Author: Prima News

Eight Nigerian clubs will begin their quest for glory at the prestigious youth football competition, the Viareggio Cup, which kicks off on Monday in Italy. Youth players from Enugu Rangers will represent Nigeria in the opening fixture of the 76th edition of the tournament when they face ACF Fiorentina Under-18 side on Monday, March 9. The encounter, scheduled for 2:30 pm local time, will take place in the Italian city of Viareggio and is expected to provide a tough early challenge for the young Nigerian side. The Viareggio Cup, which runs from March 9 to March 23, is regarded as…

The ​Group of Seven (G7) finance ministers will ‌discuss on Monday a joint release of oil from emergency reserves coordinated by ​the International Energy Agency, the ​Financial Times reported. Three G7 countries, including ⁠the U.S., have so far ​expressed support for the idea, the ​FT said citing sources, and added that the ministers and the IEA Executive Director ​Fatih Birol will hold a call ​to discuss the impact of the Iran ‌war. The ⁠report comes as oil prices surged more than 25% on Monday to their highest levels since mid-2022 as some ​major producers ​cut ⁠supplies and fears of prolonged shipping disruptions…

The death toll from heavy rains and flooding in Kenya’s capital Nairobi and elsewhere has nearly ​doubled to 42, the government said in a ‌statement issued late on Sunday. Intense rains on Friday unleashed heavy and widespread flooding, causing some people to drown, washing away vehicles ​and disrupting traffic at the country’s largest airport. The ​previous death toll was 23. Emergency workers from various ⁠agencies including the military were still conducting search ​and rescue operations across the country, Geoffrey Kiringa Ruku, ​minister for public service and human capital development said in the statement. “Search mission is still in progress by the multi…

Israel’s military said it ​hit Iranian commanders in the Lebanese capital early on Sunday, expanding the scope of its campaign to the heart of Beirut after days ‌of strikes that have left nearly 400 people dead. The drone strike was the first within the city limits of Lebanon’s capital since Israel-Hezbollah hostilities resumed last week, and came amid heavy bombardment on Beirut’s southern suburbs and the country’s south and east. Israel said it targeted key commanders of Iran’s elite Quds Force of the Revolutionary Guards but did not name them. “The commanders of the Quds ​Force’s Lebanon Corps operated to advance terror…

Europe became the world’s biggest arms importer over the last five years as governments reacted to Russia’s threat and waning confidence in ​U.S. security commitments, data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute ‌showed on Monday. European countries more than trebled their arms imports in 2021-25 versus 2016-2020 to supply Ukraine in its defence against Russian invasion and to rebuild their own militaries ​after decades of under- “The sharp increase in arms flows to European ​states pushed global arms transfers up almost 10 per cent,” Mathew ⁠George, Director of the SIPRI Arms Transfers Programme, said. Europe accounted for 33% ​of…

 Iran on Monday named Mojtaba Khamenei to succeed his father Ali Khamenei as supreme leader, signalling that hardliners remain firmly in charge, while the week-old ​U.S.-Israeli war with Iran sent oil prices surging and Asian stock markets into a nosedive. Iranian institutions and politicians, from the foreign ministry to lawmakers, issued statements expressing their allegiance to the country’s new supreme leader ‌as the war entered its 10th day and fresh missile and drone strikes reverberated across the Middle East. “We will obey the commander-in-chief until the last drop of our blood,” a statement from the defence council said. Senior cleric Ayatollah Sadeq Amoli-Larijani said Mojtaba…

Australians were downloading virtual private networks (VPNs) ​in droves, while one of the world’s largest porn distributors said it was blocking users ‌from its platforms as the country rolled out sweeping online age restrictions on Monday. Last December, Australia became the first country to impose a nationwide ban on teenagers using social media. A separate law now requires AI-powered chatbot services to keep certain content – including pornography, ​extreme violence and self-harm and eating disorder material – from minors or face fines of up to A$49.5 ​million ($34.5 million). The country also joined Britain, France and dozens of U.S. states requiring websites…

 A woman fired numerous shots into the Beverly ​Hills home of pop music ‌star Rihanna on Sunday, and a round went through a wall ​of the house, local news ​outlets reported Sunday. The Los Angeles Times ⁠and NBC4, citing a ​Los Angeles Police spokesperson, reported ​that authorities responded to the shooting at 1:21 p.m. (2021 GMT) Sunday and detained ​a 30-year-old female suspect. Los ​Angeles police and a representative for Rihanna did ‌not ⁠immediately respond to requests for comment. Rihanna was at home but no injuries were ​reported, the ​Los ⁠Angeles Times said, citing a source. The ​newspaper cited police…

“They don’t come on their own by bus or taxi because it’s very complicated for a woman to move around the city, especially for young women,” station founder Hamida Anan told UN News, explaining the laws preventing them from doing so.Once they arrive at the studio, the journalists hold their editorial meeting, prepare their shows and go live on air.‘Glimmer of hope in the darkness’The station, which receives support from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), operates with a team of around 30 women and broadcasts across much of the country, except in about a dozen of…

Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.Today’s Connections: Sports Edition features a mix of topics. As a Minnesota Vikings fan, the green group came quickly to me. If you’re struggling with today’s puzzle but still want to solve it, read on for hints and the answers.Connections: Sports Edition is published by The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by The Times. It doesn’t appear in the NYT Games app, but it does in The Athletic’s own…