Inkhabar webdesk

* Cape Verde fail to secure World Cup place but still have one more chance * Islanders fight back to force 3-3 draw in Libya * Cameroon win 2-0 away to keep up hunt for second spot (Updates details, adds byline, dateline) By Mark Gleeson CAPE TOWN, Oct 8 (Reuters) – Tiny Cape Verde will have to wait five more days before getting a last chance to secure a first-ever World Cup spot after they drew 3-3 away in a thrilling encounter in Libya on Wednesday. The island archipelago, off the west coast of Africa, needed three points from their last two Group D matches to become the second smallest nation to qualify for a World Cup. However, the draw in Tripoli means they have to win at home to Eswatini on Monday. Cape Verde moved onto 20 points, two ahead of Cameroon, who battled to win 2-0 away in Mauritius at the same time. Cameroon's eight previous World Cup appearances are more than any other African country, but they took 57 minutes before Nicolas Ngamaleu opened the scoring with Bryan Mbeumo adding a second in stoppage time. Libya are third in the standings with 15 points, still chasing second place in the group, which offers the potential of a route to next year’s finals in North America through a lengthy playoff process. Cape Verde were always going to be up against it after their Irish-born defender Roberto Lopes turned the ball into his own net in the opening minute, trying to clear a cross under pressure from striker Muad Eisa. But the islanders came back from 3-1 down early in the second half to score twice in a dramatic finish and come close to snatching a come-from-behind victory and a place at the finals in Canada, Mexico and the U.S. GOALKEEPING HOWLER ALLOWED CAPE VERDE BACK INTO GAME A header from Telmo Arcanjo equalised in the 29th minute, but Eisa’s mazy run three minutes from halftime set up Ezoo El Mariamy to put the home side back ahead. Mahmoud Al Shilw then fired home a 35 metre freekick to extend the lead, but a howler had Cape Verde back in contention as Sidny Cabral made it 3-2 in the 76th minute as his long range kick went through the legs of the Libya goalkeeper Murad Al Wuheeshi. Willy Semedo squeezed home the ball from close range for an 82nd minute equaliser to set up a grandstand finish with another Semedo effort cleared off the line in stoppage time. Cape Verde will still be fancied to win the group and take the automatic qualifying spot when they host the Swazis on Monday, but Eswatini served notice of their potential to cause an upset by holding Angola 2-2 on Monday. Striker Justice Figuareido scored twice inside six minutes early in the second half as Eswatini celebrated the re-opening of their national stadium, but Angola pulled two back from set pieces through Jonathan Buatu and Ary Papel. More qualifiers are being played later on Wednesday with Egypt and Ghana both looking to secure their World Cup spot. (Writing by Mark Gleeson in Cape Town; Editing by Christian Radnedge and Pritha Sarkar)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

(Adds context, paragraphs 5-8) Oct 8 (Reuters) – French-German national Lennart Monterlos has been released from detention in Iran and is back in France, outgoing French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on Wednesday. Iran had been holding the 18-year-old cyclist after arresting him in June on espionage charges. Monterlos was acquitted on Monday, according to the semi-official Tasnim news agency. "Lennart Monterlos is free!" Barrot wrote in a post on the social media X. Both Barrot and President Emmanuel Macron reiterated demands that Iran release French nationals Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris, who have been held in the Islamic Republic since 2022. France has repeatedly accused Iran of holding Kohler and Paris arbitrarily, keeping them in conditions akin to torture in Tehran's Evin prison and not allowing proper consular protection. The Islamic Republic denies the accusations. It had accused the pair of spying for Israel's Mossad intelligence service. France has called those charges baseless. On Monday, the two countries said talks for the release of all three prisoners were progressing, after Paris dropped in September its case before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) against Tehran for violating the right to consular protection of its citizens. The case at the ICJ, or World Court, was widely seen as a bid to pressure Iran over the detention of its citizens. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi suggested in mid-September the French nationals could be exchanged for Mahdieh Esfandiari, an Iranian student living in the French city of Lyon who was arrested this year over anti-Israel social media posts. (Reporting by Alessandro Parodi and John Irish, editing by Dominique Vidalon, William Maclean)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

ROME, Oct 8 (Reuters) – A once-secret passageway in the Colosseum, named after the fearsome ancient Roman emperor who features in the Hollywood blockbuster "Gladiator", has opened to the public for the first time. The so-called Commodus Passage allowed emperors to enter the arena and watch gladiator fights and other spectacles without mixing with crowds. It was cut through the Colosseum's foundations between the end of the 1st century AD and the beginning of the 2nd century AD, in an addition to the original design. The Colosseum was inaugurated in 80 AD. "This passage is now open to the public, it's the first time. And so (visitors will) appreciate what it was like to be an emperor," archaeologist Barbara Nazzaro told Reuters. The corridor was discovered in the 19th century, and linked to Commodus because historical chronicles say he survived an assassination attempt in an underground passage. "It was very easy to make the connection", Nazzaro, who oversaw the corridor's restoration prior to its opening, added. It once had marble walls, later replaced with plaster decorated with landscapes, the Colosseum Archaeological Park said in a statement. It also had stuccowork showing mythological scenes on the vault, and representations of arena spectacles, including bear fights and acrobats, in niches at its entrance. Some traces of the decorations remain, but very damp conditions in the underground passageway have made conservation a struggle. Nevertheless, visitors will be able to have an idea of what it looked like in antiquity thanks to a virtual reconstruction shown in a video, Nazzaro said. (Reporting by Cristiano Corvino, writing by Alvise Armellini, editing by Keith Weir)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

Oct 8 – French authorities on Wednesday denied an important crucial maritime concession for the AQUIND electricity interconnector project, effectively halting progress on the planned high-voltage link between France and the United Kingdom. While the project received environmental approval in July, the concession required a national-level recognition of public interest, which was not validated, the Seine-Maritime prefecture said in a statement on Wednesday. (Reporting by Alban Kacher)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)