Paris Saint-Germain 'make Man Utd striker Marcus Rashford top summer transfer target

PSG boss Thomas Tuchel has made Marcus Rashford his top transfer target this summer.

The German, who is heading into his third year as manager in Paris, has had plenty of time to plot his summer business with the French season ending weeks ago.

Tuchel already has a host of attacking talent at his disposal at the Parc des Princes but has told senior club officials that people in England “don’t realise how good a player Rashford actually is”.

The Manchester United frontman is the club's joint leading scorer this term having netted 21 times.

It is likely to take at least £100m to sign the Old Trafford star but that is a fee Tuchel would be willing to pay, reports the Independent.

Neymar and Kylian Mbappe are frequently interchanging with movement key to Tuchel's systems - and he feels as if Rashford would compliment his star duo.

There is also the thought that the Englishman could step up and fill Mbappe's void if Real Madrid could - and did - make a move.

It is thought that Rashford and his camp would be willing to listen should PSG come calling.

AG STOPS NEW COVID-19 PREVENTIVE MEASURES

Attorney General Chikosa Silungwe has advised the Presidential Taskforce on Covid-19 to reverse its decision to

implement public health coronavirus containment, prevention and management rules as the matter is still in court.

In a directive memo which we have seen, Silungwe stressed that enforcement of the rules was suspended by the High Court in case number 22 of 2020.

Chakwera presidency to give nation updates every week during the first 100 days of office to enhance transparency and accountability

President Lazarus Chakwera has said he will be giving the nation updates on developments in the country every week during the first 100 days of office as one way of enhancing transparency and accountability of the government.

Executive Assistant to the President Sean Kampondeni said this in an interview on Sunday, saying Chakwera is committed to running government in an open manner and upholding the rule of law.

After ascending to power on June 28, Chakwera has so far given two updates on the affairs of the country, on day two and ten, in which he outlined some of the activities that he and his deputy Saulos Chilima had undertaken and appointments made.

“The updates will be weekly during the first 100 days after which he will review its utility. His goal is to remain fully accountable to Malawians as he promised. This is only one avenue he will use for doing so,” Kampondeni said.

According to Kampondeni, among other things, the President gets feedback on issues of national importance mostly through the media, both mainstream and social, that will continue to inform his decisions for the good of the nation.

“Also there are stakeholders that lobby him directly; the President does not in any way intend to depart from the servant leadership that he promised throughout the campaign period,” he added.

Reacting to the move, political analyst Earnest Thindwa said the move will ensure that the presidency remains in touch with the masses but was however skeptical on its sustainability

16-year-old girl dies in ritual sacrifice

Ugandan Police in Busia District have launched investigations into the death of a 16-year-old girl, whose body was found decapitated in a suspected act of child sacrifice.

Mercy Bridget Mwanga, a Primary Six pupil went missing on June 6 and since then, her whereabouts were unknown.

However, all that changed on Friday when her body was found dumped in a maize garden near their home in Mawero East B Village, Eastern Division in Busia Town.

Mr Patrick Lule, the officer-in-charge at Busia Central Police Station, on Saturday confirmed the incident.

“The deceased left home riding a bicycle in the afternoon of June 6 and mysteriously disappeared until her decomposed body was discovered in a maize garden on Friday,” he said.

Mr Peter Paado, the area LC1 Chairperson, said the deceased’s breasts and some other parts were chopped off, raising suspicion that she might have been a victim of child sacrifice.

Recounting the deceased’s last moments, Ms Patricia Ajambo, the mother, said her daughter left home riding a family bicycle and was in a jovial mood.

“She prepared lunch, took a bath and later left riding the family bicycle. She, however, failed to return home that evening, the following day and subsequent days, prompting me to report to police,” she said.

Mr Brian Hainja, a resident in the area, said the deceased had a white piece of cloth fastened across her face, suggesting she was first blindfolded.

Mr Boniface Mwanga, the father, said his daughter must have been killed by people who were very close to her.

“There must be a gang in the area that is targeting young children for ritual murders because this is not the first time such an incident has happened,” he said.

According to Ms Asha Khainza, a resident, four children have been killed in the area, in acts that relate to child sacrifice.

Mandela's daughter, Zindzi dies at 59

South Africa’s ambassador to Denmark has died in Johannesburg at the age of 59, a family source has confirmed to the public broadcaster SABC.

Ambassador Zindzi Mandela was the daughter of South Africa’s anti-apartheid icons Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela and Nomzamo Winnie Madikizela.

She was the youngest daughter of the couple and is reputed to have spent many years involved in South Africa’s freedom struggle.

She was deeply involved in the arts, philanthropy and business. She is a co-founder of the Mandela Legacy Foundation and is also Managing Trustee of the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund.

South Africa’s social media space has been buzzing with tonnes of tribute to Zindzi who was a staunch activist against maladminstration.

SA reintroduces alcohol ban

South Africa has introduced new restrictions, including another ban on alcohol sales, to help contain the spread of coronavirus.

A night-time curfew has been imposed, and the wearing of masks outdoors is now compulsory.

President Cyril Ramaphosa said the alcohol ban – South Africa’s second this year – would take pressure off the national healthcare system.

It comes as total infections exceed a quarter of a million.

Deaths resulting from coronavirus have also risen to more than 4,000, and government projections estimate this could rise to 50,000 by the end of the year.

South Africa remains the hardest-hit country on the continent, and earlier this week recorded its highest-ever single-day increase in cases.

Trump wears mask in public for the 1st time

United States (US) President Donald Trump has worn a mask in public for the first time since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

The president was visiting the Walter Reed military hospital outside Washington, where he met wounded soldiers and health care workers.

“I’ve never been against masks but I do believe they have a time and a place,” he said as he left the White House.

He has previously said that he would not wear a mask and mocked Democratic rival Joe Biden for doing so.

But on Saturday he said: “I think when you’re in a hospital, especially in that particular setting, where you’re talking to a lot of soldiers and people that, in some cases, just got off the operating tables, I think it’s a great thing to wear a mask.

The change of tone came as the US recorded 66,528 coronavirus cases on Saturday, a new daily record.

Serge Aurier's brother shot dead outside nightclub in France

The brother of Tottenham defender Serge Aurier has been shot dead in the early hours of Monday morning in Toulouse, France, according to reports.

An individual was shot in the abdomen outside a nightclub in the French city with the suspect on the run, report French outlet Europe1.

Police were called by members of the public and the area is said to have been closed off for investigation.

The incident took place at around 5am on the Boulevard de Thibaud and the individual that has been shot is said to be Christopher Aurier, 26, the brother of Spurs star Serge.

It is reported he was later pronounced dead at hospital.

Christopher was also a footballer and had previously had trials at Brentford in 2011, and also tried out for non-league side Stalybridge Celtic.

He played football at amateur level and was most recently on the books with French fifth-tier side Toulouse Rodeo.

The incident comes just hours after Serge had played for Spurs in their 2-1 win over Arsenal in the north London derby at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Sex starved female prisoners in Kenya plead for sexual intimacy law in prison

Sex starved female prisoners in Kenya are pleading with authorities to implement new laws that will allow them to have sexual intimacy with their spouses when they visit.
Sofia Swaleh who is serving a life sentence, speaking on behalf of her inmates said the time given to their visiting spouses and relatives is too short and does not give room for intimacy.
“The Government, through the leadership of Kenyan prisons, should introduce a law that allows women serving lengthy jail terms enjoy sexual intimacy with their visiting husbands,” Swaleh of the Mtangani GK Prison in Malindi, Kilfi County said.

Mtangani GK Prison senior administrator, Purity Nkatha Muthaura, spoke with K24 digital, saying the request from the female inmates or even their incarcerated male counterparts cannot be permitted.
He added that it will be impossible to allow for such conjugal rights to be enjoyed unless a new law is passed by Parliament.
The pursuit to have conjugal visits introduced into the country started years ago.
In 2014, similar requests were made but the country’s detention centers were unsuccessful as the Government was not in favour of inmates having conjugal relations because the Government was not ready for such arrangements in the detention facilities.

Man City to find out whether their Champions League ban has been upheld today

MANCHESTER CITY are set to learn if they have been successful in their appeal against their Champions League ban.

The Citizens were rapped by Uefa's club financial control body (CFCB) back in February and slapped with a a two-year suspension from European competition and £25m fine for breaching Financial Fair Play rules.

Etihad chiefs have been battling the verdict ever since, with Uefa now set to reveal their decision.

What time will Uefa announce the result?

After nearly six months of wrangling behind the scenes, City will find out TODAY if they will be appearing in next season's Champions League.

The decision has huge ramifications - and not just for players and staff at the Etihad.

If the ban is upheld, the team finishing fifth in the Premier League will head into the tournament instead of City, who have already secured their place in the top four after thrashing Brighton.

And for the club themselves, keeping hold of their star players and attracting new ones could be tough without the lure of the Champions League.

Etihad chiefs have always denied any wrongdoing and Pep Guardiola is confident that City will be appearing in the premier competition next campaign.

The City boss said on Saturday evening: "I'm confident because I saw the arguments of the club that next season we will be there but we have to wait and after I give my opinion or the club will give their statement.

"[Beating Brighton 5-0] we achieved one incredible challenge, which is qualification for the Champions League mathematically.

"That is the challenge that is the minimum requirement for this club. And these players have done it for the last six or seven years.

"We deserve to be there because we won it on the pitch. Hopefully on Monday UEFA can allow us to play like this team and these players deserve to."

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) will announce the decision at 10.30am Swiss time, which is 9.30am BST.

This is the first time a club has been banned for two seasons and the CAS has the power to overturn the ban or reduce it to just one season.

Will they be able to play in this season's the Champions League?

The two-season European ban City received was due to start in 2020/21.

If it is upheld, they WILL continue to play in this season's edition of the competition which is due to restart in August.

City beat Real Madrid 2-1 at the Bernabeu in their last Champions League game and were involved in the draw which took place on July 10.

Should they make it past the La Liga leaders, they will have to face either Juventus or Lyon in the quarter finals.

Police arrest five in connection to rapper Pop Smoke’s death

The Los Angeles police have said that five persons have been arrested in connection to the fatal shooting of rapper, Pop Smoke during a home invasion in February.

The Los Angeles Police Department in a tweet via its official Twitter account on Thursday said that three adult males and two juvenile males have been taken into custody.

The Police also said that multiple people were in the home when the shooting took place.

Recall that the popular 20-year-old New York rapper was killed at his home in Hollywood, Los Angeles.

It was also learned that the rapper was attacked after two men wearing hoodies and masks entered the house and fired multiple shots.

However, he was taken to a hospital in West Hollywood where he was pronounced dead.

Youth Decide Hails Chakwera For Appointing Kainja as Police IG

Youth Decide Campaign has praised President Lazarus Chakwera for appointing Dr. George Kainja as the Inspector General of the Malawi Police.

Youth Decide Campaign chairperson Charles Kajoloweka said this in Lilongwe during a press briefing that is underway.

According to Kajoloweka, Kainja is a competent man and the Malawi leader did well by appointing him on merit.

He then advised the newly appointed police IG to bring sanity to Malawi Police Service.

For the past year the Malawi Police lost trust form the public following their involvement in politics as they were used by politicians.

Rich Nigerian Lady Wants A Man To Marry For Free,Only To Meet Her Condition

A young Nigerian lady identified as Stephanie Francies, from Abia State, Nigeria, who happened to be a fashion designer, has made a promise that she would take good care of any man who decides to get married to her, as she is beautifully endowed and money isn’t her problem but how to spend it has always been her problem.

She said that she would be the one to cover up for all the expenses of both traditional marriage and white wedding. Having lost both parents last year from a plane crash, she inherited all her father’s property because she was the only child. So she promised to buy an exotic car for any man who agrees to marry her and also pay him 300k on monthly basis.

1. He should be ready to stay at home all day and take care of the kids.

2. He should be faithful to me.

3. He should be of genotype AA person and his blood group O+.

4. He should be handsome and well groomed, and he should not be a smoker.

5. He should not question me whenever he sees me with another man.

6. He should be ready to wash all my clothes because I can’t afford to dirty my finger nails.

7. He should know how to cook, because I don’t have time to enter the kitchen.

8. He should not be a drunkard.

What do you think of this proposal, coming from a lady?

Can you accept such an offer?

Is this offside?

Solskjær tells Greenwood “live his life properly” to reach his true potential

Ole Gunnar Solskjær has warned Mason Greenwood he must “live his life properly” to reach his true potential after the teenager scored his eighth Premier League goal of the season to help Manchester United maintain their pursuit of a top-four finish.

Paul Pogba registered his first United goal since April 2019 to round off a 3-0 victory at struggling Aston Villa after Bruno Fernandes had opened the scoring with a controversial penalty and Greenwood added a second just before the break with a superb long-rang strike. The 18-year-old’s sensational form since the restart has yielded four goals in his last three appearances, with Solskjær admitting Greenwood had made it impossible for him not to select him.

Asked how he was managing the development of a player who first joined the club’s academy at the age of six, the United manager said: “We’ll have to wait and see. He’s got to look after himself. I’m doing my bit to help him but he’s got to do it. He’s the one that’s got to turn in performances at training, in the games and to live his life properly. It’s all down to him. He can go as far as he wants to. He’s an exceptional finisher. He’s been in the club for so long and he knows what we want for him and he knows we believe in him. You can’t leave players out when they score goals. It’s almost impossible.”

Pogba’s goal was United’s 100th in all competitions this season and capped another influential performance from the Frenchman since his return to the fold. But he insisted they still have plenty of ground to make up on champions Liverpool next season after moving back to within one point of fourth-placed Leicester.

“We didn’t win the Premier League. We didn’t win anything this year so obviously we have to keep working. There is a lot to do. A lot,” Pogba said.

“We’re pleased with ourselves but we know we have to carry on. We are a big club and we want to keep the level up always. The performance today and the last few weeks have been very good and are the standard of Manchester United.”

Solskjær was adamant that Fernandes had been fouled by Ezri Konsa for United’s penalty but his counterpart Dean Smith described the decision by the Video Assistant Referee as “a disgrace” after the defeat which meant Villa remain four points from 17th-placed Watford with four matches left to play.

“I thought it was going to get overturned straightaway,” he said. “How somebody in a studio had the view that I saw only once and they had four or five viewings and came to that decision is beyond me.”

Africa may have COVID-19 vaccine by early 2021

Africa could have a COVID-19 vaccine in the first quarter of 2021 in the ongoing human trials in South Africa are successful, a university professor heading the trials said on Thursday.

The ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 experimental vaccine is one of 19 being tested on humans globally as the world looks to beat the pandemic.

The potential vaccine is also being tested in Brazil by Oxford University scientists who are working with British drugmaker AstraZeneca on development and production.

“A vaccine could be made commercial as early as the beginning of next year,” Reuters quotes Shabir Madhi, professor of vaccinology at University of Witwatersrand who is leading the South African trial.

“But it is completely dependent on the results of clinical trials,” he cautioned, adding that out of the 19 potential vaccines being tried out, the most positive outcome would be if even two succeed.

By Thursday afternoon, the world’s COVID-19 infections had surpassed 12 million, with more than 550,000 deaths.

The vaccine trials involve 2,000 volunteers aged between 18-65, who will be monitored for 12 months after vaccination so as to assess its efficacy.

“The timing of an efficacy read-out depends on when we have approximately 42 Covid-19 cases at least one month after vaccination,” he said.

The development comes as the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns that the “pandemic is getting full speed” in Africa.

The continent has reported more than 527,000 cases and over 12,200 deaths, even as health experts sound the alarm on rising daily new infections.

Madhi said governments must put in an upfront purchase order for the potential vaccine.

Credit: afriupdate

Chakwera to address the nation today

President Lazarus Chakwera is today expected to address the nation on the widespread criticism surrounding his newly appointed ministerial cabinet.

 

Taking questions from the BBC Focus on Africa last evening, Chakwera maintained that his cabinet selection is all inclusive and merit based but was quick to mention that the feedback has been accepted.

 

The Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC) which met the president yesterday indicated that it had received over one hundred grievances regarding the cabinet from different stakeholders.

 

Malawians are not satisfied with with new the cabinet that the president appointed 2 days ago saying its based on family relationships.

 

The defenders group is also expected to address the nation on the out-come of the meeting between the group and the president.