Author: starconnect
By SCM News Desk I Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026 ABUJA, Nigeria — In the ongoing trial of Yahaya Bello, the former governor of Nigeria’s Kogi State, a key prosecution witness told an Abuja court on Thursday that more than ₦1.425 billion ($900,000) was funneled into foreign exchange transactions over a two-month span as part of an alleged multi-billion-naira corruption scheme. Testifying before Justice Maryanne Anineh at the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Maitama, Jamilu Abdullahi, a currency trader, detailed how vast sums of Nigerian naira were systematically converted into United States dollars between December 15, 2021, and February…
By SCM Sports Desk I Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026 DÉCINES-CHARPIEU — Crystal Palace’s first away excursion in this season’s UEFA Europa League turned into an absolute blockbuster at the Groupama Stadium, but the Eagles were ultimately left grounded following a 3-2 defeat to Olympique Lyonnais. In an emotional homecoming for Palace boss Pierre Sage against his former club, it was the French giants who stole the headlines thanks to individual moments of brilliance from their headline stars. Japanese winger Keito Nakamura put on a playmaker clinic for the hosts, carving out two assists, while captain Corentin Tolisso set the…
By The SCM Sports Desk I Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026 AC Milan put on a masterclass of attacking football at the Red Bull Arena on Thursday night, dispatching Austrian outfit FC Red Bull Salzburg 4-0 in their UEFA Europa League encounter. The headline story of the evening belonged to 19-year-old prodigy Alphadjo Cisse, who etched his name into the history books with a sensational hat-trick that left the hosts shell-shocked and the travelling Rossoneri faithful in dreamland. Rúben Amorim made seven changes to his starting side, but any fears of a lack of cohesion were swiftly dispelled as…
By SCM International Desk I Thursday, Oct 15, 2026 GREEN Party chief Zack Polanski has launched a furious broadside against Prime Minister Andy Burnham, accusing him of “arming a genocide” and “locking up pensioners.” The explosive war of words erupted after the Prime Minister firmly slammed the door on any future electoral pacts or coalition deals with the Green Party. Speaking at a fiery Prime Minister’s Questions in the House of Commons, Mr Burnham unequivocally condemned a controversial resolution passed at the Greens’ annual conference which branded “Zionism as racism.” The PM branded the motion “wrong” and “antisemitic,”…
By SCM International Desk I Thursday, Oct.15, 2026 CAIRO — The State of Palestine has formally requested that the Arab League activate international protection mechanisms to safeguard civilians in the Gaza Strip and counter rising violence and land displacement across the West Bank and occupied Jerusalem. Speaking at an extraordinary session convened at the request of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Palestine’s Permanent Representative to the Arab League, Muhannad Al-Aklouk, called on the regional body to back decisive international interventions. During the meeting, the Arab League Council demanded that the United Nations Security Council pass a resolution under Chapter…
By SCM International I Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026 LONDON — British Prime Minister Andy Burnham on Wednesday firmly ruled out any future parliamentary coalition with the Green Party following its adoption of a controversial motion declaring Zionism a form of racism and advocating for a single, democratic Palestinian state. Addressing the House of Commons during a heated Prime Minister’s Questions, Burnham sharply condemned the Green Party’s newly ratified policy platform, calling it “fundamentally antisemitic” and declaring that no power-sharing arrangement or formal alliance could exist between his government and the Greens while the resolution remains official policy. ”This…
By SCM International Desk I Oct. 15, 2026 JERUSALEM – Israeli security forces have detained more than 2,000 Palestinian children since the outbreak of the war in October 2023, with at least 350 remaining in Israeli custody under severe conditions including torture, starvation, and medical neglect, a leading Palestinian prisoners’ rights advocacy organization said. In a report released by the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club, human rights advocates warned that the recorded numbers reflect only a partial tally of Palestinian minors taken into custody. The figures largely exclude children detained in the Gaza Strip, where widespread enforced disappearances have left thousands…
By Admin I Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026 LAGOS, Nigeria – Fidelity Bank Plc reaffirmed its support for the Nigerian beauty industry and women owned businesses at the commemorative dinner and awards ceremony of Beauty in the Motherland 2026. The ceremony, held on October 6, 2026 at the Eko Convention Centre, Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos, celebrated creativity, enterprise and impact across the beauty and lifestyle industry. It formed part of the three-day Beauty in the Motherland 2026 programme, which attracted more than 3,000 attendees and over 300 exhibitors from the skincare, haircare, fragrance, cosmetics, wellness and related…
By SCM International Desk I Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026 KYIV, Ukraine — A jet-powered Russian attack drone struck a commercial store in Ukraine’s southern Odesa region, injuring three people and partially destroying the building, Ukrainian officials said. President Volodymyr Zelensky seized on the strike to deliver a sharp warning to Washington against easing economic sanctions on Moscow. Emergency crews worked through the wreckage to clear debris and tend to the injured after the strike, which hit an ordinary shop and damaged several nearby vehicles. Ukrainian authorities described the weapon used as a jet-powered variant of the Iranian-designed Shahed loitering…
By SCM International Desk I Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026 PESHAWAR, Pakistan — At least 29 people, including 28 children and a teacher, were killed on Thursday when the concrete roof of a private school collapsed in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar, local officials and hospital authorities said. Dozens of others were injured as rescue workers scrambled to clear piles of rubble in search of survivors. The disaster occurred at the Al-Khair Education Centre in the Afridi Abad neighborhood of Peshawar, the provincial capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. According to eyewitnesses and first responders, the upper level or roof…