Nigeria have taken a 1-0 lead against Benin Republic in their crucial 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier, with star striker Victor Osimhen finding the back of the net.
It took the Galatasaray of Turkey striker just three minutes to open the scoring for the three-time African champions in Uyo.
The early goal gives the Super Eagles a vital lead as they look to secure all three points in the high-stakes encounter.
Nigeria must defeat their West African neighbours today to keep their hopes of qualifying for the World Cup alive.
Even with a victory, the Super Eagles will still be relying on results elsewhere, particularly hoping that South Africa fail to win against Rwanda, in order to secure automatic qualification.
A United States man who scaled an iron security fence in the middle of the night, eluded police and used beer bottles filled with petrol to ignite the Pennsylvania governor’s mansion has pleaded guilty to attempted murder and other charges.
On Tuesday, Cody Balmer, 38, also entered pleas for “terrorism”, 22 counts of arson, aggravated arson, burglary, aggravated assault of Governor Josh Shapiro, 21 counts of reckless endangerment, and loitering.
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He is accused of the April 13 arson attack that did millions of dollars in damage to the state-owned brick building. Under a plea deal, Balmer was sentenced to 25 to 50 years in prison.
Shapiro and members of his family had to be awakened and evacuated, but no one was injured. The multiple arson and endangerment charges reflected the number of people in the residence at the time, including the governor’s family, guests and state troopers.
The fire was set hours after they celebrated the Jewish holiday of Passover with a Seder meal in the governor’s residence. Prosecutors played video clips that showed Molotov cocktails going off and a figure inside and outside the residence around the time of the attack.
Judge Deborah Curcillo called the video “horrific” and “very frightening”.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro was the target of the arson attack, according to prosecutors [Matt Rourke/AP Photo]
Balmer told police he planned to beat Shapiro with a small sledgehammer if he had encountered him after breaking into the building, according to court documents. Balmer turned himself in the next afternoon to face charges of attempted homicide, “terrorism”, aggravated arson and aggravated assault.
Police say Balmer broke in through the southern wing of the residence, into a room often used to entertain crowds and display art. Investigators recovered two broken glass beer bottles containing petrol. The fire charred walls, tables, buffet serving dishes, plates and a piano. Window panes and brick around doors and windows were also damaged.
Shapiro’s Jewish faith and the attack during the Passover weekend raised questions about Balmer’s motivation, but Balmer told The Associated Press in a May letter from jail that religion had not been a factor in his decision.
“He can be Jewish, Muslim, or a purple people eater for all I care and as long as he leaves me and mine alone,” Balmer wrote.
He said in a brief June 9 video interview from Camp Hill State Prison that he did think beforehand about whether children might be injured.
“Does anyone ever consider children?” Balmer said in June. “It doesn’t seem that way. I sure as hell did. I’m glad no one got hurt.”
Asked why he felt Shapiro had somehow done him wrong, Balmer replied: “I’m not going to answer that.”
Balmer’s mother said days after his arrest that she had tried to get him assistance for mental health issues, but “nobody would help”. Court proceedings had been delayed while he received mental health treatment, his lawyer has said.
At a court hearing a few days after the fire, Balmer told a judge he was an unemployed welder with no income or savings and “a lot of children”.
After announcing their divorce in September, Nicole Kidman’s application for residency in Portugal has resurfaced – and she’s looking at the same resort where Harry and Meghan live
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Nicole Kidman ‘applied for residency in Portugal’ after tense Keith Urban split(Image: Getty Images North America)
Nicole Kidman may be moving to Portugal soon. Earlier in the year, the actress filed for divorce from Keith Urban, after months of not living together.
Now, it seems she may want to put a whole ocean between the two of them, as she has reportedly applied for residency in Portugal. She lodged her application with the European country’s immigration agency in July.
At the time, it raised questions about the state of her marriage, as Keith’s name was left off the forms. But their separation and divorce have been confirmed in the months since.
According to sources close to the pair, Nicole and Keith were not living together for most of the summer, despite celebrating their 19th wedding anniversary at the end of June. Nicole was said to have been fighting for the marriage, but Keith was “done” and his friends felt their divorce was “inevitable”.
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As such, by the time the divorce was filed in a Nashville court, a parenting plan was already in place, with Nicole as having their daughters, Sunday Rose and Faith Margaret, for most of the year. Therefore, if she moves to Portugal, it is likely she would take them with her.
And if the trio go, they will be in good company, as Nicole is said to be eyeing up a property in an exclusive development called the Costaterra Golf and Ocean Club, where several A-listers already have residences.
Those already owning property in the resort just south of Lisbon are Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, George Clooney, Paris Hilton and Princess Eugenie. Last year, Harry and Meghan were said to have spent $4.7 million (£3.5 million) on their beachside home.
The star-studded complex was developed by Mike Meldman, the co-founder of George Clooney’s tequila company Casamigos. He acquired the 72-acre land in 2019, with a £435 million investment.
Nicole flew to Portugal in July, as the country requires an in-person meeting at their immigration residency. Keith’s absence was explained by his tour commitments at the time. The move still surprised many though, as all the couple’s other properties were in the US or Australia, where Nicole is from.
It is unclear who will get which home in the divorce, but for now, the couple jointly own properties in Tennessee, New York, California, Sydney and New South Wales. Given their real-estate portfolio, they are reported to have $282 million (£212 million) in assets to divide.
In an interview with Harper’s Bazaar that was published last Thursday (9 October), Nicole hinted at the end of her marriage and said she “survived a lot”.
“As I get older, I want to be able to share and impart the things I’ve learned. I’ve seen a lot, I’ve experienced a lot, and I’ve survived a lot,” she said.
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Later, she added that “the experiences that you’ve accumulated” are the best part of getting older. “So you go, ‘Oh, I’ve been here before. I actually know how to handle this now.’ Or, ‘Maybe I haven’t been in this place, but I’ve experienced something similar to this, and I do know that I will get through it.'”
Many thought she was referring to her divorce from Tom Cruise, which was highly shocking to the actress and left her heartbroken, but may be able to help her cope with what is happening now. She concluded: “There’s something to knowing that no matter how painful, or how difficult, or how devastating something is, there is a way through. You’re going to have to feel it.”
Pop icon Charli XCX has revealed that her soundtrack for Emerald Fennell’s Wuthering Heights “couldn’t be more different from Brat”
Hannah Roberts and Susan Knox Assistant Showbiz Editor
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Charli XCX fans divided as she makes ‘unsettling’ confession about new music(Image: Getty Images for Kering)
Brat star Charli XCX has said her original songs for the new Wuthering Heights film “couldn’t be more different from Brat”.
The pop star, 33, who won five Brit awards for her genre-defying album, is providing music to soundtrack Emerald Fennell’s adaptation of the classic Emily Bronte novel. Speaking to Vanity Fair, the Guess singer said the film features an “elegant and brutal sound palette…. It couldn’t be more different from Brat.”
The film, which is being released on Valentine’s Day 2026, stars Australian actors Jacob Elordi and Margot Robbie who appear in the film’s trailer, which features provocative imagery and the tagline: “Drive me mad.”
The singer, whose real name is Charlotte Aitchison, has secured a number of on-screen roles this year, including in Pete Ohs’ Erupcja, which had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), and Julia Jackman’s 100 Nights Of Hero, which will close the BFI London Film Festival this weekend.
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She also stars in the upcoming A24 film The Moment, which appears to be inspired by the phenomenon of Brat, and is “based on an original idea” by Charli XCX, according to a teaser.
The singer said: “It’s not a tour documentary or a concert film in any way, but the seed of the idea was conceived from this idea of being pressured to make one. It’s fiction, but it’s the realest depiction of the music industry that I’ve ever seen.”
Charli XCX soared to new levels of fame following the release of her culture-shaping sixth studio album in June 2024. The music artist, who blends elements of hyper-pop, electronica and dance music, said the end of the Brat phenomenon, which became an aesthetic as well as a lifestyle craze, “will be interesting”.
“I don’t really get to decide when it’s over or not. I think that’s up to the world”, she told Vanity Fair. “I don’t think people will forget it.” She added: “The end will be interesting because then I have to look at myself in a different way and be stripped of the thing that everyone identified me with. I not only know that this won’t last forever. I’m also really interested in the fact that it doesn’t.”
The singer was recently wed to The 1975 drummer George Daniel in a ceremony she described as “just another cool day”. The pop star had a ceremony in London this summer and another wedding celebration abroad, which reportedly took place in Sicily.
“It’s cool to be married,” the Von Dutch singer told the US magazine. “I never really saw it for myself, to be honest. It was cool to feel so in love, and do it our way. We both kind of just wanted to not feel the pressures of the things you’re supposed to feel when you get married.”
The singer said she did not want to feel that “this is the day of your life as a woman.” She said: “I’m like, it’s actually just another cool day. It was cute. He’s the best. He really understands who I am at my best and at my worst.”
Daniel’s bandmate, The 1975 frontman Matty Healy, was among the famous stars at the couple’s wedding ceremony in Italy. The singer said: “When he’s (Daniel’s) deep within making a 1975 record and needs perspective, we can talk about it, and vice versa. It feels very calming to have that. Sometimes, you have to really grapple with fear and expectation and it being over.”
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Pervasive and permanent, Forever Chemicals have poisoned the planet. We meet those fighting to hold someone to account.
From remote polar regions to the depths of the Amazon, one group of chemicals can be found almost everywhere. PFAS – per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances – have caused one of the most widespread contamination crises in history. They’re known as Forever Chemicals because they don’t biodegrade, staying and accumulating in our bodies and in the environment. And they’re toxic, with exposure linked to a list of health problems, including cancer. For decades, PFAS have been used in countless products, lauded for their heatproof, waterproof and greaseproof qualities. They’re in cooking utensils, cosmetics, raincoats, firefighting foam, motor oil and thousands more. But now they’re in our bodies, too.
The United States Supreme Court declined to hear a challenge by conspiracy theorist Alex Jones to a $1.4bn judgement awarded to families of the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School mass shooting in Connecticut over the Infowars website founder’s false statements that the 2012 incident was a hoax.
The high court made the decision on Tuesday.
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The justices turned away his appeal of the Connecticut Appellate Court’s decision in a defamation lawsuit against him to uphold most of the judgement issued by a judge and jury in 2022 to 14 family members of children and school employees who were killed, and an FBI agent who responded to the shooting. In doing so, the top US judicial body left the judgement in place.
Twenty-six people – 20 students and six staff members at the school in Newtown, Connecticut – were killed in the incident by a 20-year-old former student who then fatally shot himself.
Jones has argued that the judgement in the lawsuit brought against him in Connecticut violated his rights under the US Constitution to due process and free speech. It is believed to be the largest judgement in US libel case history, according to his filing to the Supreme Court.
He also lost a similar lawsuit in Texas, though the roughly $50m judgement in that case was far lower. Jones is separately appealing that judgement. He declared bankruptcy after losing the lawsuits.
Jones was sued for defamation after calling the shooting a “false flag” operation meant to stir up anti-gun-rights sentiment among Americans, and he has said that the parents of slain children were “crisis actors” who were faking their grief in television interviews.
Jones refused to cooperate in the legal proceedings. He has objected to the fact that Connecticut Superior Court Judge Barbara Bellis determined he was liable for defaming the parents, and that a six-member jury was asked only to consider how much he should pay. Jurors awarded compensatory damages of $965m in the trial held in the city of Waterbury.
The judge then added $473m in punitive damages, and an appeals court later reduced that amount to $323m after Jones appealed. In his appeal to the Supreme Court, Jones challenged the original $1.4bn sum.
Multiple cases
The verdict is so large that it “can never be paid”, according to the filing, and a bankruptcy court has ruled that Jones cannot use his personal bankruptcy to avoid paying the debt.
In his filing to the Supreme Court, Jones said that the judge’s default judgement was based on “small discovery errors” and “trivial” missteps by his lawyers, and led to an unfair trial.
Jones previously asked the US Supreme Court to intervene in the Connecticut case in 2021, after Bellis imposed sanctions on Jones for public statements he made during the litigation but before he was found liable for defamation. The Supreme Court declined to take the case at that time.
