The FIFA Referees Committee has selected 17 referees, 37 assistant referees and 10 Video Assistant Referees for the final phase of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™. Given the number of matches left and the teams that have qualified for the next round, the number of referees has been reduced. Appointed for the next phase are: AFC: FAGHANI Alireza (IRN); ...

Fifa condemned comments by Diego Maradona on Wednesday, after the Argentinian legend claimed that Colombia only lost to England in the World Cup last 16 because of the appointment of referee Mark Geiger for the match. The 1986 World Cup winner said England’s win was a “monumental robbery” after Gareth Southgate’s men edged through a bad-tempered encounter on penalties on ...

Cristiano Ronaldo has received an offer to leave Real Madrid and join Italian champions Juventus, a source close to the player told Reuters on Wednesday. Ronaldo, who joined Real from Manchester United in 2008 for a then world record 80 million pounds ($105.65 million), is the Spanish club’s all-time top scorer with 451 goals in all competitions and has won ...

Three people have been charged with kidnapping a star of the Halloween film series, along with another actor – holding the latter for ransom. Two men and one woman have been charged with 17 felony counts, including kidnapping and assault with a firearm. They are accused of kidnapping actor Joseph Capone and Daisy McCrackin – a star of 2002’s Halloween: ...

Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were being monitored by the Russian authorities in the months before their poisoning, BBC Newsnight understands. The government alleged, in a letter to Nato, that the Russian authorities had hacked into Yulia’s email account in 2013. I understand briefings given to UK ministers and allied governments suggested it went well beyond this. Sergei and ...

A man and woman found unconscious in Wiltshire were poisoned by Novichok – the same nerve agent that poisoned ex-Russian spy Sergei Skripal, police say. The couple, believed to be Charlie Rowley and Dawn Sturgess, are in a critical condition having been found unconscious at a house on Saturday. Police say no one else has presented with the same symptoms. ...

Political parties participating in By-elections in Western Province have been urged to desist from political violence as it does not reflect the agenda of the nation but personal and selfish agendas Forum for Democracy and Development (FDD) Western Provincial Secretary Walende Kamwila has expressed disappointment at the increasing cases of political violence that have characterized the political scene in Nalikwanda constituency ...

Vision Ambassador Chairperson Misheck Kombe has condemned some opposition political parties inciting violence among the youth. Mr. Kombe says that promoting violence among young people shows that the country is diverting from the norms and values of a Christian nation. He has told Q-news in an interview it is disheartening that opposition political leaders resort to incite their supporters to ...

The Zambia Council for Social Development (ZCSD) has called on the Zambia police, the Immigration department and other investigative wings to conduct thorough investigations into Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines Limited (ZCCM-IH) CEO Dr. Pius Kasolo’s links to South Africa, following media reports that he is not Zambian. Recently, Dr. Kasolo has denied such allegations stating that those who are claiming ...

The Centre for Trade Policy and Development (CTPD) says it is important for the Ministry responsible for mining to ensure a comprehensive audit of the mineral wealth of this country so that the nation get value for the minerals worth. The center is also of the view that Zambia can benefit more from its natural resources by ensuring transformative change ...