Author: Festus Adeloye

The UEFA Champions League knockout phase play-off draw was revealed on Friday, setting up exciting clashes between some of Europe’s top clubs. The ties are scheduled to take place on February 11/12 and 18/19. The draw has paired Atalanta against Club Brugge, while Borussia Dortmund will face Sporting CP in a battle between German and Portuguese giants. England’s Manchester City will take on Spain’s Real Madrid in what promises to be one of the standout fixtures of the round. Elsewhere, Bayern Munich will meet Celtic, while PSV Eindhoven will lock horns with Juventus. AC Milan have been drawn against Feyenoord,…

South African model Tshego Gaelae has been crowned the winner of the 40th Mrs World pageant, held in Las Vegas, USA. Sri Lanka’s Ishadi Amanda was named the first runner-up, while Thailand’s Ploy Panperm secured the second runner-up position. Celebrating her win, Gaelae expressed her gratitude in an Instagram post, writing, “To God Be The Glory🙌🏽👑🇿🇦🙏🏽. Thank you so much for the love and support, I am beyond grateful and elated! My beautiful South Africa, the crown is coming Home.” Mrs World is the first beauty pageant for married women, conceived in 1984. The organisation that supported her journey, Mrs South…

A petrol tanker went up in flames on Thursday while offloading fuel at a filling station in Kiyawa Local Government Area of Jigawa State, Northwest Nigeria.  Eyewitnesses said the fire erupted after someone answered a phone call near the tanker, igniting the highly flammable vapors. The flames quickly engulfed the tanker and part of the filling station. However, timely intervention from firefighters and local residents helped prevent the blaze from spreading further. Authorities confirmed that no lives were lost, but the extent of property damage is yet to be determined. Investigations are underway to ascertain the exact cause of the…

The Federal High Court in Abuja has granted bail to human rights activist and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, in the sum of N10 million. Sowore faces 17 counts of cybercrime, including allegations that he referred to the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, as an “Illegal IGP” on his verified X handle. Ruling on the bail application, Justice Musa Liman stated that an individual has the right to bail unless compelling reasons exist to deny it. He emphasized that the police failed to provide sufficient evidence to show that Sowore could intimidate high-ranking officers who would testify in the…

Real Madrid have ended the league phase on a high with a 3-0 victory over Brest, but it is not enough for a top 8 finish in the standings. Carlo Ancelotti’s side needed other results to go their way, but it was not to be in the end. It was a fairly even start to proceedings at the Stade du Roudourou, which was delayed due to smoke pre-match. Both teams have had chances, but Real Madrid took theirs – it was Rodrygo Goes that found the back of the net to continue his excellent recent form, as he capped off…

Liverpool’s youthful squad fell to a 3-2 defeat against PSV Eindhoven in a dramatic Champions League encounter, but the result mattered little for Arne Slot’s side, who had already secured top spot in the league phase. With 12 senior players left in England, Liverpool fielded a mix of fringe players and academy prospects, providing a rare opportunity for youngsters to experience European football. Despite the loss, the night was a success in many ways—key players were rested, backups gained match fitness, and the club’s rising talents had a taste of top-level competition. The match started with Liverpool’s Cody Gakpo, a…

Barcelona had hopes to finish top of the league phase, but they have failed in their bid to overhaul Liverpool in the standings. A victory over Atalanta at the Estadi Olimpic would have been enough, but in the end, the Catalans could only manage a 2-2 draw. The first half produced no goals, although the visitors did find the back of the net through Davide Zappacosta, although it was ruled out by VAR for an offside in the build-up. It would be Barcelona that struck the first blow just minutes into the second period courtesy of Lamine Yamal, as he…

Federal lawmakers on Wednesday asked the Federal Government to prioritise water transportation in the country. The lawmakers made the call during the budget defence session of the Nigerian Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), stressing that it has been largely neglected compared to road and air transport. At the National Assembly joint committee on Marine Transport, Hon Ojema Ojotu who was re-echoing the views of other senators stated that, “If you look at what’s happening, road and air transport are given significant attention by the government. “As lawmakers, we are saying that the same level of priority should be given to water…

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) says it will not be conducting admissions for the law programme in some selected universities where the Council of Legal Education (CLE) has suspended the Bachelor of Laws (LL.B) programme ) for the 2025/2026 academic session. This was contained in a statement released by JAMB’s Public Communications Advisor, Fabian Benjamin, on Wednesday and made available to Channels Television. According to him, JAMB will not approve any admissions for candidates seeking to enroll in the Law programme at the affected universities for the 2025/2026 academic session. Benjamin further stated that the ban on registration…

Britain’s Labour government on Wednesday backed a plan for a third runway at London’s busy Heathrow airport, with finance minister Rachel Reeves saying it would help grow the economy while respecting climate goals. “I can confirm today that this government supports a third runway at Heathrow and is inviting proposals to be brought forward by the summer,” Reeves said in a speech, adding that a new airstrip “would unlock growth”. Despite opposition from environmentalists and some Labour MPs, Prime Minister Keir Starmer is determined to deliver major infrastructure projects to grow a UK economy that has struggled to take off…