Britain’s King Charles III has used a speech in front of the United States Congress to pledge NATO unity and call for support for Ukraine amid Russia’s ongoing invasion.
The address on Tuesday came during the royal’s four-day visit to the US, with the US-Israel war with Iran, US President Donald Trump’s criticism of NATO, and trade tensions between the longtime allies looming large.
But Charles avoided any reference to specific frictions during his speech at the US Capitol, instead striking a light tone in his joke-heavy opening.
He praised what he called the shared history and values of the two countries, quipping at one point that Washington, DC was “a tale of two Georges”, the first US President George Washington and his ancestor, the UK’s King George.
He assured lawmakers, to laughs, he was not in the US “as part of some cunning rearguard action” in a delayed continuation of the Revolutionary War.
“I am here on this great occasion in the life of our nations to express the highest regard and friendship of the British people to the people of the United States,” the sovereign said to repeated standing ovations.
But amid broad themes of unity, more pointed messages lurked.
Charles did not directly address the US-Israel war with Iran or Trump’s outspoken criticism of NATO allies who have rejected joining Washington’s war efforts.
Instead, he praised support for NATO and the alliance’s invocation of its Article 5 collective defence treaty in the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks.
“We answered the call together, as our people have done so for more than a century, shoulder to shoulder through two world wars, the Cold War, Afghanistan and moments that have defined our shared security,” he said.
He then turned to funding for Ukraine, an increasingly pointed issue in the Republican-controlled US Congress.
“Today, Mr Speaker, that same unyielding resolve is needed for the defence of Ukraine and her most courageous people,” he said, referring to House Speaker Mike Johnson.
In one instance, Charles hailed the “$430 billion in annual trade that continues to grow, the $1.7 trillion in mutual investment that fuels that innovation”.
Last week, Trump threatened to impose a “big tariff” on the UK if it did not drop a digital services tax on US tech companies.
At another point, Charles pointed to global environmental concerns.
“We ignore, at our peril, the fact that these natural systems, in other words, nature’s own economy, provide the foundation for our prosperity and our national security,” he said.
Trump has called climate change a “con job” and withdrew from the landmark Paris Agreement climate accords during his first and second terms. His administration has since pursued deregulation of fossil fuels and pivoted away from green energy, an approach embraced by many members of the president’s Republican party.
Other messages appeared to gently reference political trends in the US, where critics have accused Trump of using the Department of Justice for political retribution and of overturning long-standing norms of presidential authority.
Charles described the “common ideals” of the US and UK: “The rule of law, the certainty of stable and accessible rules, an independent judiciary, resolving disputes and delivering impartial justice”.
He also drew a throughline between the Magna Carta, the 13th-century document that established that the British king was subject to law, and constitutional and legal precedent in the US, calling it “the foundation of the principle that executive power is subject to checks and balances”.
The address came shortly before Trump was set to host Charles and his wife, Queen Camilla, for an official state dinner.
The pair were then set to visit New York and Virginia, before an official farewell ceremony at the White House on Thursday. (AlJazeera)
The US’s top media watchdog announced on Tuesday that it is accelerating the review of eight local broadcasting licenses used by ABC, in a move critics see as a clear example of political and regulatory retribution against a disfavored broadcaster.
The Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) announcement comes after the White House launched a full-on attack against the ABC’s late-night host, Jimmy Kimmel, over a joke he made last week about Melania Trump.
On Monday, Donald Trump called for Kimmel to be fired over the segment, in which Kimmel said that the first lady has “a glow like an expectant widow”. The joke was made two days before an attempted shooting – allegedly targeting Trump’s administration – interrupted the annual White House correspondents’ dinner.
The FCC – led by Trump-appointed chair Brendan Carr – does not grant licenses to national television networks; rather, it licenses each individual station that broadcasts using the public airwaves.
ABC owns and operates eight stations, though it has content agreements with many more. Those eight stations – WABC-TV New York, KABC-TV Los Angeles, WLS-TV Chicago, WPVI-TV Philadelphia, KTRK-TV Houston, KGO-TV San Francisco, WTVD-TV Raleigh-Durham and KFSN-TV Fresno – are the ones being targeted by Carr’s FCC.
Those stations were not scheduled to have to apply for renewal until 2028 at the earliest and 2031 at the latest. But now they are required to file for renewal by 28 May, years ahead of when they were originally required to do so. The FCC announcement appears connected to an investigation launched by the agency early last year into ABC parent company Disney’s diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) practices.
“Specifically, FCC rules provide that whenever the FCC regards an application for a renewal of a license as essential to the proper conduct of an investigation, the FCC has the authority to call the broadcaster’s licenses in for early renewal. Doing so both allows the FCC to conduct its ongoing investigation and enables the FCC to ensure that the broadcaster has been meeting its public interest obligations more broadly,” David J Brown, chief of the video division at the FCC’s media bureau, wrote in a memo. “The FCC determines that calling in Disney’s ABC licenses for early renewal, at this time, under the Communications Act’s public interest standard is essential within the meaning of agency regulations.”
In a statement, a Disney spokesperson acknowledged that the company has received notice of the expedited renewal process. “ABC and its stations have a long record of operating in full compliance with FCC rules and serving their local communities with trusted news, emergency information and public‑interest programming,” the spokesperson said. “We are confident that record demonstrates our continued qualifications as licensees under the Communications Act and the first amendment and are prepared to show that through the appropriate legal channels. Our focus remains, as always, on serving viewers in the local communities where our stations operate.”
On a conservative podcast published on Tuesday, Carr weighed in on the DEI-related investigation and said: “There’s evidence that Disney has been pretty bad. There’s evidence suggests that Disney literally was dividing and categorizing employees based on race and gender, and potentially – we’ll see what the evidence establishes, ultimately – giving different opportunities to people based on their race or gender or other protected class. And we’re going to get some more discovery from Disney on that. But that could raise character questions about the company long-term.”
Carr, on the podcast, said that license renewals can be “accelerated” if there are “significant concerns” about how a network is operating, and questions about whether it is doing so in the public interest. If the FCC determines that a broadcaster is in violation, the next step would be a hearing designation, which Carr said was a “multi-month process”.
Anna M Gomez, the lone Democrat on the FCC, has decried any attempt to speed up the license renewal process for ABC – or any other television network that has been targeted by the Trump administration. “This is unprecedented, unlawful, and going nowhere,” she wrote in a post on X on Tuesday. “This political stunt won’t stick. Companies should challenge it head-on. The First Amendment is on their side.”
In an interview with the Guardian last month, Gomez said the license renewal apparatus is intentionally onerous and time-consuming to prevent any appearance of partisan decision-making.
“If they are trying to take adverse action through the license renewal process, that is an arduous, long, process with multi-layers of decisions that have to be made by different parties that are meant to protect broadcasters from capricious and arbitrary action from the commission,” Gomez said.
Tom Wheeler, who served as chair of the FCC during Barack Obama’s presidency, told the Guardian on Tuesday that Carr “has turned [the FCC] into a political organization using policy to achieve political goals” rather than “a policy agency operating in a political environment”.
While Wheeler said that Carr has the ability to schedule consideration of ABC’s license renewals, any adverse decision would ultimately be appealable – and he noted that license denials are exceedingly rare.
Wheeler said that a denial of ABC’s licenses “would have a hard time at the courts”, though he doesn’t see that as the goal. “There are two message: there’s a message that goes to the Maga base that says, ‘Boy, I’m going at them.’ There’s a message that goes to the president that says, ‘Boy, am I carrying forth what you want me to do.’ And then there’s a message to every licensee of the FCC that says, ‘I can do this to you too.’”
In February, Carr confirmed that the FCC is also investigating the ABC daytime talkshow The View for a potential violation of rules around providing equal time for opposing political candidates.
Despite calls by Trump and his wife Melania for ABC to take action against Kimmel, his show aired as scheduled on Monday night. “It was a very light roast joke about the fact that he’s almost 80 and she’s younger than I am,” Kimmel explained to viewers. “It was not – by any stretch of the definition – a call to assassination. And they know that. I’ve been very vocal for many years, speaking out against gun violence, in particular.”
In September, Carr reportedly pressured television station groups to pre-empt Kimmel’s show as punishment for a comment that he made in the wake of the assassination of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk. Two right-leaning broadcast groups, Sinclair and Nexstar, did so, and ABC opted to “indefinitely” pull Kimmel’s show. Kimmel ultimately returned to the air a week later. Carr later claimed that his comments about Kimmel’s show did not amount to a threat.
Seth Stern, chief of advocacy for Freedom of the Press Foundation, issued a statement on Tuesday calling out Carr’s FCC. “The FCC is neither the journalism police nor the humor police,” he said. “This is nothing but illegal jawboning intended to intimidate ABC into kissing the ring.”
“The FCC has no authority to cancel broadcasters’ licenses because of their perceived political views. But this isn’t just about the rights of Disney and ABC. President Trump is trying to consolidate control over what Americans see and hear on the radio, television, and social media,” Jameel Jaffer, executive director at the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, said in a statement.
“If he gets his way, we’ll have only government-aligned media organizations that broadcast only government-approved news and commentary. It would be difficult to imagine an outcome more corrosive to democracy or more offensive to the first amendment.” (Guardian)
Rory McIlroy and Lando Norris have both been rewarded for their respective successes in 2025 at the Laureus awards in Madrid.
Northern Ireland’s McIlroy won the Comeback of the Year award after winning his first Masters golf title last year.
England’s Formula 1 driver Norris, who won his maiden World Drivers’ Championship, took the Breakthrough of the Year award.
McIlroy, who won the Masters again earlier this month, beat Justin Rose in a sudden-death play-off to earn the Green Jacket 12 months ago.
The 36-year-old – a former winner of the Breakthrough of the Year award – became just the sixth man in history to win all four Majors following his 2025 Augusta triumph.
“There are certain moments in your career that stay with you, and winning the Masters is one I’ll carry with me forever. To then have a year like that recognised by Laureus is very special,” McIlroy said.
“Completing the career Grand Slam was incredibly emotional. It’s something I’ve been chasing for a long time, and it probably means more because of everything that came before it – the near misses, the setbacks, and the questions along the way.”
Norris held his nerve in a tense battle with McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri and four-time champion Max Verstappen to win the 2025 championship.
The 26-year-old held off some strong competition to scoop the award, with fellow Britain Luke Littler, the darts world champion, among the nominees.
“Winning the world championship is something I dreamed about since I was young, so to win my first in 2025 is pretty special,” Norris said.
“It’s far from being an individual achievement. Without my team, who were also nominated for a Laureus Team of the Year award, I wouldn’t be where I am today.”
Carlos Alcaraz was named Sportsman of the Year, with fellow tennis player Aryna Sabalenka earning the sportswoman award.
Alcaraz, 22, won eight ATP Tour titles, including two Grand Slam events, and ended 2025 ranked as the world number one as he beat rival Jannik Sinner to the award.
Sabalenka, 27, added a second US Open crown to her collection as she collected four WTA titles last year.
England’s women were in the running for Team of the Year after winning Euro 2025 but the award went to men’s Champions League winners Paris St-Germain.
British cyclist Tom Pidcock missed out on the Action Sportsperson of the Year award, with American snowboarder Chloe Kim taking the honour.
Full list of Laureus award winners:
Sportsman of the Year award: Carlos Alcaraz
Sportswoman of the Year award: Aryna Sabalenka
Team of the Year award: Paris St-Germain
Breakthrough of the Year award: Lando Norris
Comeback of the Year award: Rory McIlroy
Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability award: Gabriel Araujo
Action Sportsperson of the Year award: Chloe Kim
Young Sportsperson of the Year award: Lamine Yamal
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Ousmane Dembele scored twice each as Paris Saint-Germain beat Bayern Munich 5-4 in an epic first leg of their Champions League semifinal on Tuesday — an extraordinary encounter that was the highest-scoring match ever at this stage of the competition.
The first half alone was crazy, with Harry Kane giving Bayern the lead from a penalty, only for Kvaratskhelia to equalise before Joao Neves headed the hosts in front at an enthralled Parc des Princes.
Michael Olise made it 2-2, but a Dembele penalty in first-half stoppage time had the reigning champions back ahead at the interval.
Kvaratskhelia, surely the standout player in this season’s Champions League, and Dembele both then scored again to have hosts PSG seemingly out of sight, only for Dayot Upamecano to pull one back before Luis Diaz made it 5-4.
An unforgettable game — perhaps better even than last season’s semi-final between Inter Milan and Barcelona — leaves the tie between the continent’s two best teams of the moment wonderfully poised for next Wednesday’s return at the Allianz Arena, with a place in the final in Budapest on May 30 on the line.
“I’m sure everyone who loves football really enjoyed watching that. It was a real pleasure to play in that game, the kind of game we dream of playing in as kids,” PSG captain Marquinhos told broadcaster Canal Plus.
His team will be returning to Munich — scene of their 5-0 win over Inter in last year’s final — with the advantage, but Bayern will be confident they can overturn the narrow deficit at home.
“We fought and we clawed and we’re back in the tie,” Kane told Amazon Prime. “I thought there was amazing defending even though there were nine goals.”
The French champions are seeking to become just the second side in the modern Champions League era to retain the trophy, while the German champions are hoping to reach the final for the first time since 2020, when they defeated PSG to lift the trophy for the sixth time.
Vincent Kompany’s team arrived in Paris having scored 167 goals this season, led by the remarkable Kane and his 53 goals in 45 appearances.
This tie had a lot to live up to, after Bayern’s spectacular win over Real Madrid in the quarter-finals, but it was an instant classic as both teams showcased their devastating firepower.
Bayern went ahead in the 17th minute as Willian Pacho chopped down Diaz and Kane converted the resulting penalty for his 54th of the campaign.
The visitors won 2-1 here in November in the league phase thanks to a Diaz double and they were the better team early on this time.
But their front-foot approach made them vulnerable to the counter-attack, and PSG’s leveller came just after the midway point in the first half.
The brilliant Kvaratskhelia broke clear of Josip Stanisic down the left before cutting inside and firing into the far corner.
A classic Kvaratskhelia goal was followed by Neves heading in Dembele’s corner on 33 minutes.
The action was only just getting started, however, as French international Olise drove towards the PSG box before smashing in for 2-2.
PSG then won a penalty at the end of the first half when a Dembele cross struck the arm of Alphonso Davies, the Canadian making his first start in the Champions League this season after injury.
It was given by the Swiss referee after a VAR check, and Dembele beat Manuel Neuer to make it 3-2 at half-time — a lead which PSG added to after the restart, leaving Bayern stunned.
Achraf Hakimi’s assist was swept in by Kvaratskhelia for 4-2 on 56 minutes, the Georgian getting his seventh goal in seven games in the knockout phase.
Bayern were not able to reset before Dembele surprised Neuer with a shot in off the near post to make it 5-2 with his second of the night.
But Bayern were not done, as Upamecano headed in Joshua Kimmich’s free-kick to take Kompany’s side to 170 for their season tally.
Diaz, who was sent off in the November meeting, then dribbled past Marquinhos before slotting in for the night’s final goal, making it 5-4.
Kompany, watching from the stands due to suspension, would have been delighted with his team’s response — even if they were relieved to see Senny Mayulu’s late strike for PSG come back off Neuer’s crossbar. (JapanToday)
Manchester United moved within touching distance of qualifying for the Champions League as Casemiro and Benjamin Sesko sealed a 2-1 win against Brentford on Monday. Casemiro put United ahead in the early stages at Old Trafford and Sesko doubled their lead before the interval.
Mathias Jensen’s late strike couldn’t stop United cementing their grip on third place in the Premier League. They are 11 points clear of sixth-placed Brighton, with the top five guaranteed to reach next season’s Champions League.
Michael Carrick’s side need just two points from their last four matches to ensure their return to Europe’s elite club competition for the first time since 2023-24.
On Sunday, United host bitter rivals Liverpool, who sit three points behind them in fourth, in a clash that will go a long way to deciding who finishes third.
Interim boss Carrick, who replaced the sacked Ruben Amorim in January, is still waiting to discover if he will land the United job on a permanent basis. The former United midfielder has made a strong case by steadying the ship after Amorim’s turbulent reign.
Leading United into the Champions League would be another persuasive argument as co-owner Jim Ratcliffe considers his options. A 1-0 win at Chelsea in their previous match had reinvigorated United’s top-five charge after a home defeat against Leeds and a draw at Bournemouth.
Brentford last won at Old Trafford in 1937 and they paid the price for a slow start on their latest fruitless visit.
Kobbie Mainoo scythed through the Brentford defence with a superb run in the second minute, but Amad Diallo wasted the chance with a close-range shot that was cleared off the line by Sepp van den Berg.
Harry Maguire was inches away from marking his return from suspension with a goal when the United defender’s towering header was clawed off the line by Brentford keeper Caoimhin Kelleher.
United’s pressure was rewarded in the 11th minute as Casemiro finished off a well-worked corner routine.
Bruno Fernandes whipped the set-piece to Maguire and his looping header evaded a gaggle of Brentford defenders at the far post as Casemiro rose highest to head home from an acute angle.
Casemiro’s fourth goal in his last six games underlined the enduring value of the veteran Brazil midfielder, who is set to leave when his contract expires at the end of this season.
He celebrated by kissing the badge on his shirt as United fans implored him to stay by chanting “one more year”.
Michael Kayode nearly silenced the love-in with a header that United keeper Senne Lammens pushed away at full stretch.
Igor Thiago’s muscular power was a thorn in United’s side but the Brazilian couldn’t finish, scuffing one chance under pressure from Diogo Dalot before Kelleher saved his close-range drive.
Ayden Heaven’s last-ditch attempt to deny Thiago almost ended in an own goal, but Lammens spared the United teenager’s blushes with a fine save.
United took advantage of those misses to double their advantage in the 43rd minute.
Diallo’s determination to win a tackle deep inside his own half started the move before Fernandes drove towards the Brentford area, slipping a pass to Sesko, who lashed home from 10 yards.
Fernandes has 19 assists this season as he chases the Premier League record of 20 in a single campaign set by Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne.
United were less dominant in the second half and Jensen whipped an eye-catching curler past Lammens from 20 yards in the 87th minute to set up a tense finale.
Carrick’s men wobbled but just about held firm as Mikkel Damsgaard’s header was clutched by Lammens in stoppage-time. (JapanToday)
Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, yes-terday, endorsed his Deputy, Dr. Obafemi Kadri Hamzat, for the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship ticket in Lagos, even as no other indi-vidual has openly indicated any desire to compete for coveted position ahead of the party primary.
Interestingly, it was the first time since the return to civil rule in 1999, that a sitting governor of Lagos State would endorse his deputy to succeed him.
The development also signalled continuity in the re-al sense, but more than anything else, it appeared the result of the work chemistry between the two, which had seen them cooperate seamlessly in the last seven and half years.
Sanwo-Olu’s endorsement followed series of consultations by Hamzat, who recently met with the Chief of Staff to the President, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila; former Minister of Finance, Olawale Edun; and the Senator for Lagos East, Tokunbo Abiru.
Before meeting with the trio separately two days ago, Hamzat had also met with the leaders of the Governor’s Advisory Council (GAC), including its chairman, Alhaji Tajudeen Olusi; Alhaji Busura Alebiosu as well as traditional rulers in the state.
But the meeting with Sanwo-Olu, seemed like a grand finale of sort, an event expected to be capped soon by President Bola Tinubu before the official affirmation at the proposed APC primary elections in the coming days.
Sanwo-Olu, who received Hamzat and members of the GAC in consultation visit, openly threw his weight behind his deputy’s aspiration to run for governor.
The consultation meeting came immediately after the State’s Executive Council meeting at the State House, Marina, where members of the cabinet and APC leaders in Lagos Central joined the governor to receive Hamzat’s entourage.
The governor and his deputy shared an emotional moment, reflecting on their political journey over the past seven years and how their paths had crossed during their public service experience under the tutelage of President Tinubu.
Sanwo-Olu recalled that he and Hamzat used to sit next to each other in ex-governor Babatunde Fashola’s cabinet, recollecting that no cabinet memo would scale through without their input and two others sitting in their row.
“Mr. Deputy Governor has created a personal relationship with me since way back before we’re joined together on a ticket. His family and my family have been close; our relationship was built on mutual respect, trust and dignity,” he said.
Sanwo-Olu said when he picked his governorship eight years ago, he never severed his relationship with Hamzat, who picked his own governorship form two days earlier.
The governor recalled how both of them forged a merger and ran on a joint ticket. After their 2019 electoral victory, Sanwo-Olu famously said Lagosians were getting price of two for one, referring to his deputy as a potential Governor.
“After the merger meeting, our father and leader, who today is ordained by God to be President of Nigeria, told both of us that he saw 16 years journey for Lagos.
“A lot of governors always look for weak deputies, but that was not for me. From day one in my governorship journey, I wanted the best partner to join the journey to build Greater Lagos.
“There was no meeting I could have attended that Mr. Deputy Governor is not fit and proper to attend. He possesses the skills, temperament and temerity to attend.
“Some of my governor colleagues privately confided in me, saying ‘your Deputy is highly intelligent’ after noticing the intellectual skills Dr. Hamzat brought to discussions at NGF level.
“For this, we will continue to be indebted to our leader and father, Mr. President, the man who God continues to use to shape the political trajectory and destiny of Lagos. People said we have turned Lagos to irreversible construction site since Asiwaju’s era.
“If a competent man like Dr. Hamzat comes in, he will hit the ground running immediately. We are not going to hand over Lagos to charlatans, who are coming to test their luck. Dr. Hamzat is tried and tested; he knows every nook and cranny of Lagos. Mr Deputy is the best man for the job.”
Reflecting on their relationship, Hamzat said: “By some stroke of coincidence, it was (Governor) Sanwo-Olu who took me round the Ministries when I was first appointed as Commissioner in 2005 by our father and leader, President Tinubu, who was then the Governor of Lagos State.
“I had never met Governor Sanwo-Olu before my appointment into the government. I never knew our relationship would grow to this extent.
“Most people refer to deputy governors as spare tyres. Deputising Governor Sanwo-Olu in the last seven years, I have never felt or been treated as a spare tyre.
“The Governor did well in carrying me along as a partner on this journey to build Greater Lagos. The governor passionately loves Lagos and always fights for the state at every level, to the extent that other governors are jealous of Lagos.
“Lagos is very important to the well-being of our country. God forbid, if anything happens to Lagos, this country will collapse. We must not allow Lagos to be drawn back from the progressive path it has been taken.
“Mr. Governor has worked assiduously to ensure that Lagos continues to progress. Therefore, the progress needs to be sustained.
“One of the things that has fundamentally stabilised the growth of Lagos is the rancour-free succession process adopted by our progressive party.
“As Lagosians, we must be ready to fight any battle and endure any hardship to protect this state from people who don’t mean well. This is my pledge to our leaders and party faithful.”
He said the experience and knowledge he had garnered deputising Sanwo-Olu in the last seven years could not be quantified, thanking the governor for allowing him to function in the position as a partner.
After the meeting, Sanwo-Olu and others present, presented Hamzat to the State House correspondents in a unanimous pledge to support his aspiration. (ThisDay)
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney says his government is developing a government-owned investment fund.
Carney said on Monday that the fund, a first for the country, will invest in major Canadian industrial projects in areas such as energy, infrastructure, mining, agriculture and technology. It will begin at 25 billion Canadian dollars (US$18bn).
The prime minister said the federal government will put up funds alongside private investors. The money will help finance major projects that Carney’s government is focused on building as Canada seeks to diversify away from the United States.
US President Donald Trump has threatened Canada’s economy and sovereignty with tariffs and claims that Canada could be “the 51st state” in the US.
Carney is a former central banker in England and Canada as well as chairman of the board of directors for Bloomberg.
“We take a lesson from other jurisdictions that had the foresight many decades ago to start sovereign wealth funds,” Carney said. “In some cases, they began with a domestic focus then outgrew the scale of the domestic focus.”
Sovereign wealth funds invest in assets, such as stocks, bonds and real estate. They are typically funded by a country’s budgetary surpluses, which Canada currently does not have. The announcement came a day before Carney’s government announces its spring economic update.
There are more than 90 sovereign wealth funds around the world. They manage more than $8 trillion in assets, according to the International Forum of Sovereign Wealth Funds, a London-based organisation made up of roughly 50 of these entities.
Trump ordered the creation of a US sovereign wealth fund last year. In the US, more than 20 sovereign wealth funds exist at the state level, according to an analysis from the Center for Global Development, a Washington, DC-based nonpartisan think tank. (AlJazeera)
Sabastian Sawe broke the two-hour mark for the first time in history on Sunday in winning the London Marathon as Tigst Assefa smashed her own women’s-only world record.
Kenya’s defending champion Sawe was locked in a tight battle with Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha in the closing stages but surged clear to cross the line in 1hr 59min 30sec.
Kejelcha, running his first-ever marathon, also dipped under two hours, with a time of 1:59:41, with Uganda’s Jacob Kiplomo third (2:00:28).
All three finished under the previous men’s world record of 2:00:35 set in Chicago in 2023 by the late Kelvin Kiptum.
“We started the race well and at the end of the race, I was feeling strong,” said Sawe.
“Finally reaching the finishing line, I saw the time, and I was so excited to see I had run a world record today.
“I was very prepared because coming to London for the second time was so important to me, and that’s why I prepared well for it.”
Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge ran 1:59:40 in October 2019, becoming the first person in recorded history to do a sub-two-hour marathon.
But the time was not ratified as a world record because he ran with specialised shoes, standard competition rules for pacing and fluids were not followed, and it was not an open event.
Sawe, wearing Adidas’s new Pro Evo 3 supershoe, which weighs less than 100 grams, suggested before Sunday’s race that a course record or even a world record was in his sights.
He led a group of six as they passed the half-way point in a time of 1:00:29.
Sawe and Kejelcha pulled clear of the rest of the pack and stayed together until the final stages before the Kenyan kicked for home.
In the women’s race, reigning Olympic and world silver medallist Assefa was locked in a three-way tussle with Kenyan pair Hellen Obiri and Joyciline Jepkosgei, but surged away in the closing stages to cross the line in a time of 2:15:41.
That time beat by nine seconds the Ethiopian’s previous best, set on the same course last year.
“I’m so happy to win again,” said Assefa. “To repeat my victory from last year means even more. The happiness I feel is just swelling up inside me.
“It was one of my plans really coming into this competition to break my own world record from last year’s race. So to do that has brought me a lot of satisfaction.”
Obiri, a two-time former world 5,000m champion who won marathon bronze at the 2024 Paris Olympics, came in second in a personal best of 2:15:53.
She finished just two-hundredths of a second ahead of compatriot Jepkosgei.
The world record set in a mixed race where female athletes benefit from male pacemakers was by Kenya’s Ruth Chepngetich, who clocked 2:09:56 at the Chicago Marathon in October 2024.
More than 59,000 people were expected to complete the 26.2-mile (42.2-km) course in the 46th London Marathon in warm spring weather.
Last year’s race set a new world record for the number of finishers, with a total of 56,640 entrants completing the distance.
Marathon organisers said last month they are exploring holding the event over two days next year, allowing up to 100,000 runners.
The 2025 race raised a record £87.3 million ($118 million) for charity, setting a new world record for the biggest annual one-day fundraising event. (Vanguard)
Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has rejected a ₦1 billion damages award against her in a defamation suit filed by former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Adoza Bello, citing her right to defend herself against terrorism allegations.
The Kogi State High Court in Lokoja ruled that Akpoti-Uduaghan’s comments on Arise Television’s “The Morning Show” on November 4, 2022, were defamatory, awarding ₦1 billion in damages to Bello.
The judgment, delivered by Justice A. S. Ibrahim in suit number HCL/16/2023, arose from comments made by the senator during a live appearance on The Morning Show on Arise Television on November 4, 2022.
During the broadcast, Akpoti-Uduaghan made allegations against Bello which the court subsequently ruled to be defamatory.
In his decision, Justice Ibrahim held that the statements made by the defendant were injurious to the claimant’s character and reputation and were not justified by the evidence presented before the court. He noted that the issues formulated for determination in the suit were resolved in favour of the claimant.
“The interview granted by the defendant on 4/11/2022 on Arise TV programme ‘The Morning Show’ is defamatory to the claimant’s character and reputation,” the judge ruled. “The said interview… in which the defendant described the claimant as a murderer, killer, perpetrator of evil acts, and a terror to the people of Kogi State was without justification.”
The court equally granted a perpetual injunction restraining the senator, her agents, privies, and associates from making further defamatory statements against Bello across television, radio, and other media platforms. Additionally, the court awarded ₦1,000,000,000 as general damages in favour of the former governor.
While reacting to the judgement, in a statement by her Media Office, in Abuja, on Saturday, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan said, “I reject this judgment in its entirety. We presented substantial and credible evidence before the court, which, in our view, clearly justified our position. Unfortunately, these were not given due consideration.”
She also explained that her comments on Arise Television’s “The Morning Show” were a response to Bello’s accusations, adding “If there is anybody to be accused of terrorism, it should be Yahaya Bello and not me.
“My comments were rooted in the experiences of our people and the need to speak truth to power.”
Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan insisted that the court failed to properly evaluate her evidence, saying her statements were made in the public interest and not out of malice. “We presented substantial and credible evidence… which were not given due consideration.”
She further stated that, “My statements were based on information available at the time and were made in good faith, in the interest of accountability to the people of Kogi State,” she stated.
“I firmly believe that the truth was not adequately reflected in the court’s findings. We are heading to the Court of Appeal. This is not the end of the matter. We will pursue all lawful avenues to ensure that justice is served,” she added. (Vanguard)
Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Friday swore in seven new permanent secretaries and inaugurated the chairman and members of the Lagos State Health Service Commission. He charged the appointees to uphold professionalism, accountability and efficient service delivery.
The swearing-in ceremony, held at the Banquet Hall of Lagos House, Ikeja, is part of efforts by the administration to strengthen the state’s public service and improve governance across key sectors.
According to a post on X by the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, the governor urged the newly appointed officials to see their elevation as a call to greater responsibility and public trust.
The new permanent secretaries are Adeyemi Adetunji Adesanya, Ministry of Urban Development; Durodola Olusola Bukonla, Local Government Service Commission; Oladeji Oluwatoyin Olubunmi, Cabinet Office; and Sorungbe Tiwalade Adeyinka, Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology.
Others are Olukareh Bolanle Monica, Office of Works; Oluwo Adenike Oluwafunmilayo, Health District II; and Martins Babajide Olumuyiwa, Bureau of Public Defender.
Mr Sanwo-Olu said the appointments were aimed at reinforcing governance structures and improving service delivery, particularly in critical sectors such as health, infrastructure and public administration.
He urged the permanent secretaries to bring competence, diligence and integrity to their roles, noting that the effectiveness of the public service remains central to the state government’s development agenda.
In addition to the appointments, the governor inaugurated the Lagos State Health Service Commission, with Olukayode Oguntimehin as chairman.
Other members of the commission are Olusegun Ogboye, Omolaja Odushola Odunuga, Moyosore Wuraola Adejumo and Ololade Omolayo Fadipe.
The governor said the commission has a strategic role in strengthening the state’s health system and ensuring quality service delivery across public health institutions.
He reiterated his administration’s commitment to building a responsive and efficient public service capable of meeting the demands of Lagos’ growing population.
The appointments come amid ongoing efforts by the Sanwo-Olu administration to deepen institutional reforms and improve performance across ministries, departments and agencies. (PremiumTimes)
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