Rosneft and Lukoil, two of Russia’s top oil companies, are under US President Donald Trump’s pressure to agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine. Russian gas exports are the subject of a 19th round of sanctions, which the EU has approved. The actions, which Russia has labeled as “counterproductive,” were welcomed by President Zelenskyy.
Published On 23 Oct 2025
Olisa Agbakoba, the senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN), has reiterated his call for decentralization of power, arguing that democracy will remain fragile without the transfer of power and resources to local governments and states.
Agbakoba made the call at a press conference in Lagos, Nigeria, where he presented a policy document titled “Devolution is the Solution – Foundational Reform Agenda for Transformation” (Francoise version).
Before the 2027 presidential elections, he referred to the blueprint as a blueprint for restructuring Nigeria’s political and economic systems.
Agbakoba criticized what he termed Nigeria’s “fatal illusion” of federalism, noting that the Federal Government is in charge of 97% of all revenues while the majority of states rely on bailouts.
Without federal assistance, “five out of thirty-six states cannot pay their salaries.” He claimed that there are more than 76 local governments and 36 states that serve as distribution centers for federal aid and are not development engines.
Read more about Western Democracy in Nigeria: Agbakoba and Defections Won’t Help.
He warned that because of this extreme centralization, millions of Nigerians are trapped in an unproductive informal economy, which only allows for three or four percent of GDP growth as opposed to the ten to twelve percent needed to escape poverty.
Agbakoba praised President Tinubu’s economic reforms, including those aimed at reducing fuel subsidies and liberalizing foreign exchange, but argued that they needed political reform to succeed.
“Political is the root of the problem,” not economic. Because you can’t patch a cracked foundation, he claimed, twenty-five years of constitutional amendments failed.
To formally impose federalism through a significant devolution of powers, the senior lawyer emphasized that Nigeria needs a new constitution rather than additional amendments.
Agbakoba argued that states should retain 60% of the nation’s internal revenue while maintaining control over their resources, including policing, electricity, and solid minerals.
He further stated that local governments must be granted constitutional authority in terms of community development, including education, healthcare, water, sanitation, and health.
The senior lawyer argued that the federal government should concentrate on foreign affairs, including currency, defense, immigration, and defense.
He claimed that a multi-centred economy with more people-centric governance would emerge from a centralized redistribution system.
Agbakoba noted that poor legislation and regulatory failures continue to stymie Nigeria’s 25 to 35 trillion-percent untapped revenue potential.
He revealed that illegal fishing, untaxed oil rigs, inefficient ports, and untaxed oil rigs cause annual losses of 11 trillion.
Additionally, the SAN claimed that unexploited resources like lithium, cobalt, and rare earths, valued at up to 45 trillion, are present. Agbakoba argued that the implementation of these reforms would set Nigeria on its way to a development boom.
“If these reforms are put into place, Nigeria could have $500 trillion in its budgets.” In terms of infrastructure, education, and healthcare, we might rival Asian economies.
He predicted that a strong middle class would emerge, agriculture would feed Africa, industries would create millions of jobs, and there would be global competition for technology hubs, he said.
If Nigerians reject the current system, which benefits a few while impoverishing millions, then this transformation, he claimed, could take place in five years with solid foundations by 2030.
According to Agbakoba, political and economic restructuring is necessary to safeguard Nigeria’s democracy.
According to their outlet and the Donetsk region regional governor, a Russian drone has attacked two Ukrainian journalists and injured another in the city of Kramatorsk in eastern Ukraine.
A Russian Lancet drone was used to kill Olena Gramova, 43, and Yevgen Karmazin, 33, according to Freedom Media, a state-funded news agency. Alexander Kolychev, a different reporter, was taken to the hospital following the attack.
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The Donetsk regional governor earlier provided details about the strike and posted images of the journalists’ car’s burned remains, the AFP news agency reported.
Prior to joining the media in 2014, when Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula and began arming a separatist movement in Donetsk and Luhansk in the Donbass, Gramova, a native of Yenakiieve in the Donetsk region, had a “finance specialist” degree.
Karmazin was born in Donetsk, Kramatorsk, and elsewhere. He “joined Ukraine’s international broadcasting channels as a cameraman in 2021,” according to the outlet.
They were present from day one, covering war crimes, soldier stories, and evacuations, according to a post on X from the Kyiv Post.
Olena Hubanova, a journalist for Ukraine, and Yevhen Karmazin, a cameraman for the Russian Lancet, were killed when a drone tore through Kramatorsk during their reporting from the front lines.
They covered evacuations, war crimes, and soldier stories right from the beginning.
They are no longer there. pic. twitter.com/TNTN8H7nFd
One of the few remaining civilian hubs in the Donetsk region that is still under Ukrainian control is Kramatorsk, which had a population of about 150 000 before the war.
Russian forces are about 16 kilometers (10 miles) from the city, where officials earlier this month mandated the evacuation of young people from some towns and remote villages.
Reporting from Ukraine’s front-line regions is becoming more dangerous as a result of the proliferation of cheap, deadly drones used by both Russian and Ukrainian forces.
A drone struck Antoni Lallican earlier in October in the eastern city of Druzhkivka in the Donetsk region, killing him.
According to Ukrainian forces cited by the European Federation of Journalists, a “targeted strike” from a first-person-view drone had killed Lallican, according to Ukrainian forces.
The exact number of journalists killed since the start of the 2022 war varies. According to the Committee for the Protection of Journalists, 17 journalists have been killed so far, both domestically and internationally. That number would increase to 19 with the deaths of Gramova and Karmazin.
At least 23 media workers were killed on both sides of the front lines, according to UNESCO earlier this month, including three Russian state media journalists in March. Russian correspondent Ivan Zuyev was killed in a drone strike in the southern Zaporizhia region in mid-October, according to state news agency RIA.
In recent years, there have been record journalists killed in conflicts, with deaths disproportionately higher in Gaza, where Israeli forces purposefully targeted media executives like Reuters cameraman Hussam al-Masri and freelance journalist Mariam Abu Daqqa.
Again, there are different reports regarding deaths since the two-year-old Gaza war started. By August of this year, 242 journalists had been killed, according to the UN. Shireen’s tally. More than 270 journalists and media workers were killed by Israeli forces over the same time, according to Ps, a monitoring website named after murdered Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh.
Six teenagers scored the most points in a single competition round this week, making it the highest total for youth in the Champions League.
Lamine Yamal of Barcelona and Myles Lewis-Skelly of Arsenal were the two stars who surprised, but those names need no introduction right now.
The Blues became the first Champions League team to have three teenager scorers and gave 10 players under the age of 21 the first.
The 19-year-old Spaniard, known as a powerful, quick number nine, fired home to briefly become the club’s youngest goalscorer in the competition with Marc Guiu scoring first.
Estevao Willian, who is one year, three months old, and 20 days younger, recorded a penalty for his record on Wednesday night, which was only 33 minutes long.
Ex-England striker Wayne Rooney once referred to Estevao as a “special talent” when he scored a late winner against Liverpool earlier this month, while his Chelsea team-mate Jorrel Hato, another teenager who started against Ajax, said Barca sensation Yamal is the only player of comparison.
The 19-year-old is already a household name after a breakthrough season with the Blues last term when he played 750 minutes as they won the Europa Conference League title.
He made his debut in the Danish Superliga on Friday, scoring his first goal for the team.
Karl Lennart wasted no time in showcasing why he is one of Germany’s brightest prospects on his first start for Bayern Munich.
After five minutes, Bayern scored their first goal against Club Brugge by wallowing past two defensemen with a left-footed shot into the top corner from the edge of the box.
The latest talent from the famed La Masia academy production line, Dr. Fernandez made his first senior competitive start last month after taking part in Barcelona’s pre-season tour of Japan.
In Tuesday’s 6-1 victory over Olympiacos, the 17-year-old Spaniard added an assist after receiving the ball on the half-turn before flying into space and slamming a perfectly weighted pass into Fermin Lopez’s path.
Another teenager, Roony Bardghji, who helped Lopez score a hat-trick, recently joined Barcelona from Copenhagen.
Lopez fired home from the penalty spot after the 19-year-old fizzed in a cross from an Olympiacos defender with the “elastico” talent.
Bardghji, who was born in Kuwait to Syrian parents, moved to Sweden at the age of six and made his Swedish debut earlier this month. He is said to have “similar characteristics to Mohamed Salah.”
Published On 23 Oct 2025
The world’s largest football organization announced that the Afghanistan women’s refugee team’s tournament, which was organized by FIFA and was to take place in Morocco, will be held on Sunday.
The UAE, Chad, and Libyan national women’s teams are also competing in the “FIFA Unites: Women’s Series” tournament, which was originally scheduled to take place from October 23 to October 29 in Dubai.
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The Taliban’s ban on women’s sports, which led to the formation of the Afghanistan women’s refugee team, led to the Taliban’s 2021 invasion, which caused players to flee the country for fear of persecution.
FIFA thanked the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FMRF) for their support of a successful tournament, according to a statement from FIFA.
Following consultation with FIFA, the Afghan women’s refugee team has come up with the name “Afghan Women United,” according to the governing body.
The 2025 edition of the World Series, which features one more titan looking to defeat a potential new foe, kicks off in Toronto on Friday.
In the past ten years, Major League Baseball’s big-spending Los Angeles Dodgers have been a juggernaut. After losing back-to-back World Series in 2017 and 2018, they triumphed in the Covid-shortened 2020 season, then overcame fellow behemoth, the New York Yankees, last year.
And they have remained victorious in the National League playoffs, defeating only one of their ten postseason games, defeating the Philadelphia Phillies 3-1, and sweeping the Milwaukee Brewers 4-0.
A revitalized Toronto Blue Jays team is in their way, having defeated the Yankees and the Boston Red Sox to win the AL pennant before winning the game again in the play-offs and coming from 2-0 and 3-2 down to clinch the Seattle Mariners.
But will the Dodgers become the first team to win successive World Series since the Yankees in 1998, 1999 and 2000?
Game 1 (in Toronto): Friday, 24 October
On Saturday, October 25th, Toronto, for Game 2.
Game 3 (in Los Angeles): On October 27th, 2018.
Game 4 (in LA): Tuesday, 28 October
On Wednesday, October 29th, 2018, in LA, game 5*
Friday, October 31st, for Game 6* (in Toronto).
Game 7* (in Toronto): Saturday, 1 November
Shohei Ohtani is the face of baseball right now, ensuring that this World Series will be as closely followed in Japan as it will be in North America.
The 31-year-old is a rare “two-way” player who can play both as a pitcher and a hitter in a game where most college players are instructed to pick one discipline over the other.
He signed a $ 700 million (£558 million) contract with the Dodgers as a free agent for the 2024 season, rejecting the Blue Jays and other potential buyers.
While injury prevented him from pitching last year, he was unanimously voted as the National League’s Most Valuable Player (MVP). He made history with a 50 home run and 62 strikeouts as the first MLB player to do so simultaneously when he returned to the pitcher’s mound in June.
And he rewrote the record books in the play-offs, striking out 10 batters and allowing three home runs in the championship game, which was hailed as one of the best in history.
A Sports Illustrated cover is everything television loves to tell a redemption story.
In June 2014, the US magazine Sports Illustrated made a bold front-page prediction that the struggling Houston Astros, in the midst of rebuilding their roster, would win the 2017 World Series.
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The prophecy was fulfilled three years later. In the 2017 “Fall Classic,” Houston defeated the Dodgers, with Springer earning the MVP after five of the seven games with home runs.
However, that success was later tarnished by an electronic sign-stealing scandal which left Springer, and other players involved, in the role of MLB’s pantomime villains – particularly in the eyes of Dodgers fans after they also lost the 2018 World Series to a Boston Red Sox team who were themselves later found guilty of sign-stealing.
Springer left Houston for Toronto in 2021 via free agency, but despite turning 36 this year, he still leads the Blue Jays’ starting lineup with a three-run homer in the final AL Championship Series game seven, earning him the title of one of MLB’s best postseason performers of all time.
If Ohtani’s $70 million annual salary were not deferred at all, Ohtani would have earned an even higher figure, and that $68 million is more than the Miami Marlins’ $67 million salary alone.
“Before the season started, they said the Dodgers are ruining baseball”, bullish manager Dave Roberts said after they reached the World Series. “Get four more wins and really ruin baseball,” the saying goes.
A win for the Dodgers, however, might make it more likely that MLB does not have a salary cap, as opposed to the other “Big Four” US sports (football, basketball, and ice hockey).
The players ‘ union, naturally, bitterly opposes a cap. Naturally, MLB and the team owners would like one. Given the amount of money the Dodgers are spending, even the Yankees’ owners have questioned how other teams can compete.
And with the current collective bargaining agreement between owners and players due to expire in December 2026, the two sides seem as far apart as ever.
Founded as an expansion franchise to MLB in 1977, the Blue Jays have been a lone Canadian representative since the struggling Montreal Expos were bought by MLB and relocated to the US capital for 2005, becoming the Washington Nationals.
Although Canada still has seven NHL teams, the Montreal Canadiens won the Stanley Cup in 1993, the same year that the Blue Jays last won the World Series.
The only other Canadian “Big Four” success came with the 2019 NBA Finals victory for the Toronto Raptors.
The Blue Jays have a local Canadian hero leading the charge this time – first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr, who was born in Montreal while his Hall of Fame father Vladimir was playing for the Expos.
Freddie Freeman, who has dual Canadian and US citizenship because his parents are from Ontario, is opposing him on first base for the Dodgers.
Despite playing for both teams this year, he is a guaranteed World Series champion despite a sluggish .069 batting average in 2025.
Meet Clifton Lewis ‘ Buddy ‘ Kennedy.
He debuted in MLB in 2022 after being picked by the Arizona Diamondbacks after graduating from high school, but by September 2023 he was already moving.
He started his 2025 MLB career with the Philadelphia Phillies, but he was let go in July by the Oakland A’s, St. Louis Cardinals, and Detroit Tigers. He frequently flies between the minor leagues and gets call-ups to the major leagues.
Signing for the Blue Jays, he played only two games before moving to the injury-hit Dodgers in August. He was then let go after only one hit in 17 at-bats, and he was then signed back to Toronto on a minor league deal.