Ivory Coast star Yaya Toure was on the mark for Manchester City in the English Premier League, while 18-year-old Francois Kamano scored for the first time for Bastia in France.
In Spain Gervinho was in fine form for AC Milan until an ankle injury ended his day before full-time.
Here is a look at the other African players who starred for their respective teams this past week:
ENGLAND
YAYA TOURE (Manchester City) Ivorian midfielder Toure confirmed his return to form by scoring his fifth goal in eight games in City's 3-0 victory at home to Crystal Palace. After David Silva's brace had put the champions in control, Toure completed victory in the 81st minute by gathering a pass from James Milner and slamming a left-foot shot inside the left-hand post from 15 yards.
YANNICK BOLASIE (Crystal Palace) Despite Palace's defeat, Bolasie emerged with credit after turning in another livewire display full of his usual flicks and tricks. The Democratic Republic of Congo winger was at his most dangerous in the first half, teeing up Fraizer Campbell for an overhead kick that flashed narrowly wide and crashing a low shot into Joe Hart's side-netting.
STEPHANE SESSEGNON (West Bromwich Albion) Sessegnon provided two assists as West Brom went 2-0 up at Queens Park Rangers, flicking on a Sebastien Pocognoli corner for Joleon Lescott to head home a 10th-minute opener and releasing Silvestre Varela for the visitors' second goal 10 minutes later. But a hat-trick by QPR striker Charlie Austin meant that the Benin midfielder finished on the losing side in a 3-2 defeat.
BROWN IDEYE (West Bromwich Albion) Nigerian striker Ideye, West Brom's record signing, was again selected ahead of Burundi-born England Under-21 international Saido Berahino, but he failed to impress, notably slashing an early shot over the bar after being teed up by Sessegnon. He was replaced in the 69th by Berahino, who struck the crossbar with a late effort.
DIAFRA SAKHO (West Ham United) Sakho has now gone two games without scoring -- his longest goalless run in a West Ham shirt -- after failing to find the net in his side's 2-0 win over Leicester City. But the Senegalese striker did set up the hosts' second goal in the 56th minute at Upton Park, intelligently nodding down a high ball for Stewart Downing, who curled home from just outside the penalty area.
GERMANY
PIERRE-EMERICK AUBEMAYANG (Borussia Dortmund) The Gabon winger failed to get on the scoresheet despite a shot and setting up team-mates on four other occasions in Borussia Dortmund's 2-1 defeat at Werder Bremen to leave last season's runners-up in the relegation places. With five Bundesliga goals to his credit, Aubemayang is Dortmund's top scorer at the halfway stage with coach Jurgen Klopp promising the 2013 Champions League finalists will improve when the Bundesliga resumes after the winter break on January 30.
FRANCE
ABDELHAMID EL KAOUTARI (Montpellier) French-born Moroccan international central defender El Kaoutari played his part as Montpellier comfortably held reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain to a 0-0 draw at the Parc des Princes. The 24-year-old, who has played every minute of every match since missing his side's first game of the campaign, will hope for even better when Montpellier host PSG in the French Cup in their first game of 2015.
FRANCOIS KAMANO (Bastia) The 18-year-old Guinean forward has quickly become a regular for the Corsican side and on Saturday he scored his first Ligue 1 goal, heading home from on the line to open the scoring in Bastia's 1-1 draw away to fellow strugglers Caen.
ISMAEL BANGOURA (Nantes) Bangoura capped a busy week by starting for Nantes for the first time this season in their 2-1 win away at near neighbours Nantes. Last Tuesday the 29-year-old Guinean striker came off the bench to score with a sumptuous chip in a 4-2 extra-time win over Metz in the League Cup before he declared that he would not go to the Africa Cup of Nations next month, instead opting to focus on his club career.
LACINA TRAORE (Monaco) The giant Ivorian striker has struggled to settle at Monaco and his appearance from the bench at Metz was only his sixth of the season. Nevertheless, he wasted little time in making his considerable presence felt. Barely three minutes after his introduction he set up Yannick Ferreira Carrasco to score the only goal in a 1-0 win.
ODAIR FORTES (Reims) Cape Verde international winger Fortes came into the weekend still without a goal to his name this season but he broke his duck in style at Rennes, a stunning long-range effort not long after coming off the bench helping Reims to an impressive 3-1 win.
SPAIN
CARLOS KAMENI (Malaga) Cameroon international Kameni helped Malaga record their fourth consecutive win in all competitions as the Andalusian outfit recorded a 2-1 win away to Elche and finished 2014 just one point off the Champions League places. With the scores tied at 1-1, Kameni produced a crucial stop for an Aaron Niguez effort, and five minutes later Luis Alberto's strike sealed the win for the visitors.
ITALY
GERVINHO (AS Roma) Gervinho was a constant thorn in the side for AC Milan in a scoreless draw at the Stadio Olimpico on Saturday, but hobbled off late with a suspected right ankle knock having put his side in sight of a late winner when he burst into the box and fell under a challenge from Alex after a smart one-two with Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa. Before then, the Ivorian had provided the first real threat of the game when he slalomed his way into the Milan area and skipped around Phillipe Mexes to fire a low shot which 'keeper Diego Lopez did well to block.
SULLEY MUNTARI (AC Milan) Muntari's time has been restricted of late by Filippo Inzaghi's use of Andrea Poli in the Milan midfield and the Ghanaian came on for only the final 10 minutes of the Rossoneri's scoreless draw away to Roma as the visitors looked to secure a precious point on Saturday.
SAPHIR TAIDER (Sassuolo) Every player can have an off-day and Algerian international Taider found himself bogged down in the midfield battles against Cesena on Saturday before finally being substituted in the 69th minute for Sergio Floccari. Sassuolo took the lead minutes later thanks to Simone Zaza's spot-kick, only for Ze Eduardo to hit a leveller at the death for the Serie A strugglers.
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Dr Afridi's warning signs of digital addiction
Spending an excessive amount of time on the phone.
Neglecting personal, social, or academic responsibilities.
Losing interest in other activities or hobbies that were once enjoyed.
Having withdrawal symptoms like feeling anxious, restless, or upset when the technology is not available.
Experiencing sleep disturbances or changes in sleep patterns.
What are the guidelines?
Under 18 months: Avoid screen time altogether, except for video chatting with family.
Aged 18-24 months: If screens are introduced, it should be high-quality content watched with a caregiver to help the child understand what they are seeing.
Aged 2-5 years: Limit to one-hour per day of high-quality programming, with co-viewing whenever possible.
Aged 6-12 years: Set consistent limits on screen time to ensure it does not interfere with sleep, physical activity, or social interactions.
Teenagers: Encourage a balanced approach – screens should not replace sleep, exercise, or face-to-face socialisation.
Source: American Paediatric Association
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
RESULTS
6pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-2 – Group 1 (PA) $55,000 (Dirt) 1,900m
Winner: Rajeh, Antonio Fresu (jockey), Musabah Al Muhairi (trainer)
6.35pm: Oud Metha Stakes – Rated Conditions (TB) $60,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Get Back Goldie, William Buick, Doug O’Neill
7.10pm: Jumeirah Classic – Listed (TB) $150,000 (Turf) 1,600m
Winner: Sovereign Prince, James Doyle, Charlie Appleby
7.45pm: Firebreak Stakes – Group 3 (TB) $150,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Hypothetical, Mickael Barzalona, Salem bin Ghadayer
8.20pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-2 – Group 2 (TB) $350,000 (D) 1,900m
Winner: Hot Rod Charlie, William Buick, Doug O’Neill
8.55pm: Al Bastakiya Trial – Conditions (TB) $60,000 (D) 1,900m
Winner: Withering, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass
9.30pm: Balanchine – Group 2 (TB) $180,000 (T) 1,800m
Winner: Creative Flair, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
Best Academy: Ajax and Benfica
Best Agent: Jorge Mendes
Best Club : Liverpool
Best Coach: Jurgen Klopp (Liverpool)
Best Goalkeeper: Alisson Becker
Best Men’s Player: Cristiano Ronaldo
Best Partnership of the Year Award by SportBusiness: Manchester City and SAP
Best Referee: Stephanie Frappart
Best Revelation Player: Joao Felix (Atletico Madrid and Portugal)
Best Sporting Director: Andrea Berta (Atletico Madrid)
Best Women's Player: Lucy Bronze
Best Young Arab Player: Achraf Hakimi
Kooora – Best Arab Club: Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia)
Kooora – Best Arab Player: Abderrazak Hamdallah (Al-Nassr FC, Saudi Arabia)
Player Career Award: Miralem Pjanic and Ryan Giggs
Australia World Cup squad
Aaron Finch (capt), Usman Khawaja, David Warner, Steve Smith, Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Jhye Richardson, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Jason Behrendorff, Nathan Lyon, Adam Zampa
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
ILT20%20UAE%20stars
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Countdown to Zero exhibition will show how disease can be beaten
Countdown to Zero: Defeating Disease, an international multimedia exhibition created by the American Museum of National History in collaboration with The Carter Center, will open in Abu Dhabi a month before Reaching the Last Mile.
Opening on October 15 and running until November 15, the free exhibition opens at The Galleria mall on Al Maryah Island, and has already been seen at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta, the American Museum of Natural History in New York, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
