WORLD

Ethiopia’s parliament swore in Abiy Ahmed as prime minister on Monday with a mandate to implement democratic reforms aimed partly at defusing ethnic tensions in the Oromiya province from which the former army lieutenant general hails. The ruling coalition picked Abiy last week to replace Hailemariam Desalegn who quit to clear the way for reforms. Abiy, 42, took the oath ...

LIONEL MESSI is angry with Barcelona team-mate Samuel Umtiti, it has been claimed. According to Diario Gol, Messi believes Umtiti is focused more on the speculation surrounding his future than performing on the pitch. The Barcelona superstar blew his top after being forced to rescue the team from defeat at Sevilla on Saturday. Messi – on the bench for the ...

Zambia has asked Cuba to recall its ambassador for openly supporting the newly launched opposition Socialist Party, the president’s spokesman said on Sunday. Amos Chanda said ambassador Nelson Pages Vilas spoke at the party’s launch on Saturday. He directed that the Cuban ambassador be recalled “for behavior unbecoming of a diplomat,” Chanda told a media briefing, adding that diplomatic ties ...

Andre Agassi has announced that he has ended his stint as Novak Djokovic’s coach after just 11 months together.Agassi began working with the eight-time Grand Slam champion last May after Boris Becker’s tenure in Djokovic’s backroom team reached a conclusion. But the former world number one has continued to struggle with form and fitness after suffering first round defeats at ...

LIVERPOOL star Mohamed Salah would reportedly love to join Barcelona to play alongside Lionel Messi. Liverpool are bracing themselves for bids for Salah this summer with Barcelona and Real Madrid both reportedly keen to sign him. The Egypt international has set the Premier League alight ever since his summer switch from Roma, bagging a huge 37 goals across all competitions. ...

PSG star Neymar would reportedly prefer to join Manchester City instead of Manchester United. Manchester United and Manchester City have both been linked with a move for PSG forward Neymar. The Brazilian is supposedly unhappy at the Parc des Princes and may leave after just a solitary year in France. United reportedly want Neymar to be their big-name replacement for ...

CRISTIANO RONALDO wants Gareth Bale to be left out of Real Madrid’s starting XI for tomorrow’s Champions League clash against Juventus (7.45pm), it has been claimed. The Champions League is Real Madrid’s final hope of lifting any major silverware this season after a wretched La Liga campaign and early Copa del Rey exit. There are a number of question marks ...

Ghana attacker Kevin-Prince Boateng believes he possessed sufficient talent to play for Real Madrid, though he insisted that he’s satisfied with his career so far. Boateng, 31, has had a decent career thus far after lining up for some of the best teams in the world; AC Milan, Tottenham, Dortmund and Schalke 04. However, the Eintracht Frankfurt attacker believes he ...

JOSE MOURINHO insists he has not spoken to Didier Deschamps about out-of-form Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba. Mourinho was said to have contacted the France manager to discuss problems with Pogba. United’s one-time world’s most expensive player has endured a miserable few weeks at Old Trafford but did score for France during the international break. Yahoo! had claimed Mourinho and ...

Liverpool and Manchester United are set to meet in pre-season in the US, with the second biggest stadium in the world lined up as a potential venue. The game will be part of the annual International Champions Cup in July. While a venue has yet to be agreed, Michigan’s 107,000-capacity ‘Big House’ in Ann Arbor is a possible option for ...