Former Chelsea striker, Didier Drogba will present Lionel Messi with the 2023 Ballon d’Or award on Monday.

This was confirmed by football transfer expert, Fabrizio Romano, on Friday morning.

Romano posted a short video of Drogba who has already arrived at Paris where the ceremony will take place and wrote: “Didier Drogba will give Lionel Messi his Ballon d’Or number 8.

“It will happen on Monday in Paris.”Messi, who now plays for Inter Miami in the MLS, will become the first footballer outside Europe to win the prize.

It will also be a record-extending eighth time for the 36-year-old.

The Jigawa government has distributed 54 tractors and other agricultural inputs to boost wheat farming in the state.

Governor Umar Namadi of Jigawa announced this on Thursday in Dutse while presenting the items to the 27 local government councils of the state.

Mr Namadi said his administration would cultivate 40,000 hectares of wheat farm with the federal government.

The items included 54 new tractors with complete implements, such as tipping trailers, ridgers, harrows and ploughs.

“I want to inform you that we are going to clear field for the commencement of wheat plantation which is a federal and state’s government joint project as well as African Development Bank,” he said.

The governor said that Jigawa was challenged to cultivate 40,000 hectares of wheat, adding that the state had agreed to do it because it has the manpower, capacity and the land.

He said the tractors would be on the field on October 27, and that the tractors are not for decoration but for use by the rural farming communities across the state.Governor Namadi, therefore, asked the chairmen to make good use of the implements for the benefit of all farmers.

“Today is another important day in our efforts to revolutionised agriculture in Jigawa state. We have already promised that we will try to mechanised agriculture in Jigawa in order to ensure that our farmers get value for what they have done,” the governor said.

Mr Namadi said the unveiling of the new tractors two per local government was in fulfilment of the promised he made to the teeming farming communities.

He explained that the idea of involving local government chairmen was because of their closeness to the people at the grassroots, noting that by involving them the rural dwellers will get the benefit of the tractors.

The governor, however, said that the tractors were not given free as it were, but the state government would only stand as a grantor for the supplying company to ensure it recovered its money from the councils instrumental.

Ahmed Garba, Commissioner for Local Government Affairs, appreciated the governor for making agricultural implements accessible to the farming communities in the state.

He assured the government that his ministry would also put monitoring mechanism to ensure judicious use of the equipment.

Rabiu Maigatari, the Managing Director, Jigawa Agricultural Supply Company Ltd (JASCO), said the idea of procuring the tractors for the local governments councils was in line with Namadi’s vision in mechanising agriculture in the state for maximum productivity.

“It is based on the directives of His Excellency that we entered into agreement with the local governments through the Ministry of Local Government Affairs on the supply of two tractors to each council,” he said.

Mr Maigatari said that the brand of Messey Fergusson Tractors is among the highest grade of tractors tested and found durable within the farming community.

He added that in order to ensure ease of payment by the council areas, installment plan of 12 months was approved by the state government, though the actual price of tractors was not mentioned.

“It is important to state that while considering the supply of the tractors, we are not unaware of the need of our large scale farmers from whom we receive individual requests to partake in this kind of project.

“In this regard, therefore, we are in talk with Directorate of Economic Empowerment to design a mechanism that will look into the requests of our large scale farmers with the approval of His Excellency,” he said.

According to him, the company is also displaying 10 combined harvesters of which JASCO is in liaison with the Directorate of Economic Empowerment in sourcing interested large scale farmers for possible supply.

Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has lauded the Supreme Court’s rejection of certificate forgery evidence by Atiku Abubakar to affirm President Bola Tinubu’s electoral victory in the February 25 presidential election.

Mr Sanwo-Olu, a political progeny of Mr Tinubu, disclosed in a statement shared on his X handle on Thursday, shortly after Supreme Court’s judgment.

“I am delighted by the Supreme Court’s verdict reaffirming H.E President Bola Tinubu’s electoral victory in the February 25, 2023 Presidential election.

“This judgment is a clear validation of the mandate freely given by the people of Nigeria to President Tinubu, who will lead our nation from May 29, 2023, to May 2027,” Mr Sanwo-Olu said.

On Thursday, the apex court affirmed Mr Tinubu’s victory, rejecting fresh evidence of certificate forgery tendered before it by opposition politician, Mr Abubakar.

“Facts and matters that were not rendered in the tribunal have no place in the appeal,” Justice John Okoro ruled, adding that “A petitioner shall not be allowed to introduce new evidences in an appeal.”

Last month, the Chicago State University, in a deposition, revealed that Mr Tinubu presented a forged certificate to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), following court order compelling the institution to grant access into Mr Tinubu’s academic records.

However, the Supreme Court’s rejection of fresh certificate forgery evidence on Thursday, left opposition counsel with no option to argue for Mr Tinubu’s ouster in line with Nigerian constitution. Section 137 (1)(j) of the 1999 Constitution (amended in 2010) states that no one would be legitimately elected president of Nigeria if the person “has presented a forged certificate to the Independent National Electoral Commission.”

Though Thurday’s judgement did not clear Mr Tinubu’s forgery scandal, sparking criticisms from Nigerians, the president, in an interview with state-owned NTA television, said the apex court’s judgement had put an end to “shenanigans, lies, media trial” against him.

Operatives of the Anambra State Police Command have arrested one Obioma Okafor-Ama, popularly known as Alagbon, who has been a torn in the flesh of residents of Nise Community in Awka South Local Government Area.

Alagbon, who has been on the police wanted list for a long time, was finally arrested by personnel from the Rapid Response Squad, Awkuzu, in his hideout following a tipoff on October 19.

CP Aderemi Adeoye, Commissioner of Police in Anambra, confirmed the arrest to NAN in Awka on Friday.

Mr Adeoye said the suspect was arrested in his hideout in Nise by his men from RSS, Awkuzu, after days of intelligence.

He said he was presently in custody and would be charged to court after investigation was concluded.

Alagbon is alleged to be a ringleader of a notorious cult group that has terrorised residents of the town and neighbouring communities with attendant maiming and killing of victims.

“The notorious cultist and his gang have been on the wanted list of police for a long time.

“Alagbon is part of the group responsible for several cult related killings in Awka.

“We are happy and jubilating when we heard the news of his arrest,” a source said.

India has said it is exploring all legal options after a court in Qatar sentenced eight former Indian naval officers to death on unspecified charges.

Reports say the men, who worked with a private company in Qatar, were arrested last year on suspicion of spying.

Neither Qatar nor India have revealed the specific charges against them.

On Thursday, the Indian government said it was “deeply shocked” and would take up the verdict with Qatari authorities.

India’s foreign ministry said in a statement that it was awaiting the detailed judgment and attached “high importance to this case”.

“We are in touch with the family members and the legal team, and we are exploring all legal options,” the ministry said, adding that it would not make further comment right now because of the “confidential nature of proceedings of this case”.

The statement describes the men as employees of a private company called Al Dahra, but they have been widely reported to be former personnel of the Indian Navy.

Last year, in parliament, foreign minister S Jaishankar described them as “ex-servicemen” of the country. The families of some of the men have also confirmed their identities and background in the Navy to local media.

Their arrest in August last year had made front-page headlines in India, but there has been little confirmed information about the charges against them.

According to The Hindu newspaper, the men were allegedly accused of “breaching sensitive secrets” but neither of the governments have confirmed this. The BBC could not independently verify the allegations but has reached out to the Qatar embassy with questions.

Experts say the recent diplomatic tensions could impact relations between the two countries.

“There are over 700,000 Indians in Qatar and we have close economic ties. The Indian government has been following the case closely without doubt, but would need to take it up at the highest level to ensure their lives are saved,” Former Indian ambassador to Qatar, Deepa Gopalan, told The Hindu.

In December, Mr Jaishankar told parliament that the government was in constant touch with Qatar over the “very sensitive case”.

“Their interests are foremost in our minds. Ambassadors and senior officials are in constant touch with Qatar’s government. We assure, they’re our priority,” he said.

Millions of Indians live in the Gulf, with tens of thousands of them working in semi-skilled and unskilled low-income jobs.

These migrant workers have played a key role in building the economies of Gulf Arab states and also form an important source of remittances for India.

South Korea’s constitutional court has upheld a law banning same-sex relations in the military, in what activists have called a setback for LGBT rights.

The court said same-sex relationships could harm troops’ combat-readiness and undermine discipline.

Same-sex intercourse between civilians however, is not a crime.

Military service is compulsory in South Korea, with all able-bodied men aged between 18 and 28 are required to serve for about 20 months.

Activists condemned the ruling, saying it fuels violence and discrimination against gay soldiers.

The ban has “institutionalized discrimination, reinforced systematic disadvantages faced by LGBT people and risked inciting or justifying violence against them, both inside the military and in everyday life”, Amnesty International East Asia researcher Boram Jang said in a statement.

The court, in a five-to-four vote, ruled that article 92-6 of the military criminal act was constitutional. The act does not explicitly refer to same-sex intercourse but bans “anal intercourse” or “any other indecent act” during service.

It was the fourth time since 2002 that the court upheld the law, which carries a prison term of up to two years.

“The world has advanced toward the elimination of LGBT discrimination, but the minds of Constitutional Judges have not taken a single step forward,” said Centre for Military Human Rights Korea head Lim Tae-hoon in a statement.

Homosexuality may not be illegal in South Korea – since 2003 it is no longer classified as “harmful and obscene” – but discrimination remains widespread.

Same-sex marriage is not recognised and being gay is sometimes seen as a disability or even a medical condition in South Korea.

A man who fled to the Netherlands after being exposed as a drug dealer when police cracked an encrypted global messaging service has been jailed.

Cheshire Police said the national Encrochat investigation showed Andrew Phillips using it to supply drugs.

The force said the 38-year-old fled his home in Abbey Hey, Runcorn, but was tracked down to a house in Haarlem.

He admitted conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and was sentenced to 14 years in prison at Liverpool Crown Court.

A police representative said an analysis of Phillips’s messages showed that between 27 March and 2 June 2020, he arranged multiple deliveries of cocaine and cannabis and the onward distribution of the drugs.

They said he supplied at least 26lb (12kg) of cocaine and 75lb (34kg) of cannabis during the period.

Officers went to his home address on 26 October 2021 to arrest him but he had fled abroad.

Working with the National Crime Agency and Dutch authorities, he was found and arrested as he left a house in Haarlem on 30 March 2022.

Speaking after sentencing, Det Insp Nick Henderson said Cheshire Police had been “relentless” in pursuing those who have so far been identified as using EncroChat.

He said criminals like Phillips had believed it “would always be a safe and secure service” which would allow them “to message freely and openly without being detected”, but while he “reaped the rewards of his criminality… it was always going to catch up with him”.

UN aid agencies say they have begun to significantly reduce their operations in the Gaza Strip because they have almost exhausted their fuel reserves.

Small quantities of fuel retrieved from existing reserves are being used to maintain the water supply in the south, where hundreds of thousands of people are sheltering from Israeli strikes.

However, they will run out on Thursday.The agencies say they have reduced their support for overwhelmed hospitals and bakeries feeding the displaced.

“What we are seeing in the Gaza Strip is unprecedented,” Juliette Touma of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, Unrwa, told the BBC.

“Two million people are being strangled. Gaza is being choked with very, very little assistance that is coming from outside.

“Israel began its bombing campaign in Gaza, cut off electricity and most water, and stopped imports of food, fuel and other goods in retaliation for a cross-border attack by Hamas on 7 October, in which at least 1,400 people were killed and 224 taken hostage.

Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry says more than 7,000 people have been killed in Gaza since then and that the health system is facing total collapse, with a third of hospitals not functioning and the rest only treating emergency cases.

At least 74 lorries carrying food, water and medical supplies have crossed from Egypt via the Rafah border crossing since Saturday, which Ms Touma called “a drop in the ocean of overwhelming needs”.

About 500 lorries were allowed into Gaza every day before the start of the war.Ms Touma said Unrwa needed an urgent shipment of fuel if it was to continue to serve as a lifeline for the 629,000 displaced people taking refuge inside its facilities.

Most fled homes in the north of Gaza after being told by the Israeli military to leave for their own safety.

“We’re the largest humanitarian organisation and we are on the verge of stopping operations. We are being banned from undertaking the mandate that was entrusted to us by the UN General Assembly. All we’re asking to do is to be able to do our work,” she added.

Israel refuses to allow deliveries of fuel because it says it could be used for military purposes by Hamas, which it classes as a terrorist organisation – as do the UK, US and other powers.

Israeli military spokesman Lt Col Jonathan Conricus said in a video briefing on X, formerly known as Twitter, that “we don’t want hospitals, or the whole of Gaza, to run out of fuel”.

But he advised Unrwa to ask Hamas to hand over some of the hundreds of thousands of litres of fuel that the military claims is being stored in a dozen tanks near the border with Egypt.

“There is enough for many days for hospitals and water pumps to run,” he added.

“Only the priorities are different. Hamas prefers to have all of the fuel for its war-fighting capabilities, leaving civilians without it.

“Asked to comment on the allegation, the UN’s regional humanitarian chief, Lynn Hastings, told the BBC: “We don’t have any information about other fuel being available for Hamas to access.”

“I know that is a concern of the Israelis, and quite rightly. It is something that we are trying to address with the Israelis to be able to bring in enough fuel for the humanitarian operations.”

Ms Hastings warned that without fuel for their back-up generators Gaza’s hospitals would no longer be able to care for about 1,000 patients receiving kidney dialysis treatment, 130 premature babies in incubators, and intensive care patients on ventilators.

Gaza’s water desalinisation and pumping stations would also cease to function, she said.

“There is very, very little clean drinking water available now, which means people are resorting to drinking dirty or salinated water, or both.”

“It also means that the sanitation system is blocked up, because there is no electricity to pump sewage into the sea. We are expecting the streets to have sewage overflow onto them imminently.

“Ms Hastings also complained in a separate statement that the Israeli military was continuing to warn people in Gaza City to evacuate when they had nowhere to go or were unable to move.

“When the evacuation routes are bombed, when people north as well as south are caught up in hostilities, when the essentials for survival are lacking, and when there are no assurances for return, people are left with nothing but impossible choices,” she warned.

In a statement on Thursday, the Israel Defense Forces accused Hamas of using civilians as human shields, and stopping them from evacuating south.

“As we have seen in the past, they use a variety of methods including roadblocks,” the statement said.

Minister of water resources and sanitation, Joseph Utsev, on Thursday, said the recurring floods in Ogun and Lagos were caused by climate change and not the Oyan Dam water release.

Mr Utsev, who said this in a statement issued at the end of his familiarisation visit to Gov. Dapo Abiodun and Ogun Osun River Basin Development Authority, said efforts were on to address the huge problems associated with the annual flooding.

According to him, dams are crucial in flood management and irrigated agriculture, adding that the federal government has developed a comprehensive strategy to better manage flooding nationwide.

“Oyan Dam, boasting of a significant 270 million-cubic-metre capacity reservoir, remains in excellent condition and should not be held accountable for the recent flooding incidents,” he said.

Mr Utsev urged state governments affected by flooding to enact measures to control their citizens’ activities and prevent improper waste disposal and construction of structures on waterways.

The minister also said it was important to address other potential factors contributing to flooding, such as climate change and the absence of drainage systems.

He said that his ministry had initiated the partial commercialisation of river basins across the country, in alignment with the President Bola Tinubu-led administration’s vision for food security.

This, he added, was aimed at enhancing agricultural productivity and bolstering the nation’s economy.

The minister encouraged state governments to actively participate in the “Clean Nigeria Campaign,” aimed at eradicating open defecation, emphasising his ministry’s readiness to collaborate with Ogun to achieve the goal.

According to him, it will ultimately improve the health and well-being of the citizens.

Responding, the governor acknowledged the water challenges in the state and expressed his government’s readiness to collaborate with the federal government in addressing the issues.

He praised the minister’s leadership, expressing hope that his tenure would lead to positive impacts for all Nigerians.

Mr Abiodun assured the minister of his readiness to engage in collaborative efforts with the federal government to tackle the identified challenges.

The minister visited the Oyan dam and the flooded Isheri area during the tour.

The International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), Ogun State branch, has condemned the alleged recent rape incidents at Tai Solarin University of Education in Ogun.

The chairperson of the association, Taiwo Olusesi, issued this condemnation in a statement she signed.

The statement was forwarded to reporters in Lagos on Thursday.

Mrs Olusesi expressed deep concern about the alleged incidents and described rape as a heinous act, calling for justice for the victims.

“FIDA commends the swift action of the Ogun State Government, which has taken steps to address these incidents by promising to investigate the alleged rape cases and bring the perpetrators to justice.

“We commend this action and urge other state governments to follow suit.

“The rape of women and girls is a serious violation of their human rights and an affront to their dignity.

“It is a crime that should not be condoned or tolerated in any form.

“As an organisation committed to protecting and promoting women’s rights, FIDA calls on governments to take concrete steps to protect women and girls from all forms of gender-based violence, including rape,” she stated.

According to Mrs Olusesi, FIDA will continue to support victims of rape and advocate for their rights.

“We call on all stakeholders, including civil society organizations, religious leaders, and traditional rulers, to join hands with us in the fight against rape and other forms of gender-based violence.

“Together, we can create a safe and equitable society for all,” she concluded.

Some hoodlums reportedly raped no fewer than four female students of the university on Tuesday.

The hoodlums were said to have invaded the hostels of the students located at Abapawa, an area off the university campus.

The Nigerian Supreme Court, on Thursday, affirmed Bola Tinubu’s election as the president of Nigeria after dismissing a piece of crucial evidence that showed the Nigerian leader presented a falsified certificate to run for office.

The court’s seven-member panel said Mr Tinubu was duly elected in February 2023 and should be allowed to remain in office for the next four years.

The justices said the material filed by Mr Tinubu’s main challenger Atiku Abubakar, which included the transcript of a deposition in which Chicago State University disowned the certificate Mr Tinubu submitted to the electoral office on June 17, 2022, to certify his eligibility as a presidential candidate, came too late to be accepted into evidence.

The court held that supplemental evidence could not be filed outside of 180 days post-election, even though the court had previously accepted evidence in similar circumstances in the past.

“The appellants failed to convince this court on why it waited until after the Court below delivered judgement in the petition and lost the 180 days donated to it by the Constitution before bringing the said deposition to be admitted in this court,” Justice Inyang Okoro stated Thursday morning.

While the decision would allow Mr Tinubu to remain in office as president, he’s still likely to face a fresh battle over the forged certificate if he decides to seek reelection in 2027 because today’s judgement did not go into the veracity of the document, but only that it was too late to tender it now.

Mr Abubakar did not file the evidence at the Court of Appeal, which is the initial court of jurisdiction over presidential election petitions, because he was unable to obtain the evidence on time from the United States.

The court’s decision appeared to solidify the fears of Nigerians, who warned prior to today’s ruling that the court would be passing a negative opinion about Nigeria as a country where forgery, identity theft and other serious crimes are condoned even at the highest levels.

Another opposition leader, Peter Obi, suggested earlier in the week that a culture of corruption in the judiciary would hamper it from delivering a clear verdict based on the evidence before it.

The court also settled the ambiguity over whether or not the Nigerian Constitution required the scoring of at least 25 per cent of votes cast in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, for a candidate to be declared winner.

The Supreme Court justices, siding with their colleagues at the Court of Appeal, said voters in the Nigerian capital are not unique, and their votes should carry the same weight as citizens in the rest of the country.

The court also ruled that the Independent National Electoral Commission had the power to set guidelines for elections.

The department faced criticism for failing to implement electronic transmission of election results in violation of its guidelines and public statements in the weeks and days leading to the February 25 exercise.

The apex court stated that it would not re-litigate the allegation of double nomination against Kashim Shettima, who ran for the Senate before getting tapped as Mr Tinubu’s running mate, since the same court had, in May, deemed him qualified in a similar petition raised by the PDP.

Alongside Mr Okoro, the six remaining Supreme Court associate justices who determined Mr Tinubu’s victory included Uwani Abba-Aji, Lawal Garba, Ibrahim Saulawa, Adamu Jauro, Tijjani Abubakar and Emmanuel Agim.

The Senate has confirmed the appointment of Malam Musa Aliyu as the chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).

This followed the adoption of a motion by the Senate Leader, Sen. Opeyemi Bamidele (APC-Ekiti) at the Committee of the Whole on Thursday.

Presenting the motion, Mr Bamidele urged the Senate to consider the request of President Bola Tinubu for the confirmation of Aliyu for appointment as ICP chairman.

He said the request was in accordance with Section 3 (6) of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) Establishment Act, 2000.

He also urged the Senate to consider Mr Tinubu’s request to confirm the appointment of Saka Suleiman and Prof. Gaji Dantata as members of the Federal Judicial Service Commission.

He said the request was in accordance with the provisions of Section 154 (1) and (3) and paragraph 12 (f) of Part 1 to the Third Schedule of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 as amended.

Before their screening, the Senate suspended its rule to allow the admittance of the nominees and other guest into the chamber.

The senior special assistant to the President on National Assembly matters (Senate), Sen. Abdullahi Gumel, led the nominees into the chamber.

Subsequently, the nominees provided highlights of their career profiles and professional experiences.

Mr Aliyu, currently the attorney general and commissioner of justice in Jigawa, mentioned that he initiated far-reaching judicial reforms during his tenure as the attorney general of Jigawa since September 2019.

The Senate then confirmed the appointments of Mr Dantata and Mr Suleiman as members of the Federal Judicial Service Commission (FJSC), representing Kano and Kwara.

Deputy President of the Senate, Barau Jibrin, who presided over the plenary, emphasised that their appointment was a call to serve.

He urged them not to disappoint the President and the Nigerian people while encouraging them to bring their best to the service of the country.

The Israeli Air Force has again bombed numerous targets in the Gaza Strip in the fight against the Palestinian Islamist Hamas movement.

The Israeli military announced Thursday on Telegram that its “fighter jets attacked more than 250 terror targets over the previous day.”

These included command centres, tunnel shafts and rocket-launching pads in the middle of residential areas, which had been used to fire on Israeli territory since the beginning of the latest outbreak of hostilities.

Soldiers also hit a Hamas surface-to-air missile launching site in the Khan Younis area in the south of the Gaza Strip, the military said.

The launching site was located near a mosque and a kindergarten.

This was further evidence that Hamas was deliberately using civilian facilities for terror purposes, it said.

According to Hamas members, two long-range rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip towards Haifa in the north and Eilat in the south of Israel on Wednesday.

The media reported that one projectile exploded in the air and the other fell on open ground in the south.

There were initially no reports of injuries or damage.

The Supreme Court on Thursday declined to admit fresh documents obtained by opposition leader Atiku Abubakar from a United States court as part of his evidence to prove that President Bola Tinubu violated multiple electoral laws before the election.

In the lead judgment currently being delivered by Justice John Okoro, the court held that facts and evidence not rendered at the presidential election tribunal have no place in appeal.

“Facts and matters that were not rendered in the tribunal have no place in the appeal,” the court ruled, adding that; “A petitioner shall not be allowed to introduce new evidences in an appeal.”

By this ruling, the apex court has refused to invoke its powers to accept the fresh evidence that could prove damning to President Tinubu’s continued stay in office.

The court added that Mr Abubakar did not include forgery in his case at the tribunal and that the apex court will not be taking fresh evidence that were not tendered within the 180 days of tribunal.

Super Falcons interim head coach, Justin Madugu says they will fight hard to beat Ethiopia in Abuja next week.

The former African champions held Ethiopia to a 1-1 draw in the first leg of their 2024 Olympics qualifying second round fixture at the Abebe Bekila Stadium, Addis Ababa on Wednesday.

The second leg is billed for the Moshood Abiola Stadium, Abuja on Tuesday, October 31.

Madugu said the team will go all out for a win in the reverse fixture.

“It wasn’t an easy game, because the Ethiopians also ensured they got something from the game.

“We came to win, but it didn’t come out as expected,” the gaffer said during his post match interaction with the media.

“We will ensure we get a better result at home.”

The overall winners of the tie will face either Cameroon or Uganda in the third round.

Sensational singer, Johnny Drille has said his colleagues and record label mate, Rema isn’t given enough credit for his impeccable contributions to the Nigerian music industry and beyond.

The ‘Believe Me’ crooner cited partiality as the reason Nigerians don’t treasure Rema despite all his musical achievements at a young age.

“And Rema for his age has done some really incredible things that I don’t think we give him enough credit for. I mean, he has literally one of the biggest songs not just in Africa but in the world with ‘Calm Down’ which has been on the Billboard Top 10 for almost a year. That has never been done in the history of African music. And he is having a lot of sold out shows all over the world.

“It just feels to me like he’s just getting started. We need to give the young man more credit.”

A Disc Jockey, DJ, Ajisegiri Ayobami, has recounted how he met the late singer, Ilerioluwa Aloba, popularly known as Mohbad, lifeless in his house after a nurse administered an injection on him.

This was as Ayobami said Mohbad died after the nurse administered the injection.

He disclosed this while addressing a Lagos Coroner, Magistrate Adedayo Shotobi, on Wednesday.

He testified that prior to Mohbad’s death, they went for a show at Ikorodu, and on their way back, their Prado SUV was blocked, and he saw Mohbad come down to fight his friend, Primeboy and then he got injured.

He also stated that although the wound was a small cut on his hand but by the time they got home at midnight, the hand was already swollen.

Ayobami said that he and other people in the house tried to call Mohbad’s personal nurse, but she said she was not around, so one of their team members called Spending said he had a nurse, and they called the nurse, who came to administer an injection on him.

According to Ayobami: “The nurse said we should go and get him drugs; while we were at the pharmacy, I called the house to know how he was feeling, and they said I should come back.

“When I got back, they were already outside trying to put him in a neighbour’s car to get him to the hospital, but the way I saw him, he was lifeless, his eyes were closed, and his hands were falling.

“While we were going to the hospital, there was traffic, so I came down from the other vehicle and ran to the hospital; I asked them if they had an ambulance, and they said no. Before I could get back to them, I saw them bringing Mohbad on a bike, and when we got to the hospital he was confirmed dead.”

A man in his 50s has died after his e-scooter was struck by a van in Riverstown, County Sligo, gardaí (Irish police) have said.

The collision happened at about 20:10 local time on Wednesday in the townland of Rusheen.

He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The male driver of the van is receiving treatment for minor injuries at Sligo University Hospital.

The L1303 road remains closed, pending a forensic examination, and local diversions are in place.

Gardaí have appealed for anyone with information or dashcam footage from the collision to contact them.

EU leaders meet in Brussels on Thursday for a summit overshadowed by Hamas’s war with Israel and the EU’s failure to project a united front.

For weeks, the European Union’s stance on the war has been clouded with mixed messages, diplomatic gaffes and conflicting national views on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

But after days of disagreement, EU leaders aim to project a united front.They are expected to back a call for humanitarian pauses in the fighting.

European Council President Charles Michel says the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza is of grave concern and the leaders are keen to facilitate access to food, water, medical care, fuel and shelter.

They hope that will create safer conditions for the release of more than 200 hostages seized by Hamas gunmen during their 7 October attack. Many of those held captive are European dual nationals, including citizens from Germany, France, Portugal and the Netherlands.

EU member states hold sharply differing views and it all makes for a very confusing picture.

Some have reservations about calling for a pause in the fighting and argue it could be seen as limiting Israel’s right to self-defence.

Germany and other countries do not support the idea of one, singular humanitarian pause, because that would be too close to the concept of a ceasefire, when Israel has the right to defend itself from attack.

What was needed instead were shorter breaks in the fighting, an EU diplomat told the BBC. “A pause means both actors stop for good, whereas pauses is temporary. It’s short intervals for a few hours, to get aid,” they said.

Germany, Austria, Hungary and the Czech Republic have taken strong stances of supporting Israel. Spain and Ireland are more attuned with the Palestinian cause.

Several European leaders have been on a diplomatic tour of the Middle East. Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron have all had talks with Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi.

Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer and Czech prime minister Petr Fiala visited Israel on Wednesday.

Those differing views extend to the EU’s executive too.

The EU is the largest donor to the Palestinians, so when Oliver Varhelyi, Hungary’s European Commissioner responsible for policy towards neighbouring countries, announced after the Hamas attack that all payments were being suspended and all new budget proposals postponed, it immediately sent alarm bells ring at aid agencies.

The EC then rushed out a statement saying €691m (£600m) of aid would not be stopped but put under review, and later said it would treble aid for Palestinians.

And when European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen flew to Israel with the president of the European Parliament, she drew criticism for backing Israel’s right to defend itself without stressing that it should stick to international humanitarian law. There seemed to be no effort to connect with the Palestinian Authority.

However, an EU diplomat told journalists that not everything Ms von der Leyen said in Israel was posted on social media. “If you want to be effective, you don’t do megaphone diplomacy,” the diplomat said.

“The Israeli government listens to us if we raise something behind closed doors.

“In a highly unusual move, more than 800 EU staff and diplomats signed an open letter criticising her “uncontrolled” support of Israel. They complained of the Commission’s “double standards”, pointing out that Russia’s blockade of Ukraine was seen as an act of terror, while Israel’s blockade of Gaza was “completely ignored”.

“The EU’s response has been rather unfortunate and very confusing,” James Moran from the Centre for European Policy Studies told the BBC.

“In the past, the EU approach to conflicts in the Middle East had generally managed to come out with an even-handed position. For example, in 2014 calls for a ceasefire were pretty quickly made.”

The EU doesn’t have an army, ships, or planes – but it has played an important diplomatic role in the Middle East.

When it was made up of just nine members in 1980, it issued the ground-breaking Venice Declaration recognising the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination.

Fast forward to 2023, the EU represents 27 countries with “fundamentally opposing views on the Middle East”, an EU diplomat told the BBC.

That became clear during an EU foreign ministers meeting earlier this week, where German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock reportedly argued against a humanitarian ceasefire because Hamas was still firing rockets at Israel.

As a result the EU has so far failed to agree on what kind of pause there should be.

Another crucial element is that the EU doesn’t want to deviate from the US line. The German position on backing short humanitarian pauses to allow aid in is similar to that advocated by the Americans.

“There’s a great need to maintain transatlantic solidarity on Ukraine,” says James Moran. “EU-US cooperation has been very important in helping Ukrainians defend themselves from Russia’s invasion.

“But EU diplomats point out that the war in Ukraine is not remotely comparable to what is happening in the Middle East.

“It was a war on our doorstep, and there was a clear enemy,” a spokesperson for the European Parliament told the BBC. “Nobody ever questioned whether it was right for the EU to help Ukraine arm itself. It was an epochal change.

“Since the beginning of Russia’s aggression, EU support has reached €82.6bn.

That level of unity is missing in the Hamas-Israel war: “A lack of a single voice is the EU’s achilles heel,” the EU diplomat says.

Those differences are likely to resurface when the 27 EU leaders meet behind closed doors in Brussels on Thursday afternoon.

The EU was created as a peace project after the devastation caused by World War Two and does have the potential to be a peace broker.

But in reality no European country is powerful enough to stand alone as a major player; and together they are too divided.

“After a long period of lack of engagement with the Middle East, we can’t somehow magically wake up and turn around the conflict there,” a diplomat told the BBC.

Australia’s most serious bushfire season since its so-called “Black Summer” has turned fatal.

As more than 100 fires burned across the country on Thursday, Queensland officials said two people have died in major blazes near the town of Tara.

Two people also died fighting fires in New South Wales (NSW) last week.

Authorities have for months warned a cocktail of conditions means this bushfire season will be extremely dangerous.

In a briefing, the Queensland Fire and Emergency Services said about 350 people had been evacuated from the Tara region, where an out-of-control fire has so far burned through more than 11,000 hectares of land and destroyed 16 homes.

They said a man died on Tuesday night while trying to protect his property, and a woman died on Wednesday after suffering a cardiac arrest while preparing to evacuate.

Overnight dry lightning storms sparked several new blazes in the same region. Many are under control but one has triggered an emergency warning.

But conditions are likely to worsen again on Thursday, with both temperatures and wind speeds expected to increase.

“[It] will again be another challenging day for us today, as we head into areas of extreme fire danger,” Rural Fire Service acting assistant commissioner Peter Hollier said.

Elsewhere, firefighters are also battling to put out blazes in New South Wales (NSW), Victoria and the Northern Territory.

In NSW last week a veteran volunteer firefighter died of a medical episode while on duty in the state’s north, and another man died while trying to protect his property on the mid-north coast.

Authorities earlier this week said they believe three large fires in that area had been deliberately lit.

Australia has been on high alert for bushfire danger. This is because of years of rain-driven plant growth, which is drying out after the warmest winter on record, and an El Nino-affected summer that promises more hot and dry months.

The country has reeled from disaster to disaster in recent years, as it feels the effects of climate change.

Earlier this month towns in Victoria were threatened by bushfires only to be forced to prepare for floods just hours later.

The current bushfire season also comes after several years of record-breaking floods, which followed the Black Summer bushfires in 2019-20, which themselves followed years of drought.

The world’s top climate scientists have warned that a future full of worsening disasters is likely unless urgent action is taken to tackle climate change.