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News_Naija

Rivers Wont Relent In NPFL Title Pursuit Finidi

Rivers United coach Finidi George insists the one-time Nigeria Premier Football League champions will not relent in their pursuit of a second league title, despite trailing leaders Remo Stars by seven points with four games to go, PUNCH Sports Extra reports. The Port Harcourt side secured a hard-fought 1-0 win over Sunshine Stars in a match-day 34 game on Sunday, but their hopes of reducing the gap between them and Remo to four points were dashed as the Ikenne side grabbed a vital 1-0 away win against Southwest rivals 3SC. Abba Sulaiman scored the only goal in the 83rd minute for Finidi’s men, but they still have more work to do if they are to stop Remo from claiming their first title. They need to win or avoid defeat in their next game away at Kano Pillars to prevent Remo, who need a win against Niger Tornadoes, from sealing the title with three games to spare. “Four games, that is 12 points, we still have two home matches. We are trying to pile pressure on Remo, we will not relent, and we will see how we can go away and get something out of the Kano Pillars game,” Finidi said after the game. “You can see that on my face, I’m always positive.” Finidi also hailed the resilience of Sunshine Stars despite his side’s victory in the encounter. “Sunshine Stars gave us a real fight. They were disciplined and determined. This win means a lot to us at this stage of the season to put pressure on other teams at the top.” Finidi, an ex-international, joined the Pride of Rivers at the start of the season after a short stint as the head coach of the Super Eagles.

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Worldnews

South Koreas Ex-President Moon Jae-in Indicted For Bribery

Moon accused of appointing former lawmaker to nonprofit in exchange for hiring of his then son-in-law. South Korea’s former President Moon Jae-in has been indicted on bribery charges, prosecutors have said. Moon, who led South Korea from 2017 to 2022 under the banner of the centre-left Democratic Party, is alleged to have appointed a former lawmaker to a government-funded nonprofit agency in exchange for his then son-in-law being employed at a Thailand-based airline, Jeonju District Prosecutors’ Office said in a statement on Thursday. Prosecutors allege that Moon appointed Lee Sang-jik to lead the SMEs and Startups Agency in return for his ex-son-in-law, surnamed Seo, being appointed executive director at Thai Eastar Jet, which was controlled by Lee at the time. They allege that some 223 million won ($151,959) in salary and other benefits provided to Seo constituted a bribe to Moon. The Democratic Party condemned the indictment as politically motivated and an abuse of prosecutorial power. “So the salary paid to the son-in-law was a bribe to the president? Is this the best logic they could come up with after dragging the case out for four long years?” spokeswoman Park Kyung-mee said in a statement. Moon’s indictment adds him to a long list of former South Korean presidents who have found themselves in trouble with the law. Moon’s successor, impeached ex-president Yoon Suk-yeol, is currently on trial on insurrection charges over his short-lived declaration of martial law last year. Four other ex-South Korean leaders, including Moon’s immediate predecessors Park Geun-hye and Lee Myung-bak, have been given prison terms. Moon’s political mentor, former President Roh Moo-hyun, took his own life in 2009 while under investigation for bribery. While in office, Moon, a former human rights lawyer, pushed to expand social welfare and championed rapprochement with North Korea. South Korea is set to hold a presidential election on June 3 to replace Yoon, whose impeachment was upheld by the Constitutional Court of Korea earlier this month. Follow Al Jazeera English:...

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Worldnews

What We Know About The Funeral Of Pope Francis

Hundreds of thousands of guests and mourners are expected to attend the late pontiff’s funeral ceremonies, which will be a simpler affair than previous papal funerals. Vatican City – Pope Francis’s funeral will be held in the Vatican on Saturday at 10am local time (8:00 GMT), with hundreds of thousands of guests and mourners expected to attend the late pontiff’s final ceremonies. US President Donald Trump and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will be among the dozens of dignitaries travelling to the Vatican for the ceremony, which will be a simpler affair than previous papal funerals. Last year, the Argentine pope amended the funeral rites to show that he was a “disciple of Christ” rather than “a powerful man of this world”. As well as being a major religious event, papal funerals also have an important diplomatic dimension. The pope is the head of the Roman Catholic Church, but he also leads the Holy See – a sovereign juridical entity with a seat at the United Nations – and the Vatican city-state. There are some 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide, concentrated above all in Europe, the Americas and increasingly in Africa. For this reason, papal funerals tend to attract large numbers of political figures. When Pope John Paul II died in 2005, his funeral attracted some 70 presidents and prime ministers – making it one of the largest gatherings of world leaders in history. Among those to have already confirmed their attendance for Francis’s funeral on Saturday are US President Trump, the UN chief Guterres, and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has no plans to attend, according to the Kremlin, but there will be a delegation from China. Alongside these political figures, there will be large numbers of Catholics and other well-wishers. The Italian government said on Tuesday that it expected at least 200,000 foreigners to travel to Rome for the funeral. Although the Vatican is a sovereign state, it is located in the heart of the Italian capital, and Italy will help manage some elements of the logistics. There is, however, some reason to think that the eventual turnout will be higher than the Italian government’s estimate – the last funeral of a sitting pope, John Paul II, attracted some four million attendees. That said, the number of mourners on Saturday might not quite reach that high. While both popes enjoyed high levels of popularity, John Paul had served for 26 years, compared to Francis’s 12. Moreover, John Paul’s native Poland – where he had a huge number of admirers – was close enough to Italy to facilitate large-scale travel. In 2024, Pope Francis simplified the Rite of Burial for Roman Pontiffs, which lays out the rubrics for papal funerals. According to the new rites, Francis will be buried in a single coffin, rather than the three used by previous popes. Different language will be used, too – during the funeral, the pope will be called “Bishop of Rome”, “Pope”, “Pastor”, or “Roman Pontifex”, with grander titles such as “Supreme Pontiff of the Universal Church” now avoided. Mirticeli Medeiros, a Catholic Church historian and Vatican correspondent for Brazil’s GloboNews, told Al Jazeera that “Francis’s simplification of the funeral rituals reflects not only his humility, which was well known, but also his revolution of the institution of the papacy”. “He always said that he did not feel comfortable with the idea that the Vatican was the last absolute monarchy of Europe,” Medeiros said. “That is why, from the very beginning, he presented himself as ‘Bishop of Rome’, which for him was the most dignified title – he was a bishop, a pastor and a Christian like any other.” Explaining the changes, Archbishop Diego Ravelli, master of Papal Liturgical Ceremonies, said that the aim was to highlight that the pope’s funeral is “that of a shepherd and disciple of Christ, and not of a powerful man of this world”. Archbishop Ravelli added that it was Francis himself who had stressed the need to “adapt certain rites, so that the celebration of the funeral of the Bishop of Rome might better express the Church’s faith in the risen Christ”. Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, the 91-year-old Italian who is currently dean of the College of Cardinals, is expected to preside over the pope’s funeral mass. He will lead those present in prayers and Bible readings, and will deliver the final commendation and valediction, entrusting the pope’s soul to God. The funeral will be held in a variety of different languages, reflecting the Catholic Church’s international nature and the varied backgrounds of those present. It is likely that – as is the case for most masses of this kind at the Vatican – the main prayers will be said in Latin and Italian, with Bible readings in Italian, Spanish, and English, and a number of shorter prayers in other languages such as Arabic, Polish, and Chinese. After Pope Francis’s funeral, his coffin will be transferred to the Basilica of St Mary Major, a church lying outside the Vatican’s walls that he was particularly fond of visiting. Francis will be the first pope to be buried there since the 1600s, and the first in over 100 years to be buried outside the Vatican. In his final testament, released on Monday, the pope asked that his tomb be “in the ground; simple, without particular ornamentation”, and specified that the only word should be his papal name in Latin: “Franciscus.” A plain gravestone in a church that hasn’t held a pope’s remains in centuries – it’s a fitting final resting place for a man who will be remembered by many for his humility and his independence. “After his election in 2013, the pope first appeared in public wearing simple white vestments, as a way to demonstrate his desire for a less ostentatious church”, Christopher White, Vatican correspondent for National Catholic Reporter, told Al Jazeera. “So,” White added, “it is fitting that he has stripped down the funeral rites, to ensure that in death he can offer one final lesson in symbolism for a church which, he hopes, will continue on a path toward humility.” Follow Al Jazeera English:...

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Futbol

Scotland Must Build On 'progress' Against Elite Germany

Uefa Women's Nations League A: Scotland v Germany Venue: Tannadice Park, Dundee Date: Friday, 4 April Kick-off: 19:35 BST Coverage: Watch on BBC Alba & iPlayer, listen on BBC Radio Scotland Extra & Sounds, live text commentary on the BBC Sport website & app Caroline Weir says Scotland must build on the "definite progress" in the Nations League amid a "transitional period" for the managerless national side. Scotland face a double header against Germany, ranked third in the world, after a 1-0 defeat in Austria and a 2-1 home loss to the Netherlands in their opening games. Those were both under the stewardship of interim boss Michael McArdle as the Scottish FA continues its search for a new manager after the departure of Pedro Martinez Losa, following the failed bid to qualify for Euro 2025. McArdle will continue to guide the team for the visit of Germany to Tannadice on Friday, before the return in Wolfsburg the following Tuesday. Weir says "clarity" on who the next manager will be is the "most important thing" but until then she and the rest of the squad must focus on taking on one of the world's best sides. "It's two really tough games, but I think they're important for us," Weir told BBC Scotland. "They are one of the best teams. I'm interested to see how we do. Off the back of the last camp, that performance against the Netherlands, I think there was definitely some positives to take. "We were competitive for most of the match as much as we didn't get any points. "It is a transitional period for sure for the squad, the manager situation and then obviously the change in personnel and the players. "But for us, it's easy. We turn up, we want to be in the best shape possible, prepare the best we can to play an international match." Weir was speaking at the launch of a new film produced by the Scottish FA about her life and career called 'Galactica', which will be published on Wednesday. It documents her rise from humble beginnings to playing in Real Madrid's midfield and earning 108 caps for Scotland, including her recent comeback after a year out with a knee injury. "It's a little bit surreal to be honest - it's quite strange to see your face on posters and on a big screen," the 29-year-old said. "I remember when they were filming in October and they were asking me all these different questions. It was sparking so many memories that I'd just kind of forgotten or just moved on from. "It's a nice day for my friends, family and to celebrate the last couple of years and the journey that I've been really fortunate to be on."