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There's quite a lot of football on TV right now, so if you want a break from all this, why not read a book about the beautiful game instead?Football books are an absolute minefield, with a selection of choices on the shelves and online. We have made life a little easier for you and chosen the very best you can buy.The winner of the Telegraph's football book of the year is Ultra; Tobias Jones' exploration of the extreme, ominous side of football fandom.With the violence, politics, extremism and crime of football ultrasas…

A new preliminary study - based on a small sample - has suggested that people previously infected with the COVID-19 variant identified in South Africa may have better immunity to other coronavirus mutations, experts said on Wednesday. The results, from a not yet peer-reviewed research by the team of South African researchers who discovered the 501Y.V2 variant, raise hopes that vaccines modeled on the strain can protect against future mutations. Only 4% of a sample of 55 patients who had 501Y.V2 failed…

Manchester United have told goalkeeper Dean Henderson that he should be prepared to start the team's next six matches in all competitions, with Spaniard David de Gea away for personal reasons.De Gea missed Wednesday's 0-0 draw with Crystal Palace, after which manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer refused to set a time frame for his return to the team, which indicates that Henderson may well be set for an extended run.De Gea was left out for personal reasons Jonathan Moscrop / Getty ImagesAccording to the Manchester Evening News, this…

Authorities in Nigeria's Zamfara state have declared a curfew and closed markets after violence joked hundreds of abducted schoolgirls to their families, a state spokesman said on Thursday. Late on Wednesday, shots and chaos erupted during what should have been the happy return of 279 schoolgirls abducted by armed men from their boarding school last week. The government secured the release of the girls on Tuesday, but they had undergone medical check-ups and treatment. At least three people were shot,…

The Russian security company Wagner Group is known for its heavy presence in war-torn Libya and is reportedly expanding across the African continent, interfering in conflicts and working for the Kremlin's interests. The Wagner Group was formed in 2014 in Ukraine and is owned by businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin, and is intensely involved in several conflicts, not only in Ukraine but also around the world, from the Middle East to Latin America. However, the group's most famous presence has taken place in…

Libya's Tripoli - based parliament on Wednesday stated that the province where confidence in the newly elected government of national unity (GNU) under Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah will be kept must get rid of mercenaries and foreign forces. Parliament's statement comes after the UN mandate in Libya proposed that the vote be held in the coastal province of Sirte. Similarly, Aquila Saleh, Speaker of the Tobruk-based parliament, last week called on the Assembly to meet in Sirte on March 8 to vote…

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said on Thursday that her office had confirmed serious violations that could constitute "war crimes and crimes against humanity" in Ethiopia's Tigray region, including by Eritrean troops. In a statement, Michelle Bachelet stressed the urgent need for an independent inquiry into the situation in Tigray, which has been shaken by months of fighting. Her office had "managed to confirm information about some of the events that occurred in November last year,…

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) says at least 20 migrants have been killed after smugglers threw 80 overboard during a trip from Djibouti in East Africa to Yemen. A statement said that "smugglers started shouting that there were too many on board" after the boat with 200 migrants, including children under 18, got off on Wednesday. IOM says five bodies have been recovered and survivors are being treated in Djibouti. This has happened in the past when thousands of migrants continue to…

It looks like Erling Haaland has landed himself in the classic "two dates to prom" scenario. Except he has sex instead of two dates. And instead of a prom, it's a summer battle royal between a set of heavy European football clubs, all ready to unleash the most extravagant bidding war for Borussia Dortmund's wonderkid. At the age of 20, there may not be a better time to sign Haaland than this summer. He has the world at his feet, and at a time when elite goalkeepers are hard to get along with, perhaps another like Haaland…

The advance team for a UN observer mission has arrived in Libya, which after a decade of conflict and chaos plans to hold elections in December, informed sources said on Wednesday. The group of about ten UN employees flew into the capital Tripoli on Tuesday to monitor a ceasefire between the country's two rival armed factions. The unarmed observer team also has the task of verifying the departure of thousands of mercenaries and foreign fighters who have been deployed in the oil-rich North African…