Five flops of the Cup of Nations group phase (Read full details)

Gabon's forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang celebrates after scoring a goal during the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations group A football match between Gabon and Guinea-Bissau at the Stade de l'Amitie Sino-Gabonaise in Libreville on January 14, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / GABRIEL BOUYS

AFP Sport looks at the biggest flops of the Africa Cup of Nations so far after the conclusion of the group stage in Gabon:

PIERRE-EMERICK AUBAMEYANG

It might seem harsh on a player who scored both of his country’s goals at the competition. But Aubameyang did not live up to the sky-high expectations placed on him. The Borussia Dortmund striker, a former African Footballer of the Year, seemed distant for much of the time and was reluctant to talk to the media despite being the captain of the host nation. He was also guilty of a glaring miss early on in the draw with Cameroon that eliminated the Panthers. After his penalty miss that precipitated Gabon’s elimination in the quarter-finals as co-hosts in 2012, this was another disappointing tournament for the French-born star.

GABON

Gabon bowed out without losing a game but did little to win over a population lacking enthusiasm in the Cup of Nations at a time when the country is battling with a social and political crisis. Their inability to win a game — they drew all three matches — meant the late decision to sack coach Jorge Costa and replace him with non-French speaker Jose Antonio Camacho backfired. Aubameyang also blamed poor preparation, saying: “We were supposed to start on January 3, but we started a little bit late. We didn’t really have the time to prepare.” For only the fourth time, and the first since Tunisia in 1994, the hosts failed to make it past the first round.

PITCHES

Togo coach Claude Le Roy spoke for all his counterparts when he described the playing surface in Port-Gentil as “unworthy of hosting top-level football.” The shocking pitch in the port city was by far the worst of a bad bunch and was directly responsible for several injuries, including the knee injury suffered by Ghana’s Abdul Rahman Baba that ended his tournament in the first game. The Confederation of African Football were aware of the concerns but seemingly not enough to move the quarter-final due to be played there on Sunday. “This is the Cup of Nations, we need to try to improve things” said Togo skipper Emmanuel Adebayor.

ALGERIA

Algeria were seen as one of the pre-tournament favourites. They had the newly-crowned African Footballer of the Year, Riyad Mahrez, in their ranks and a talented supporting cast around the Leicester City wizard. But Georges Leekens’ side went home without winning a game. A Mahrez brace only earned them a 2-2 draw with Zimbabwe in their opening match and a defeat to north African rivals Tunisia effectively ended their hopes before a 2-2 draw with Senegal ended their campaign. Algeria’s wait for a first Cup of Nations crown since 1990 goes on, and coach Leekens quit after their exit.

IVORY COAST

The reigning champions were another big-name group-stage victim. The Elephants came looking to defend the title they won in 2015 but this was a much-changed side. With a new coach in Michel Dussuyer and with a new generation of players replacing the likes of the Toure brothers and Gervinho, they could not win a game. A young side could only draw with Togo and DR Congo before a 1-0 defeat to a Morocco coached by their old boss Herve Renard sent them packing. For the fourth successive Cup of Nations, the holders are out before the knockout phase.

Five flops of the Cup of Nations group phase

Fears over bird flu in China after 9 deaths this year (Read full details)

Nine people have died of bird flu in China this year, state media reported Wednesday, after the World Health Organization (WHO) urged all countries to promptly report human infections.

Disease control centres in three provinces including northern Henan, central Hunan, and southern Guangdong have reported at least nine deaths from the virus, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

The most recent cases came from Henan, where local health authorities reported deaths of two restaurant workers on Tuesday.

China has reported over 1000 cases, with 38.5 percent of them resulting in death, since an outbreak started in March 2013, according to figures from the WHO.

The bird flu strain H7N9, which can cause serious respiratory illness, strikes most commonly in winter and spring.

So far this season, infections have been reported across southern China, including in major cities Shanghai and Hong Kong, Xinhua said.

Bird flu scares in the past two years have seen mass culls of up to tens of thousands of birds in Hong Kong, including as recently as June.

H7N9 is a particular worry for authorities as it does not kill infected chickens or cause them to develop symptoms, which allows it to spread undetected until contact is made with humans.

The “epidemic” began last September, but there has been a “sudden and steep increase in cases” since December, WHO director general Margaret Chan said on Monday.

All countries are asked to “keep a close watch over outbreaks of avian influenza in birds and related human cases,” Chan said, urging them to “detect and report human cases promptly”.

The WHO has secured 350 million doses of vaccine in preparation for the next influenza pandemic, Chan said.

“The world is better prepared for the next influenza pandemic, but not at all well enough.”

Fears over bird flu in China after 9 deaths this year

Trump and the press: war over truth is on (Read full details)

US President Donald Trump / AFP PHOTO / Mark RALSTON

With Donald Trump and the news media unable to agree even on the weather, the war over truth is on.

In the first few days of his presidency, Trump and his aides have been accused of spreading outright lies. The response: the “dishonest” media is out to get him.

Since the weekend, Trump has been embroiled in controversy over the crowd at his swearing-in, with both he and the White House overstating its size — and dismissing conflicting evidence as biased against him.

New York Times fact-checkers called out Trump for claiming the rain stopped and the weather turned “sunny” after his inaugural speech — noting that in reality a light rain fell throughout his remarks.

The same day, Trump falsely asserted that his well-documented feud with the US intelligence services was made up by the media.

And two days later, on Monday, he told congressional leaders that as many as five million people could have voted illegally in November — a claim backed by no public evidence.

During his campaign, Trump’s loose interpretation of truth kept fact-checkers working around the clock — PolitiFact found 70 percent of his statements “mostly” false or worse.

His first steps in the White House have followed a similar pattern: as news organizations called out the several falsehoods uttered over the weekend, his aide Kellyanne Conway defended what she called “alternative facts” — leaving much of America speechless.

Trump spokesman Sean Spicer, in his first official media briefing on Monday, claimed that much of the press is opposed to the new president and itself fudges facts.

He cited one report — which turned out to be inaccurate and was later corrected — indicating a bust of Martin Luther King Jr. had been removed from its place in the White House.

“Over and over again there’s this constant attempt to undermine his credibility and the movement that he represents,” Spicer said.

“And it’s frustrating for not just him, but I think so many of us that are trying to work to get this message out. ”

Spicer appeared to soften the tone, calling for an improved relationship with journalists after Trump, on his first day in office, dubbed them “among the most dishonest human beings on Earth.”

– ‘Full Orwell’ –
But at next day’s briefing, Spicer stood by Trump’s unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud, called out as a “lie” by leading media including the New York Times.

Spicer told reporters the president “has believed that for a while based on studies and information he has,” without giving evidence.

Trump has previously cited two studies documenting voter registration errors, neither of which makes any claims about fraudulent voting.

Summing up the view of many stunned observers, Washington Post media columnist Margaret Sullivan wrote this week that Spicer was sent to “brazenly lie” from the White House podium.

“We’ve gone full Orwell,” she wrote, drawing a parallel to the distortion of facts in the dystopian classic “1984” — sales of which have spiked since the weekend.

In these tussles over facts, some commentators see a deliberate strategy of delegitimizing the press, in order to curtail future scrutiny of the new administration.

“His war isn’t with the media. Trump lives off media attention and delights in press coverage. His war is with facts,” argued Vox.com editor-in-chief Ezra Klein.

“The Trump administration is creating a baseline expectation among its loyalists that they can’t trust anything said by the media. The spat over crowd size is a low-stakes, semi-comic dispute, but the groundwork is being laid for much more consequential debates over what is, and isn’t, true.”

– Credibility at stake –
Stony Brook University political scientist John Ryan said the new administration appears to understand that increasingly, “in politics, the facts do not matter.”

Ryan, in a CNBC column, said many people believed unemployment went up under president Barack Obama when the opposite was true.

“The Trump administration knows this and believes it allows them to say whatever they want,” Ryan said. “Because the facts will not play much of a role in how the public view his administration.”

Some analysts warn, however, that Trump’s apparent willingness to bend facts is eroding his credibility, and could durably undermine trust in the US government.

“While I am much more concerned about policy than I am about crowd-size controversies, White House credibility is of paramount importance,” said Andy Wright, a law professor and former White House staffer under Bill Clinton, writing for the Just Security blog.

“The Trump presidency has already ignited a crisis of confidence,” he said.

“Without a credible White House, our allies cannot rely on our promises and our adversaries doubt our threats. Everything gets more dangerous.”

Trump and the press: war over truth is on

World number one but still mummy’s boy (Read full details)

Britain's Andy Murray. AFP PHOTO / MIGUEL MEDINA

Andy Murray said he thinks he’s the favourite child of his mother and one-time coach, Judy Murray. “I think that I am my mum’s favourite and Jamie is my dad’s favourite. That’s my opinion. However they would tell you they love us both equally, but that’s how I feel,” said the world number one. Despite this, Murray was less than complimentary about his mother’s appearance on British TV’s “Strictly Come Dancing”. “She certainly didn’t win it. She was useless. I’m not a dancer either to be honest. I can’t see myself doing that show,” Murray told Australia’s Channel Seven.

Ice queen

Serena Williams revealed a hidden talent for ice skating. “I can’t do a triple Lutz, but I can maybe do a double,” she said. “I have no idea. I just close my eyes, and I just spin and I pray I don’t fall. If I do, I get up.” As it turns out, this is similar to her approach to serving, which she says she doesn’t practice too much. “For me, I don’t think about it… I serve my best when I just toss the ball up and serve and see what happens,” she said.

In the running

Many players want to stop training and put their feet up after retiring, but Barbora Strycova said she wants to run a marathon. “This is actually my dream, after I finish, I want to run a marathon. So I will prepare for that. I don’t know when it’s going to be, but it’s my dream,” said the 30-year-old. She would be following in the footsteps of Caroline Wozniacki, who found the time to train for and run the New York marathon in between playing in 2014. “You don’t have to think. You just go and run,” Strycova said.

World number one but still mummy’s boy

FG extends deadline for airlines’ automated payment (Read full details)

Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority

The Federal Government has extended the deadline given to airlines operating in the country to automate their remittance/payment systems to aviation agencies to Feb. 28

Mr Sam Adurogboye, General Manager, Public Relations, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Lagos that the extension was at the instance of the operators.

“The automation deadline has been extended to February ending at the instance of the operators.

“As a responsible and responsive agency, their request was acceded to by the authority,” Adurogboye said.

NAN recalls that the government had, on Dec. 6, 2016, given the airlines Jan. 1 2017 as deadline for the automation of their remittances to the agencies.

A statement signed by Adurogboye had said the move was to put an end to airlines’ indebtedness to aviation agencies arising from the 5 per cent Ticket Sales Charge/Cargo Sales Charge (TSC/CSC).

It said the automation system was being introduced to ensure transparency, accurate billing and prompt payment of charges due from the airlines to the NCAA.

According to the statement, this is in line with the Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulations (NCARs) 2015, Vol.2, Part 18.12.5.

It said, “The NCARs 2015 states thus that all domestic and international airlines operating in Nigeria should forward to the authority through an electronic platform provided by the Authority, all relevant documents such as flown coupons, passenger or cargo manifest, air way bills, load sheets, clients’ service invoices and other documents necessary for accurate billing within 48 hours after each flight”.

The statement said it was pertinent to point out that this directive had the full backing of the federal government for full implementation and strict compliance.

“It is now being handed down after due consultations with the airlines and other stakeholders on the desirability of the operators to join the automation platform for the collection of 5 per cent TSC/CSC on the airlines operations.

“It follows therefore that the airlines are by this directive requested to join the platform on or before Jan. 1, 2017 or face appropriate sanctions in event of failure,” the statement had said.

It added that the operators were further mandated to work with First Bank of Nigeria FBN / AVITECH (FG approved NCAA Consultant on the automation) for the purpose of immediate implementation.

The statement said, “in as much as it is not the plan of the authority to regulate any airline out of existence, NCAA would no longer be prepared to tolerate non-remittance of its dues again as such a conducted would be viewed seriously.”

FG extends deadline for airlines’ automated payment

More than 45,000 people have fled The Gambia (Read full details)

Tourists load luggage onto a bus in preparation to leave the Gambia after the British Government changed the travel advisory to amber due to the state of emergency issued by Gambian President Jammeh on January 18, 2017 in Banjul, Gambia. Gambian President Yahya Jammeh looked determined to cling to power on January 18 as his mandate came to an end, while tourists packed onto planes in an exodus sparked by the country's state of emergency. Jammeh said January 17 the emergency measure was necessary due to interference of foreign powers in the country's December 1 election, which the president of 22 years lost to opponent Adama Barrow.<br />/ AFP PHOTO / STRINGER

More than 45,000 people have fled a political crisis in The Gambia this month, the United Nations said Friday, as veteran leader Yahya Jammeh faced a midday deadline to leave office.
“Around 45,000 people are now reported to have arrived in Senegal from The Gambia… amid the ongoing political uncertainty as Senegalese and West African troops entered the country on Thursday,” the UN refugee agency said in Geneva.
“It is feared that more people may continue to flee as the situation remains tense,” UNHCR said, adding that another “800 people have crossed into Guinea-Bissau.”

The UN agency noted that arrivals in Senegal have included “Gambians, Senegalese, bi-nationals, as well as Ghanaians, Liberians, Lebanese, Guineans, and Mauritanians among other foreigners.”
Jammeh, who has been in power more than 20 years, lost elections last month to Adama Barrow but has refused to stand down.
Soldiers from Senegal and four other west African countries have crossed into The Gambia to bolster Barrow, who has been sworn in at the country’s embassy in Dakar.
West African leaders have said regional forces would intervene with force if Jammeh refused to stand down.

More than 45,000 people have fled The Gambia

Obama, after office: writing, minorities and Democrats (Read full details)

President Barack Obama / Ty Wright/Getty Images/AFP

Whether it’s writing a book, working with minority youths or helping the Democratic Party to rise from the ashes, Barack Obama sees life after his eight years in the White House as that of an active “citizen.”

At 55, Obama will be a year younger than Bill Clinton when he leaves office on Friday. He remains highly popular and says he hopes not to become “the old guy at the bar, you know, who’s — who’s just hanging around re-living old glories.”

America’s first black president says he has no intention of getting involved in the “day-to-day scrum” of political life once he leaves the White House.

But he also says he will not hesitate to weigh in on “foundational issues about our democracy” — a subtle hint that Donald Trump may face some well-placed pushback over the coming four years from his predecessor.

In the short term, after Trump takes the oath of office on the steps of the Capitol at noon Friday, Obama will head on vacation with his wife Michelle and two teenage daughters Malia and Sasha. Destination: Palm Springs, California.

After that?

“I have to be quiet for a while. I don’t mean politically, I mean internally. I have to still myself,” Obama told former close aide David Axelrod in an interview for CNN.

Former presidents rarely remain in the nation’s capital after their time living and working in the city’s oldest public building, but the Obamas will be staying in Washington while Sasha finishes high school.

Jimmy Carter headed home to Georgia and Ronald Reagan did the same, residing in California until his death.

Bill Clinton opted for New York, where he launched his family foundation and where wife Hillary launched her own political career as a US senator. George W. Bush went back to Texas.

Obama, a Hawaii native who made his start in politics in Chicago and never expressed any real love for Washington, has rented a home in the city’s upscale Kalorama neighborhood.

In the middle term, Obama has expressed a wish to work with young minorities from poor neighborhoods, where school dropouts, unemployment and incarceration rates are higher than elsewhere.

“Those opportunity gaps begin early, often at birth, and they compound over time, becoming harder and harder to bridge,” Obama said in 2015.

“This will remain a mission for me and for Michelle, not just for the rest of my presidency, but for the rest of my life.”

– Supreme Court? ‘Too monastic’ –
Hillary Clinton’s surprise election loss in November — and Trump’s win, which Obama admits he did not see coming — changed the outlook for Obama’s post-presidency.

The Democrat has clearly said he will work to rebuild his battered party.

“I want to make sure that I’m doing everything I can to amplify and lift up a next generation of voices not just in politics, but in civic life,” Obama said in the exit interview with CNN.

“And I have the connections and, I think, credibility to be able to do that in some unique some ways.”

Obama says he hopes that he can push his party to go beyond aiming to win presidential elections and instead be present not just in Democrat-leaning big cities but also in communities “where people feel as if they’re not being heard.”

Several ex-presidents have stayed in Washington to make a mark in other branches of government.

Defeated in 1828 after one term, John Quincy Adams was elected to Congress, where he remained till his death. His oratorical skills served him well, and he is remembered for his passionate fight to abolish slavery.

William Howard Taft, who left the White House in 1913, later became a Supreme Court justice.

Obama, an expert in constitutional law and the former president of the Harvard Law Review, doesn’t see the high court in his future.

“I think being a justice is a little bit too monastic for me,” he told The New Yorker in 2014.

The example of his two Democratic predecessors — Carter and Clinton, who both launched charitable foundations respected at home and abroad — could be instructive.

Obama might use his presidential library, which will be built in Chicago, to develop some of his post-White House initiatives.

Persistent rumors say he wants to teach at New York’s Columbia University, where he earned his undergraduate degree.

“I love teaching. I miss the classroom and engaging with students,” Obama — who lectured at the University of Chicago before becoming president — told The New Yorker in 2014.

Obama, the author of two successful books, will also spend time writing — a rite of passage, and a lucrative one, for former US leaders.

Media reports say he could earn more than $20 million in book contracts, including for his memoir.

He could rely on the journals he has kept since his student days, including at the White House.

“I’ve kept some, but not with the sort of discipline that I would have hoped for,” Obama told The New York Times. “Not as much as I would have liked. I just didn’t have time.”

Obama, after office: writing, minorities and Democrats

Rivals now have more belief, admits Djokovic (Read full details)

Serbia's Novak Djokovic reacts after a point against Uzbekistan's Denis Istomin during their men's singles match on day four of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne on January 19, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / PAUL CROCK /

Fallen Grand Slam king Novak Djokovic admitted opponents now believe he is more vulnerable following his stunning second-round exit from the Australian Open.

The six-time winner and 12-time Grand Slam champion crashed out to unheralded Denis Istomin in five sets on Thursday in the world number two’s earliest exit from a major since Wimbledon 2008.

Djokovic’s stuttering start to the new season comes after he lost the world number one ranking he had held for 122 weeks from 2014 to Britain’s Andy Murray in November.

He also relinquished his Wimbledon and US Open titles and was eliminated in the first round of the Rio Olympics by eventual champion Juan Martin Del Potro of Argentina.

The 7-6 (10/8), 5-7, 2-6, 7-6 (7/5), 6-4 loss to the 117th-ranked Istomin will only raise more questions about Djokovic’s ability to stay at the top after dominating tennis for the last six years.

Asked if opponents have started to believe more over the last six months that he was beatable, Djokovic said: “Sure. They wouldn’t be playing against me or any other opponent or any other tournament, for that matter, if they don’t believe that they can win.

“They go out and they try their best. Today Denis, surely he was an underdog, but he didn’t show any nerves in the big moments.

“Everything came together. It was the right moment for him, the right day. He was better.”

Djokovic’s stunning defeat ends a phenomenal run of success in Melbourne where he won six Australian Open titles in six finals.

– ‘What can I do?’ –
“I’m not used to losing in Australian Open second round,” he said. “I’ve always played so well. Throughout the last 10 years, I’ve won six titles here.

“This court has been so nice to me. I enjoyed it very much. Of course, it’s disappointing. But the end of the day I have to accept it.”

Djokovic denied there was any hangover lingering from his breakthrough French Open victory at Roland Garros last June, and the underwhelming second half of last season which ensued.

“I don’t know. I didn’t reflect on that at all. I started a new season, a new year, as everybody else. I forgot about it, in a way. It’s not affecting me,” he said.

Djokovic added: “I started the season very well. Again, it’s a tennis match. On a given day, you can lose.

“I mean, nothing is impossible. There are over a hundred players playing in the main draw.

“I guess the quality of tennis keeps rising each year. Everybody becomes more professional. I guess they improve. They get better on the court.

“What can I do? I did try my best till the last shot, but it didn’t work.”

Djokovic’s shock defeat comes after he parted ways with Grand Slam great Boris Becker as his coach last December after three years working together.

At the time of the split Becker criticised Djokovic for not training hard enough.

“He has not spent as much time on the practice court as he should have in the last six months and he knows that,” Becker said.

“Success doesn’t come by pushing a button. You have to work your butt off because that is what your opponents are doing.”

Rivals now have more belief, admits Djokovic