An Indian police official has been suspended from service after he won 15m rupees ($180,310, £149,009) on a fantasy sports platform.

Somnath Zende, a police sub-inspector posted in Maharashtra state’s Pune district, won the money while playing Dream 11, an online fantasy league.

Authorities say he was suspended for breaching the police code of conduct.

Mr Zende has refuted the claim. He’s due to face a departmental inquiry.

The police department in Pune’s Pimpri Chinchwad area, under which Mr Zende works, told BBC Marathi that he was suspended for playing the game without permission and for giving media interviews in his uniform.

Mr Zende, however, said he was being treated “unfairly”.

The police official said he began playing games on Dream 11 last month. On 10 October, he won the 15m-rupee prize money after winning a game on the platform.

Dream 11 calls itself a “game of skill” and cites a 2021 Supreme Court ruling on its website to say that its platform is exempt from the country’s gambling law.

Gambling is illegal in India but some in the gaming industry argue that the practice is different from “online skill-based gaming”, where the element of skill outweighs the element of chance.

The app has popular cricketer MS Dhoni as its ambassador and has featured Bollywood actors like Aamir Khan in its promos.

It lets fans over the age of 18 play sports like cricket, hockey, football and basketball online. Users create virtual teams using names of real-life players. They then earn points based on the performances of these players in actual matches.

Mr Zende won while playing the game during a match between Bangladesh and England in the ongoing Cricket World Cup in India.

Following his win, reports say Mr Zende was seen wearing his police uniform as he gave interviews to the media.

Amold Thorat, a worker of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is also in power in Maharashtra, wrote to the chief minister and his deputy, demanding action Mr Zende for engaging in “betting”.

Mr Thorat accused Mr Zende of playing the game while on duty and called it a “dereliction of duty”.

Photos of Zende in his police uniform had gone viral online and sent the “wrong message about the state’s police force”, he said in his complaint.

Mr Zende, however, told BBC Marathi he did not play the game while on duty. He also alleged that he was not the only police official to play the game.

“Many people play this game. It’s a sport. They play for hours,” he said. “It’s not a gambling game but still I’m being punished.

“Mr Zende said he planned to use his winnings to pay off a housing loan and start fixed deposit accounts in the name of his children.

At his departmental inquiry, Mr Zende will be allowed to present his case. A senior police official said the department would decide on a future course of action after the inquiry committee submits its report.

At least 18 people have been arrested after a wave of bomb threats prompted evacuations across France.

The Palace of Versailles, the Louvre as well as schools, airports and hospitals have been targeted.

Those behind the disruption are mostly minors, authorities say.

The threats come at a time of heightened tension in France, after a teacher was fatally stabbed by an alleged jihadist last week at a school in the northern city of Arras.

Bomb scares have led to the Palace of Versailles being evacuated four times this week, while the Louvre in Paris was also forced to evacuate thousands of visitors last Saturday.

A number of regional airports were evacuated on Wednesday, including Lille, Nantes, Nice and Toulouse, and 11 airports were also affected on Thursday.

France was placed on its highest state of counter-terrorism alert last week following the killing of 57-year-old teacher Dominique Bernard. The suspect, a former pupil, is a Russian national of Chechen origin.

Schools have also been targeted by bomb scares. Six high schools in the Toulouse area alone were evacuated on Thursday and earlier this week pupils in one Toulouse school were told to go under their tables when a suspect package was spotted in front of the building.

Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said on Thursday night that 18 people, mainly minors, had been arrested in a space of 48 hours but he stressed that France was under no specific threat.

The bomb scares have been made by phone or email, via a website launched in 2020 to text police officers direct, and by contacting official police social media accounts.

Justice Minister Éric Dupond-Moretti warned those he called “little jokers” that they would be “found and punished”.

Authorities are using IP addresses and phone numbers to identify those responsible. Calling in a fake bomb threat is a crime in France that carries up to three years in prison and a €45,000 (£39,000) fine.

Haitian police have arrested a former justice ministry official suspected of ordering the assassination of President Jovenel Moise.

Joseph Felix Badio was caught as he was driving out of a supermarket car park in the capital, Port-au-Prince.

Mr Moise was murdered in his bedroom by Colombian mercenaries in 2021. Most have since been arrested or killed.

His death threw Haiti into a prolonged political crisis and led to unprecedented levels of lawlessness.

Within months, criminal gangs extended their control over the capital, including its infrastructure and main fuel port.

Mr Badio is accused of ordering hitmen to carry out the attack. He is charged with murder, attempted murder and armed robbery.

Local media said Mr Badio had been fired from his post as an anti-corruption official in the justice ministry a few months before the assassination, after he was allegedly bribed to release a prisoner.

Some of the hitmen arrested hours after the killing alleged that Mr Badio, 60, had given them their orders.

Others implicated in the case have been convicted in the US. They include John Joel Joseph, a former Haitian senator, and Haitian-Chilean businessman Rodolphe Jaar.

The US has also accused Venezuelan-American Antonio Intriago, the owner of Florida-based CTU Security, of hiring the hitmen. He faces a number of charges including conspiracy to kill or kidnap.

Haiti’s unelected government has struggled to provide even basic services since Mr Moise’s death.

According to a UN report this week, gangs have taken control of much of the capital, running schools and clinics but also terrorising the population and fighting turf wars.

Thousands of Haitians have fled their homes in Port-au-Prince amid the soaring violence, and thousands have already died this year.

The UN recently ratified deploying an international force to support Haiti’s police, but few countries have committed personnel and it has yet to materialise.

It approved earlier this month Kenya’s offer to lead a multinational force to help restore order.

Arsenal were close to signing Jude Bellingham for just £500,000, according to the Daily Mail.

The first scouting report compiled on Bellingham has been released. In it, the midfielder’s talent is profiled while he still played for home-town club Birmingham City.

It is claimed that Arsenal made an approach for Bellingham while he was turning out at U14 level.

A compensation package worth £500,000 was required to complete a deal, with the Gunners willing to pay.

However, an “unforeseen delay” saw the move collapse and Bellingham went on to sign a contract with Birmingham.

Bellingham eventually went to Borussia Dortmund in 2020, before completing a €103 million transfer to Real Madrid in the summer of 2023.

Kenyan-Canadian actress Lupita Nyong’o has broken up with her boyfriend, TV host Selema Masekela.

The “Black Panther” star confirmed via her Instagram handle on Thursday night that she and the American sports commentator are no longer together less than a year after making their relationship official.

The 40-year-old thespian cited “deception” as the reason for their breakup.

Her lengthy Instagram post read, inter alia: “It is necessary for me to share a personal truth and publicly dissociate myself from someone I can no longer trust.

“I find myself in a season of heartbreak because of a love suddenly and devastatingly extinguished by deception.”

A large-scale rice farmer in northern Nigeria has backed the decision of the Central Bank of Nigeria to lift the Forex ban on the importation of rice.

He said the lifting of the Forex ban will break the monopoly of the processing and marketing of the grain by local millers.

Alhaji Hassan Yaro, who grows rice in Kano, Jigawa and Borno states, is the Chairman of the Kano Council of Traders and Entrepreneurs.

The Central Bank of Nigeria lifted the foreign exchange restrictions it placed on importers of rice and 42 other items eight years ago.

Alhaji Yaro, who spoke to our correspondent while inspecting one of his rice farms Wednesday at Zabarmari, in the outskirts of Maiduguri, praised the President Bola Tinubu administration for the lifting of the ban, believing that it would flood the market with the grain and slash its price to an affordable rate for the common man.

“I could remember, rice millers reached an agreement in 2014 with the then President Buhari in Africa House, Kano, when he was campaigning for re-election, to process enough of the grain for the country at an affordable price,”

“They even received a huge amount of money from the CBN to ensure this.”

Yaro stated, “For whatever reason known, perhaps, only to the local millers, the grain, instead of flooding the markets at prices affordable to the ordinary Nigerian, went beyond the reach of most Nigerians in terms of both availability and affordability up to last week when the Forex ban was lifted.”

Alleging that most rice millers do not mean well for the country, he vowed to mobilise as many farmers of the grain as he can across the country to upscale the traditional milling method and pursue wavers for the importation of affordable milling machines from China, should the local millers attempt sabotaging the Tinubu administration on this.

President Bola Tinubu on Thursday approved the appointment of eight new Chief Executive Officers for Parastatals and Agencies under the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation with immediate effect.

They include the National Orientation Agency, the Nigerian Television Authority, the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria, National Broadcasting Commission, Voice of Nigeria, Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria, News Agency of Nigeria and the Nigerian Press Council.

The appointments come 24 hours after closed-door talks between the President and the Information Minister, Mohammed Idris, at the State House, Abuja.

Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, revealed this in a statement he signed on Thursday titled ‘President Tinubu appoints new leadership across the information and national orientation sectors.’

The appointees are Mr Lanre Issa-Onilu as Director-General of the NOA, Mr Salihu Dembos retained his office as DG of NTA, Dr. Muhammed Bulama as DG FRCN, replacing Dr Mansir Liman.

Mr. Charles Ebuebu replaces Balarabe Illelah as Director-General of the NBC, Mr. Jibrin Ndace as DG of the VON, replacing Osita Okechukwu.

The President also appointed Dr Lekan Fadolapo as the Director-General of ARCON, Mr. Ali Ali as DG NAN and Mr. Dili Ezughah as Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Press Council.

The President tasked the newly entrusted leadership in these sub-sectors to “innovate and create new opportunities for Nigerians to leverage upon through the effective reform of these key institutions of government which function” to unify Nigerians, reshape mindsets, and showcase the nation to the rest of the world.

At least 300 people have been arrested near the US Capitol after a protest against the Israel-Hamas war.

That number is likely to rise as more arrests are processed, police said, adding that three people were charged with assaulting a police officer.

Most were arrested inside the Cannon House Office Building, where protests are not permitted.

The demonstrators called on President Joe Biden and Congress to push for a ceasefire in Gaza.

The rally in Washington DC was organised by two fringe left-wing Jewish campaign groups, Jewish Voice for Peace and If Not Now, which advocate against the State of Israel.

Police closed streets around the Capitol complex on Wednesday, saying a large group of protesters were walking in the road.

Some were seen being restrained with zip-ties and led away to police vans. Three of those arrested were later charged with assaulting a police officer.

One protest organiser at the Capitol used a megaphone to call for “equality, justice and freedom”.

“The only way towards true safety… is to de-escalate, and address the root causes of this horrific violence,” the woman said.

The protest came on the same day that President Biden landed in Israel to meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his war cabinet.

Mr Biden said during the visit that Israel had a right to hit back for the Hamas attack on 7 October that left 1,400 people dead.

At least 3,000 people have been killed in retaliatory Israeli strikes on Gaza, according to Palestinian health officials.

Lobi Stars striker, Tiza Samuel, has expressed his team’s readiness for the Nigeria Premier football League, NPFL, matchday four encounter against Abia Warriors.

The Pride of Benue will host Abia Warriors at the Lafia City Stadium on Saturday.

Samuel said the players are ready to record their second win of the season against the Ochendo Boys.

“I’m personally ready and my teammates are good to go to snatch the maximum points against Abia Warriors,” he told the club’s media.

“The camp mood is high and my teammates are good to go ahead of the encounter.

“We are hoping to win the match by God’s grace.”

Lobi Stars are unbeaten in the NPFL this season.

Goods reportedly worth millions of naira were destroyed during a fire outbreak at Watt, a popular market in Calabar, Cross River.

The fire, which was said to have started around 2:00 am on Thursday, affected no fewer than six shops in the market.

Mrs Olumayowa Olomola, Commanding Officer, Calabar Command, Federal Fire Service, who confirmed the incident to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), said that the fire was caused by a power surge in one of the shopping malls in the market.

Olomola, who could not give an estimate of the the value of the goods destroyed, however said that the affected shops were well stocked.

She noted that but for the timely intervention by her team, the fire would have affected more shops.

Olomola said, “Our response was timely and we could only prevent the fire from spreading beyond the six affected shops.

“My advice is that we should always adopt preventive measures by ensuring we put off all appliances to avoid incidents like this.”

A former economist and accountant, Olabode Agusto, founder of AGUSTO & CO Limited, Nigeria’s first credit rating company, is dead.

Dele Momodu, Publisher of Ovation Magazine, announced Augusto’s death through his official X handle on Thursday.

The economic guru was born on September 14, 1955, and died at the age of 68.

“One of Nigeria’s biggest economic wizards, Mr Olabode Agusto, has passed on. He founded AGUSTO & CO Ltd., a credit rating company.

“His darling wife, Edna and children were in Portugal (his adopted country) when he passed on at close to 70. May his brilliant soul rest in peace,” Momodu wrote.

Agusto served as the Director of the National Pension Commission, member of the Central Bank of Nigeria Monetary Policy Committee and Director-General of the Budget Office of the Federation.

He also had years of experience in the private sector.In 2003, President Olusegun Obasanjo awarded Agusto the national honour of Member of the Order of the Federal Republic, OFR, for his contributions to the Nigerian economy.

A 55-year-old spiritual healer, Samuel Zungwe, was on Thursday remanded by a Makurdi Magistrates’ Court for allegedly defrauding a woman of N16.5 million.

Zungwe, of Samuel Compound, Orlufaga, Den Street, Gbanka, Gboko Local Government Area of Benue, was arraigned by the Police on a one-count charge bordering on fraud.

The Magistrate, Mrs Adah Jack, did not, however, take the defendant’s plea for want of jurisdiction.

Jack ordered that the defendant be remanded in Makurdi Correctional Centre, pending further investigations.

She adjourned the case till November 7 for further mention.

The Police Prosecutor, Insp Regina Ishaya, told the court that a petition, dated October 3, was written by one Pevigo Peter to the Commissioner of Police, Benue State Command.

Ishaya said that the complainant said in his petition that sometime in 2011, his wife, Mrs Hajara Peter, came in contact with the defendant who convinced her that he could heal her of her abdominal pain.

He stated that the self-acclaimed religious healer lured Hajara to consistently pay him sums of money ranging from N70,000 to N120,000 monthly, all amounting to N15 million, under the pretence of building six churches.

She added that the defendant then warned the victim not to tell anybody or else, she and all her family members would die.

Ishaya said that sometime in September, the defendant also told the victim that he had completed the churches and needed money for fencing and furnishing.

She said that the defendant again forced the victim to again transfer N1.5 million to a Polaris Bank account number: 3043305117, with the name: Zungwe Samuel Atim.

The prosecutor said that the complainant further explained that when his wife demanded to see the churches being built, the defendant could not show her any.

She said that it was then that the victim realised that she had been duped by the defendant and reported the matter to her husband.

Ishaya said that during Police investigations, the phone number of the defendant was tracked and he was found in a hideout in Gboko East, Benue State, and arrested, adding that he had confessed to committing the crime.

She, however, said that the matter was still under investigation and prayed the court for another date for mention.

According to her, the offence contravenes Section 1(3) of Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act, 2006 and Section 398 of the Penal Code Law of Benue State, 2004.

Wife of Zamfara State Governor, Hajiya Huriyya Dauda Lawal has revealed her intention to marry out fifty female orphans under the State’s ministry of Women, Children and Social Development Affairs.

This was contained in a statement issued by the Senior Special Assistant, SSA Media and Communication, office of the Governor’s wife, Zara’u Musau.

She said that the First Lady made the declaration when she visited the orphanage home in Gusau, promising to cater for the upbringing and well-being of the orphans in the State.

The statement further stated that the administration of Governor Dauda Lawal will do everything humanly possible to shoulder all the responsibilities of the wedding.

“Complete sets of beds, cushion chairs, utensils and foodstuffs for the marriage couples have been prepared”, the statement said.

The wife of the Governor further advised those orphans to be disciplined, obedient and steadfast in their matrimonial homes.

Speaking earlier, the State commissioner for women, Children and Social Development affairs, Dr. Nafisa Muhammad Maradun assured the State government’s readiness to conduct a seamless mass wedding for the orphans in Gusau.

Former Arsenal defender, Mikael Silvestre believes the Gunners could finally end Manchester City’s stranglehold on English football by winning the Premier League this season

.Arsenal have made a superb start to the campaign, winning six out of eight Premier League matches.

Mikel Arteta’s side sit second in the Premier League table, behind Tottenham Hotspur on goal difference.

They made plenty of changes to their squad in the summer, bringing the likes of Declan Rice, Kai Havertz, Jurrien Timber, and goalkeeper David Raya to the Emirates.

“They could do it [win the Premier League title], but I’m not going to say they will win it as that would be a foolish thing to say when you consider how long the season is.

They are better equipped than they were last season, they’ve strengthened their squad in key areas and they have greater self-belief,” Silvestre told GGRecon.

“Last season they competed for the Premier League title with a young squad, but now they are a year older and I believe the experience they’ve gained from last season will make them stronger as a group and in March and April, when the games become even more crucial, they will be better prepared to deal with the tougher tests that come their way.”

Arsenal missed out on the Premier League title to Manchester City last season.

Aformer power minister, Barth Nnaji, has accused diesel suppliers and generator dealers of sabotaging regular electricity supply in Nigeria.

On Wednesday, Mr Nnaji said this while featuring in a Flo FM programme, ‘The South East Political Roundtable’ by Flo FM, Umuahia.

Mr Nnaji said the endless breakdown of the national power grid had remained a significant concern among Nigerians.

According to him, this is despite the federal government’s claim of spending N7 trillion as direct interventions in the power sector, even after privatising the industry’s electricity generation and distribution arms in November 2013.

Nnaji, chair of Geometric Power, Aba, identified diesel suppliers and generator sellers as other obstacles for those in the power generation business.

The former minister said the sector needs professionals who understand Nigeria’s electricity supply industry to manage it.

“There are two areas when you talk of cabal in the sector – the diesel suppliers and generator users. Nigeria is a big user of generators because of our enormous power needs, and those who are in the business would not want any interruption.

“The diesel suppliers feel that stable power supply would destroy their business,” said Mr Nnaji.

Like others, the former minister further alleged that the power sector had some cabals who made gains from erratic electricity supply.

He said, “A graphic picture of how dangerous the diesel suppliers can be was experienced when we were in government, somewhere in this country, some men cut down 30KVA line to stop electricity supply to thousands of users.

“Unfortunately, the diesel supplying company sponsored the operation. Incidentally, the power cable fell on one of them, who later confessed to the crime.”

Nigeria on Wednesday called on member states to endorse the proposed resolution on the Tax Convention that would ensure a fairer taxation system globally.

The permanent mission of Nigeria to the United Nations called for continued support toward a comprehensive UN Tax Convention.

During the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Nigeria presented a historic resolution entitled ‘Promotion of Inclusive and Effective International Tax Cooperation at the United Nations’.

The resolution laid the foundation for creating a new system of international tax cooperation that should be universal in scope and approach. With this, member states agreed for the first time to have a convention on tax cooperation, discuss global tax issues, and review progress annually.

The motion, submitted for consideration by Nigeria on behalf of the 54-member African group of states, was adopted by consensus after some discussions on a failed amendment.

“We call on all Member States to endorse this crucial initiative aimed at tackling tax evasion, illicit financial flows, and ensuring a fairer taxation system within and beyond national boundaries.

“The proposed UN Tax Convention offers an inclusive and transparent avenue for meaningful reform, vital for fulfilling UN commitments on Sustainable Development Goals.

“We reiterate our call for immediate, collective action. The world cannot afford further delays in addressing this urgent issue,” the mission explained.

Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, Nigeria’s permanent representative to the UN, said Nigeria would continue to champion the discussion on tax convention at the ongoing 78th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA).

“We are just at the beginning of the process now that it has been mandated that something be done. What will happen now is to sit down and see what can be done to ensure that such a convention or treaty is arrived at,” said Mr Muhammad-Bande.

The diplomat added, “That will be a lot of negotiations; countries, blocs, coalitions, but by and large, globally, it is understood that it is important to have a binding document relating to taxation that looks at the interest of all parts of the world at the same time.”

On Wednesday, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) destroyed fake and expired goods worth over N500 million in Abuja.

During the exercise, the NAFDAC director-general, Mojisola Adeyeye, stated that some goods were also voluntarily submitted to the agency.

She stated that the exercise is carried out routinely all over the country.

The NAFDAC boss said that the destruction of the products was done to prevent their re-introduction to the supply chain.

Ms Adeyeye listed some of the products destroyed as drugs made up of psychoactive and controlled substances like antibiotics, antihypertensive, antimalarials, herbal snuff and herbal remedies, and drugs confiscated from drug hawkers.

She also listed the food products such as Spaghetti, vegetable oil, and non-alcoholic beverages, including one by 40ft container of unregistered Faurecia instant-powdered milk handed over to the agency by the Nigeria Customs Service.

Others were cosmetics such as creams, lotion, and pomade, including skin lightening creams seized from Spa and beauty centres, chemicals such as fake insecticides and medical devices.

Also destroyed were expired and unwholesome products voluntarily handed over for destruction by compliant companies, non-governmental organisations and the Association of Community Pharmacy of Nigeria (ACPN).

According to the NAFDAC boss, the estimated street value of the products destroyed was N535,000,657.

“I have said on several platforms that drug counterfeiting is an act of economic sabotage, and it also represents a serious threat to public health, and NAFDAC, under my watch, has been repositioned to fight this menace.

“The agency has adopted a proactive approach by engaging political, traditional, faith leaders, journalists and other Nigerians to sensitise their wards on the dangers of dealing with substandard and falsified medicine.

“I wish to use this medium to urge all and sundry to be on the lookout for spurious and counterfeit medicines, unwholesome foods and other regulated products and report the same to NAFDAC,” she said.

Gunmen on Wednesday killed five persons in Ayilamo, a village in Logo local council of Benue.

According to Sewuese Anene, spokesman of the police command in the north-central state, the attack occurred on Tuesday night.

“A few others sustained injuries,” Ms Anene added.

She said another attack occurred in the Mbachohon community in the Gwer-council area but added that details regarding the incident were unavailable.

Unconfirmed reports indicated that six people were killed in the Mbachohon attack.

“The attacks are unfortunate. More security men are being deployed to the areas to restore peace,” Mr Anene stated.