"All of us are desperate to make up for failing to reach the 2022 World Cup. The only way we can achieve that goal is by wining the Cup of Nations."

Newly crowned African Player of the Year Victor Osimhen is a star on a mission. He wants to transform the suffering of Nigerian supporters into joy with an Africa Cup of Nations title.

The Napoli forward topped the African poll last month to finish ahead of Egyptian Mohamed Salah and Moroccan Achraf Hakimi and become the first Nigerian winner since Nwankwo Kanu in 1999.

It was a reward for helping his club to a first Italian title in 33 years and also scoring consistently for the Super Eagles.

But amid the successes there was also sadness for the 24-year-old, who sold newspapers and bottles of water in the bustling streets of Lagos as a teenager to eke out a living.

The day that has haunted Osimhen for a long time was March 29, 2022, at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium in the Nigerian capital, Abuja.

Earlier, Nigeria travelled to long-time regional rivals Ghana and drew 0-0 in the first of two matches to decide whether the Black Stars of Super Eagles would qualify for the 2022 World Cup.

As Nigerian supporters flocked to the national stadium expectations were high that the home team would use that advantage to good effect and secure a place at the finals in Qatar.

But those dreams were shattered as Ghana drew 1-1 to qualify on away goals and deprive Osimhen and his teammates of a place on the global stage.

“We could not have asked for more from our supporters in Abuja that night,” recalled Osimhen to reporters before leaving Italy to join the Cup of Nations squad.

‘Let them down’ –

“They roared us on from the first whistle to the last. The noise they created was deafening. but we let them down and that hurt. Nigerians deserved better.”

Now Osimhen believes he has the perfect antidote to the lingering suffering of supporters — Nigeria must win the biennial Cup of Nations a fourth time.

The Super Eagles triumphed at home in 1980, slamming three unanswered goals past Algeria, then edged Zambia 2-1 in Tunis in 1994 and Burkina Faso 1-0 in Johannesburg in 2013.

Since overcoming the Burkinabe, Nigeria have been on a Cup of Nations rollercoaster, failing to qualify in 2015 and 2017, finishing third in 2019 and making a last-16 departure two years ago.

Paired with Ivory Coast, Guinea-Bissau and Equatorial Guinea in the first round in Group A, Nigeria are expected to contest first place with the hosts.

Teams finishing first and second in each group are guaranteed knockout-stage places and the four best-ranked of the six third-placed sides also progress.

“We are capable of winning this tournament because the squad is packed with players who are performing exceptionally well for their European clubs,” says Osimhen.

“All of us are desperate to make up for failing to reach the 2022 World Cup. The only way we can achieve that goal is by wining the Cup of Nations.”

Ivory Coast, twice champions but flops when they previously hosted the tournament 40 years ago, have no shortage of stars and Algeria coach Djamel Belmadi says “they are the team to beat”.

“We will enjoy the support of the entire Ivory Coast nation, which is an incredible asset to have,” says Ivory Coast coach Jean-Louis Gasset.

Workmanlike Equatorial Guinea have reached the knockout stage in all three previous appearances while Guinea-Bissau, who won a 2024 qualifier in Nigeria, are seeking a first finals victory.

Death Toll From Japan Quake Rises Above 200

 

The 7.5 magnitude quake destroyed and toppled buildings, caused fires and knocked out infrastructure on the Noto Peninsula.

The death toll from the powerful earthquake that flattened parts of central Japan on January 1 passed 200 on Tuesday, with just over 100 still unaccounted for, authorities said.

The 7.5 magnitude quake destroyed and toppled buildings, caused fires and knocked out infrastructure on the Noto Peninsula on Japan’s main island Honshu just as families were celebrating New Year’s Day.

Eight days later thousands of rescuers were battling blocked roads and poor weather to clear the wreckage as well as reach almost 3,500 people still stuck in isolated communities.

Ishikawa regional authorities released figures on Tuesday showing that 202 people were confirmed dead, up from 180 earlier in the day, with 102 unaccounted for, down from 120.

On Monday, authorities had more than tripled the number of missing to 323 after central databases were updated, with most of the rise related to badly hit Wajima.

But since then “many families let us know that they were able to confirm safety of the persons (on the list)”, Ishikawa official Hayato Yachi told AFP.

With heavy snow in places complicating relief efforts, as of Monday almost 30,000 people were living in around 400 government shelters, some of which were packed and struggling to provide adequate food, water and heating.

Almost 60,000 households were without running water and 15,600 had no electricity supply.

Road conditions have been worsened by days of rain that have contributed to an estimated 1,000 landslides.

At a daily disaster-relief government meeting on Tuesday, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida instructed ministers to “make efforts of resolving the state of isolation (of communities) and continue tenacious rescue activities”.

Kishida also urged secondary evacuations to other regions outside the quake-hit area, top government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters.

In Ishikawa prefecture’s city of Suzu, a woman in her 90s managed to survive five days under the wreckage of a collapsed house before being saved on Saturday.

“Hang in there!” rescuers were heard calling to the woman, in police footage from the rainy scene published by local media.

Not all were so lucky, with Naoyuki Teramoto, 52, inconsolable on Monday after three of his four children’s bodies were discovered in the town of Anamizu.

“We were talking of plans to go to Izu,” a famous hot spring resort, after his daughter passed her high school entrance exam, he told broadcaster NTV.

Japan experiences hundreds of earthquakes every year, though most cause no damage because of strict building codes in place for more than four decades.

But many structures are older, especially in rapidly ageing communities in rural areas like Noto.

The country is haunted by the monster quake of 2011 that triggered a tsunami, left around 18,500 people dead or missing, and caused a nuclear catastrophe at the Fukushima plant.

Source: AFP

German Football Great Franz Beckenbauer Dies At 78

 

Former captain of the German team in the 1970s, Beckenbauer had in the last years been suffering from health problems.

Legend Franz Beckenbauer, who left a unique imprint on German football as player, captain, and coach, has died at the age of 78, the German Football Association said Monday.

“Franz Beckenbauer was definitely the biggest German footballer of all time, and above all one of the greatest men who I have known,” said DFB vice president Hans-Joachim Watzke.

Beckenbauer, one of only three men to win the World Cup as a player and as a coach, passed away on Sunday, the DFB said.

Former captain of the German team in the 1970s, Beckenbauer had in the last years been suffering from health problems and lived mostly withdrawn from the public eye in Salzburg, just across from the German border.

Known in football-obsessed Germany as ‘the Kaiser’ meaning ‘the Emperor’, Beckenbauer played a central role in some of the country’s greatest sporting achievements, but his legacy was later tarnished for his involvement in scandals surrounding Germany’s successful bid to host the 2006 World Cup.

Commanding Figure  

In Munich in 1945, Beckenbauer helped establish Bayern as his country’s strongest club.

Alongside Mario Zagallo — who died aged 92 on Friday — and Didier Deschamps, Beckenbauer is one of only three men to have won the World Cup as both a player and a manager.

He captained West Germany to the 1974 World Cup title on home soil when they beat the Netherlands 2-1 in the Munich final, then managed the team that beat Argentina 1-0 in Rome to lift the trophy at Italia 90.

Beckenbauer, a commanding figure on and off the pitch, was named European Footballer of the Year in both 1972 and 1976.

He made 424 appearances in the Bundesliga, scoring 44 goals, including in 13 years for Bayern, before joining Hamburg and New York Cosmos, where he finished his playing career in 1983.

Beckenbauer had stints as manager in club football at both Bayern and Marseille, winning the French league title in 1991 and the Bundesliga in 1994.

In 1996, he stopped coaching and his role as president of Bayern led to a place on the Executive Committee of football’s governing body FIFA.

Off the field, Beckenbauer led Germany’s successful bid to host the 2006 World Cup, a successful tournament that is still nostalgically referred to in Germany as “das Sommermaerchen” — ‘The summer fairytale’.

However, the story turned sour in October 2015 when Spiegel broke a cash-for-votes scandal story.

The magazine alleged that, in 2000, the German Football Association (DFB) had bought the votes of four Asian members of FIFA’s 24-strong executive committee to secure the hosting of the 2006 World Cup finals. Beckenbauer had maintained his innocence.

Beckenbauer had heart surgery in 2016 and again in 2017 when worrying news about his ill health began to emerge.

At the beginning of January 2023, the football icon renounced his presence at the funeral of Pele. A few months later in August, he had missed the traditional annual gathering of Germany’s 1990 world champions.

On each of these occasions, health had been cited as a reason.

The last time he appeared at Bayern Munich’s Allianz Arena was in August 2022, when he attended a match of Bayern Munich against Borussia Moenchengladbach.