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A view shows the remains of a vehicle hit during the fighting that led to the fall of Goma, in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, February 5 2025. Picture: REUTERS/ARELEET BASHIZI
A view shows the remains of a vehicle hit during the fighting that led to the fall of Goma, in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, February 5 2025. Picture: REUTERS/ARELEET BASHIZI

1. Heart of darkness

The death toll from fighting in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo over the past three weeks is close to 3,000 and could climb, according to Vivian van de Perre, the deputy head of the UN peacekeeping force. Elian Peltier, of The New York Times, reports that mass burials are being carried out in Goma, near where 14 South African soldiers were killed at the end of January. Millions have died in the past 30 years of fighting in the area, Peltier reported.

2. Sun shines in Yorkshire

India’s Sun Group, owner of the South African T20 cricket team Sunrisers Eastern Cape, has also bought Yorkshire. Not the entire English county, just the Northern Superchargers, the county’s team in the UK’s new cricket experiment, The Hundred. The Sun Group bought Yorkshire cricket’s 51% share of the team and the England & Wales Cricket Board’s 49% stake. The sale helped Yorkshire stave off bankruptcy, the market version of rain-stops-play.

3. Penalties of generosity

A pub landlady scored an own goal after offering free beers for every goal scored by English Premier League club Nottingham Forest in a recent match. Beccy Webster, who runs the Gedling Inn in Nottinghamshire, said she may have lost as much as £1,500 thanks to Forest winning 7-0 against Brighton & Hove Albion — which meant pulling about 300 free pints. But she said she didn’t think about how much it was costing as “everyone was having such a good time”.

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