The Qatar 2022 World Cup final should be played no later than 18 December, says Fifa president Sepp Blatter. A Fifa taskforce has recommended a November/December tournament and held discussions about a 23 December final, which would affect domestic schedules. Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore wants to “protect” English football’s festive fixture list. Blatter said the tournament won’t go ...

Harrison Ford will reprise his role as police officer Rick Deckard in the forthcoming Blade Runner sequel, it has been confirmed. Denis Villeneuve, who directed Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal in kidnap drama Prisoners, is in talks to direct. The story takes place several decades after the conclusion of the 1982 film, which was based on Philip K Dick novel ...

Attackers in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka have hacked to death a US-Bangladeshi blogger whose writings on religion angered Islamist hardliners. Avijit Roy, an atheist who advocated secularism, was attacked as he walked back from a book fair with his wife, who was also hurt in the attack. No-one has been arrested but police say they are investigating a local Islamist ...

The Zambian Voice has observed that political violence in the country will continue to escalate if leaders do not take an effective approach against the vice. The organization has since called upon political party leaders to show unequivocal antipathy towards violence. Executive Director Chilufya Tayali says violence will not stop if leaders continue to pay lip service and finger pointing. ...

Health Minister Joseph Kasonde has attributed the recent shortage of essential medicines in some health centres in Lusaka to poor information management regarding stocks available between Medical Stores Limited and the affected health facilities. Dr Kasonde has told Parliament in a ministerial statement this morning that the poor supply chain and the pilferage of drugs also contributed to the shortages ...

Vice President Inonge Wina has dismissed as mere political propaganda UPND President Hakainde Hichilema’s claims that he gets a copy of the national intelligence report before it reaches President Edgar Lungu. Responding to a question by MMD Muchinga Member of Parliament Howard Kunda who solicited for a comment on Mr Hichilema’s claims during the vice president’s question time in Parliament ...

Former Mines Minister Maxwell Mwale has been sentenced to twelve months imprisonment with hard labour for abuse of authority of office. Mr Mwale was on Wednesday found guilty of abuse of authority of office by facilitating the issuance of mining licences to a Chinese firm, Zhongui International Mining Industry Group Limited. Passing sentence in the matter this morning, Magistrate Lameck ...

The widow of a man killed by a masked Islamic State militant known as “Jihadi John” says she wants him caught alive. Dragana Haines said the “last thing” she wanted for the man who had killed her husband, British aid worker David Haines, was an “honourable death”. The militant, pictured in the videos of the beheadings of Western hostages, has ...

Details about Kendrick Lamar’s sophomore album have been scarce and after he dropped the second single “The Blacker The Berry” earlier this month, fans have been even more anxious for the full project. During K. Dot’s last promo run, he revealed that the only person who had heard the album in its entirety was his 10-year-old little brother. Now he’s ...

Watch out Jaden, your dad is looking to reclaim the title of best current rapper in the Smith household. The man that burst onto the music scene as The Fresh Prince over 25 years ago is back in the studio, and Will Smith recruited Kanye West to handle the production on a number of new tracks. “I’ve recorded a lot,” ...