International

By Muhammadu Sabiu 
 
Nigerians studying in Sudan have written the Nigerian government to evacuate all its citizens trapped there, especially in the capital city of Khartoum where the military and paramilitary are fighting.
 
This is coming after some days since the fight had started, which left hundreds either killed or injured.
 
Reports have indicated that thousands of people are trapped in the city of Khartoum with no access to basic needs like food and medicine.
 
The National Association of Nigerian Students in Sudan made this request in a letter to the federal government.
 
The letter reads, “We write this to Nigerian Government in respect to the current and ongoing conflict that erupts between the Sudan military and paramilitary forces in these past days; particularly in Khartoum, the capital city where constant gunfire, explosions and airstrike attacks dominate its vicinity and environs (where a score of Nigerian Students study).
 
“2. The Nigerian Students have been stranded in fears with no access to basic needs equipment and have been facing dangerous threats. We hereby write soliciting and yearning for the Nigerian Government’s intercession to rescue and send for an immediate evacuation of the Nigerian students that are stuck in the center of the ongoing war.
 
“3. We strongly hope that our call for rescue to our dear nation Nigeria will be responded to with immediate effect.
 
 

By ImamMalik Abdullahi Kaga

“From the small island of Madeira to the bright lights of Manchester, Cristiano Ronaldo’s journey was one of hard work and relentless dedication” — Peter Drury.

“Madiera, Manchester, Madrid, Turin and Manchester again” — Peter Drury.

Cristiano Ronaldo needs no introduction in the footballing world and beyond. He is one of the greatest football players in history and a complete inspiration for millions worldwide. But many people need to learn the story behind Ronaldo’s rise to success.

Born in Funchal, Madeira, a remote island in Portugal, Ronaldo grew up impoverished. His family was not wealthy; his father worked as a kit man at a local football club. Yet, despite his challenges, Ronaldo’s passion for the game was strong, and he started playing football at a tender age.

After showcasing promise as a young player, Ronaldo joined the youth academy of a local club, Andorinha, when he was only eight years old. Even as a young player, he showed promise, and at the age of 12, he caught the eye of a scout from Sporting CP, one of Portugal’s top clubs. But convincing his family to let him go was difficult, and his father encouraged him to train harder and pursue his passion.

At Sporting, Ronaldo worked very hard to turn his dreams comes reality, and soon he became a star player. He debuted in the Sporting first team when he was a teenager, precisely 17 years old, and his performances caught the eye of scouts from some of Europe’s biggest clubs. Eventually, in 2003, he signed for Manchester United, one of the biggest clubs in the world at the time he signed for them where he made his footballing Godfather– Sir Alex Ferguson.

Ronaldo’s time at Manchester United was a turning point in his career. Although his first season was tough, he improved every year, and his talent and hard work were soon impossible to ignore. He played a crucial role in helping Manchester United win three Premier League titles, one FA Cup, and one UEFA Champions League trophy.

Ronaldo signed for Real Madrid for a world-record transfer fee of €94 million in 2009. But despite the astronomical transfer fee, Ronaldo’s performances continued to improve, and he emerged as one of the best players in the world. He won four UEFA Champions League titles and two La Liga titles with Real Madrid. He became one of the club’s greatest players in history before he departed to the Italian giant, Juventus.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s move to Juventus in 2018 surprised many football fans, as he was widely regarded as the face of Real Madrid. However, he quickly proved his worth at Juventus, becoming the talisman for the team as they won their eighth consecutive Serie A title.

In his first season at the club, Ronaldo scored 28 goals in all competitions, and his performances helped Juventus reach the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League. Despite a disappointing exit from the competition, Ronaldo’s impact on the team was evident as they continued to dominate domestically. He has since become a fan favourite, and his incredible work ethic and dedication to the sport have earned him the respect and admiration of fans across the globe.

In 2021, Cristiano Ronaldo returned to his former club, Manchester United, after spending several years with Real Madrid and Juventus. The announcement of his return to Old Trafford was met with waves of excitement from United fans, who remembered the impact he made during his first stint with the club. Ronaldo’s arrival brought a sense of renewed optimism to United, and many believed that he would be the key to helping the team win their first Premier League title since 2013.

Ronaldo’s return to Old Trafford was nothing short of spectacular. In his first game back, he scored two goals against Newcastle United, and his performances throughout the season were consistently excellent. However, United’s decision to sell him to Al-Hilal, a Saudi Arabian team, after the 2022 World Cup shocked many fans, who believed that the club should have done everything possible to keep him.

Ronaldo’s transfer to Al Nasar marked the end of an era for Manchester United. Although many fans were disappointed to see him leave, they knew that it was a decision that he had made for personal reasons, and they wished him all the best in his future endeavours. Despite his departure, Ronaldo’s legacy at Old Trafford will live on, and his return to the club will always be remembered as one of the most exciting moments in United’s history.

Today, Ronaldo is a global icon, a game legend, and a role model for millions of people worldwide. He has worked hard to overcome life’s challenges, and his dedication and hard work have paid off. His journey from poverty to sporting superstardom inspires all who aspire to greatness.

In conclusion, Cristiano Ronaldo’s story is a story of passion, talent, determination, and hard work. It is a story that teaches us that success is possible if we believe in ourselves and are willing to work hard to achieve our dreams. Cristiano Ronaldo’s journey from poverty to the world’s biggest sports star is remarkable, and his legacy will continue to inspire generations.

Imammalik Abdullahi Kaga writes from Borno State University.

By Muhammadu Sabiu 

Bayern Munich have suspended Sadio Mané after he punched his teammate Leroy Sane.

Following Bayern’s 3-0 loss to Manchester City on Tuesday night, Mane and Sane got into an argument in the dressing room.

The Senegalese international confronted Sane after the game because he was upset with how Sane treated him on the pitch.

He lost his cool and hit Sane in the face, leaving him with a bloody lip.

The suspension, according to reports, is until further notice.

By Bilyaminu Abdulmumi

The first time I came face to face with a cosmic event was during the solar eclipse back in 2006. Before the event, the meteorologist announced it was coming, but while the naysayers kicked against it, the curious others, including myself, waited with bated breath. In Jega Kebbi State, a partial eclipse was experienced at about 9:40 am. The entire horizon slowly became dark for about an hour. In some other areas of the country, the eclipse was total darkness. Afterwards, the sky became clear and normal. Those who were asleep had only woken up to learn about it.

A couple of days back, on the 25th of March, another startling cosmic phenomenon took place; an asteroid passed between Earth and Moon’s orbits, specifically 175,000km away from Earth. According to astronomers, this is very close! The asteroid was nicknamed City Killer, indicating its potential to harm a city should it strike Earth on a habited area. But it was not as the name implies because, by God’s grace, the asteroid passed harmlessly as predicted.

Like all other cosmic events, the City Killer passage was discovered long before for possible action and announcement to the public, so people across the globe could follow the event live! The burning question here is, if Europe and other developed countries stand toe-to-toe proactively defending our Earth: in what part is Africa contributing? Are we stakeholders in these unfolding events?

The area of astronomy is both interesting and, at the same time, frighteningly complex; astronomy is an embodiment of epic proportions. Whenever something is referred to at the cosmic level, it is near impossible or almost infinite.

From what we learn from time to time from astrophysicists, the Sun is the centre of our solar system, and other planets, such as our Earth (and the 7 other known planets), rotate around it. To further complicate our life, the Sun is in constant spiral motion rotating around its axis, while the planets orbit around it!

The cosmic phenomenon would begin to go wild in our imagination when the concept of size and distance were brought up. The size of our Earth is about 12,800km, but compared to the size of the Sun of 1,400,000km, it is like comparing a dot with a circle. In addition, the distance between our Earth and the Sun is about 150 million km. Now imagine the size of our solar system!

The size of our galaxy (Milky Way) is mind-boggling. According to what astronomers told us, there are billions of solar systems in our galaxy. At this level, the distance is no longer measured in km but in light years. For instance, the distance between our star (Sun) to the closest Sun in our galaxy is about 4.25 light years. Light travels at the speed of 3,000km per second, so at this rate, it will only take light to travel from Borno to Lagos (a distance of about 1600km) about half a second. Now, this light that can travel in half a second from Lagos to Borno has to continue travelling for 4 years and 3 months to reach the next Sun close to ours. Pray! They told us there are billions of galaxies in the universe.

Because of this cosmos proportion, scientists such as Stephen Hawking believe that we can’t be the only intelligent in the universe. This view espouses that in one of the billions of galaxies in the universe, in one of the billions of solar systems in a galaxy, a celestial being like our Earth (bursting with intelligence) must exist. The universe is too vast to contain just one intelligence. The intelligent might be at par with us in terms of advancement, we could be way smarter than them, or the reverse may be the case. One astronomer said that it is scary anyhow one looks at the scenario: to say that we are not alone in the universe or we are alone.

The terrifying part of the multi-intelligence theory is, should the other intelligent locate us, what will be our fate? Are they going to destroy us in their search for raw materials just like we human beings are increasingly wreaking havoc on climate and habitat in exchange for raw materials (for technological advancements)? Or are they going to cooperate with us to add to our knowledge? It is equally frightening for the single intelligence theory: we are the only ones in this vastness of space. As much fantasy as the former theory looks, developed nations are not joking, as they committed a multi-billion dollar research centre in this direction: SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence).

Unlike SETI, Earth astrophysics has been bagged. Earth doesn’t rotate on its axis for 24 hours to complete a cycle only but rotates around the Sun 365 days to complete a cycle. By God’s grace, the 24-hour cycle ensures night and day, while the 365 days cycle ensures seasons. The moon does similar; it rotates around the Earth in a month as a source of light for us, to keep time management, and to ensure Earth’s stability. Should the moon be trapped in the Earth’s shadow it will be a lunar eclipse, or should the moon pass between Earth and Sun hence blocking the Sunlight, we get a solar eclipse.

It is understandable for “people” to exhibit sheer amusement in the discussion of cosmic events. During the 2019 lunar eclipse, one deeply amused person asked: if our Earth rotates, why are we still in Nigeria? He appeared to mean that if the Earth actually rotates, then we should not be where we are now. Maybe we should be in Saudi Arabia by now!

Abdulmumin can be reached via: bilal4riid13@gmail.com.

By Muhammadu Sabiu 
 
According to a report by the Daily Mail, Jose Mourinho, the manager of Roma, has been offered more than £100 million to coach Saudi Arabia in a two-year contract, making him the highest-paid manager in history.
 
Al-Nassr have expressed interest in Mourinho, according to the English news outlet on Thursday.
 
The 60-year-old Portuguese coach signed a contract with Roma in 2021, and his current deal with the Serie A side extends through 2024.
 
Nonetheless, there have been disagreements about transfers and disappointments with Roma’s results this year.

By Uzair Adam Imam

The Türkish public broadcaster, TRT, has launched a new digital platform, TRT Afrika, to counter Western media narratives about Africa.

Mehmet Zahid Sobaci, leading the launching on Friday, decried the way Africa is underreported by the Western media today.

However, with the emergence of TRT Afrika, many interesting stories that have been silenced would be relayed to the global audience.

Sobaci added that the medium intends to showcase stories from Africa and put its unique values at the heart of the world’s events.

He added that Africans would have a voice to communicate their ideas, values and cultures to the world without any alteration and in their languages, such as Hausa and Swahili.

He further stated that the medium would also pay attention to the good stories of Africa that have been silenced or underreported by the Western Media.

TRT Afrika, which employed staff from fifteen different African countries, would, according to Sobaci, “be like a mirror to Turkey’s policy and its relationship with Africa.”

He further stated that this would enable TRT to find out about different stores from the continent.

By Muhammadu Sabiu

Victor Osimhen, a striker for Napoli, is much sought after by top European football teams, including Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea, and Manchester United.

An exclusive post by seasoned football journalist Fabrizio Romano on his officially verified Facebook page confirmed this.

He wrote, “Chelsea plan to sign another striker alongside Christopher Nkun. [Nigerian] Victor Osimhen could be an option – all the top clubs want him: Chelsea, Man Utd and PSG”.

Osimhen is excellent in his prime, having steered Napoli of Italy to the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals.

By Muhammad Sabiu 

Former Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo, who currently plays for Saudi side Al Nassr, has put his private jet up for sale.

Al Nassr, in a short post on its official Facebook page, made the Portugal legend’s decision known.

The post reads, “CR7 decides to get rid of his private plane, the Gulfstream G200, which he bought in 2015, at a price of 23 million euros  ”.

However, the proposed price of the plane has not been revealed as of the time of filing this report.

Recall that Ronaldo left his former club Manchester United after a controversial interview with Piers Morgan in which he fiercely criticised the club and accused its management of “betraying” him.

By Muhammadu Sabiu  

Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric is reportedly in talks with Cristiano Ronaldo’s present club, Al Nasr, in the hope of making a move to the Middle East. 

Modric’s contract with Real Madrid is said to come to an end this summer, and there are no signs that Los Blancos are interested in extending the stay of the Croatian international. 

A Saudi news outlet was quoted as reporting that Al Nassr are also interested in bringing the one-time Ballon d’Or winner. 

Modric left Tottenham for Real Madrid in 2012, and he has been able to gather 22 trophies and other individual awards over the period of his stay at the Santiago Bernabeu.

By Abi Carter

A 75-year-old man from the town of Bad Tölz in Bavaria has successfully sued his neighbour for causing a bit of a stink by lighting his barbecue with unusual irregularity. As RTL reports, the two men live in the same apartment building in the small town, and the one in the upstairs flat began to get frustrated with his neighbour, who apparently took to grilling food on an electric barbecue on his terrace almost every single day. 

The smoke and rising smell became “unbearable” for the upstairs pensioner, who was named by RTL as Heinz J. Together with his wife, he reported his neighbour to the local authorities, and the case ended up in court. 

While the first court threw out the complaint, the plaintiffs appealed and a second district court in Munich – after hearing testimony from around a dozen witnesses about the smell and smoke caused by the grill – eventually sided with the couple. 

The court has ruled that the downstairs neighbour is only allowed to light up his barbecue four times per month and added that he is not allowed to grill two days in a row on the weekend. If he does not comply, he risks being slapped with a 250.000-euro fine. 

Source: iamexpat