Iran on Monday named Mojtaba Khamenei to succeed his father Ali Khamenei as Supreme Leader, signaling that hardliners remain firmly in charge in Tehran a week into its conflict with the United States and Israel.
Mojtaba, a mid-ranking cleric with influence inside Iran’s security forces and vast business networks under his father, had been seen as a frontrunner in the lead up to the vote by the assembly, a body of 88 clerics charged with choosing the new leader after Ali Khamenei.
“By a decisive vote, the Assembly of Experts, appointed Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei as the third Leader of the sacred system of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” the assembly said in a statement issued just after midnight Tehran time.
The position gives Mojtaba the final say in all matters of state in the Islamic Republic.
Mojtaba’s appointment will likely draw the ire of U.S. President Donald Trump, who said on Sunday that Washington should have a say in the selection. “If he doesn’t get approval from us, he’s not going to last long,” he told ABC News. Israel, ahead of the announcement, threatened to target whoever was chosen.
Mojtaba’s father, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, was killed in one of the first strikes launched against Iran more than a week ago.
The U.S. military on Sunday reported a seventh American has died from wounds sustained during Iran’s initial counter-attack a week ago, a day after Trump presided over the return to the United States of the remains of the six others who died.
The U.S.-Israeli attacks have killed at least 1,332 Iranian civilians and wounded thousands, according to Iran’s U.N. ambassador.
As Trump pressed for an “unconditional surrender,” Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, Iran’s parliament speaker, said Tehran was not seeking a ceasefire to the war and would punish aggressors.
Israel continued to target senior Iranian figures, including Abolqasem Babaian, the recently appointed head of the military office of the supreme leader, saying he was killed in a Saturday strike. (JapanToday)
Liverpool moved into the FA Cup quarterfinals with a 3-1 win against Wolves on Friday as the Reds avenged their painful Premier League loss at Molineux just 72 hours earlier.
Arne Slot’s side struck twice in quick succession in the second half through Andrew Robertson’s long-range rocket and a predatory Mohamed Salah finish.
Curtis Jones wrapped up a much-needed fifth round victory for Liverpool after their embarrassing 2-1 defeat against the Premier League’s bottom club three days earlier.
Hwang Hee-chan’s late reply was no consolation for Wolves.
Branded “slow and predictable” by furious captain Virgil van Dijk following that calamity, Liverpool set the record straight on their return to the West Midlands.
Despite spending £450 million ($599 million) on new signings in the close season, Liverpool have mounted a woeful title defence, leaving the FA Cup and the Champions League as their last chances for silverware.
Languishing in sixth place in the Premier League — 19 points behind leaders Arsenal — Slot needs to deliver a trophy to ease the mounting pressure in his turbulent second season at Anfield.
Liverpool remain in contention for a ninth FA Cup triumph, and a first since 2022, while they step up their Champions League challenge with a last 16 first leg trip to Galatasaray on Tuesday.
Slot made four changes for the Wolves rematch, including three in defence as Jeremie Frimpong, Milos Kerkez and Ibrahima Konate were all dropped.
Avoiding relegation remains unlikely for a team currently 12 points from safety, but as well as beating Liverpool, Wolves also recently drew with Premier League leaders Arsenal and defeated Aston Villa.
Well aware of their impending fate, Wolves fans mocked Liverpool with chants of “2-1 to the Championship” in the first half.
Liverpool’s 17-year-old winger Rio Ngumoha nearly silenced the taunts with a low drive that forced a good save from Sam Johnstone.
Ngumoha carried Liverpool’s lone threat in the opening period, his goal-bound strike headed clear by Joao Gomes after an incisive raid.
Despite Ngumoha’s best efforts, it was another uninspired half from Liverpool in a season scarred by criticism of their prosaic approach.
Slot’s men finally conjured a rare moment of magic to break the deadlock in the 51st minute.
Salah and Jones worked the ball to Robertson and he thundered a superb strike into the far corner from 20 yards.
It was the Scotland left-back’s second goal this season and his first since September.
After scoring against Wolves on Tuesday, Salah was back on target to double the lead two minutes later.
When Salah pounced on Robertson’s cross with a close-range finish, the Egyptian’s ninth goal this season was initially disallowed for offside before VAR overturned the decision.
Adding to the good news for Slot, German playmaker Florian Wirtz came off the bench in the closing stages after missing three games with a back injury.
Jones put the seal on Liverpool’s fifth win in their last six matches, caressing his shot past Johnstone in the 74th minute.
Liverpool switched off in stoppage time as Hwang ran onto Johnstone’s long punt to slot past Alisson Becker. (JapanToday)
President Bola Tinubu on Thursday announced the resolution of the long-running dispute over Oil Prospecting Licence (OPL) 245, clearing the path for the development of one of Nigeria’s most commercially significant deepwater oil assets.
The breakthrough followed the signing of a settlement agreement between the Federal Government of Nigeria, ENI, and Nigerian Agip Exploration Limited (NAEL) at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The meeting was attended by the Chief Executive Officer of ENI, Claudio Descalzi; the company’s Chief Operating Officer, Guido Brusco; Head of Sub-Saharan Region, Mario Bello; Managing Director of Nigerian Agip Exploration, Fabrizio Bolondi; and the President’s Special Adviser on Energy, Olu Verheijen.
The agreement brings to an end more than 15 years of legal and commercial disputes surrounding the oil block, widely regarded as one of Nigeria’s most promising deepwater assets.
With the settlement concluded, attention is expected to shift to the Final Investment Decision (FID) for the Zabazaba, Etan deepwater development project, which could add about 150,000 barrels per day to Nigeria’s crude oil production capacity.
President Tinubu described the agreement as a major milestone in his administration’s efforts to resolve legacy disputes, restore investor confidence and unlock the country’s energy potential.
“This resolution sends a clear signal to global investors that Nigeria is prepared to address legacy issues transparently, uphold the rule of law and create a stable environment for long-term capital,” the President said.
The President’s Special Adviser on Energy, Olu Verheijen, said the settlement represented a significant improvement over the 2011 Resolution Agreement and aligns with the regulatory framework established under the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).
According to her, the revised terms strike a balance between providing investors with the clarity and predictability required for large-scale deepwater investments while ensuring stronger value for the Nigerian federation.
“The revised terms provide investors with the certainty required to proceed with major deepwater investments, while ensuring stronger value accretion and safeguards for the federation,” she said.
The resolution forms part of broader reforms introduced since 2023 to improve Nigeria’s competitiveness in global energy markets. These reforms, anchored in the Petroleum Industry Act and supported by executive policy measures, have begun attracting renewed investor interest and capital inflows into the country’s oil and gas sector.
Verheijen noted that resolving the OPL 245 dispute removes one of the most prominent legacy risks in Nigeria’s upstream industry and reinforces the government’s commitment to predictable regulation, transparent governance and commercially viable investment frameworks.
President Tinubu commended all institutions and stakeholders involved in achieving the settlement, including the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation, the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), NNPC Limited and the leadership of ENI.
The administration said the resolution underscores its determination to unlock Nigeria’s strategic energy assets, attract responsible investment and ensure that the nation’s resources translate into economic growth, job creation and long-term prosperity for Nigerians. (Guardian)
Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior said Friday he has no fixed number one goalkeeper after dropping Robert Sanchez from his starting line-up in midweek.
The English manager brought in Denmark’s Filip Jorgensen for the 4-1 victory at Aston Villa days after Sanchez, who has been the first choice this season, struggled in a defeat against Premier League leaders Arsenal.
Rosenior was asked on the eve of Chelsea’s FA Cup tie against second-tier Wrexham to explain his goalkeeping policy.
“For me, genuinely, I look at the goalkeeper position maybe differently for each game,” he said. “I want there to be competition in every area of the pitch.
“I know traditionally if there’s a change of goalkeeper it’s like ‘He’s now the number one’. It’s not the case, it’s not the case at all.
“So we will try and pick the best team possible for each game.”
Rosenior played down potential fears over rhythm and confidence.
“You need continuity, but you need to win games of football,” he said. “There’s different ways, modern coaching or old school or anything.
“I will pick the team I think is best to win each game. I don’t think I’ve kept the same 11 in any game that we’ve played.
“Now, people can say we need continuity, and if we lose, then we don’t have enough continuity. If we win, then it’s the right decision.”
Rosenior, who took charge at Stamford Bridge in January, said Spain’s Sanchez had reacted well to being dropped.
“I’ve spoken about (winger Alejandro) Garnacho and the way he’s responded to not being in the team,” he said.
“If we’re going to be successful, I’m sure in the short and long term you need a group, you need a squad with the right mentality and Rob so far has been absolutely magnificent in that.”
Rosenior said he was expecting a tough battle in Saturday’s fifth-round tie at Hollywood-backed Wrexham, who have enjoyed three successive promotions and are now in a Championship play-off spot.
“When you see a club grow, develop, improve and come up through the leagues, it’s a great story,” said the Chelsea boss as he paid tribute to Wrexham counterpart Phil Parkinson.
“They’ve done a great job, I think Phil’s done an incredible job…We know it’s going to be a really difficult game. It’s a club that’s ( on the rise and there’s a good energy in them.” (Channels)
Tottenham’s Premier League survival hopes took another blow on Thursday with a 3-1 loss to Crystal Palace.
Spurs — one of the richest teams in Europe and a founding member of the Premier League — is just one point above the relegation zone and without a domestic win in 2026.
The latest defeat was the fifth in a row and the third under new coach Igor Tudor, who was tasked with the responsibility of turning the season around.
He watched as Spurs capitulated in front of a home crowd at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium — conceding three goals in the first half, having taken the lead and then gone down to 10 men when Micky van de Ven was sent off.
Palace took full advantage by scoring three times in seven minutes before the break.
Ismaila Sarr scored twice — one from the penalty spot — with Jorgen Strand Larsen getting the other for the visitors.
That was after Dominic Solanke had given Spurs lead in the 34th minute. Van de Ven was red-carded four minutes later for bringing down Sarr in the box. (JapanToday)
Sir Keir Starmer has defended the government’s approach to the conflict in Iran, saying protecting British nationals is his “number one priority”.
It comes after President Trump criticised the prime minister for refusing to allow the use of UK bases in the initial US-Israel strikes on Saturday, saying he is “no Winston Churchill”.
During Prime Minister’s Questions Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch accused Sir Keir of “asking our allies to do what we should be doing ourselves” by not taking “offensive action” after British bases in Bahrain and Cyprus were attacked.
But the PM said he was not prepared for the UK to join a war without “a lawful basis and a viable, thought-through plan”.
On Sunday the UK agreed to a US request to use British military bases but only for defensive strikes on Iranian missile sites.
However, Trump has responded angrily to Sir Keir’s refusal to be involved in the initial strikes, describing the decision as “shocking” and saying the UK-US relationship was “not what it was”.
Dismissing suggestions the relationship between the two countries had been weakened, Sir Keir said US planes operating out of British bases was “the special relationship in action” not “hanging on to President Trump’s latest words”.
Sir Keir said: “We’re taking action to reduce the threat with planes in the sky in the region intercepting incoming strikes, deploying more capability to Cyprus, and allowing US planes to use UK bases to take out Iran’s capability to strike.
“What I was not prepared to do on Saturday was for the UK to join a war unless I was satisfied there was a lawful basis and a viable, thought-through plan. That remains my position.”
The PM said the government had also been pre-deploying capabilities in the region for a number of weeks, including radar systems, ground-based air defence, counter-drone systems and F35 jets.
He added that wildcat helicopters with anti-drone capabilities would be in Cyprus this week, with a Royal Navy warship, HMS Dragon, also deployed to the region.
However, Badenoch accused the PM of “catching arrows rather than stopping the archer” in his approach.
“I would say to Labour MPs, we are in this war whether they like it or not. What is the prime minister waiting for?” she added.
She pointed out HMS Dragon was still in Portsmouth and the government “should be doing more”.
The Conservative leader also criticised the government for not investing more in defence.
In response, Sir Keir accused the Conservatives of cutting the defence budget, missing Army recruitment targets and leaving forces “hollowed out” when they were in government.
Following PMQs, western officials said HMS Dragon was expected to sail from Portsmouth next week, with the warship currently being loaded with ammunition.
Two Royal Navy Wildcat helicopters, armed with Martlet missiles capable of shooting down drones, are expected to arrive in Cyprus separately and sooner.
A western official said that so far US bombers have not used the British bases of Diego Garcia or RAF Fairford – but said the UK was ready to accept them. The official said he expected them to arrive within the next few days.
Earlier, former Conservative Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said he thought the prime minister had “made a big misjudgement” by not allowing the US to use British military bases for offensive strikes on Iran.
He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that international law was “not settled on this issue” and depended on whether there was an imminent risk of attack from Iran.
Hunt said the Americans had a significant role in defending Europe and in this situation, “to weaken our alliance with the United States was a big mistake”.
“President Trump is not interested in that rules-based order,” Hunt said.
“He’s said so absolutely explicitly. And we have to recognise the brute strength of the American military is something we depend on now in Europe and will depend on for at least a decade.”
Gen Sir Richard Shirreff, a retired British Army officer, said the UK “has got to focus on its interests” because “America has made it clear it’s not going to underwrite European security”.
Sir Richard, Nato’s former deputy supreme allied commander Europe, said it was in Britain’s interest to protect its military bases abroad.
“There is absolutely a case for getting involved,” Sir Richard said. “But I would not get involved in any way, shape or form in an operation where the end-stage is not clear.
“There is clearly no strategy and yet again we have an American president who has launched a war of choice with no clear understanding where this thing is going to end.”
An American submarine sank an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean, the US defence secretary has said.
Pete Hegseth said the ship was sunk by a torpedo on Tuesday and died a “quiet death”. He did not name the vessel.
His announcement came after Sri Lanka said its navy had responded to a distress call on Wednesday morning from an Iranian ship, the Iris Dena, which had gone down about 40km (25 miles) from its southern coastline.
Eighty bodies from the frigate were found by rescuers, a Sri Lankan defence official told BBC Sinhala. Another 32 were rescued, the country’s navy said.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the US had “perpetrated an atrocity at sea, 2,000 miles away from Iran’s shores”.
“Frigate Dena, a guest of India’s Navy carrying almost 130 sailors, was struck in international waters without warning,” he wrote in a post on X early on Thursday.
“Mark my words: The US will come to bitterly regret precedent it has set.”
A Sri Lankan navy spokesman said some 180 people were believed to have been aboard the Iris Dena, based on the ship’s documentation.
The survivors were “seriously injured” and had been taken to a hospital in the southern port of Galle, Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath said.
Hegseth told a news conference on Wednesday thata US submarine had sunk an Iranian warship “that thought it was safe in international waters”.
He also claimed it was “the first sinking of an enemy ship by a torpedo since World War Two”.
While it is the first time since 1945 that an American submarine has sunk an enemy ship this way, the UK and Pakistan have both sunk vessels using torpedoes since then.
Video released by the US Department of Defense showed a ship being struck, causing the stern to rise up before exploding.
Earlier, Sri Lankan navy spokesman Budhika Sampath had rejected reports that the Iris Dena had been attacked by a submarine.
He added that, at the time rescue operations were launched, rescuers had not seen the vessel – nor any other ships in the region – but saw oil patches and life rafts floating on the water.
Though the ship’s location “was beyond our waters”, Sampath said, “it was within our search and rescue region. So we were obliged to respond as per international obligations”.
First launched in 2015, the Iris Dena is a destroyer attached to Iran’s Southern Fleet, which is tasked with deployments in the Strait of Hormuz and Gulf of Oman.
It had recently participated in International Fleet Review 2026, a military exercise hosted by India.
The sinking of the Iris Dena comes as the US and Israel have continued to launch air strikes on Iran for a fifth day, with the Israeli military saying it had hit “security headquarters” across the capital, Tehran, on Wednesday.
Israel has also conducted air strikes on Lebanon and has sent ground forces into the south of the country after armed group Hezbollah launched rockets and drones at Israel.
Iran appears to have continued to carry out retaliatory attacks. New strikes were reported in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait on Wednesday, while Turkey said “Nato defences” shot down an Iranian missile heading towards Turkish territory.
Sri Lanka has remained neutral in the conflict. It has refrained from taking any side, calling for “restraint and immediate de-escalation” from “all concerned parties”. (BBC)
Herath, its foreign affairs minister, paid tribute to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khameini after he was assassinated on Saturday.
Tunji Disu, the inspector-general of police (IGP), has inaugurated a seven-member steering committee on the establishment of state police in Nigeria.
The committee, which will be led by Olu Ogunsakin, a professor of police studies, was inaugurated on Wednesday.
Speaking during the inauguration, Disu, who was recently appointed as IGP, asked the committee to propose an operational framework for the establishment and coordination of state police structures.
The IGP asked the committee to review issues pertaining to training, recruitment, resource allocation, and oversight mechanisms necessary for the state police structures.
Disu said the decentralisation of the police will enable state government and local authorities to respond to specific security challenges within their jurisdictions.
“It is my greatest privilege to formally inaugurate this committee on state policing. The task before this committee is both significant and timely as it speaks to our reflective demand to strengthen Nigeria’s security,” he said
“The committee we are inaugurating today has a critical responsibility. Your work will help shape the framework through which state policing may operate in Nigeria in a manner that strengthens, rather than fragments, our national security system.
“In carrying out this assignment, your deliberations must be guided by professionalism, objectivity, and a clear appreciation of the unique complexities of policing a diverse nation such as ours.
“Among other responsibilities, the Committee is expected to: review existing policing models within and outside Nigeria; assess community security needs and emerging risks across the country; propose an operational framework for the establishment and coordination of State Police structures; address issues relating to recruitment, training, standards, and resource allocation; develop robust accountability and oversight mechanisms to ensure professionalism and public trust.
“If thoughtfully designed and effectively implemented, State Policing holds significant potential benefits for our country.
“By bringing law enforcement closer to communities, state police institutions can deepen local knowledge of security dynamics and enable quicker and more targeted responses to emerging threats.”
Other members of the committee are Bode Ojajuni (secretary), Okebechi Agora, Suleyman Gulma, Ikechukwu Okafor, Tolulope Ipinmisho, and Emmanuel Ojukwu.
On numerous occasions, President Bola Tinubu has promised that his administration will create state police as part of the measures to address the country’s insecurity.
Recently, Tinubu asked both chambers of the national assembly to amend the 1999 constitution to create a legal framework for the establishment of state police.
The national assembly has commenced the process of amending the 1999 constitution to accommodate the establishment of state. (TheCable)
The BBC has said the broadcast of a racial slur shouted at the Bafta Film Awards ceremony was the result of a “genuine mistake”, and is examining why it was not removed from iPlayer sooner.
Tourette’s campaigner John Davidson involuntarily shouted a racial slur while Sinners stars Michael B Jordan and Delroy Lindo were presenting one of the categories.
The shout was not edited out of the subsequent TV broadcast, which aired on BBC One on a two-hour delay, and the ceremony remained on iPlayer until Monday morning.
Director general Tim Davie said the BBC “profoundly regrets” what happened, adding that the team editing the ceremony had not heard the word and did not intentionally leave it in.
The racial slur was audible to those in attendance and for some viewers at home, although the sound quality was muffled.
“Our initial evidence gathering has found that no-one in the on-site broadcast truck heard this when they were watching the live feed,” Davie said in a letter to Dame Caroline Dinenage, the chair of the Culture, Media and Sport Committee.
“Because no-one in the broadcast truck was aware it was on the live feed, there was therefore no editorial decision made to leave the language in.”
The BBC’s chief content officer Kate Phillips previously apologised and told staff that a second racial slur that was heard by the production team had been edited out of the broadcast.
Davie confirmed the second instance of the racial slur being shouted occurred within 10 minutes of the first, when Sinners star Wunmi Wosaku was accepting the best supporting actress prize.
“In that instance, the edit team did hear the racial slur on the feed and removed it immediately from the version of the ceremony that would be broadcast later that evening,” Davie said.
“It appears that soon after the second incident, the edit team in the truck started receiving reports, including from Bafta, that a racial slur had been shouted during the ceremony.
“Our understanding at this point is that the team editing the show in the truck mistakenly believed they had edited out the incident that was being referenced, on the basis that they had heard and edited out the slur shouted out during the best supporting actress award.
“Therefore, when they were told a racial slur had been shouted, they believed they had removed it.”
Davie also addressed criticism that the Bafta ceremony was not removed from iPlayer until just before midday on Monday morning, when attention was drawn to it by journalists and viewers on the night.
“Following broadcast on BBC One, further reports, including on social media, drew attention to the first instance of the racial slur,” Davie acknowledged.
“Our current understanding is that the on-site team did not believe that the slur was audible on the broadcast, and the show remained on iPlayer unedited that evening.”
Davie said there had been “further discussion about the incident overnight”, before the issue was escalated to Phillips, who authorised the removal of the ceremony from iPlayer.
“We are now looking in more detail why the team did not ascertain sooner that there had been two instances of the use of the racial slur, and why post-broadcast further action was not taken to edit or remove the programme from iPlayer sooner,” he said.
Davie said the BBC had learned lessons from the broadcast of Bob Vylan’s set at Glastonbury last year, and had additional Editorial Policy staff on shift for the Bafta Film Awards. (BBC)
As part of efforts to combat corruption and recover misappropriated public funds, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has handed over the sum of ₦279 million to the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and the Creative Arts, formerly known as the National Theatre, Lagos.
The handover ceremony took place on Friday at the EFCC’s Lagos Zonal Directorate 2, Ikoyi.
A statement by the Head, Media and Publicity of the agency, Dele Oyewale, said the Commission had, in 2009, received a petition from Kabir Yusuf, former General Manager/CEO of the National Theatre, against one Prince Benjamin Apugo and others, alleging that a contract worth ₦299,707,828.00 was awarded through the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation to Techno Exportstroy Nig. Limited for the construction of five gates, sand filling, and reclamation works at the National Theatre.
It disclosed that investigations revealed that the suspect, Yusuf Ahmed Atai, in his capacity as Acting General Manager of the National Theatre, released the sum of ₦334,229,794.24 to the contractor, which exceeded the original contract sum by ₦34,521,966.00.
“Further investigations showed that the contractor only executed work valued at ₦55,910,744.00, leaving an outstanding balance of ₦243,799,132.25 in unexecuted work. The suspect also failed to refund the excess payment of ₦34,521,966.00.
“Upon the conclusion of investigations, the suspect was charged in court for prosecution. During the course of the trial, a total sum of ₦279,000,000.00 was recovered from the defendant on behalf of the complainant,” the statement partly read.
Speaking during the handover ceremony, the Executive Chairman of the EFCC, Ola Olukoyede, represented by the Acting Zonal Director, Lagos Zonal Directorate 2, Ikoyi, Assistant Commander of the EFCC, ACE I Bawa Usman Kaltungo, reaffirmed the Commission’s resolve to ensure that public funds are properly accounted for and returned to their rightful owners.
He urged the management of the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and the Creative Arts to use the recovered funds judiciously.
“We cannot suffer to recover this money for you and then have it used for purposes other than what it is meant for after receiving it from us. We have already asked you to tell us what you intend to do with it, and you should know that we will keep an eye on how it is utilised.
“Nigerians have always sought to know what the Commission does with recovered funds,” he said.
He added that the Commission would periodically inspect the project for which the funds would be used.
“We will be visiting from time to time to monitor the progress of work. Our eagle eyes will be watching the pace of work. Do not tamper with the recovered funds. Use them for the benefit of Nigeria and all of us,” he added. (Channels)
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