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Philippine Marine Commandant Major General Emmanuel Salamat (R) listens to US military representatives during a handover ceremony of weapons from the US military, at Marine headquarters in Manila on June 5, 2017. The United States on June 5 gave counterterrorism weapons to help the Philippine military fight Islamic militants, authorities said, despite tirades from President Rodrigo Duterte against arms from Washington. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday ordered the military to “crush” Islamist militants still occupying parts of a southern city, as photos emerged of bombed buildings and mangled corpses. Duterte described the rampage in Marawi City by the militants, fighting under the Islamic State group flag, as a “rebellion” demanding a forceful response. “I am not ordering you to take an ordinary police action. I am ordering you to crush our enemy,” he told soldiers while visiting the country’s south. “When I say crush them, you have to destroy ...

Nigeria House of Representative The resolution of the resolution to adopt e-voting ostensibly stemmed from the controversy that trailed the rejection of the South-East Development Commission Bill by the house on Thursday. The House of Representatives may on Wednesday commence a test-run of e-voting method in its legislative procedures. Deputy Majority Whip of the house, Mr Pally Iriase (Edo-APC) gave the hint while speaking with newsmen on Tuesday in Abuja after the chamber’s plenary. The resolution of the resolution to adopt e-voting ostensibly stemmed from the controversy that trailed the rejection of the South-East Development Commission Bill by the house on Thursday. It would be recalled that it was difficult for the Speaker of the house, Mr Yakubu Dogara, to ascertain whether the “nays’’ or the “ayes’’ had majority when he put the motion on the bill to voice vote. It was at the second voting that the rejection of the bill was clear as majority of the membe...

Eden Hazard Chelsea playmaker Eden Hazard is likely to miss the beginning of next season as the Premier League champions announced on Monday he is sidelined for three months after undergoing ankle surgery. The Belgium international fractured his ankle training ahead of the friendly with the Czech Republic and the 2018 World Cup qualifier with Estonia on Friday. “Eden Hazard successfully underwent surgery today after sustaining a fracture to his right ankle while training with the Belgian national team,” read a statement on the club website. “He is expected to return to training in approximately three months.” The 26-year-old was a driving force in Chelsea’s title win. The Premier League season gets underway on August 12.

FILES) This file photo taken on May 23, 2017 shows Ajax Dutch head coach Peter Bosz during a training session at the Friends Arena in Solna outside Stockholm, on the eve of the UEFA Europa League football final between Ajax Amsterdam and Manchester United. Peter Bosz was on June 6, 2017 the named new coach of Borussia Dortmund Dutchman Peter Bosz has been named as the new coach of Borussia Dortmund, the German giants announced on Tuesday. “Peter Bosz is the new BVB Head Coach. Contract will last until 2019. Further info in a press conference this afternoon,” Dortmund said on their English-language Twitter account. Bosz, 53, arrives from Ajax after leading the Dutch side to the final of the Europa League, where they lost 2-0 to Manchester United last month. Briefly a player in Germany with Hansa Rostock in the 1990s, he replaces Thomas Tuchel, who was sacked despite Dortmund winning the German Cup — their first major silverware in five years — and finishing third...

France’s forward Olivier Giroud celebrates after scoring a goal during the friendly football match France vs Paraguay on June 2, 2017 at the Roazhon Park stadium in Rennes. France forward Olivier Giroud said on Tuesday he will not accept a bit-part role with Arsenal next season. The 30-year-old was often a substitute over the last campaign as Gunners manager Arsene Wenger preferred to line up Alexis Sanchez and Theo Walcott in attack. Giroud, who also had an injury-disrupted campaign, made only 11 league starts and, with 18 appearances from the bench, was the Arsenal player most used as a substitute last season. But while he said he’s happy at Arsenal, the former Montpellier striker says he wants to play more. “I still have two or even three years left on my Arsenal contract, for the moment my future is at Arsenal,” he said. “I feel good here, I want to win the Premier League with Arsenal. “But I don’t know what the future holds.” On Sunday, Giroud had told...

French President Emmanuel Macron French President Emmanuel Macron called for unity among Gulf states on Tuesday, saying he was ready to back “all initiatives to encourage calm”. Macron spoke by phone with Qatari leader Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani and restated the “importance of preserving stability in the region”. He also reaffirmed France’s readiness to stay in contact with all parties involved, the president’s office said in a statement. Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates severed diplomatic ties and transport links with Qatar on Monday, accusing it of supporting extremism. US President Donald Trump threw his weight behind the effort spearheaded by Riyadh, despite Qatar’s role in hosting US military operations in the fight against Islamic State (IS) extremism. The Gulf states “said they would take a hard line on funding… extremism, and all reference was pointing to Qatar. Perhaps this will be the beginning of the end to the horro...

Four people, including three NGO workers, were killed Tuesday when their vehicle hit a roadside bomb in eastern Kenya, a local government official said, in the latest such attack in the country. “We have four people dead from the incident that occurred between Dadaab and Doble,” said the regional commissioner Mohamud Saleh. Three of those killed were employed by an NGO called Adeso, which was founded by a Somali activist and receives funding from the US and European Union for its work in the Horn of Africa, according to its website. The incident occurred near the town of Dadaab — home to one of the world’s largest refugee camps. A string of roadside bomb attacks, mostly claimed by Shabaab Islamists, have left more than 20 police officers dead in the region bordering Somalia in just over two weeks. Inspector General Joseph Boinnet of the Kenyan police warned that more such attacks were likely during the holy month of Ramadan. Since 2007, the Al-Qaeda linked ...

Manchester United’s players celebrates with the trophy after the UEFA Europa League final football match Ajax Amsterdam v Manchester United on May 24, 2017 at the Friends Arena in Solna outside Stockholm. Manchester United have overtaken Real Madrid as the world’s most valuable football team, US magazine Forbes announced on Tuesday in its annual global list ranking the sport’s wealthiest clubs. United’s enduring brand appeal and aggressive sponsorship strategies had helped the Premier League side reclaim top spot for the first time in five years, with a worth estimated at $3.69 billion (3.27 billion euros), Forbes said in its survey. Although Real Madrid have enjoyed unparallelled success in the Champions League — clinching unprecedented back-to-back titles on Saturday for a record 12th crown — United have roared past the Spanish giants in the commercial stakes. According to Forbes, United generated revenues of $765 million during the 2015-2016 season, $77 m...