Nigeria’s currency started the week negatively, depreciating against the Dollar at the foreign exchange market.

According to FMDQ statistics, at the close of work day on Monday, the Naira fell to N993/$1.

The slump represented an N203 differential from the N789.94/$1 it recorded on Friday.

Also, the market recorded a turnover of $88.3 million, a 66 per cent drop from the $259.8 million it recorded on Friday.

Moreover, in the parallel market, it exchanged for N1200/$1 on Monday from 1113/1$ on Friday.

The Minister of Finance, Wale Edun, last week had disclosed that the country would soon receive an inflow of $10 billion in foreign currency to mitigate the forex crisis.

The organizers of the Ballon d’Or, France Football, have opted not to award Lionel Messi with the Super Ballon d’Or award, according to Marca.

Messi is expected to be named the winner of the 2023 prize at an event that will be held in Paris, France on Monday.

It will be the eighth time the 36-year-old will win it, more than anyone else in history.

However, there were suggestions to award him the trophy given to the best player in the past three decades.

Alfredo Di Stefano is the only player to ever win the Super Ballon d’Or award.

The Real Madrid legend in the 1950s won five consecutive European Championships with the Spanish giants and scored 308 goals overall.

Di Stefano received the award in 1989 from France Football after being voted by many previous Ballon d’Or winners.

The Management of Benue State University (BSU), Makurdi, on Monday suspended all 200- to 600-level medical students for one month.

This is contained in an internal memo, signed by the Registrar, Dr Mfaga Modom, and further confirmed by the university spokesperson, Mr Tser Vanger.

Dr Modom said in the memo that all 200- to 600-level Medical Students of the College of Health Sciences should proceed on a one-month suspension with effect from 8:00 a.m. on 30th October and resume on Wednesday, 29th November.

Before arriving at this decision, she said, the school Management reviewed the recent actions of the affected students and reports from relevant authorities regarding their demonstration of 25th October.

She said the Management also noted with dismay the recalcitrant attitude of the students before, during and after the demonstration.

She said an investigative committee would be constituted to look into the remote and immediate causes of the demonstration and advise as appropriate.

“A top Management Committee of the College of Health Sciences is hereby directed to implement the Resolutions of the Reports of the various committees on the students’ demonstration.

She warned that on resumption, each student should bring a Sworn Affidavit from a competent Court of Law attesting to be of good conduct. Each student should also come along with his/her Parent/Guardian, who will sign an undertaking.

“The Benue State University Medical Students Association (BESUMSA) has also been suspended with immediate effect till further notice,” she also said, warning the suspended medical students to immediately vacate their hostels on Monday, 30th October.

She said the academic activities of the 100-level medical students remain uninterrupted.

Popular singer, Adewale Mayowa Emmanuel aka Mayorkun has urged members of the National Assembly to ensure Nigerian roads are fixed instead of buying new vehicles for themselves.

Cross section of Nigerians have been criticising the procurement of 2023 model Toyota Prado for 469 members of the Assembly.

The Chairman, Senate Committee on Services, Sunday Karimi, had justified the purchase of the vehicles in a chat with journalists, saying “Nigerian roads are bad.”

Reacting via his Snapchat page recently, singer Mayorkun urged the lawmakers to fix Nigerian roads instead of buying vehicles for themselves.

He wrote, “Road no good, una dey buy new SUV.

“Fix the f**king rooooadddddd!!!!

“Lekki Epe Express is Terrible!. Appalling sh*t!

“Nothing like I can drive’ in this country o, I sabi road’ is a better compliment.”

The most-awaited award ceremony of the 2023 Ballon d’Or, will get underway on Monday in Paris, France.

This year’s Ballon d’Or ceremony will take place at the Theatre du Chatelet.

The live streaming of the 2023 Ballon d’Or will be available on France Football’s official website and will start at 6pm, Nigerian time.

Former Real Madrid striker, Karim Benzema won the last edition of the prestigious award after beating the likes of Sadio Mane and Kevin de Bruyne.

However, there are three strong contenders – Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi, Manchester City’s Erling Haaland and Paris Saint-Germain’s Kylian Mbappe for this year’s Ballon d’Or.

Messi won the FIFA World Cup last year and also the Best Player award for the tournament. He also won the French Ligue title with PSG before leaving the club to join Inter Miami in the summer.

Haaland, meanwhile, won the Champions League, FA Cup and the Premier League title with Man City.

He also scored a record 52 goals in all competitions last season.

Mbappe, on his part, led France to a second finish at the World Cup after they lost to Argentina in the final. He won the Golden Boot for the top scorer in the competition and also won the French Ligue 1 title with PSG.

Other contenders are André Onana, Josko Gvardiol, Karim Benzema, Jamal Musiala, Mohamed Salah, Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka, Randal Kolo Muani, Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, Emiliano Martínez and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.

The remaining includes Rúben Dias, Nicolo Barella, Yassine Bounou, Martin Ødegaard, Julián Álvarez, Ilkay Gündogan, Vinícius Júnior, Rodri, Lautaro Martínez, Antoine Griezmann, Robert Lewandowski, Kylian Mbappé, Kim Min-jae, Victor Osimhen, Luka Modric and Harry Kane.

South Africa, on Monday, called for the United Nations to deploy a rapid protection force to protect civilians in the Palestinian enclave of Gaza from further bombardment.

The plea came as Israel steps up its retaliation for a deadly attack by militant group Hamas.

South Africa has long been an advocate for peace in the region, likening the plight of Palestinians to its own under the apartheid regime that ended in 1994.

In calling for a protection force, South Africa has gone further in its support for the Palestinians than most nations, some of which have called for a ceasefire or the opening of a humanitarian corridor to allow aid into Gaza.

Israel has tightened its blockade and bombardment of Gaza since Hamas gunmen stormed into Israel on Oct. 7 and killed some 1,400 people.

Palestinians in Gaza reported fierce air and artillery strikes early on Monday.

“Entire generations of families have been wiped out in Gaza over the last three weeks,’’ the foreign ministry said in a statement.

A member of the Palestinian community in Johannesburg had 25 family members killed in an Israeli air strike on Monday morning, the statement said, while family members of a senior Palestinian diplomat in South Africa were killed in their apartment building the day before.

“The numbers of non-combatants killed, especially the numbers of children killed, requires that the world to show that it is serious about global accountability,’’ the statement said.

Medical authorities in Gaza said on Sunday that 8,005 people had been killed in the three-week war. Reuters was not able to independently confirm the figures.

South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa, has previously offered to help mediate the conflict.

South Africa also said earlier this month that its foreign minister held a call with the leader of Hamas about getting aid into Gaza while underlining that it did not support the group.

The cause of Matthew Perry’s death is unknown and has been “deferred” pending further investigation.

The LA Times and TMZ, which first reported the Friends actor had died, said the star was found unresponsive in a hot tub at his house on Saturday.

Perry’s post-mortem examination was inconclusive, while officials await the results of toxicology tests.

There were no obvious signs of trauma, an LA Police spokesperson confirmed to CBS News, the BBC’s US partner.

The LA County Medical Examiner’s office updated their file on Sunday to say the case had been deferred.

This usually means that the post-mortem is complete but more detail is needed.

A Los Angeles Fire Department spokesperson told the BBC on Sunday that first responders went to an address in the Pacific Palisades area, regarding a “water emergency” of an unknown type, but did not name Perry.

The Friends star, who died at the age of 54, was best known for playing wisecracking Chandler Bing in the hugely popular ’90s TV sitcom.

The show, which followed the fortunes of six young friends living in New York City, aired from 1994 until 2004.

Its final episode was watched by 52.5 million in the US, making it the most watched TV episode of the 2000s.But while at the height of his fame, Perry was battling with addiction to painkillers and alcohol, and attended rehabilitation clinics on multiple occasions.

In 2016, he told BBC Radio 2 that he could not remember three years of filming during Friends, because of drink and drugs.

At least three workers have died after scaffolding collapsed at a construction site in the German city of Hamburg, according to officials.

Others have been injured, including at least one person who is in a critical condition.

The incident happened on Monday morning at the Uberseequartier in the HafenCity district – one of the biggest construction sites in the city.

The scaffolding collapsed from the eighth floor down into a lift shaft.An unknown number of people are still missing – thought to have been buried under the debris.

The fire department initially said five people had lost their lives – but they have now revised that number down.

According to German media, dozens of emergency service staff are at the site, which has been evacuated.

“Currently a very difficult technical rescue operation by fire brigade rescuers is under way,” Philipp Baumann, a spokesman for the Hamburg Fire Department, told German broadcaster ZDF.

“The fire service is working flat out”.

Hundreds of people are currently employed at the construction site – part of a major redevelopment that features offices, houses, hotels and shops.

At least 13 people have died and about 50 are injured after two passenger trains collided in India’s southern Andhra Pradesh state on Sunday.

A rescue operation was launched and hundreds of emergency workers were at the site to clear the wreckage.

Officials said a preliminary investigation has found that a “human error” had led to the collision.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences and said he was in touch with the railways minister.

The crash took place in the Vizianagaram district on Sunday evening.

Officials said three carriages of a passenger train, travelling between Visakhapatnam and Palasa, derailed around 19:00 (13:30 GMT), after it was hit by another train.

The train had stopped on the tracks “due to a break in an overhead cable”, when a second incoming passenger train travelling between Visakhapatnam and Rayagada rammed into it from behind, a railway official told Reuters news agency.

Hundreds of ambulances, doctors, nurses and rescue personnel were sent to the scene to rescue passengers and pull out bodies.Biswajit Sahu, Chief Public Relations Officer of East Coast Railway, said that a “human error” had led to the collision, caused by “overshooting of signal” by the second train.

He added that 33 trains have been cancelled and 22 others have been diverted following the accident. Railway officials expect the affected track to be cleared for traffic to resume by Monday evening.

Andhra Pradesh’s Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy’s office said he would visit the site of accident on Monday. The minister has also announced financial compensation for the victims.

India has one of the largest train networks in the world with millions of passengers using it daily, but a lot of the railway infrastructure needs improving.

Sunday’s accident comes just months after a devastating crash involving three trains killed 292 people and injured thousands more in the eastern state of Odisha.

The country’s top detective agency arrested three railway employees in connection with the railway accident, which was the worst in 20 years.

A major military and police search is under way in Colombia for the father of Liverpool player Luis Diaz, with the authorities offering a £40,000 reward for information leading to his rescue.

More than 120 soldiers, plus police, searched northern Colombia for Luis Manuel Diaz on Sunday, with reports armed men had taken him and his wife.

The player’s mother, Cilenis Marulanda, was found in Barrancas on Saturday.

Diaz was absent from the Liverpool side which beat Nottingham Forest on Sunday.

In a statement, the army said it had set up roadblocks and deployed two motorised platoons, unmanned aircraft, helicopters and a plane with radar in the search for his father.

The Colombian authorities have not provided details about the reported kidnapping, but local media said Diaz’s mother and father were taken by armed men on motorcycles at a gas station in Barrancas, their home town, which is in La Guajira, the country’s northern region.

Colombia President Gustavo Petro said “all the public forces have been deployed” to find Diaz’s father.

Speaking on Sunday, the director of the National Police, General William Rene Salamanca, announced a reward of “up to 200m pesos” (about £40,000) for information.

Attorney General Francisco Barbosa said he had contacted Diaz twice to provide the 26-year-old with updates on the investigation.

Barbosa told the player that information has been obtained regarding the possibility that his father could be in Venezuela – a situation which, Barbosa said, would require intervention by President Petro.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp dedicated Sunday’s 3-0 Premier League victory over Nottingham Forest to Diaz, saying they had won “for our brother”.

Surrounded by his team-mates, Diogo Jota held up the Colombia player’s number seven shirt after scoring Liverpool’s first goal.

The club said before Sunday’s game that they were “aware of an ongoing situation” involving the family of Diaz, adding the player’s welfare “will continue to be our immediate priority”.

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag said Sunday’s 3-0 demolition by local rivals Manchester City at Old Trafford was one of the most disappointing days in his tenure with the team.

Asked if Sunday was one of his worst days on the job, the downcast manager told reporters: “Yes. Of course, it is disappointing.”

“When you lose a derby in the way we lost, it is disappointing. First half, we had a very good game plan, and the execution was very good, and then the penalty changed the moment.”

City’s goal-scoring machine, Erling Haaland, converted a penalty in the 26th minute in his first of two goals.

Phil Foden added the visitors’ third in the 80th minute, sending disgruntled United fans to the exits early.

United stumbled out to a horrible start to their season, but there was a sense of the tide turning after their 1-0 Champions League win on Tuesday over Copenhagen.

It was their third consecutive victory in all competitions. But the chasm between the Manchester sides looked huge on Sunday as City ran circles around the home team in the second half.

Asked if United, who are eighth in the standings after 10 games, were heading in the wrong direction, Ten Hag countered that the first half was toe-to-toe before the penalty and pointed out Scott McTominay’s shot just before the break that keeper Ederson punched over the bar.

United’s loss marked the third time they had been beaten by three or more goals in a Premier League home game by City.It was also City’s seventh win at Old Trafford under manager Pep Guardiola.

Guardiola’s squad turned the storied stadium into their playground on Sunday to the delight of visiting sky blue fans, who never stopped singing.Guardiola was asked why the victory had come so easily.

“I understand the question because you are a good journalist – it looks easy, but it is not,” he said.

Formers Manchester United defender Gary Neville called United’s loss “appalling” on Sky Sports.

“(City have) got brilliant players, and what you saw at the end of today, with players running back, you saw everything you want to see in a team.

“Pep must be delighted. You can have all the skill and talent, but they’ve got hunger,” added former United player Roy Keane.

A lecturer of the Federal University of Technology, Minna, Niger State, Adefolalu Funmilola, was Sunday morning, found dead, with her throat slit, in her apartment in Gbaiko.

The female lecturer, an associate professor of the Department of Biochemistry in the institution, was awaiting promotion to professor before the end of this year when the university council dissolved and must have been reconstituted.

Reports of her demise became public when her church members visited her home because she did not attend service. But noticing that she was inside, they forced themselves in through her room door, where they found her dead.

A witness narrated, “When members of her church went to her residence, they sense she could be in and have to force her door open only to see her in her pool of blood. She was found with her throat slit and knives found beside her.”

Confirming the incident to journalists, the chairman of the Minna chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Bolarin Gbolahan, said,

“It is strange that academics are now becoming endangered species. Our members are being kidnapped almost every week at Keffi now. We can not sleep in peace again in our homes in Minna.”

He added, “The level of insecurity is becoming worrisome, and something must be done before we all become victims of systemic failure.”

Also confirming the sad incident, the state police public relations officer, DSP Wasiu Abiodun, said, “On 29/10/2023 at about 1000hrs, some friends of one Dr Mrs Funmilola Adefolalu, a lecturer at FUT Minna visited her residence in Gbaiko Area of Minna due to inability to get her on the phone and unfortunately, on getting to the house, the visitors met her lying in a pool of blood with marks of injury on her body.

“Two knives with blood stains suspected to have been used to stab her by unknown person(s) were recovered from the scene.”

Mr Abiodun said the victim was confirmed dead at the IBB Hospital, Minna. He added that an investigation was ongoing.

The Abia Warriors FC, on Sunday, thrashed visiting Heartland FC of Owerri in an oriental derby by a lone goal in the Match Day 5 of the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL).

Chinerem Okike (Meme) put the home side ahead of the visitors in the eight minutes of the encounter at the Umuahia Township Stadium.

The goal seemed to have put Heartland under pressure in the pulsating first half, which saw both sides wasting their chances in front of goals.

Abia Warriors, on their part, left nothing to chance as they stoically defended the goal.

Both sides created more chances in the second half but failed to utilise them as they appeared to be playing under tension.

The win gave the Abia Warriors their needed maximum of three points.In a post-match interview, the coach of Abia Warriors, Erasmus Onu, said they were lucky to get the three points but rued the chances missed by his team.

“The issue of misses is a difficult thing everywhere, but I know we will get it right by God’s grace.

“We are preparing for the next match, and we will take them one after the other,” he said.

The home side, which had won their three home matches and lost two previous away games, now stand at the fifth position on the table with nine points.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Sunday that Germany’s partnership with ECOWAS aimed to improve the region in various sectors.

Mr Scholz, at a press briefing held at the ECOWAS Commission in Abuja on the sidelines of his visit to Nigeria, said his country had renewed its financial commitment to the tune of €81 million ($85.4 million) to ECOWAS to address areas such as energy and peacebuilding amongst others.

Germany’s Federal Development Ministry (BMZ), in September, announced plans to ramp up the country’s financial support of the ECOWAS after a meeting between German Development Minister Svenja Schulze and Ecowas Vice President Damtien Tchintchibidja in Berlin.

He said, “We have enjoyed the partnership in the areas of support for the regions.“Our mission in this is to improve the ECOWAS countries and its region. Our cooperation was felt during the pandemic, and we plan further to deepen our relation with ECOWAS.”

Mr Scholz said the move came when ECOWAS tried to restore stability to West Africa following six coups since 2020.

“Also, we stand with not accepting coup, and when we look at the coup in Niger, and that is why we want to deepen our cooperation,” he said.

Speaking earlier, the president of the ECOWAS Commission, Omar Touray, said the chancellor’s visit symbolised the importance of Germany-ECOWAS cooperation.

He said that recently, they had concluded the agreement of €81 million that the German government and its people had committed to boost the ECOWAS region in several areas.

“Those are vital areas, as I have indicated; they cover areas such as peaceful and inclusive society, climate, energy transition, sustainable economy development, health, social protection and population,” he said.

Mr Touray further added that during their brief meeting before the press briefing, they both discussed the challenges faced by the region on insecurity, infrastructure deficit and social development.

The police command in Ogun says it has arrested two minors for allegedly setting their school on fire in the Isheri-Olofin area of Ifo Local Government.

The state police spokesperson, SP Omolola Odutola, in a statement on Monday, explained that the minors, aged six and nine, reportedly gained access to one of the unlocked classrooms at Community Primary School, Isheri Olofin, on Sunday and set fire to books left behind by teachers and pupils.

The PPRO noted that the incident was reported to the police by a chief in the community.

She stated, “Two pupils of Community Primary School, Isheri Olofin, aged six years and nine years, both residents of the Isheri Olofin community, have been apprehended for setting fire to their school and properties of the school on October 29, 2023.”

Ms Odutola said upon receiving the report, the anti-crime and detectives unit of the police visited the scene and brought the alleged children to the police station for interrogation.

She explained that the police had started making inquiries on how to contact their parents “as this is a very serious crime for these children to get themselves involved in.”

Meanwhile, she said the police would unravel and update members of the public in due course if other persons might instigated the children.

British heavyweight boxer Tyson ‘Gipsy King’ Fury survived a devastating third round knockdown to defeat Francis Ngannou of Cameron in a 10-round non-title heavyweight bout in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Saturday.

Ngannou, a mixed martial artist making a professional boxing debut, with a fierce left hook dropped Fury, an unbeaten WBC champion, on the canvas in a fight largely regarded as a mismatch and work over for the Briton.

Fury, however, picked himself up, narrowly boxing to victory on a split decision as a judge scored 95-94 to Ngannou, while the other two officials scored it 96-93 and 95-94 to Fury.

Contrary to most predictions giving Fury the victory on a platter even before the fight, Ngannou showed strength taking and landing punches until the 10th round against a champion.

Fury’s victory saw him survive a first defeat and what could be a major upset in heavyweight boxing but not without a cut on his forehead and a welt under one of his eyes.

Unlike Ngannou, 37, a first timer in a professional boxing ring, Fury, 35, came into the game with a sterling career record.

Since he turned professional in 2008, Fury has remained unbeaten, winning 33 fights and drawing just one. 24 of Fury’s victories were via knock out.

“That definitely wasn’t in the script,” Fury said after the fight which he described as one of the toughest in the last decade.

“He’s given me probably one of my toughest fights in the last 10 years. Francis is a hell of a fighter, strong, big puncher, and a lot better boxer than we all thought he would be,” Fury said.

Speaking after the fight, Ngannou said “It didn’t go my way. I might have come up short today. I’ll come back.”

Saturday’s fight comes some weeks to the undisputed championship fight scheduled to hold December 23 between Fury and Oleksandr Usyk.

Usyk was present in the audience to see the fight between his opponent.

The Ohinoyi of Ebiraland, Dr Ado Ibrahim, is dead.

The paramount ruler of Ebiraland was said to have died in the early hours of Sunday at the age of 95.

Palace sources told our correspondent in Lokoja the he died in an Abuja hospital where he had been receiving treatment for age-related ailment.

Before ascending the throne, he was a successful businesman who lived most parts of his life in Lagos.

His remains will be buried today in Okene according to the Islamic rites.

President Bola Tinubu on Saturday celebrated the Oba of Lagos, Rilwanu Akiolu, as he clocked 80.

This is contained in a statement signed by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale.

The statement partly read, “President Bola Tinubu celebrates his long-time ally, friend, and confidant, His Majesty, Oba Rilwan Akiolu of Lagos State, on his 80th birthday.

“According to the statement, the President describes the monarch as a “fountain of wisdom, knowledge, and a staunch custodian of the rich culture and traditions of Lagos”.

He said, “Oba Akiolu and I have come a long way. He is my confidant. He is a dear friend I hold in high esteem for his integrity, honour, and forthrightness. He is always generous with his wise counsel and always willing to offer his fatherly guidance.

“Baba is a defender of the truth and his people. My achievements as Lagos State Governor are partly due to his support and counsel. His Majesty’s reign has brought peace, progress, and development to the good people of Lagos.

“The President further thanked the Oba, also known as Eleko of Eko, for his unceasing prayers and support, recalling his interventions over the years, even in trying times. 

At least 35 people were killed and more than 50 others injured Saturday in a “horrific collision” on an Egyptian highway involving a bus and several cars, state media reported.

Traffic accidents are common in Egypt where roads are often in bad repair and the highway code is frequently disregarded.

“A horrific collision on the Cairo-Alexandria desert road near Wadi al-Natrun led to the death of 35 people, at least 18 of whom burnt to death,” said the Al-Ahram news website, indicating “at least 53 were injured”.

Images posted on social media showed an overturned lorry lying across the fast lane on a charred tarmac.

Further on is at least one bus and a minibus, both largely gutted by fire, as well as many cars, some still in flames.

Crowds of people can be seen standing by the road, gazing at the crash site alongside queues of cars as thick black smoke spirals into the air.

Official figures say 7,000 people were killed in road accidents in 2021 in the Arab world’s most populous country.

A Distinguished African historian and scholar, Prof Toyin Falola, was on Saturday honoured with an honorary degree by the University of Mktar, Benue State.

Falola, the university’s convocation guest lecturer, was awarded the title of Doctor of Letters (D. Litt) during the ceremony that brought together academics, students, and guests from across the nation.

This latest feather was in recognition of his contributions to academia and a reminder of the enduring impact he has had on the field of African Studies.

In his convocation lecture titled, “Religion and Values”, Falola delved into the intricate relationship between religion and the ethical framework that underpins society.

His profound insights and unique perspective captivated the audience, leaving an indelible mark on the minds of all in attendance.

The academic is renowned for his extensive body of work, which encompasses numerous books, essays, and lectures that have influenced the understanding of African history and culture worldwide.

In his illustrious career, Falola has amassed an impressive collection of honourary degrees, with the University of Mkar’s recognition being his 18th.