Blatter under investigation by US authorities, say reports
Federation Internationale de Football Association President Sepp Blatter resigned from his post on Tuesday amid investigations by US prosecutors into large-scale corruption into the functioning of world football's governing body. In a statement, Blatter said that he was resigning as his re-election as President was not “supported by everyone in the world”. He added that FIFA needed “profound restructuring”. US officials quoted in media reports said that they were hoping to try and build a case against Blatter by gaining the cooperation of some of the seven FIFA officials arrested last week as part of their investigation. The US Justice Department said that 14 individuals were being investigated over allegations that they had accepted bribes and kickbacks worth over $150 million over a 24-year-long period.
50 killed in blast at Nigerian cattle market
At least 50 people were killed on Tuesday as a bomb exploded at a cattle market in the north-eastern Nigerian city of Maiduguri. No group claimed responsibility for the attack, which took place days after Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari announced that he was shifting the country’s military headquarters to Maiduguri. However, several previous attacks of this nature have been executed by Boko Haram, which has been waging a military campaign against Nigeria’s government in an effort to establish an Islamic Caliphate in the country.
Afghan militants kill nine in guesthouse attack
Nine Afghan aid workers employed by a Czech charity were killed when militants attacked their guesthouse in the Zari district of the Balkh province on Tuesday. A provincial official said that the gunmen burst into the workers’ rooms as they were sleeping. The director of the charity said that the nine workers, including two guards and drivers, had been working on infrastructure projects in rural parts of the country in collaboration with the Afghan government. While no group claimed responsibility for the attack, the province has seen a rise in violence since the Taliban began its annual summer offensive.
20 Houthi fighters killed in Yemen
Twenty rebel Houthi fighters were killed and 10 others injured on Tuesday after an ambush on their military convoy by tribal militiamen loyal to ousted Yemeni President Abdu-Rabby Mansour Hadi. A security official said that the ambush took place in the village of Kaida in the Ibb province. The security situation in the country worsened after the rebels took control of the capital city of Sanaa last September. A Saudi Arabia-led coalition against the Shia rebels has been conducting airstrikes against their positions since 26 March.
Palestinian NGO denies ties to Hamas
The United Kingdom-based Palestinian Return Centre on Tuesday denied Israeli accusations that it was linked to militant group Hamas. The Non-Governmental Organisation also threated to take legal action against the Israeli delegation to the United Nations, which made the accusations. It said that the allegations had no credibility as they were based solely on sources from within Israel itself. The accusations were made on Monday after the UN’s committee on NGOs voted in favour of recognising the Palestinian Return Centre.
Federation Internationale de Football Association President Sepp Blatter resigned from his post on Tuesday amid investigations by US prosecutors into large-scale corruption into the functioning of world football's governing body. In a statement, Blatter said that he was resigning as his re-election as President was not “supported by everyone in the world”. He added that FIFA needed “profound restructuring”. US officials quoted in media reports said that they were hoping to try and build a case against Blatter by gaining the cooperation of some of the seven FIFA officials arrested last week as part of their investigation. The US Justice Department said that 14 individuals were being investigated over allegations that they had accepted bribes and kickbacks worth over $150 million over a 24-year-long period.
50 killed in blast at Nigerian cattle market
At least 50 people were killed on Tuesday as a bomb exploded at a cattle market in the north-eastern Nigerian city of Maiduguri. No group claimed responsibility for the attack, which took place days after Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari announced that he was shifting the country’s military headquarters to Maiduguri. However, several previous attacks of this nature have been executed by Boko Haram, which has been waging a military campaign against Nigeria’s government in an effort to establish an Islamic Caliphate in the country.
Afghan militants kill nine in guesthouse attack
Nine Afghan aid workers employed by a Czech charity were killed when militants attacked their guesthouse in the Zari district of the Balkh province on Tuesday. A provincial official said that the gunmen burst into the workers’ rooms as they were sleeping. The director of the charity said that the nine workers, including two guards and drivers, had been working on infrastructure projects in rural parts of the country in collaboration with the Afghan government. While no group claimed responsibility for the attack, the province has seen a rise in violence since the Taliban began its annual summer offensive.
20 Houthi fighters killed in Yemen
Twenty rebel Houthi fighters were killed and 10 others injured on Tuesday after an ambush on their military convoy by tribal militiamen loyal to ousted Yemeni President Abdu-Rabby Mansour Hadi. A security official said that the ambush took place in the village of Kaida in the Ibb province. The security situation in the country worsened after the rebels took control of the capital city of Sanaa last September. A Saudi Arabia-led coalition against the Shia rebels has been conducting airstrikes against their positions since 26 March.
Palestinian NGO denies ties to Hamas
The United Kingdom-based Palestinian Return Centre on Tuesday denied Israeli accusations that it was linked to militant group Hamas. The Non-Governmental Organisation also threated to take legal action against the Israeli delegation to the United Nations, which made the accusations. It said that the allegations had no credibility as they were based solely on sources from within Israel itself. The accusations were made on Monday after the UN’s committee on NGOs voted in favour of recognising the Palestinian Return Centre.
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