It’s 20 years to the day since Alan Shearer became Newcastle United’s all-time leading goalscorer, with his 201st strike in black and white.
But which of his 206 Toon goals stand out? Alan picked his favourites earlier this season on Football Focus, live from St James’ Park.
READ MORE: ‘I knew that my mum and dad were in the stands’ – Shearer’s record, 20 years on
The Emir of Shonga, Kwara State, Haliru Ndanusa, has decried the impacts of early girl-child marriage, suggesting education as an alternative to address the menace.
Ndanusa said this during an interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Wednesday.
The Emir, who said early marriage is contentious, believes education can help address the issue.
“When you force them to school, you do many things. So, we can use that instrumentality to get them to fall into marrying late because it’s very devastating when they marry early.
READ ALSO: Obi Of Onitsha Urges Collective Effort To Address Violence Against Women, Vulnerable People
[embedded content]He likened girls who marry and get pregnant at thirteen and twelve years old to a ‘baby carrying a baby.’
“Sometimes they fall together and stand up again, but importantly, she gets damaged,” he explained
Recalling an experience, he said, “I remember my first practice, the first time when I was in an ONG posting.
“A thirteen-year-old came in bleeding, and a tall gentleman who said he was my friend said, ‘That’s my wife.’ I didn’t understand. I said ‘Your daughter?’ He said, ‘My wife’.”
READ ALSO: Lagos State Launches Tools For Domestic, Sexual Violence Survivors, Reporters
According to the traditional ruler, enlightenment is a critical factor in taming the monster, and he wants community leaders to drive that.
“When you get information that you think you can now use, break it down for them to see. This girl is leaking urine, too young,” he said.
“Mention all those ills, and sometimes have pictures [sent to those involved] and tell them, ‘We are advising you. This is not right, push them to school.’
Tech billionaire and owner of X, Elon Musk, has dubbed socialist Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez a “tyrant and traitor to the people” of Spain for introducing new social media curbs for children under the age of 16.
Musk’s comments on Tuesday came in response to an announcement by the Spanish prime minister that Madrid would introduce new changes to the country’s social media laws.
list of 3 itemsend of list
The proposed measures include a ban on social media for children under 16 and a new legal framework to hold tech executives criminally liable for illegal content. Sanchez also confirmed that the government would work with the public prosecutor to investigate alleged legal infringements by platforms, including TikTok, Instagram, and Musk’s own AI chatbot, Grok.
“Dirty Sanchez is a tyrant and traitor to the people of Spain,” Musk wrote in response to the Spanish prime minister’s X post, in which he detailed the upcoming measures.
Grok has come under fire for allowing users to create sexually explicit fake images of women and minors, triggering an investigation by the European Commission.
The world’s richest man has been accused of platforming far-right and white supremacists, particularly in Europe. He has addressed a political rally of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in the German city of Halle.
Spain’s move to tighten digital regulations comes amid a broader European push to restrict social media access for minors. Several European Union (EU) nations, including France, Greece, and Denmark, have recently proposed or approved similar bans for users under the age of 15 due to concerns related to mental health and the addictive nature of algorithms.
Madrid has also confirmed it is leading a “Coalition of the Digitally Willing” governments and regulators, comprising six European countries, to coordinate stricter cross-border enforcement against major tech platforms.
“Our children are exposed to a space they were never meant to navigate alone … We will no longer accept that,” Sanchez said at the World Governments Summit in Dubai. “We will protect them from the digital Wild West.”
Tech billionaire and owner of X, Elon Musk, has dubbed socialist Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez a “tyrant and traitor to the people” of Spain for introducing new social media curbs for children under the age of 16.
Musk’s comments on Tuesday came in response to an announcement by the Spanish prime minister that Madrid would introduce new changes to the country’s social media laws.
list of 3 itemsend of list
The proposed measures include a ban on social media for children under 16 and a new legal framework to hold tech executives criminally liable for illegal content. Sanchez also confirmed that the government would work with the public prosecutor to investigate alleged legal infringements by platforms, including TikTok, Instagram, and Musk’s own AI chatbot, Grok.
“Dirty Sanchez is a tyrant and traitor to the people of Spain,” Musk wrote in response to the Spanish prime minister’s X post, in which he detailed the upcoming measures.
Grok has come under fire for allowing users to create sexually explicit fake images of women and minors, triggering an investigation by the European Commission.
The world’s richest man has been accused of platforming far-right and white supremacists, particularly in Europe. He has addressed a political rally of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in the German city of Halle.
Spain’s move to tighten digital regulations comes amid a broader European push to restrict social media access for minors. Several European Union (EU) nations, including France, Greece, and Denmark, have recently proposed or approved similar bans for users under the age of 15 due to concerns related to mental health and the addictive nature of algorithms.
Madrid has also confirmed it is leading a “Coalition of the Digitally Willing” governments and regulators, comprising six European countries, to coordinate stricter cross-border enforcement against major tech platforms.
“Our children are exposed to a space they were never meant to navigate alone … We will no longer accept that,” Sanchez said at the World Governments Summit in Dubai. “We will protect them from the digital Wild West.”
A top US general said the United States has deployed a small military team to Nigeria, where President Donald Trump’s administration has alternately pressured and aided the government as it fights jihadist violence.
Speaking after the United States launched strikes targeting militants in Nigeria on December 25, General Dagvin Anderson, head of the US Africa Command (Africom), said the two countries had decided to “increase collaboration”.
“We agreed that we needed to work together on the way forward in the region,” Anderson told a virtual news conference on Tuesday.
“That has led to increased collaboration between our nations to include a small US team that brings some unique capabilities from the United States in order to augment what Nigeria has been doing for several years.”
The general did not give details on the team’s activities.
READ ALSO: US Military Increases Deliveries To Nigeria In ‘Aggressive’ Push Against ISIS Terrorists
Trump has alleged there is a “genocide” of Christians in Nigeria, a claim rejected by the Nigerian government and many independent experts, who say the country’s security crises claim the lives of both Christians and Muslims, often without distinction.
Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, is broadly split between a Christian-majority south and Muslim-majority north.
Africom told AFP last month the US military would increase equipment deliveries and intelligence sharing with Nigeria as part of efforts to fight Islamic State group jihadists.
The US strikes in December hit IS targets in Sokoto State, northwestern Nigeria.
Africom said US military support would be concentrated in that region and the northeast, hit by nearly two decades of unrest blamed on Islamist group Boko Haram and a splinter movement, Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).
In December 2025, Nigeria’s National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu hosted a delegation from the United States Congress in Abuja, for security discussions between Nigeria and the US.
Ribadu noted that the visit follows prior meetings in Washington, D.C., which focused on areas of mutual security interest and cooperation.
He also noted that US Ambassador to Nigeria, Richard Mills, attended the meeting, highlighting what Ribadu described as “the significance both countries place on this partnership.”
Ribadu said the discussions centred on counter-terrorism collaboration, promoting regional stability, and exploring ways to further strengthen the strategic security partnership between Nigeria and the United States.
“I’m optimistic this engagement will deepen trust, collaboration, and shared commitment to peace and security,” he said.
The meeting took place against the backdrop of heightened diplomatic tensions, following US President Donald Trump’s decision to redesignate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern over alleged religious freedom violations, a move that included warnings of potential US military involvement.
The Federal Government has consistently rejected allegations of widespread persecution of Christians, emphasising that insecurity impacts citizens across all faiths.
A 13-year-old boy swam over four kilometres to alert rescuers after his family was swept away by rough seas in Western Australia. Austin Appelbee says he tried to think happy thoughts as he swam for hours to reach shore.