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Jurgen Klopp said that Liverpool “want to give it a proper go” this season, and he saw signs that the his side are “a step further in the right direction” after a draw against Chelsea. The Reds’ last campaign saw them take a step in the wrong direction. In the six seasons prior, they’d not failed to finish in the top four, winning the title and finishing second in that time. Last term, they finished fifth, and could have been much worse off after a poor first few months of the season. This time around, they’ll want to get back to the heights they know they’re capable of reaching. Klopp feels the signs of that happening are good after a promising first performance. “In moments. The start was really good, both directions, offensively and defensively. We scored a super first goal, scored a sensational second goal that was unfortunately offside,” he told BBC Match of the Day . “If you ask me if I was completely happy with the game then no but I saw enough that we are a step fur

 Few days after the Niger State chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Haliru Zakari Jikantoro, resigned from the position, two more persons resigned their positions with the political party. The secretary and the vice chairman of the party, Barrister Khaleel Ibrahim Aliyu and Abdulsalam Madaki respectively, have also resigned saying their action had nothing to do with the perceived crisis rocking the party since the nomination of Mohammed Idris Malagi for ministerial appointment. But insiders said the resignations were directives from above as the governor does not trust the state leadership of the party since the 2022 governorship primaries. But insiders said the resignations were directives from above as the governor does not trust the state leadership of the party since the 2022 governorship primaries. Multiple sources said more officials would also resign in the coming days to pave ways for the loyalists of the governor to pilot the affairs of the party in th

The Black Sea was once a geopolitical afterthought in Europe. But that has changed since Russia began its war against Ukraine. Now, many interests are colliding on the inland sea between Europe and Asia. Since the end of the grain deal between Russia and Ukraine, both countries have increased attacks on each other's merchant ships on the Black Sea. Russia has blocked the agreement since mid-July — more frequently shelling Ukrainian ports and threatening cargo ships. Ukraine, in turn, has declared six ports on Russia's Black Sea coast war-risk areas and threatened retaliatory attacks on freighters, tankers and port facilities. As a gateway to the rest of the world, the Black Sea has immense strategic and economic importance for both Russia and Ukraine. But other countries with coasts on the Black Sea — particularly the NATO members Turkey, Bulgaria and Romania — also have interests there. During the Russian Empire and, later, in Soviet times, the Black Sea formed the

At least four people have been killed and several others injured in a "terrorist" attack at a shrine in the Iranian city of Shiraz, state media reported on Sunday. The Tasnim news agency said two gunmen attempted to enter the Shah Cheragh shrine and opened fire on visitors. One of the attackers had been arrested while the other had escaped, it added. Shah Cheragh was the scene of another attack in October, claimed by Islamic State (IS), when 13 people died.   No group has immediately claimed the latest attack. "Four people have been killed so far following a terrorist attack by two armed men on the holy shrine," the official Iranian news agency IRNA reported. ~ BBC

PARIS (AP) — Oscar-winning actors Marion Cotillard and Juliette Binoche, as well as other French stars of screen and music, filmed themselves chopping off locks of their hair in a video posted Wednesday in support of protesters in Iran.   “For freedom,” Binoche said as she hacked a large handful of hair off the top of her head with a pair of scissors, before brandishing it in front of the camera. The video, hashtagged HairForFreedom, comes with Iran engulfed by anti-government protests. They were sparked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini after her arrest for allegedly violating the Islamic Republic’s strict dress code. The video of Cotillard, Binoche and dozens of other women cutting off locks of their hair was released on an Instagram account, “soutienfemmesiran” — which translates as “support women in Iran.” “These women, these men are asking for our support. Their courage and their dignity obliges us,” said a post with the video. “We have decided to re

(BBC News) The internationally-traded yuan fell to its lowest level since data first became available in 2011. China's domestic currency also reached its weakest point since the 2008 global financial crisis. It comes as the dollar continues to rise in value against other major currencies, after the US central bank increased interest rates again earlier this month. Meanwhile on Wednesday, major stock market indexes across Asia fell sharply. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index closed 3.4% lower, Japan's benchmark Nikkei index closed 1.5% lower and the Kospi in South Korea ended the day down by 2.4%. Many investors see the dollar as a safe place to put their money in times of trouble. That has helped to drive up its value against other currencies, including the British pound - which hit an all-time low against the dollar on Monday. Also on Wednesday, the dollar reached a fresh 20-year high against a closely-watched group of leading global currencies. The yuan's slide i

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said Ukraine will “defend” its citizens in Russian-occupied regions, as authorities there announced the results of so-called referendums that have already been denounced by the west. (The Guardian)  “This farce in the occupied territory cannot even be called an imitation of referendums,” Zelenskiy said on Tuesday in a video posted on Telegram. “We will act to protect our people: both in the Kherson region, in the Zaporizhzhia region, in the Donbas, in the currently occupied areas of the Kharkiv region, and in the Crimea.” The Ukraine president’s comments came as officials in four Moscow-occupied regions of the country claimed victory in the referendums, which have been condemned by western leaders as sham ballots. The local poll body in the southern Zaporizhzhia region said 93.1% of voters opted for Russian annexation after all ballots were counted, adding that this was a preliminary result. In Kherson, also in the south-east, authorities s

(The Guardian) Almost a year after The Guardian report on foreign airlines departing Nigerian shores empty, the situation has changed, but for the worse. Today, more airlines are departing without exportable goods, much to the pains of stakeholders and loss of foreign exchange earnings worth billions of dollars yearly. The Guardian findings showed that besides mails that topped cargo net export in 2021, the country slumped in the export of agricultural produce following high rate of rejections and prohibitions overseas over poor packaging, documentation and alleged noncompliance with set standards. Compared to the import-to-export ratio that was given as 66:34 in 2017, last year’s ratio stood at 87:13, though movement of goods through the airports had increased by 56 per cent compared to 2020. While regulators blame exporters for failure of due diligence, operators push back on regulatory bottlenecks, one-too-many local agencies and conflicting guidelines, high cost of frei

Germany’s last competitive fixtures before the World Cup are over following a 3-3 draw with England in London. With it came a humble reminder that Germany's World Cup aspirations must be tempered with realism. England 3-3 Germany (Shaw 72', Mount 75', Kane pen 83' - Gündogan pen 52', Havertz 67', 87') Wembley Stadium (DW)  For seven weeks, Hansi Flick will sit with the sound of Harry Kane’s penalty hitting the top corner. It was the sound of the curtain being pulled back as the ugly truth of this Germany side was revealed. Thirteen games unbeaten is all well and good, but in the last two competitive games before the World Cup in Qatar Germany’s form has abandoned them . In the end, a draw flattered Germany and when Kane converted from the spot it marked an 11-minute spell in which Germany went from leading 2-0 to deservedly being 3-2 down. On the surface, this game delivered everything both sides needed ahead of a World Cup. Both scored lots of

Pop singer Shakira says the tax fraud allegations made against her are ‘false’ and shared that she has paid ‘everything’ that was owed. For the unversed, the 45-year-old pop star is being accused of fraud and faces up to eight years in prison after allegedly racking up six  separate counts of tax fraud totalling over $13 million. (The New Nation) However, she has decided to fight the allegations and insisted that she did not spend more than 183 days in the country, which would lead the Spanish government to count her as an official citizen, reports femalefirst.co.uk. Shakira said, “I have to fight for what I believe; because these are false accusations. First of all, I didn’t spend 183 days per year at that time at all. I was busy fulfilling my professional commitments around the world.”   Shakira continued, “Second, I’ve paid everything they claimed I owed, even before they filed a lawsuit. So as of today, I owe zero to them. And finally, I was advised by one of the four b

(BBC News) The Kremlin has admitted mistakes were made in its drive to mobilise Russian army reservists to fight in Ukraine, amid growing public opposition. "There are cases when the decree is violated," Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman said, adding that "all the errors will be corrected". Multiple reports say people with no military experience - or who are too old or disabled - are being called up. Last week's mobilisation decree has already triggered widespread protests. President Putin announced what he described as partial mobilisation on 21 September, with Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu later saying 300,000 reservists would be called up. However, reports in opposition Russian media suggested that up to one million people could be called up, pointing out that one paragraph believed to be about the exact number of the required reservists was omitted (classified) in the published version of Mr Putin's decree on the official Krem

(The Guardian) At least 450 people have been arrested in Mazandaran, a northern province of Iran, during the last 10 days of protests, according to the province’s chief prosecutor. Protests sparked by the death in police custody of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini have spread across the country. They have been met with internet shutdowns and violent repression. The official death toll in the unrest is 41 , while human rights groups say the true number is more than 75. Amnesty International said at least four children had been killed by state forces since the beginning of the protests. It described a “harrowing pattern” of “deliberate and unlawful firing of live ammunition at protesters”. Heba Morayef, Amnesty’s Middle East and north Africa director, said: “The rising death toll is an alarming indication of just how ruthless the authorities’ assault on human life has been under the darkness of the internet shutdown.” Iranian officials said on Monday that more than 1,200 people had be

Washington (CNN)   President Joe Biden on Friday presented Sir Elton John  with the National Humanities Medal, surprising the music icon following a performance on the South Lawn of the White House. "I'm never flabbergasted, but I'm flabbergasted," a visibly moved John said, thanking the President and saying that he will "treasure" the honor. The medal , according to the Friday presentation, was to honor John "for moving our souls with his powerful voice and one of the defining song books of all time. An enduring icon and advocate with absolute courage, who found purpose to challenge convention, shatter stigma and advance the simple truth -- that everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect." Biden said that he and first lady Jill Biden had invited John to the White House to thank him and praised the singer for his music and advocacy in the global fight against HIV/AIDS .  " As Jill just mention

Presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, has lambasted Afenifere leader, Pa Ayo Adebanjo for claiming the pan-Yoruba socio-cultural organisation has endorsed the Labour Party Presidential flag bearer, Peter Obi as its candidate for the coming election. (dailypost.ng) Recall that the National Publicity Secretary of Afenifere, Jare Ajayi, had in a statement on July 23, said Ahmed Tinubu, presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC “will only give continuity to Buhari’s incompetence. We know Peter Obi very well, that is why we endorse him”. Also, Peter Obi had, in a tweet on August 23, said he visited the leadership of the group. He said, “Presently visiting PA Ayo Adebanjo and members of the South and Middle Belt Leadership Forum. The National leaders of the Labour Party and other stakeholders are here too,” However, in a statement issued on Saturday by Bayo Onanuga, director, Media and Publicity, APC President

(BBC News) Hundreds of people have been arrested by authorities as protests against Russia's new "partial mobilisation" continue across the country, an independent rights group has said. OVD-Info said 724 people were detained across 32 different cities on Saturday. Widespread demonstrations have broken out since President Vladimir Putin announced plans to draft 300,000 men to fight in Ukraine. Unsanctioned rallies are banned under Russian law.   But Mr Putin's move to draft civilians into the military has sparked large scale protests in urban areas, with more than 1,000 people being detained at demonstrations earlier this week. In Moscow, news agency AFP reported witnessing one demonstrator shouting "we are not cannon fodder" as she was arrested by officers.   And in St Petersburg, Russia's second city, one man told reporters: "I don't want to go to war for Putin." Seventy-year-old Natalya Dubova told AFP that she opposed the wa

Ukraine launched a successful counteroffensive to retake the Kharkiv region in September. Two residents from the recently liberated city of Balakliya recount the horrors of living under Russian occupation. (DW) During Russia's six-month occupation of the Kharkiv region, civilians endured torture , witnessed the denunciation of neighbors and were pressured into collaborating with the Russian invaders. Some felt reminded of the time when dictator Josef Stalin ruled the Soviet Union . Two women told DW about their experiences. The city of Balakliya was captured quickly. My husband and I have always been pro-Ukrainian, but we wanted to stay because my father is paralyzed after two strokes. Many locals welcomed the Russians and even wanted to cooperate with them. There were a lot of denunciations. The Russians were informed about pro-Ukrainian citizens and men who had fought for Ukraine in the Donbas. The atmosphere was like in the 1930s. After every fresh rotation of Russia

(ESPN) Lionel Messi  has said he endured a "bad time" during his debut season at Paris Saint-Germain  but added he is enjoying his football again, with Argentina' s World Cup campaign two months away. The Argentina captain, after spending 21 years at Barcelona , moved to Paris last summer and only contributed 11 goals and 14 assists for the Ligue 1 champions in his first season. Messi has already netted six goals and assisted eight times in 11 appearances this term and said his revival is down to a different mentality. "I feel good," Messi said  after  Argentina's 3-0 win  over Honduras . "It's different from last year and I knew it was going to be like that. "Last year, as I already said, I had a bad time. I never finished finding myself and this time is different. I arrived with a different mindset, more adapted to the club, to the locker room, to the game, to my teammates. The truth is that I feel very good, and I'm enjoying

(The Cable)  Christiane Amanpour, anchor of Amanpour, a global affairs interview programme on CNN International, says Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi declined an interview with her because she refused to wear a headscarf.  She made this known in a series of posts on her  Twitter page  on Thursday . Women in  Iran  have been protesting over the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish woman who was detained for breaking the hijab laws in the country. Amanpour said she had scheduled to interview Raisi on issues around the protest during his visit to New York for the United Nations general assembly (UNGA77). However, 40 minutes after the scheduled time, she said the president’s aide requested that she puts on a headscarf because it is the holy month of Muharram and Safar. Amanpour said she “politely declined” the request. "Protests are sweeping Iran and women are burning their hijabs after the death last week of Mahsa Amini, following her arrest by the ‘mora