Sheffield Council has revoked the Freedom of the City honour for Myanmar’s leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, due to her continuing silence on the persecution of Rohingya muslims. Suu Kyi was awarded the Freedom of the City in 2005 for her commitment to democracy and human rights. The honour is the highest Sheffield can bestow and Suu Kyi is one of only eleven foreign dignitaries to which it has been previously awarded. Baillor Jalloh reports for Sheffield Live!
More than 50 restaurants in South Yorkshire and North East Derbyshire have teamed up to organise a dinner evening to raise money for Rohingya refugees. According to the United Nations, hundreds of thousands of Rohingya muslims have arrived in Bangladesh with minimal belongings gathered as they fled Myanmar in the wake of sectarian violence and persecution. Baillor Jalloh reports for Sheffield Live!
A community group in Darnall are organising a charity car wash to raise funds for the Rohingya people that are fleeing Myanmar in the face of widespread killings and sectarian violence. Over half a million Rohingya men, women and children have fled the country since the violence began, according to the United Nations. Most have sought refuge in neighbouring Bangladesh. Azz Mohammed reports for Sheffield Live!
Over 200 people have been reported dead with the number expected to increase after a 7.1 magnitude earthquake hit the Mexican states of Puebla, Morelos and Greater Mexico City. The tremor is the deadliest to hit the country in over 30 years, striking at around 1pm local time, just hours after an anniversary event to mark the 1985 Mexico City earthquake. Sheffield Live! reporter Azz Mohammed spoke to Jozra Garrido, a PhD student from Mexico City studying at the University of Sheffield. Donations in support of those affected can be made to the Red Cross and to local search and rescue organisation Topos, which was formed after the 1985 earthquake.
Hundreds of people have been enjoying the August bank holiday weekend at Sheffield’s Oktoberfest on Devonshire Green. The three day festival is into its secoind year and aims to bring people together to have fun and celebrate traditional German food, beer and music. Baillor Jalloh reports for Sheffield Live!
Sierra Leoneans in Sheffield have expressed concern for their families and loved-ones after mudslides killed more than 600 people with many more missing in the capital, Freetown. The country’s president, Earnest Bai Koroma, has declared a week of mourning after Monday’s heavy rain left hundreds of people homeless and fears mount over the outbreak of diseases such as cholera and typhoid. There are also concerns of further mudslides in the capital as heavy rain has been forecast for the next couple of days. Baillor Jalloh reports for Sheffield Live!
Twenty-one year old Sheffield boxer Loua Nassa beat Sergey Tasimov of Estona to win the International Challenge belt at Pond’s Forge. Nassa now has nine wins on his record and is unbeaten in the bantomweight division. Sheffield Live! reporter Azz Mohammed spoke to Loua Nassa and his coach Dennis Hobson.
Nearly 900 academy football players, including from some of the world’s top clubs, are competing for the Youdan Trophy in Sheffield. The competition for young footballers was started three years ago as a way of providing up-and-coming referees with top level match experience. From just eight teams in the inaugural event it is now attracting top-flight clubs from as far as Japan and South Africa. The 40 teams taking part this year include under-14 and under-16 academy teams from Manchester United and Seattle Sounders as well as Sheffield’s two main clubs. Simon Thake reports for Sheffield Live!
Commentator, coach and former world champion Terry Griffiths looks back on 40 years of World Snooker in Sheffield. Griffiths won the World Snooker Championship in 1979 at one of the earliest tournaments at the Crucible. He is coach to 2017 semi-finalists Barry Hawkins and Ding Junhui. Sheffield Live reporter Azz Mohammed spoke with Terry Griffiths about how the game has changed.
With snooker leading this week’s Sheffield sports news and resident snooker player Ding Junhui into the semi final, Sheffield Live! took a peek behind the scenes with MC Rob Walker. Azz Mohammed reports.