News, Events and People.

  Alarming Disparities: One in Four Black Men in the UK Denied Prostate Cancer Tests Despite Higher Risk A recent report has revealed that one in four Black men in the UK has been refused a prostate cancer test by their GP, despite having double the risk of developing the disease compared to the general male population. A PSA (prostate-specific antigen) test can detect early signs of prostate cancer by measuring the level of PSA protein in the blood. However, a survey by Prostate Cancer Research of 2,000 Black men in the UK found that nearly a quarter (24%) who sought the test in the past year were obstructed by their GP. The survey also uncovered deep concerns over discrimination in healthcare: 25% of respondents believed racial bias was preventing them from receiving prostate cancer tests, and almost half (47%) doubted they would receive the same quality of care as white patients under the NHS. The findings are particularly stark for Black men aged 45-54, with 22% reporting that they

  Teenager jailed for 18 months after McDonald’s fight still in prison 18 years United Kingdom: Luke Ings was only 17 when he was sentenced to prison for robbery and involvement in a fight at McDonald’s. Despite being handed a minimum term of just 18 months, Luke, now 36, remains behind bars with no release date in sight. Convicted under the controversial Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentencing, which imposed indefinite jail terms, Luke has now spent 18 years in prison. The IPP sentences were abolished in 2012 due to widespread human rights concerns, but the change wasn’t applied retroactively, leaving nearly 3,000 individuals like Luke trapped without a release date. Luke's mother, Samantha, 57, has expressed her deep anguish over her son's prolonged imprisonment. Luke, held in maximum security at HMP Wakefield alongside some of the UK's most dangerous criminals, has spent his entire adult life behind bars. Samantha fears for her son's mental health, given

 EDO GUBER ELECTIONS: EFCC APPREHENDS VOTE BUYERS IN EGOR LGA The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested several suspects for allegedly engaging in vote buying during the ongoing Edo State gubernatorial election.  The arrests were made in Egor Kical Governbent Area of the State In collaboration with police officers, EFCC operatives were seen apprehending three individuals—two men and one woman—at a polling unit in a Local Government Area (LGA). The suspects were subsequently escorted away from the scene. Vote buying, which involves distributing money or other incentives to influence voters, has become a common malpractice in Nigerian elections. Prior to the election, Yiaga Africa, a civil society organization (CSO), raised concerns that the election might be marred by violence and vote-buying schemes. The group identified several LGAs, including Egor, Ovia South-West, Ovia North-East, Oredo, Ikpoba Okha, Etsako West, Etsako East, and Esan South-East, as potential

 Profile:   Ibrahim Aqil, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Friday. Here is an extract: Aqil, who was in his early 60s, had risen through the ranks and reached a senior position in the organization. Exact details of his role are unclear, but the Israel Defense Forces described him as “the head of the Hezbollah terrorist organization’s operations team, the acting commander of the Radwan [special forces] unit.” “He was one of the really senior old-timers but was never really the face of anything. He was always a number two or number three, but had just been promoted in the last five to 10 years,” said Hussain Abdul-Hussain, a research fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies in Washington and an expert on extremism in Lebanon. Aqil was one of a group of young Shia men originally from the south of Lebanon but living in Beirut who were energized by the 1979 Iranian revolution and recruited by the country’s Revolutionary Guards into a network known initially as Islamic Ji

  SOUTH CAROLINA CARRIES OUT FIRST EXECUTION IN 13 YEARS     In the United States of Americs, Freddie Owens, convicted of murder in 1999, was executed by lethal injection in South Carolina, marking the state's first execution in 13 years. Owens, 46, was sentenced to death for the 1997 killing of Irene Graves, a shop worker, during an armed robbery in Greenville. Despite a last-minute affidavit from his co-defendant, Steve Golden, claiming Owens wasn’t present at the crime, the South Carolina Supreme Court rejected the appeal, citing contradictions with Golden's trial testimony. Owens was executed at Broad River Correctional Institute on Friday evening and was pronounced dead at 18:55 local time. His execution followed a pause due to the state's inability to procure lethal injection drugs. In addition to his murder conviction, Owens also killed a cellmate the day after his 1999 sentencing. Graves, a 41-year-old single mother of three, was shot by Owens after failing to open

  H appy Birthday, Pastor Stephen Rotimi Aworere: A Life and Character in Perfect Sync with Faith.                   By Sunday Ajibola  Once again, I must put my thoughts on paper in recognition of a worthy character. Nigeria has become a society where "anything goes," a place where cheating, stealing, oppression, ungodliness, incompetence, and all manners of misdeeds reign supreme. These anomalies have even crept into the civil service, as many act as though the system is their personal inheritance, granting them the liberty to do as they please. Won nje aye ta lo maa mumi (Who dares call me to order?). Despite this almost total disregard for exemplary good character, a few individuals still stand out. They have deliberately chosen to remain untainted by the widespread poor behavior ( familete kin tuto ) across the board. Man—using that term to cover both genders—has a profound love for popularity. That is why some blow their trumpets themselves or hire others to do it fo

  The Rot Begins at the Top: A King's Dillema By Sunday Ajibola Oba Atunluse woke just after midnight. The last two hours of sleep had been more of a nightmare than rest. These were troubled times—both for his community and for him personally. He replayed in his mind the ugly events of the last few days; no, the past months. The issues had been simmering for a while. Since last week, the people had begun running out of patience with him. The abnormal situation was becoming unbearable. His people could no longer keep their feelings to themselves. For the first time since he ascended the throne many years ago, they told him to his face, "Kabiyesi, you are our king, our ruler. You must find a solution to this menace. These times are not normal for us. We cannot tolerate these strange happenings anymore." King Atunluse knew trouble was looming. His village, Abule Iwa, had become a haven for criminals—thieves and robbers. They had started by stealing chickens and goats, but no