Nigeria’s defence minister, Alhaji Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, has resigned his appointment, with immediate effect.
In a letter dated December 1, sent to President Bola Tinubu, Abubakar said he was quitting on health grounds.
According to Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President, (Information and Strategy), President Tinubu has accepted the resignation and thanked Abubakar for his services to the nation.
President Tinubu will likely inform the Senate of Badaru’s successor later this week.
Badaru Abubakar, 63, was a two-term governor of Jigawa state from 2015 to 2023.
He was appointed as a minister on August 21, 2023, by President Tinubu. His resignation comes amid President Tinubu’s declaration of a national security emergency, with plans to elaborate on its scope in due course. (Vanguard)
Udo Kier, a German actor and cult icon who collaborated with everyone from Andy Warhol to Lars von Trier to Madonna, died on Sunday morning in Palm Springs, according to his partner, artist Delbert McBride. He was 81.
Among the more than 200 films in his expansive body of work, Kier’s breakout collaborations with Warhol are among his most celebrated. Kier starred in the titular roles in both 1973’s “Flesh for Frankenstein” and 1974’s “Blood for Dracula.” Both directed by Paul Morrissey and produced by Warhol, the films are subversive, sultry reimaginings of the classic Hollywood monsters, with Kier bringing a haunting yet comically inept spin on the title characters.
That pair of films made Kier famous, and he spent the next two decades working through Europe and collaborating with legendary writer-director Rainer Werner Fassbinder on films like “The Stationmaster’s Wife,” “The Third Generation” and “Lili Marleen.” Then, at the Berlin Film Festival, Kier met future two-time Oscar-nominated director Gus Van Sant, who Kier credits with securing him an American work permit and a SAG card.
In 1991, Van Sant widely introduced Kier to American audiences with his coming-of-age drama “My Own Private Idaho,” loosely based on Shakespeare’s “Henry IV.” Kier appeared in a supporting role alongside stars River Phoenix and Keanu Reeves.
Around the same time, Kier began his lifelong collaboration with von Trier. Starting in the late ’80s with “Epidemic,” Kier appeared in the 1991 film “Europa” before appearing in several episodes of von Trier’s long-running horror-thriller series “The Kingdom” through the ’90s and aughts. Their other film collaborations include “Breaking the Waves,” “Dancer in the Dark,” “Dogville,” “Melancholia” and “Nymphomaniac: Vol. II.”
The 1990s also saw Kier in several supporting roles in major Hollywood productions, such as “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective,” “Armageddon” and “Blade.” He also appeared in Madonna’s book “Sex” in 1992, and made appearances in her music videos for “Erotica” and “Deeper and Deeper” from her album “Erotica.”
Most recently, Kier appeared in Kleber Mendonça Filho’s awards darling “The Secret Agent.” The film earned star Wagner Moura the honor for best actor at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival.
Born Udo Kierspe in Cologne, Germany, in a hospital that was being bombed by Allied Forces, he moved to London at 18 after meeting Fassbinder in a bar.
“I liked the attention, so I became an actor,” he told Variety‘s Peter Debruge in a 2024 interview.
After working between Europe and the U.S. for many decades, Kier settled in Los Angeles and Palm Springs, where he lived in a former mid-century library and cultivated interests in art, architecture and collecting. He was a fixture at the Palm Springs Film Festival, where he warmly received accolades from fans. (Variety)
A Grammy-winning rapper who “betrayed his country for money” has been sentenced to 14 years in prison.
Prakazrel “Pras” Michel, who was part of 1990s hip-hop group The Fugees, was convicted of illegally funnelling millions of dollars in foreign contributions to Barack Obama’s re-election campaign in 2012.
The Justice Department had accused the 53-year-old of accepting $120m (£92m) from Malaysian financier Low Taek Jho, who wanted to gain political influence in the US.
Prosecutors said Michel “lied unapologetically and unrelentingly to carry out his actions” – and sought to deceive the White House, senior politicians and the FBI for almost a decade.
In 2018, it is claimed he urged the Trump administration and the justice department to drop embezzlement investigations against Low.
Michel was convicted of 10 counts by a federal jury in 2023 – and last month, he was ordered to forfeit about $65m (£50m) for his role in the scheme.
Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio testified at the trial, and Low was a primary financier in his 2013 film The Wolf Of Wall Street.
The Oscar-winning actor said the businessman’s funding and legitimacy had been carefully vetted before they entered a partnership.
Prosecutors had been seeking a life sentence to “reflect the breadth and depth of Michel’s crimes, his indifference to the risks to his country, and the magnitude of his greed”.
However, the rapper’s lawyer Peter Zeidenberg has argued that the 14-year term is “completely disproportionate to the offence” – and is vowing to appeal.
Last year, a judge rejected Michel’s request for a new trial after claiming that one of his lawyers had used AI during closing arguments.
Low Taek Jho has been accused of having a central role in the 1MDB scandal, amid claims billions of dollars were stolen from a Malaysian state fund.
The 44-year-old is a fugitive but has maintained his innocence, with his lawyers writing: “Low’s motivation for giving Michel money to donate was not so that he could achieve some policy objective.
“Instead, Low simply wanted to obtain a photograph with himself and then President Obama.”
Michel, who was born in Brooklyn, was a founding member of The Fugees with childhood friends Lauryn Hill and Wyclef Jean – selling tens of millions of records. (SkyNews)
Phil Foden spared Manchester City’s blushes with the last-gasp winner after the Premier League title challengers blew a two-goal lead in a dramatic 3-2 win over lowly Leeds on Saturday.
Pep Guardiola’s side were in danger of losing more ground in the title race following a second half collapse at the Etihad Stadium.
Foden and Josko Gvardiol put City two up before the interval, but third-bottom Leeds hit back through Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Lukas Nmecha.
Foden clinched a nerve-jangling victory that lifted City into second place, four points behind leaders Arsenal, who travel to third-placed Chelsea on Sunday.
It was a much-needed win after consecutive defeats against Newcastle last weekend and Bayer Leverkusen on Tuesday.
Guardiola’s decision to make 10 changes against Leverkusen backfired in a 2-0 loss that prompted the furious Spaniard to claim his players “didn’t try”.
Foden, Erling Haaland, Bernardo Silva, Gianluigi Donnarumma were among the stars back in City’s starting line-up for the Leeds clash.
City had made their worst start to a campaign for five years and their second-worst under Guardiola.
But they took just 59 seconds to move in front as Foden fired a close-range strike off the bar after Matheus Nunes’ burst unhinged the Leeds defence.
Leeds had no answer to City’s slick start and Gvardiol looked to have put the hosts in complete control with a tap-in from Nico O’Reilly’s header in the 25th minute. (Vanguard)
Guinea-Bissau’s ousted president Umaro Sissoco Embalo arrived in the Republic of Congo’s capital Brazzaville on Saturday, days after he was overthrown by the military, Congolese government sources told AFP.
Meanwhile in the capital Bissau, the West African country’s leading opposition party said its headquarters had been “invaded” by a “heavily armed militia”, in the wake of the post-election coup that propelled the army to power.
The military took control of the Portuguese-speaking nation on Wednesday — a day before the provisional results of national elections were due to be announced — and Embalo initially left for neighbouring Senegal.
The true motives for the coup in Guinea-Bissau remain unclear, with speculation and conspiracy theories circulating — including that the coup was carried out with Embalo’s blessing.
“Embalo arrived in Brazzaville late in the morning on a private jet,” a source close to the Congolese government said on condition of anonymity.
A presidency source said Embalo, who had claimed victory in the election, intended to remain in the country, which is also known as Congo-Brazzaville.
Embalo, 53, is rumoured to be close to Congolese President Denis Sassou Nguesso, and has visited the Republic of Congo many times.
After taking power on Wednesday, the officers in charge argued they had taken control to restore order, warning of a plot by the country’s drug barons to destabilise Guinea-Bissau.
The opposition and some experts however suspect that Embalo, in power since 2020, orchestrated the takeover to halt the electoral process.
Those suspicions intensified when the junta named General Horta N’Tam, considered a close ally of the president, to head a transitional administration set to last a year.
On Saturday, the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC), Guinea-Bissau’s powerful opposition party, said in a statement that its headquarters had been “illegally invaded by heavily armed militia groups” in Bissau.
Elsewhere in the capital, minor clashes broke out on Saturday between young people and law enforcement officers in a suburb not far from the headquarters of Fernando Dias, who ran against Embalo and was arrested on the day of the coup.
Some political researchers say a high-level turf war to control illegal drug smuggling networks may have also played a part in Guinea-Bissau’s instability.
Crippling poverty, chaotic administration and political tumult have made Guinea-Bissau a fertile ground for corruption and drug smuggling.
It is a key transit point for Latin American cocaine destined for Europe to the point that some analysts have dubbed it a “narco-state”. (Vanguard)
One week after losing all their points from the Las Vegas Grand Prix, McLaren threw away a bunch more in an increasingly tense Formula 1 title race by botching a strategy call at the Qatar GP on Sunday.
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen took full advantage of the unexpected gift to clinch a seventh win this season — his 70th overall — as he closed the gap on championship leader Lando Norris from 24 points at the start of the weekend to 12 points, heading into next Sunday’s title decider in Abu Dhabi.
McLaren still has two drivers in contention, with Oscar Piastri four points behind Verstappen in third, but must stop the slide.
Last Sunday, the two drivers lost a combined 30 points after both were disqualified following the race, won by Verstappen.
At the Qatar GP, Norris would have clinched his first F1 title with a win but finished fourth, with Piastri placing second having started from pole position and looking assured.
But after an early safety car, McLaren’s decision to keep both drivers out backfired badly as Verstappen effectively benefited from a free tire change in a mandatory two-stop race.
“It’s tough, we just have to have faith in the team to make the right decision,” Norris told broadcaster Sky Sports. ”Now it’s the wrong decision, we shouldn’t have done it (and) we didn’t do a good job today.”
Norris leads with 408 points, Verstappen has 396 and Piastri 392. All three title contenders have won seven races. Verstappen is aiming for a fifth straight F1 crown, with Piastri chasing a first title. Norris will become the first British driver to win the championship since Lewis Hamilton clinched his seventh title in 2020 if he finishes at least third in Abu Dhabi even if Verstappen wins the race.
Although Verstappen overtook Norris heading into Turn 1, Piastri made a clean start and took a comfortable lead early on.
Piastri also said McLaren made an error by staying out following the safety car, which came out after Nico Hulkenberg’s Sauber was sent spinning off the track on Lap 7 after being clipped by Alpine driver Pierre Gasly.
“Speechless. I don’t know any words,” Piastri said. “It is a little bit tough to swallow at the moment.”
Later, the Australian added: “Clearly we didn’t get it right” and said there would be discussions.
The decision played into Verstappen’s hands and the elated Dutchman climbed out of his car and jumped into the arms of his mechanics and engineers after winning.
“This was an incredible race for us, we made the right call as a team to box under that safety car,” Verstappen said. “Super happy to win here, we stayed in the fight until the end. Incredible.”
The decision to stay out was even more questionable in a race where drivers had to take two pit stops over the 57 laps — a measure imposed on safety grounds due to a high risk of tire degradation at the Lusail International Circuit.
Gambling on holding track position left McLaren at risk later on, unless there was another safety car.
“It wasn’t the correct decision,” McLaren team principal Andrea Stella said.
Because drivers were restricted to a maximum of 25 laps on the Pirelli tires, those who pitted had to change again on Lap 32.
After the McLarens made their first tire changes, Norris was in fifth place behind Piastri in fourth. That left Verstappen out in front and with several laps to build his lead.
McLaren pitted Piastri again on Lap 43 and Norris soon after, but when Norris came back out on Lap 45 he was fifth with Antonelli and Sainz barring his way.
Norris overtook Antonelli right at the end but could not catch Sainz, who finished third.
George Russell was sixth for Mercedes, with Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin), Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) and Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull) completing the top 10.
Hamilton’s dismal run for Ferrari continued with a 12th-placed finish. Aside from clinching a sprint race in China in March, the 40-year-old has not been on the podium all season.
Desert battles seem to suit Verstappen, who clinched a third straight win in Qatar and has won four of the last five races in Abu Dhabi. Norris may take hope from the fact he won there last year.
But the McLarens head to Abu Dhabi with a hard-charging Verstappen looking to repeat history by clinching a championship in the last race at Abu Dhabi, having done so when he overtook Hamilton on the final lap after a controversial finish in 2021.
“It’s possible now but we will see,” said Verstappen, who had written off his chances earlier this season. “I don’t really worry about it too much.” (JapanToday)
Mikel Merino salvaged a 1-1 draw for Arsenal at 10-man Chelsea as the race for the Premier League title tightened on Sunday.
Arsenal is five points clear of second-placed Manchester City, with Chelsea a point further back in third.
Mikel Arteta’s team was boosted late in the first half at Stamford Bridge when Moises Caicedo was sent off for a dangerous challenge on Merino. But despite being a man down Chelsea went ahead in the 48th minute through Trevoh Chalobah’s header.
Merino equalized in the 59th, but Arsenal couldn’t make its numerical advantage count and dropped points away from home for the second time in successive matches.
Arsenal beat Bayern Munich midweek in the Champions League and Arteta said it had been a positive week though accepted “we should’ve won the game (Sunday), and we haven’t. That’s a learning point for me.”
The result meant Man City was the big winner of the weekend, following Saturday’s late victory against Leeds, which saw Pep Guardiola’s team climb above Chelsea to second in the standings.
“I think that we showed that we are in the right direction,” Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca told Sky Sports. “We were a much, much better team than them when we were 11 v. 11. Then with 10 players it’s more difficult, but the way they dealt with that situation was outstanding.”
Liverpool got back to winning ways — beating West Ham 2-0 — and Manchester United rallied to a 2-1 win at Crystal Palace.
Aston Villa is fourth after a 1-0 win against last-placed Wolverhampton, and fifth-placed Brighton won 2-0 at Nottingham Forest.
Alexander Isak scored his first Premier League goal for Liverpool to set up a much-needed win for Arne Slot’s team.
On a day when Mohamed Salah was dropped to the bench, British record signing Isak opened the scoring at the London Stadium. Cody Gakpo got the second for Liverpool, which went into the match on a run of six losses in its last seven league games.
“I am aware that it has been a long time coming and I’ve been trying to get back to my best form,” Isak told Sky Sports. “I am still on the way but I am happy to have that goal.”
Isak, a $170 million signing from Newcastle in the summer, had not scored in his five league games for his new club and only had one goal in 10 games in all. But in the absence of Salah, the Sweden international converted with a first-time effort in the box after 60 minutes to open his Premier League account for the season.
Slot’s bold call to leave out the iconic Salah paid off after the Egypt international’s unconvincing form this season. Slot shook up his attack, with Florian Wirtz and Gakpo alongside Isak.
Isak’s clinical finish into the bottom corner put Liverpool in control and West Ham’s chances were dealt another blow when Lucas Paqueta was sent off in the 84th.
Gakpo converted in the second minute of added time to put the game beyond doubt.
“We have to use this win in a good way, but also be humble because we’ve had a tough time, so one win doesn’t necessarily mean we’re back,” said Isak.
Joshua Zirkzee ended a scoring drought of his own with his first league goal in almost a year.
The Dutch striker hadn’t scored in England’s top flight since a double against Everton on Dec. 1 last year, but ended that streak with a stunning strike at Selhurst Park.
A moment of individual brilliance fired United back into the game in the 54th after Jean-Philippe Mateta put Palace ahead from the penalty spot in the first half.
Collecting the ball in the box, Zirkzee spun and scored from a tight angle for only his eighth goal since joining United from Bologna last year and his first this season.
“Scoring is important but it’s not just the goals,” United coach Ruben Amorim said. “They give confidence but Joshua has also improved a lot in how he holds the ball. That should give him a lot of confidence.”
Mason Mount struck the winner from the edge of the box in the 63rd as United ended Palace’s 12-game unbeaten home run in the league.
Mateta had given Palace the lead with a twice-taken penalty in the 36th. The France international was adjudged to have double-kicked his original spot kick and was directed to retake as per the rule clarification that came in after Julian Alvarez’s accidental double touch in a shootout against Real Madrid last season helped to eliminate Atletico Madrid from the Champions League.
Villa’s Boubacar Kamara scored the only goal of the match to settle the Midlands derby against Wolves.
Wolves remains winless at the bottom of the table and nine points from safety.
Goals from Maxim De Cuyper and Stefanos Tzimas earned fifth-placed Brighton victory at Forest. (JapanToday)
Hong Kong officials have held a moment of silence at the start of a three-day mourning period to remember those killed after the city’s deadliest fire in nearly 80 years.
At least 128 people are now known to have died in the fire, which engulfed seven tower blocks on Wednesday. A further 83 were injured and 150 remain unaccounted for.
Eight people have been arrested on suspicion of corruption over the renovation works the blocks had been undergoing. Three others were detained earlier on manslaughter charges.
The cause of the fire has yet to be determined, but officials have said it spread up and between the blocks rapidly because of flammable materials placed on their exterior.
Saturday morning’s ceremony was held outside government headquarters, and saw city leader John Lee joined by other Hong Kong officials to observe three minutes of silence.
The flags of China and Hong Kong were flown at half mast.
The government has also set up memorial points across the city, where the public can pay their respects and sign condolence books.
Once the fire started, it spread quickly to seven of the eight towers in Wang Fuk Court, in Hong Kong’s northerly suburban Tai Po distric.
It then took more than 2,000 firefighters almost two days to bring the blaze under control.
The cause of the fire remains unclear, though authorities have said that polystyrene placed on the outside of the windows and plastic netting around the scaffolding on the buildings facilitated its spread.
The tower blocks were also covered in bamboo scaffolding, which is commonly used for construction and renovation work in Hong Kong. The fire has sparked a debate on whether it should still be used.
Officials have confirmed that an investigation will be taking place over the next few weeks, with police already gathering evidence from the scene.
The fire has caused anger throughout Hong Kong – which is known for its high-rise buildings – as questions about who should be held accountable grow.
Residents of Wang Fuk Court have reported broken fire alarms and negligence from the company carrying out the renovations on the Wang Fuk Court, while Hong Kong’s fire service has said fire alarms in all eight blocks were not working effectively.
The Independent Commission Against Corruption (Icac) said those arrested in the corruption probe on Friday included directors at an engineering company and scaffolding subcontractors.
Hong Kong’s Labour and Welfare Secretary, Chris Sun, told reporters that his department had made 16 checks on the works at Wang Fuk Court since July last year.
The housing estate was built in 1983 and had provided 1,984 apartments for some 4,600 residents, according to a 2021 government census. (BBC)
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese married his girlfriend Jodie Haydon on Saturday, becoming the country’s first leader to tie the knot while in office.
A beaming Albanese, 62, wed the financial services worker at a private ceremony in the garden of his official residence in Canberra, The Lodge.
“Married”, the prime minister said in a one-word post on social media with video of him in a bow-tie holding the hand of his smiling bride, who wore a long, white dress, as confetti showered down.
In a separate joint statement, the couple said: “We are absolutely delighted to share our love and commitment to spending our future lives together, in front of our family and closest friends.”
The ceremony took place more than a year after Albanese proposed on Valentine’s Day 2024, saying at the time he had found a partner “who I want to spend the rest of my life with”.
They wrote their own vows and were married by a celebrant.
Albanese’s dog, a shaggy cavoodle named Toto, was the ring bearer.
After the ceremony, where guests drank beer from a Sydney brewery, the couple walked down the aisle to Stevie Wonder’s “Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I’m Yours).”
The newlyweds are to go on a five-day honeymoon in Australia from Monday.
The prime minister — who divorced his previous wife in 2019 and has an adult son, Nathan — met Haydon more than five years ago at a Melbourne business dinner.
The centre-left Labor Party leader secured a second three-year term in office in a landslide election victory in May this year.
He joined Labor while in high school and later became deeply involved in the bruising world of student politics at the University of Sydney. (Vanguard)
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, on Tuesday declared that aviation is the “connecting tissue” linking commerce, tourism, manufacturing, and regional integration across Africa.
Speaking at a high-level virtual dialogue hosted by law firm Aluko & Oyebode, Keyamo said aviation must be treated as core economic infrastructure.
The webinar, themed “Navigating the African Skies: Legal, Economic and Trade Pathways for the Future of Aviation in Africa,” brought together top aviation, legal and economic experts from Nigeria and across the continent.
Keyamo renewed calls for full implementation of the Yamoussoukro Decision and the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM), warning that Africa risks economic isolation if reforms continue to stall.
He said the economic benefits of open skies remain “real, measurable, and urgent.”
Citing Nigeria’s recent legal reforms, including Federal High Court practice directions aligned with the Cape Town Convention, Keyamo said the country is taking concrete steps to boost investor confidence and lower aircraft financing costs.
He urged African states to harmonise legal frameworks to support leasing, dispute resolution and asset protection.
The Minister also highlighted the need for modern fleets and deeper partnerships with global manufacturers and lessors, referencing Nigeria’s recent Memorandum of Understanding with Boeing as a model for capability building and supply-chain integration.
He pushed for stronger safety oversight, fair competition, and investment in local industry through MRO facilities, training centres and technical talent.
“Open skies must work for African jobs and African businesses,” he said.
Keyamo outlined a five-point action plan for accelerating the continent’s aviation growth: phased SAATM implementation, harmonised legal systems, innovative financing models, sustainability-driven fleet upgrades, and deliberate investment in people and institutions.
He warned that failure to act would leave Africa economically disadvantaged, stressing that “the alternative to open skies is unacceptable.”
Keyamo reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to modernising its aviation infrastructure, deepening international partnerships, and delivering lower logistics costs and better connectivity for Nigerians.
He urged African governments, the private sector and young professionals to view aviation as a catalyst for continental prosperity.
“Open skies is not just a policy choice, it is an economic imperative for Africa’s future,” he said. (Vanguard)
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