Renowned American actor Robert Duvall has passed away at the age of 95.
His wife, Luciana Duvall, announced his death in a heartfelt statement on his Facebook page, saying he died peacefully at home on Sunday, surrounded by love and comfort.
She wrote, “Yesterday we said goodbye to my beloved husband, cherished friend, and one of the greatest actors of our time. Bob passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by love and comfort,” she wrote.
“To the world, he was an Academy Award-winning actor, a director, a storyteller. To me, he was simply everything. His passion for his craft was matched only by his deep love for characters, a great meal, and holding court.
“For each of his many roles, Bob gave everything to his characters and to the truth of the human spirit they represented. In doing so, he leaves something lasting and unforgettable to us all.
“Thank you for the years of support you showed Bob and for giving us this time and privacy to celebrate the memories he leaves behind.”
Duvall’s impressive career spanned over six decades, with iconic roles in The Godfather, Apocalypse Now, and Tender Mercies, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor.
He was also recognised for his performances in To Kill a Mockingbird, The Great Santini, and Lonesome Dove.
Luciana Duvall praised her husband as “one of the greatest actors of our time” and “simply everything” to her, highlighting his dedication to his craft and love for characters, food, and storytelling. (Nation)
The Senate on Tuesday passed the Electoral Act, 2022 (Repeal and Re-Enactment) Bill 2026.
Before the passage, there was a rowdy session as the upper chamber resumed proceedings with a demand for division over Clause 60 raised by Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe (ADC/Abia South).
The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, stated that he believed the demand had previously been withdrawn, but several opposition senators immediately objected to that claim.
Citing Order 52(6), the Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin, argued that it would be out of order to revisit any provision on which the Senate President had already ruled.
This submission sparked another uproar in the chamber, during which Senator Sunday Karimi had a brief face-off with Abaribe.
The Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, then reminded lawmakers that he had sponsored the motion for rescission, underscoring that decisions previously taken by the Senate are no longer valid.
He maintained that, consistent with his motion, Senator Abaribe’s demand was in line.
Akpabio further suggested that the call for division was merely an attempt by Senator Abaribe to publicly demonstrate his stance to Nigerians.
The senate president sustained the point of order, after which Abaribe rose in protest and was urged to formally move his motion.
Rising under Order 72(1), Abaribe called for a division on Clause 60(3), specifically concerning the provision that if electronic transmission of results fails, Form EC8A should not serve as the sole basis, calling for the removal of the proviso that allows for manual transmission of results in the event of network failure.
During the division, Akpabio directed senators who supported the caveat to stand.
He then asked those opposed to the caveat to rise.
Fifteen opposition senators stood in opposition.
However, when the votes were counted, the Senate President announced that 15 senators were not in support of the proviso, while 55 senators voted in support of it.
Earlier, proceedings in the Senate were momentarily stalled as lawmakers began clause-by-clause consideration of the Electoral Act, 2022 (Repeal and Re-Enactment) Bill 2026, following a motion to rescind the earlier amendment.
The motion to rescind the bill was formally seconded on Tuesday, paving the way for the upper chamber to dissolve into the committee of the whole for detailed reconsideration and reenactment of the proposed legislation.
During the session, the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, reeled out the clauses one after the other for deliberation.
However, the process stalled when at clause 60, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe (ADC/Abia South), raised a point of order, drawing immediate attention on the floor.
Following the intervention, murmurs spread across the chamber as lawmakers began speaking in small groups and approaching the Senate President’s desk for consultations.
The session immediately moved into a closed door session. (Channels)
The Sultan of Sokoto, Sultan Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, has declared Wednesday, February 18, 2026, the first day of the Holy Month of Ramadan 1447AH.
He declared that the crescent moon was sighted in almost every part of the country earlier on Tuesday, which is the 29th day of the Month of Shaban and thereby signifies Wednesday as the first day of Ramadan 1447.
Sultan Abubakar, in a press statement made available to Channels Television in Sokoto and signed by the Chairman of the advisory committee on religious affairs, Sambo Junaid, however, called on the entire Muslim communities in the country to start fasting on Wednesday in accordance with the teachings of Islam.
He said the council got information of the moon sighting from many Islamic leaders cut across the country, which he said signified the start of Ramadan fast.
“The Sultanate Council Advisory Committee on Religious Affairs, in conjunction with the National Moonsighting Committee, received reports from various moonsighting committees across the country confirming the sighting of the new moon of Ramadan 1447AH, on Tuesday, 17th February, 2026, which is the 29th day of Sha’aban 1447AH.
“His Eminence, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, the Sultan of Sokoto and President General, Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) has accepted the reports and accordingly declared Wednesday, 18th February, 2026 as the first day of Ramadan 1447AH,” the statement partly read.
He urged Muslims to use this month of Ramadan to pray against the insecurity ravaging some parts of the country.
He also called on Muslims across the country to use the month of Ramadan to continue to pray for the leaders of the country and to curb the security challenges in the country. (Channels)
The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has confirmed the arrival of 100 US military personnel and equipment in Nigeria, saying they arrived at Bauchi airfield.
Defence spokesman, Samaila Uba, in a statement on Monday, said the deployment follows a recent security agreement between Nigeria and the US.
Uba noted that the Federal Government had made a formal request to the US for assistance in terms of military training, technical support, and intelligence sharing with the members of the Nigerian Armed Forces.
“The collaboration will provide access to specialised technical capabilities aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s ability to deter terrorists’ threats and enhance the protection of vulnerable communities across the country,” the statement reads.
Uba said the US personnel are technical specialists serving strictly in an advisory and training capacity.
Noting that the US personnel are not combat forces, the defence spokesman noted that all training activities will be conducted under the authority, direction and control of the federal government and in close coordination with the Nigerian military.
Uba said Nigerian troops, alongside the US trainers, will commence a series of joint training engagements and intelligence-focused cooperation initiatives in the coming days.
“These activities are designed to enhance the capacity of Nigerian troops to effectively identify and neutralize extremist terrorist groups seeking to destabilize the nation,” he added.
Uba said the military remains fully committed to degrading and defeating terrorist groups that threaten the country’s sovereignty, national security, and the safety of its citizens.
He also assured Nigerians of continued transparency and the provision of clear, accurate, and timely information regarding the military cooperation efforts.
The deployment comes after months of mounting pressure from US President Donald Trump, who has strongly criticised Nigeria’s government for what he describes as its failure to adequately protect Christians from deadly attacks carried out by Islamist militants and armed groups.
He declared Nigeria a country of particular concern (CPC). But the Nigerian government has since rejected Trump’s claim, insisting that violence in the country affects people of all faiths and not only Christians.
Trump ordered airstrikes in Nigeria on Christmas Day, saying they targeted Islamic State terrorists in the North-west who are responsible for killing Christians.
He and Nigerian authorities later confirmed that the action was a collaborative effort.
Following discussions with Nigerian authorities in Abuja, the head of US Africa Command, General Dagvin Anderson, confirmed that a small team of US military officers was in Nigeria, focused on intelligence support.
Critics questioned the move, which they claim undermines Nigeria’s territorial integrity.
However, the DHQ clarified that the partnership with the US primarily focuses on capacity building, professional military education, intelligence sharing, logistics support, and strategic dialogue.
According to Uba, all engagements with the US are done with full respect for Nigeria’s sovereignty and existing bilateral frameworks.
Nigeria is facing a protracted fight with dozens of local armed groups increasingly battling for turf, including the homegrown Boko Haram and its breakaway faction, the ISIL affiliate in West Africa Province (ISWAP).
There is also the ISIL-linked Lakurawa, as well as other “bandit” groups that specialise in kidnapping for ransom and illegal mining.
Several thousand people in Nigeria have been killed, according to data from the United Nations. (Channels)
Gov. Abba Yusuf of Kano State has visited the scene of a fire at the Singer Market, calling for the Federal Government’s intervention to provide modern firefighting equipment.
This is contained in a statement issued by his spokesperson, Sanusi Dawakin-Tofa, in Kano on Sunday.
The Governor visited the Gidan Gilas section of the market where the fire was still raging, causing damage to shops and property.
Yusuf commended the efforts of the Kano State Fire Service and the security agencies battling the inferno, urging traders and residents to remain calm and to cooperate with emergency responders.
He appealed for air support and essential tools to contain the fire and prevent recurrences, strengthening the capacity of fire services to respond effectively to emergencies in major commercial centres. (Vanguard)
The Ebonyi State Governor, Francis Nwifuru, has relaxed the curfew imposed in Amasiri, Afikpo Local Government Area, restricting movement from 6 p.m. to 7 a.m.
Governor Nwifuru announced this on Tuesday while briefing journalists after the State Security Council meeting at his office, New Government, Centenary City in Abakaliki, the State capital.
The curfew earlier imposed in Amasiri restricted movement from 2 p.m. to 10 a.m. following the attack on Okporojo, Oso-Edda in the Edda Local Government Area, that claimed the lives of four with their heads severed.
The governor stated that the Amasiri community’s failure to produce the heads of the victims of the Okporojo killings after the expiration of the 72-hour ultimatum issued earlier would attract stringent measures for them to produce the severed heads.
He maintained that schools in Amasiri remain closed for safety, as security agencies continued to carry out investigations.
Nwifuru added that all the suspects involved and arrested would be charged in court.
The Okporojo incident was said to have happened on the afternoon of January 29, 2026, when unidentified armed men reportedly ambushed the community, setting houses on fire.
At least four people were said to have been allegedly beheaded and their heads taken away by the assailants.
In a viral video that circulated online, houses were seen set on fire, as the community called on the state government and security agencies for help.
Following the incident, Nwifuru dismissed all government appointees, dissolved community development union leadership, and village heads in the Amasiri community, Afikpo Local Government Area of the state, with immediate effect.
He also dethroned the traditional ruler of the community.
Nwifuru, who was visibly angry over the killings, described the attack as most unfortunate and said he never expected such a level of brutality to occur in the state.
“So on this note, for the time being, the development union executive and all of the villages in Amasiri communities are hereby dissolved. The traditional ruler certificate is thereby withdrawn all the government appointees from Amasiri are thereby sacked,” the governor said.
“All the government appointees from the management committee down to the commissioner, anyone from Amasiri, are hereby sacked. All the village heads in all Amasiri villages in all the autonomous communities are hereby removed.
“For the time being, we will do more. And we will show everybody why we’re government”, the governor added.
He also assured the affected community that the state government would decisively deal with those responsible, stressing that the lives lost would not be in vain. (Channels)
As part of measures to tackle insecurity in some parts of the country, the Senate has called for an upgrade of the joint security operation in Niger and Kwara states.
It mandated the Committees on Defence, Army, Air Force, Police Affairs, and National Security and Intelligence to conduct a joint assessment of the security situation in the North-Central region and report back within four weeks with clear recommendations.
This followed a motion sponsored by Sani Musa (APC/Niger East) in the wake of the brutal killing of over 50 people and the abduction of several women and children in Konkoso District, Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State.
In his argument, Musa regretted that the North-Central region has increasingly witnessed organised attacks on rural communities, farmlands, and settlements, threatening food security and national stability.
The lawmakers thereafter further raised concern that the persistent pattern of attacks on remote communities indicated gaps in intelligence coordination and deepened the humanitarian crisis in the region.
The upper chamber, which observed a one-minute silence for victims of the attack, also urged the strengthening of joint security operations between Niger and Kwara States to dismantle cross-border terrorist networks.
Last Saturday, motorcycle-riding gunmen swept into three villages in a central region of Nigeria, shooting dead or cutting the throats of at least 46 people.
The violence again threw the spotlight on Nigeria’s efforts to contain security threats — efforts that have been strongly criticised by US President Donald Trump.
A security report seen by AFP said the attackers had used “41 motorcycles, each carrying two or three men”.
The three villages targeted by the gunmen are part of the Borgu in Niger State, on the border with Kwara State, where jihadists killed more than 160 people in an attack earlier this month.
The bloodiest attack happened in the village of Konkoso, where at least 38 people were shot dead or had their throats slit, the humanitarian source told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Most of the homes in the village were burned down, and apart from those already counted as dead, “other bodies are being recovered,” the source said.
A resident of Konkoso told AFP the gunmen had first attacked the nearby village of Tungar Makeri before heading to his village.
A spokesman for the Niger State Police Command told AFP that six people had been killed in Tungan Makeri when the gunmen overran the village at around 6:00 am.
“Some houses were set on fire, and an as-yet undetermined number of people were abducted,” and officers were seeking information about the attacks on the other two villages, the police spokesman said.
The Konkoso resident said his nephew was among those killed in Konkoso.
“They burned a lot of houses and abducted four women,” he said.
“After Konkoso, they went to Pissa, where they set a police station on fire and killed one person.
“At the moment, many people are missing,” he said.
The border between Kwara and Niger states is home to the Kainji Forest, a known haven for bandits and jihadists.
Nigeria has been grappling with a jihadist insurgency in the northeast for over 16 years. (Channels)
Veteran US civil rights activist Reverend Jesse Jackson, one of the nation’s most influential Black voices, died peacefully Tuesday morning, his family said in a statement. He was 84.
Jackson, a Baptist minister, had been a civil rights leader since the 1960s, when he marched with Martin Luther King Jr. and helped fundraise for the cause.
“Our father was a servant leader — not only to our family, but to the oppressed, the voiceless, and the overlooked around the world,” Jackson’s family said.
“His unwavering belief in justice, equality, and love uplifted millions, and we ask you to honor his memory by continuing the fight for the values he lived by.”
The family did not release a cause of death, but Jackson revealed in 2017 that he had the degenerative neurological disease Parkinson’s.
He was hospitalized for observation in November in connection to another neurodegenerative condition, according to media reports.
A dynamic orator and a successful mediator in international disputes, the long-time Baptist minister expanded the space for African Americans on the national stage for more than six decades.
He was the most prominent Black person to run for the US presidency — with two unsuccessful attempts to capture the Democratic Party nomination in the 1980s — until Barack Obama took the office in 2009.
He was present for many consequential moments in the long battle for racial justice in the United States, including with King in Memphis in 1968 when the civil rights leader was slain.
He openly wept in the crowd as Obama celebrated his 2008 presidential election, and he stood with George Floyd’s family in 2021 after a court convicted an ex-police officer of the unarmed Black man’s murder.
Jackson was born Jesse Louis Burns on October 8, 1941, in Greenville, South Carolina, to an unwed teen mother and a former professional boxer.
He later adopted the last name of his stepfather, Charles Jackson.
“I was not born with a silver spoon in my mouth. I had a shovel programmed for my hands,” he once said.
He excelled in his segregated high school and earned a football scholarship to the University of Illinois, but later transferred to the predominantly Black Agricultural and Technical College of North Carolina, where he received a degree in sociology.
In 1960, he participated in his first sit-in, in Greenville, and then joined the Selma-to-Montgomery civil rights marches in 1965, where he caught King’s attention.
Jackson later emerged as a mediator and envoy on several notable international fronts.
He became a prominent advocate for ending apartheid in South Africa, and in the 1990s served as presidential special envoy for Africa for Bill Clinton.
Missions to free US prisoners took him to Syria, Iraq, and Serbia.
He founded the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, a Chicago-based nonprofit organization focused on social justice and political activism, in 1996
He is survived by his wife and six children. (Channels)
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio offered a reassuring message to America’s allies on Saturday, striking a less aggressive but still firm tone about the administration’s intent to reshape the trans-Atlantic alliance and push its priorities after more than a year of President Donald Trump’s often-hostile rhetoric toward traditional allies.
Reminding his audience at the annual Munich Security Conference about America’s centuries-long roots in Europe, Rubio said the United States would remain forever tied to the continent even as it pushes for changes in the relationship and the institutions that have been the bulwark of the post-World War II world order.
Rubio addressed the conference a year after Vice President JD Vance stunned the same audience with a harsh critique of European values. A series of Trump administration statements and moves targeting allies followed, including Trump’s short-lived threat last month to impose new tariffs on several European countries in a bid to secure U.S. control of Greenland, a semiautonomous territory of NATO ally Denmark.
On Friday, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz had opened this year’s gathering by calling for the U.S. and Europe to “repair and revive trans-Atlantic trust together,” saying that even the U.S. isn’t powerful enough to go it alone in an world whose old order no longer exists. But he and other European officials made clear that they will stand by their values, including their approach to free speech, climate change and free trade.
While offering a calmer and more reassuring tone, Rubio made clear that the Trump administration is sticking to its guns on policy. He denounced “a climate cult” and “an unprecedented wave of mass migration that threatens the cohesion of our societies.”
Rubio argued that the “euphoria” of the Western victory in the Cold War led to a “dangerous delusion that we had entered ‘the end of history,’ that every nation would now be a liberal democracy, that the ties formed by trade and by commerce alone would now replace nationhood … and that we would now live in a world without borders where everyone became a citizen of the world.”
“We made these mistakes together and now together we owe it to our people to face those facts and to move forward to rebuild,” Rubio said.
“This is why we Americans may sometimes come off as a little direct and urgent in our counsel,” he said. “This is why President Trump demands seriousness and reciprocity from our friends here in Europe.”
Rubio said that an end of the trans-Atlantic era “is neither our goal nor our wish,” adding that “our home may be in the Western hemisphere, but we will always be a child of Europe.”
He acknowledged that “we have bled and died side-by-side on battlefields from Kapyong to Kandahar,” a contrast with disparaging remarks by Trump about NATO allies’ troops in Afghanistan that drew an outcry. “And I’m here today to make it clear that America is charting the path for a new century of prosperity. and that once again, we want to do it together with you, our cherished allies and our oldest friends.”
U.S. officials accompanying Rubio said his message was much the same as Vance’s last year but was intended to have a softer landing on the audience, which they acknowledged had recoiled at much of Trump’s rhetoric over the past year.
The president of the European Union’s executive commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said Rubio’s speech was “very reassuring” but noted that “in the administration, some have a harsher tone on these topics.”
In her speech to the conference, she stressed that “Europe must become more independent,” including on defense. She insisted on Europe’s “digital sovereignty” — its approach to hate speech on social media.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that “we shouldn’t get in the warm bath of complacency. He said the U.K. must reforge closer ties with Europe to help the continent “stand on our own two feet” in its own defense, and said there needs to be investment that “moves us from overdependence to interdependence.”
Hanno Pevkur, the defense minister of EU and NATO member Estonia, said it was “quite a bold statement to say that America is ‘a child of Europe’.”
“It was a good speech, needed here today, but that doesn’t mean that we can rest on pillows now,” he told The Associated Press. “So still a lot of work has to be done.”
Rubio didn’t mention Greenland. After last month’s escalation over Trump’s designs on the Arctic island, the U.S., Denmark and Greenland started technical talks on an Arctic security deal.
The Secretary of State met briefly in Munich on Friday with the Danish and Greenlandic leaders, a meeting Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen described as constructive.
But Frederiksen suggested Saturday that although the dispute has cooled, she remains wary. Asked whether the crisis has passed, she replied: “No, unfortunately not. I think the desire from the U.S. president is exactly the same. He is very serious about this theme.”
Asked whether she can put a price on Greenland, she responded “of course not,” adding that “we have to respect sovereign states … and we have to respect people’s right for self-determination. And the Greenlandic people have been very clear, they don’t want to become Americans.” (JapanToday)
Pedro Neto scored a hat-trick, including directly from a corner kick, as Chelsea beat Hull City 4-0 in the fourth round of the FA Cup on Friday.
Also, Wrexham reached the fifth round for the first time in 29 years after beating Ipswich 1-0 in an all-Championship matchup.
Hull and Chelsea had met eight times before in the FA Cup and Chelsea progressed every time. Host Hull never looked like halting that arresting run as the Premier League side took control from the off.
Pedro Neto’s drilled shot from just outside the box gave Chelsea the lead going into halftime, and his low corner squeaked through a throng of bodies straight into the goal six minutes into the second period.
Young Brazilian Estêvão made it 3-0 minutes later when he side-footed home from 12 meters out, and Pedro Neto finished a nicely worked fourth.
“Pedro Neto is an incredible player,” Liam Delap, who recorded three assists, told TNT Sports. “He is playing in a position he is not even used to but he showed his quality.
Wrexham will discover in Monday’s draw who it meets next for a place in the quarterfinals.
A first-half goal from Josh Windass separated Wrexham from Ipswich, which didn’t get a shot on target.
Both teams are in contention for promotion to the Premier League; Ipswich was in third place and hoping for an immediate return to the league it left last summer. Wrexham was seven points behind in sixth and bidding for a fourth consecutive promotion that would take it into the top tier for the first time in its 158-year history.
“We started both halves well but we weren’t able to get the goal,” Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna told BBC Wales. “Second half we tried everything … but we just couldn’t get back into the game. (JapanToday)
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