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President Bola Tinubu on Saturday urged supporters in Rivers State to use their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) to vote for what he described as the progressive development of the Nigerian economy, saying it was their weapon against poverty. Tinubu made the appeal while addressing supporters at the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, during the All Progressives Congress (APC) campaign rally ahead of the 2027 general elections. The President urged those who had yet to collect their PVCs to do so, stressing that the card was the instrument available to them to fight poverty through the ballot. “It is left for you to use the weapon you have, and that weapon is the PVC. If you have not collected yours, please go ahead and collect it. Please, I beg you, I take God beg. The weapon you have against poverty is to elect progressive development of our economy. That is what I am pursuing,” Tinubu said. Addressing Nigerian youths, the Preside...

US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order that he says will prevent future presidents from making certain changes to the White House Oval Office. The executive order declares the president's official office, which he has renovated, to be a national monument. "We're making it a national monument, and it will not be allowed to be touched by anybody, destroyed, ripped down by stupid people, in order to build something in a slightly different shape," Trump told reporters on Thursday. The order does not prevent future presidents from changing the decor of the famous room. The document says that it does not "restrict the President's authority to redecorate the monument, select furnishings, or make ordinary operational and security modifications that do not substantially impair the monument's historic structure or architectural character". American presidents currently have the power to make some changes to the White House but larg...

The EU announced on Nov. 5 that it had sent an additional 4.36 billion euros ($4.91 billion) in financial support to Ukraine, as part of its 90 billion euro ($101 billion) support loan. Ukraine has been unlocking tranches of the 90 billion euro loan in exchange for completing reforms required by the EU and by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), with the latest disbursement linked to IMF reforms. "By meeting the conditions agreed with international partners, Ukraine has demonstrated its continued commitment to EU accession and to strengthening its economic resilience," said the EU's Economy Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis. "The 4.36 billion euros disbursed today under the Ukraine Support Loan reflect that progress," Dombrovskis said, before outlining how predictable financial support can help keep Ukraine's economy going. Of the disbursed amount, 3.7 billion euros ($4.2 billion) was tied to implementing IMF-required reforms. The remaining 658 m...

Portugal legend Cristiano Ronaldo says he is retiring from international football. The 41-year-old forward has scored 146 goals and won 234 caps for his country - both world records - since making his debut in 2003. He walked out  of the Portugal camp in September after being told he would not start the Nations League match against Denmark, resulting in a £215 fine and a 30-day suspension. "To the Portuguese people, the day has come for me to hand back the number seven shirt of our national team," Ronaldo said in an Instagram video., external   "I never felt it belonged to me alone, but for 23 years I had the privilege and responsibility of wearing it, defending it and carrying it with me into stadiums all around the world. "Today the time has come to pass it on to the future. It was not an easy decision, because some decisions are not made with the mind alone - they are also made with the heart. "A journey that began in August 2003 and changed my l...

WASHINGTON, Nov 5 (Reuters) - With the US midterms  over, Democrats are turning to what could become one of their most crowded and unpredictable presidential primaries in decades, a 2028 contest likely to expose the party's divide over how to win back the White ​House. No Democrat has emerged as a clear favorite in a field that could attract dozens of contenders , while Republicans have a smaller group of widely discussed candidates, led by Vice President JD Vance ‌and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, to succeed President Donald Trump, who is constitutionally barred from seeking a third term. Potential Democratic candidates, including sitting governors and senators, have spent months cultivating donors, visiting states with early nominating contests and raising their national profiles, positioning themselves for a race that strategists expect to begin in earnest now that the midterms are over. The sweeping victories by Democrats  on Tuesday, when voters deliver...

The 2027 Asian Cup is just the latest event to be postponed in the Middle East amid concerns about missile attacks by Yemen's Houthi movement. The 24-team tournament - Asia's version of the Euros - was scheduled to take place in Saudi Arabia from 7 January to 5 February next year. The Asian Cup has now been delayed by almost a year,  and will be held between 23 December, 2027 and 21 January, 2028. Sport in the region had already been heavily affected by the US-Iran conflict, which led to the cancellation of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Formula 1 Grand Prix weekends  in April this year. Now the races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi at the end of the year are also in doubt due to that ongoing situation and the current conflict involving the Houthis. If they are cancelled, F1 would have lost four of its 24 events this year. It is not just football and F1 that have been forced to cancel, reschedule or move high-profile events, and many more remain under threat. BBC Sport takes...

Al Jazeera Media Network has strongly condemned the Israeli authorities’ decision to extend a ban on its operations in Israel for another 90 days, including the suspension of its broadcasts, the closure of its offices and the restriction of access to its websites and digital platforms. In a statement on Monday, the Qatar-based network said it considered the move “an assault” on press freedom and the public’s right to information, warning it set “a dangerous pattern that undermines the ability of news organisations to report the facts and hold those in power to account”. It came after a court in Tel Aviv approved last week the Israeli government’s decision to extend the ban for a further 90 days.⁣ In May 2024 , at the height of Israel’s genocidal war against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet had voted to shut Al Jazeera’s operations in Israel. The decision, which was strongly criticised by press freedom groups, followed the passage o...

WASHINGTON, Nov 2 (Reuters) - The United States intends to suspend South Africa and Rwanda from its flagship duty-free trade program for sub-Saharan Africa, ​its trade chief said on Monday, a move that would hit exports including South African auto parts, wine and Rwandan coffee. US Trade Representative ‌Jamieson Greer said the two countries would be suspended from the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) from Jan 1, 2027, citing concerns about human rights, corruption and threats to US interests. The program has been the centerpiece of US economic engagement with Africa since it was enacted in 2000, offering duty-free access to the US consumer market for thousands of products from eligible countries. "President Trump found ​that the governments of Rwanda and South Africa are engaging in practices that are inconsistent with AGOA's eligibility criteria," Greer said in a statement. The Trump ​administration has taken a series of measures against South Afric...

Arsenal  went three points clear of Manchester City at the top of the English Premier League after a statement 1-0 win at Liverpool. The Gunners had not won at Anfield since September 2012, when current coach Mikel Arteta captained the away side to a 2-0 victory, and had gone winless in their past 13 visits. However, Kai Havertz turned home a low cross from Declan Rice after the home side were caught trying to play out from the back to silence the Kop on 16 minutes. The visitors withstood wave after wave of pressure from Andoni Iraola’s side thereafter. Liverpool responded strongly with Florian Wirtz curling a free kick against the bar and Alexis Mac Allister heading a good chance over. Arsenal weathered the storm, though, and defended superbly to keep Liverpool largely at arm’s length after the break, denying the home side a shot on target for the second meeting in succession. Arteta’s side replaces Manchester City at the top with 24 points from nine games,...