Archive January 30, 2026

‘We Will Take It By Force,’ Wike Dares Rivers Govt Over Access To Stadium 

The Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, has threatened to force entry into the Yakubu Gowon Stadium, alleging that the Rivers State Government denied the Renewed Hope Ambassadors access to the venue for a rally. 

Wike, the immediate past governor of the coastal state, spoke on Friday during the inauguration of coordinators of the group across the 23 local government areas of Rivers State.

“We applied to the Rivers State Government for the Yakubu Gowon Stadium. They refused us. But let me say, next time we will do this, if you don’t approve it, we will break it by force,” Wike said at the Captain Elechi Amadi Polytechnic, Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

“So the coordinator of the state [Renewed Hope Ambassadors], write again to the state government. Choose a day, and we will inaugurate the ward level. I want to say to everybody to hear: enough is enough. We are all from Rivers State.

“Nobody can deny us the facilities of the state. If you don’t agree to give us, we will do the needful, and we take it by force. Heaven will never fall. Even when heaven falls, everywhere will be at peace.”

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The ex-governor asked them to be bold despite the alleged intimidation by the Rivers State government.

“We must go and make sure this is inaugurated ward by ward, unit by unit, and we will take a date to make sure we inaugurate them. I have told the leadership of the party, the way they have done for local government, so we will do for the wards. We will provide vehicles for each of the wards.

“So nobody should be intimidated. We are here to support you. The members of various councils have agreed to make more commitments to make sure each ward gets a bus, to make sure the campaign for the ‘Renewed Hope Agenda’ is being realized,” the minister told a teeming crowd of supporters.

READ ALSO: Rivers State Issues Are Fubara’s Responsibility — Aide

Rivers Denies Allegation

But the Rivers State Government has denied the allegation, saying it was baseless.

The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Information and Communications, Honour Sirawoo, spoke to journalists on Friday evening after an inspection tour of the facility.

Sirawoo described the allegation as false and misleading, explaining that the Yakubu Gowon Stadium is undergoing reconstruction and thus unsafe for public use.

Grand Slam Track risks ‘dangerous precedent’ over debts

Simon Armstrong

BBC Sport

Grand Slam Track, the competition backed by Olympic great Michael Johnson, has been urged to settle debts owed to athletes who took part last year or risk setting a “dangerous precedent”.

Its inaugural season promised lucrative prize money and salaries for contracted runners, but its final event was cancelled with organisers later voluntarily filing for bankruptcy in the USA.

That move left many big names out of pocket, including women’s 400m hurdles world record holder Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone who is owed $268,750 (£196,000).

The Association of Athletics Managers (AAM), which represents a number of stars, says GST now risks undermining trust in the sport having requested $400,000 (£292,000) as part of its court-supervised reorganisation to pay for “athlete recruitment” for a 2026 season.

The AAM is calling for GST to “immediately prioritise” the repayment of all outstanding debts – which it claims total in excess of $30m (£11.8m) to more than 150 athletes and companies – “before attempting to stage additional events”.

The BBC has approached GST for comment.

Which British stars are owed money?

A legal document filed with a bankruptcy court for the US district of Delaware lists each of the athletes and companies owed money by GST.

Among them are a number of British runners, including:

Athletes’ group ‘surprised’ by new season plan

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone runs through tape at the line as she wins Grand Slam Track's 400m hurdles event in MiamiGetty Images

Johnson previously said there would be no GST events in 2026 unless athletes had received their prize money for its first year.

The AAM said the “integrity and sustainability of track and field depend on honouring commitments and operating with basic financial responsibility”.

It described being “surprised to hear in the most recent creditor meeting that GST is already working toward a 2026 season”.

In all, it claims GST has requested $2.9m (£2.1m) in financing from the court to cover operating costs such as salaries and marketing and office expenses “prior to any other 2025 payments being made”.

The AAM said both it and the athletes it represented had “strongly supported GST and Michael Johnson” and “took it on faith when Michael told us both publicly and privately that he had $30m in funding” for last year’s launch.

Their patience continued even when “serious financial difficulties” became clear after the GST event in Philadelphia, the association added.

However, the AAM now says: “Moving forward with planning for 2026 events without making athletes and other creditors whole for the extensive 2025 debts undermines trust across the entire ecosystem and sets a dangerous precedent for athletes, vendors and future partners alike.

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Are Arsenal fans making team nervous in title race?

Alex Howell

Arsenal reporter
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Arsenal are in control of the Premier League title race, but are the nerves starting to show as the pressure mounts?

The Gunners are having an excellent season – four points clear in top spot, into the Champions League last 16 after winning all eight group-phase games, have a first-leg lead over Chelsea in the Carabao Cup semi-final and are into the FA Cup fourth round.

But there were boos after a first home loss of the season by Manchester United last weekend, amid a nervousness from their fanbase about missing out on a possible championship again after three successive second-placed finishes.

Boss Mikel Arteta gave a speech in his news conference before the midweek match against Kairat Almaty to urge supporters to “jump on the boat” with the team as they try to “enjoy” the title run-in.

And he was again on the front foot before Saturday’s trip to Leeds, with the Gunners looking for their first win in four league matches.

“It’s just understanding where you are,” said Arteta. “Certainly, when you lose a game you have a lot of feelings.

“This group of players are so competitive and they seek excellence and when you don’t reach it you ask yourself questions. My role there is to bring optimism and a reality of where we are.

“We are doing so many things so well and let’s focus mainly on that. For sure we want to improve and be better in every area, but with that sense as well of self-confidence and conviction that we are on the right path.”

Viktor GyokeresGetty Images

One of the things about Arteta’s Arsenal side which has been criticised is the Gunners do not have a clear goalscorer in the Premier League.

They signed Viktor Gyokeres in a summer deal worth £64m, but things have not clicked for the striker and he has just five league goals this season.

But the Gunners still have a hugely impressive record with the forward in the team, despite his issues in front of goal, and it is not only the Swedish international who has struggled to find the net.

None of the Arsenal frontline are particularly in top form.

“Saka is the one that has really surprised us,” said former England captain Steph Houghton on the Monday Night Club. “For all the games he plays you think he has goals and assists, but to have none in his last 13 games is a surprise.

“He is one of their key players who is meant to be creating and scoring.

“We always thought Gyokeres was going to be the missing piece to the puzzle for Arsenal this season as the number nine.

‘It could all fall apart at any one moment’

Arsenal have been Premier League leaders at this stage of a season three times previously, but only went on to lift the title once, in 2003.

BBC Sport fan writer Laura Kirk-Francis said the feeling of nervousness was down to high stakes and supporters feeling like they have something to lose.

“It’s a combination of a few things, but certainly there is some residual trauma about the two seasons where we felt on track for the title and suddenly fell away,” she added.

“Because of that, I think we are all on edge searching for any signs that the same thing might happen again, hence the big meltdown after the Manchester United game.”

With their last league title in 2004 and finishing behind Manchester City twice and then Liverpool last season, recent history does not bode well for Arsenal when it comes down to a tense finale.

They are currently clear of both City and Aston Villa after 23 games, with Liverpool 14 points behind in sixth spot.

“The nerves also come from a sense that this team feels deserving of silverware,” said Kirk-Francis. “Given the quality of the players, how consistent they’ve been, some of the performances at the beginning of the season – it’s sparked a bit of desperation I think which leads to nervousness.

“I’d also say there are some parts of the fanbase who see this season as a now or never, particularly with Liverpool’s fall-off and how shaky Man City have looked at times.

‘We are the best team in this league’

Arsenal are one of the biggest clubs in the world with a global fanbase, so the nerves among supporters are being felt both inside Emirates Stadium and in the wider arena, particularly on social media.

AFTV on YouTube is one of the outlets synonymous with fan views and founder Robbie Lyle agrees with Arteta that fans and players need to embrace the challenge of a title race.

“We’re going to have a lot more of these games between now and the end of the season,” Lyle told BBC Sport at a Kick It Out event which is aiming to make the pub a more inclusive space for fans.

“Every team thinks, ‘how can we stop Arsenal?’ Keep it tight and get the anxiety flowing. This is what it is going to be from now until the end of the season.

“I still think Arsenal are good enough to win this league, I still think they are going to win this league. Just treat that as a lesson. In life you have lessons. That was a lesson on Sunday, go now and go and beat Leeds and let’s get back on track.”

Like many Arsenal fans, the pain of missing out for three successive years, and not winning any trophy since the 2020 FA Cup, is a factor in why things feel so desperate.

“Three years in a row we have come second.” added Lyle. “Even though I’m trying my hardest to be calm, I’m thinking, ‘oh no, we’re not going to do this again are we?’ I think it is just a natural thing.

“I have been to every game this season. We are the best team in this league – just go and win the thing now.

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Guterres warns UN faces ‘imminent financial collapse’

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned that the United Nations faces “imminent financial collapse” amid unpaid annual dues and other issues.

Al Jazeera on Friday reviewed a letter Guterres sent to all UN member states earlier this week, warning them that the global body faced a grave financial crisis.

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The letter urged member states to agree to overhaul the UN’s financial rules or accept “the very real prospect of the financial collapse of our Organization” and called on them to pay their annual dues.

Asked about the letter during a news briefing on Friday afternoon, a UN spokesperson said that, “when it comes to paying, it’s now or never”.

“We do not have the sort of cash reserves and the sort of liquidity to keep functioning as we’ve done in previous years – and this is something that the secretary-general has warned with increasing strength each year,” Farhan Haq told reporters.

While Guterres did not blame a specific country for the UN’s financial troubles, his appeal comes as United States President Donald Trump has moved to slash Washington’s funding for multilateral institutions.

Trump, whose administration announced plans this month to withdraw from several UN agencies, also recently launched his so-called “Board of Peace” initiative, which some experts have said aims to sideline the UN.

“Trump’s board appears to be a kind of pay-to-play, global club, judging from the $1 billion fee for permanent membership,” Louis Charbonneau, the UN director at Human Rights Watch, recently warned.

“Instead of handing Trump $1 billion checks, governments should work together to protect the UN and other institutions established to uphold international human rights and humanitarian law, the global rule of law, and accountability,” Charbonneau said.

The annual dues UN member states must pay are set according to each country’s gross domestic product (GDP), debt and other factors.

The US accounts for 22 percent of the core budget, followed by China with 20 percent.

But by the end of 2025 there was a record $1.57bn in outstanding dues, Guterres said, without naming the countries that had not paid.

“Either all Member States honour their obligations to pay in full and on time – or Member States must fundamentally overhaul our financial rules to prevent an imminent financial collapse,” he said.

In early January, the UN approved a $3.45bn budget for 2026 – down 7 percent from last year, as the global body looked to reduce costs amid its financial challenges.

Still, Guterres warned in the letter that the organisation could run out of cash by July.

One of the problems is a rule now seen as antiquated, whereby the global body has to credit back hundreds of millions of dollars in unspent dues to states each year.

“In other words, we are trapped in a Kafkaesque cycle expected to give back cash that does not exist,” Guterres said in the letter.

US Department of Justice releases 3 million new Epstein documents

The United States Department of Justice has released a massive new tranche of investigative files related to the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

At a news conference on Friday, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said the department was releasing more than 3 million pages of documents, as well as more than 2,000 videos and 180,000 images.

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He said the release means the department has met a legal requirement passed by Congress last year.

“Today’s release marks the end of a very comprehensive document identification and review process to ensure transparency to the American people and compliance with the act,” Blanche said.

But the administration of President Donald Trump has faced scrutiny over the pacing of the files’ release and redactions within the published documents.

Trump himself has been confronted with questions about his past relationship with Epstein, who cultivated a roster of influential contacts.

On Friday, Blanche dismissed rumours that the Justice Department had sought to protect powerful individuals, including Trump.

While Trump has acknowledged a years-long friendship with the financier, he has denied any knowledge of the underage sex-trafficking ring that prosecutors say Epstein led.

“There’s this built-in assumption that somehow there’s this hidden tranche of information ‌of men that we know about, that we’re covering up, or that we’re not, we’re choosing not to prosecute,” Blanche said. “That is not the case.”

The Justice Department had initially missed a December 19 deadline set by Congress to release all the files.

The publication is the result of the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which was published in November with bipartisan support to force the release of all federal documents pertaining to Epstein.

In response to the law, the Justice Department said it had tasked hundreds of lawyers with reviewing the records to determine what needs to be blacked out to protect the identities of sexual abuse victims.

Blanche said the department withheld any materials that could jeopardise ongoing investigations or expose potential victims.

All women in the Epstein files other than Ghislaine Maxwell — an ex-girlfriend who was also convicted of child sex trafficking — have been obscured from the videos and images being released on Friday, according to Blanche.

In the past, some of Epstein’s victims have slammed the department’s redactions and withholdings as excessive, with critics pointing out that previously published documents were among the files blacked out.

In December, the Justice Department released an initial batch of Epstein-related documents, though it fell short of the full publication mandated by November’s law.

That release, however, included previously unreleased flight logs showing that Trump flew on Epstein’s private jet in the 1990s. Those trips appeared to happen before Trump has said the pair had a falling out.

The recent releases also contain images showing prominent individuals like tech billionaire Bill Gates, former Trump adviser Steve Bannon, director Woody Allen and former US President Bill Clinton socialising with Epstein, sometimes on his private island.

To date, none of the individuals depicted in the releases have been charged with any crimes, outside of Maxwell.

Following her conviction in 2021, she is serving a 20-year prison sentence, though she has continued to deny any wrongdoing.

Epstein died from apparent suicide in a New York jail cell in August 2019, a month after he was indicted on federal sex trafficking charges.

He had previously been convicted of state sex-offender charges in Florida in 2008 as part of a plea deal that was widely slammed for its leniency. He spent a total of 13 months in custody.

One of Epstein’s victims, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, also filed lawsuits against him, accusing him of arranging sexual encounters with politicians, business titans, academics and other influential figures while she was underage.

All of the men identified by Giuffre, who died in April 2025 in Australia, have denied the allegations.

Among the people she accused was Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly known as Prince Andrew, who denied the claims but settled a lawsuit filed by Giuffre for an undisclosed sum.

All-Ireland final rematch headlines busy league weekend

David Mohan

BBC Sport NI journalist

Outside opinions mean little to Donegal manager Jim McGuinness and his single-minded approach will continue into Sunday’s All-Ireland final rematch against Kerry in Ballyshannon [13:30 GMT].

The Kingdom romped to a 39th Sam Maguire success last summer, defeating Donegal 1-26 to 0-19 in the final as Jack O’Connor’s side exploded into life on their run to the title.

Some queried Donegal’s zonal approach in that game but McGuinness insists “we’ll decide what’s right and won’t be listening to anybody else” in terms of his team’s tactical approach.

“There’s loads of opinions out there and loads of people saying loads of things but that doesn’t have any impact on my thinking whatsoever – I don’t listen to those people,” he said following Saturday’s opening win over Dublin.

“Most of them have never coached at inter-county level, most have never stood on a sideline, most have never won anything as a coach. I only take counsel from people who have been there and done that.”

Sunday’s Division One game may not have the same high stakes, but for McGuinness, this will be another step along the road to where they want to be in 2026.

Donegal opened their campaign with a 1-20 to 0-20 win over the Dubs in Croke Park, while Kerry left it late against Roscommon in Killarney as Tomas Kennedy’s buzzer-beater snatched victory.

Naturally, there will be a keen interest on how this weekend’s game pans out and whether there will be tweaks in approach, but it is anything but a revenge mission for the Ulster champions according to their coach whose focus is on developing his squad for this year’s championship.

“That game is long gone,” he said of last year’s All-Ireland final.

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There’s also a repeat of the 2024 All-Ireland final this weekend as Armagh welcome Galway to the Athletic Grounds on Saturday [17:00].

Kieran McGeeney’s side were impressive in their opening win over Monaghan, while Galway head to the Orchard County seeking to bounce back from their home defeat by Mayo, who entertain Dublin on Sunday [13:30].

Monaghan are seeking a response from that 12-point reverse to Armagh when they travel to Roscommon [Sunday, 14:00] who are smarting from their last-gasp loss to Kerry.

The Rossies were furious Kennedy’s score stood, insisting the hooter to end the game had sounded before the ball was release, but it was counted as a fine performance went unrewarded.

Cavan seek to bounce back from Cork heartbreak

Cavan's Dara McVeety and Cork's Matthew TaylorInpho

In Division Two, Saturday [18:00, live on BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport NI website] sees the big Ulster derby as Derry welcome Tyrone to Celtic Park with both bidding for a first win, while that’s also the objective for Cavan on Sunday [15:45] who host Meath.

Dermot McCabe’s side seemed on course for a victory over Cork but a seven-point advantage in the closing stages finished in a one-point win for the Leesiders as Steven Sherlock’s last-gasp two-point free completed the turnaround.

Meath enjoyed a much happier start as they were 0-19 to 1-13 winners over Derry with seven points from Jack Flynn helping last year’s All-Ireland semi-finalists home.

Elsewhere in the Division, Kildare host Offaly on Saturday [18:00] while on Sunday, Louth welcome Cork [13:30].

Down made a winning start in Division Three, overturning a five-point deficit at the break against Clare to run out winners by the same margin at Pairc Esler.

Conor Laverty’s men are on the road this weekend with Limerick their destination on Saturday [14:00] as they bid to grab another two points against the Treaty side who opened with a draw away to Laois.

It was a disappointing start to the campaign for new Fermanagh boss Declan Bonner as the Ernesiders were beaten 1-13 to 0-12 by Wexford in Brewster Park and they will make the long trek to Clare on Sunday [14:00] aiming to get their campaign on track.

New Antrim manager Mark Doran is also seeking his first league win as his side fell to a 2-16 to 1-15 home defeat by Carlow in Division Four.

Down welcome Slaneysiders to Ballycran

Like Antrim who host Clare on Sunday [13:00, live on BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport NI website], Down’s hurlers came up empty-handed in their opening Division 1B fixture and will seek to bounce back when hosting Wexford in Ballycran on Sunday [14:00].

Ronan Sheehan’s men led by four at the break against Carlow at Dr Cullen Park, but a Barrowsiders’ blitz early in the second half before Down lost Ruairi McCrickard to a red card turned the tables as Carlow went on to record a 2-18 to 1-11 win.

Their visitors on Sunday were 1-13 to 1-12 winners over Antrim in their opener, but had goalkeeper Mark Fanning to thank as his last gasp-free found the net to rescue the situation.

Derry endured a tough start in Division Two when falling to a heavy home defeat by Kerry and it doesn’t get any easier for the Oak Leafers this week as they travel to face Laois [Sunday, 13:00] who romped to an opening win against Mayo.

In hurling’s Division Three, Donegal got off to a good start with victory over Tyrone and they will seek another win over Ulster rivals when hosting Fermanagh – who had the bye last week – in Letterkenny on Saturday [14:30].

Tyrone travel to face Louth [Saturday, 14:00] who opened with an away win at Armagh, with the Orchard men away to Wicklow on Sunday [14:00].

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