Manchester United have announced record revenues for 2026, despite not competing in European competition last season.
In their latest report, figures show that United recorded a revenue of £677.6m for the fiscal year, up from the previous record of £666.5m in 2025. However, the club has recorded a pre-tax loss of £43m over the course of the year, up from £33m.
They also recorded a operating profit of £22.6m, having generated a loss of £18.4m last year, which is credited to 'the benefits of operating cost and headcount reductions previously implemented, combined with improved Premier League performance.'
The Red Devils secured a third-place finish in the Premier League last season, largely thanks to the turnaround under then interim boss Michael Carrick, who won 11 of his 16 games in charge during the second-half of the campaign. They finished 15th the year prior under Ruben Amorim, and also lost in the Europa League final to Tottenham.
United's earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) rose by 18.4 per cent from the 2025 fiscal year, though their fourth quarter revenue and EBITDA dropped from £164.1m and £37.5m respectively to £157.5m and £28.9m.
It was also confirmed that the club has secured the land required to build a proposed new 100,000-seater stadium.
It had been reported in June that United had secured the 'majority' of the land and that while work was still required to acquire the remaining land, no issues were expected in doing so.
United were also able to save over £8m thanks to former boss Ruben Amorim joining AC Milan. Amorim and his coaching staff were due a pay out of £16.7m for their sacking, but this was cut by more than half being appointed at the San Siro[color=#990000].
Commenting on the results, United's CEO Omar Berrada claimed that the record revenue demonstrated "the underlying strength of our business" while also promising that the club will continue to take a disciplined approach to ensure financial stability.
"This shows the direct impact of the work we have been doing over the past two years," he said.
"It also proves Manchester United's enduring popularity and commercial strength. While these results confirm that we are on the right trajectory, we will continue to take a disciplined approach to ensure our finances remain sustainable.
"With that financial sustainability in mind, we have strengthened both our men's and women's teams during the summer window and our men's team has seen the return of Champions League football to Old Trafford.
"Our other main area of focus is our plan to develop a new 100,000 seater stadium. We have now completed the major milestone of securing the land which will form part of the proposed location of the new stadium."
The saving grace for Man Utd amid increased debt
Football finance expert Kieran Maguire to Sky Sports News:
"To a certain extent what saved Man Utd was two things. First of all, they finished third in the table compared with 15th [the previous season] at an extra £3m per place in terms of prize money.
"Secondly, there was a noticeable increase in the amount that fans were being charged to attend matches. Based on my calculations, and this includes the corporates as well, it went from around £88/£89 to £106 [per match].
"So, there were fewer matches, but those fans that were attending - and were seeing a good season in the Premier League it has to be said - ended up paying a lot more. That helped to cover for the loss of European football.
"Partly the reason for the increase in debt was down to technical reasons involving exchange rates. But the Glazers brought it upon themselves by deciding to borrow from the United States.
[color=#990000]"So, yes it is significant - the gross debt is £689m. On top of that we have transfer debt and that is likely to be in the region of £350m/£400m. So we have £1bn worth of football debt and traditional debt - therefore how is the club going to be able fund a new stadium, which some people are saying could cost up to a further £2bn? Where is the money going to come from there?
"Because they have got so much debt and because interest rates are going up, the interest expense was almost £70m. That's £1.4m a week, that's £200,000 a day in interest.
"Some would say that's a big driver for your losses. That's 10 per cent of total revenues and also every pound paid in interest is a pound that isn't being invested in the squad, isn't being invested in sports science, isn't being invested in facilities for fans as well.
"That was the main driver from profits to losses."
Police Release Photo Of Unidentified Woman Found Dead In Calabar Hotel, Search For Male Guest
The Cross River State Police Command has released the photograph of an unidentified woman found dead in a hotel in Calabar South, appealing to members of the public to help establish her identity and trace her relatives.
The woman was found dead at a hotel along Clifford Lane, Calabar South, in an incident the police are investigating as a suspected homicide.
In a statement on Wednesday, the command said the latest development was an update to its September 8, 2026, report on the incident.
The police said preliminary investigation showed that the deceased had lodged at the hotel alongside a male guest whose whereabouts remain unknown.
According to the command, efforts are ongoing to locate the man and establish the circumstances surrounding the woman's death.
“As part of ongoing efforts to establish the identity of the deceased, the Command is releasing her photograph and appeals to anyone who recognises her or may have information concerning her identity, family or associates to contact the Police with credible information,” the statement said.
The command also disclosed that the receptionist who was on duty when the incident occurred remains in police custody and is assisting investigators.
The receptionist is being questioned over the admission of the guests and events preceding the discovery of the deceased.
However, the police stressed that his detention does not amount to a determination of guilt.
“His custody should not be construed as a determination of guilt, as any further action will be based on available evidence and in accordance with the law,” the statement said.
The Commissioner of Police in Cross River State, CP Ajo Geoffrey Ordue, has directed that the investigation be conducted professionally and objectively.
The police said the investigation is aimed at identifying the deceased, determining the circumstances surrounding her death, locating the male guest and establishing the roles, if any, of other persons connected to the incident.
The command urged anyone who recognises the woman from the released photograph or has information that could assist in locating the male guest to contact the police.
Members of the public can provide information through the Police Control Room on 0706 797 7330 or 0905 827 3057, or by visiting the nearest police station.
The police said further updates would be provided as the investigation progresses.
SELECTED NIGERIAN UNIVERSITIES — TUITION & SCHOOL FEES, 2026
University — Annual Fees
🟣Babcock University — ₦2.5m–₦4.5m+ 🟣Bowen University — ₦1.2m–₦2.5m+ 🟣Afe Babalola University — ₦1.5m–₦3.5m+ 🟣Redeemer's University — ₦1.2m–₦2.5m+ 🟣Covenant University — ₦1.5m–₦2.5m+
STATE UNIVERSITIES
University — Annual Fees
🟣Lagos State University (LASU) — ₦150k–₦250k+ 🟣Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU) — ₦100k–₦250k+ 🟣Adekunle Ajasin University (AAUA) — ₦100k–₦200k+ 🟣Osun State University (UNIOSUN) — ₦100k–₦200k+ 🟠Kwara State University (KWASU) — ₦100k–₦200k+
FEDERAL UNIVERSITIES
University — Annual Fees
🟣University of Lagos (UNILAG) — ₦100k–₦200k+ 🟣University of Ibadan (UI) — ₦100k–₦200k+ 🟢University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) — ₦100k–₦200k+ 🟠University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) — ₦100k–₦200k+ 🟣Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA) — ₦100k–₦200k+
Private Universities — ₦1.2m–₦4.5m+ State Universities — ₦100k–₦250k+ Federal Universities — ₦100k–₦200k+
The selected private universities have substantially higher annual fees than the selected federal and state universities. Actual fees vary by institution, programme and level.
🟠 NC ⚫ NE 🔴 NW 🟣 SW 🟤 SS 🟢 SE
NB: This is a notable/selected list, not a complete ranking of Nigerian universities. Figures are indicative 2026 ranges and may include school charges beyond tuition.
They're called Yan Daudu. Same sex relationships have been a part of Hausa Fulani for centuries.
They inherited it from the Zamel homosexuality subculture of Northern Africa.
In places like Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Egypt, they have something called a zamel who is a young boy who identifies as a woman. They're usually initiated into it by older male members of the family.
The zamel has a duty to make himself available for sexual encounters until he outgrows the role which usually happens when they're old enough to marry a woman.
There's a lot of academic studies on the prevalence of zamel culture in North Africa and Northern Nigeria.
TheChameleon: Many politicians up North are into this stuff.
The younger guys are abused by the older Agbayas. They grow up to perpetuate the same vicious cycle.
Horrible.
A pretty woman without clothes na the sweetest thing after sugar.
Civil servants under the aegis of the Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council, JNPSNC, Trade Union Side, have written to President Bola Tinubu, seeking an immediate intervention to tackle the worsening economic hardship facing workers.
In a letter addressed to the President, the workers urged the Federal Government to stabilise the price of petrol at N500 per litre, approve an immediate Wage Award and upwardly review salaries and allowances across the public service.
The workers equally demanded the immediate constitution of a committee to negotiate a new National Minimum Wage ahead of January 2027.
According to the workers, the recent increase in fuel prices to N1,430 per litre and above in some locations had further worsened the cost-of-living crisis.
They gave the Federal Government until Wednesday, September 30, 2026, to take action on their demands, warning that the prevailing hardship was creating palpable tension among workers and Nigerians.
The workers added that the removal of fuel subsidy three years ago had triggered an astronomical increase in fuel prices and produced multiplier effects on the prices of essential commodities across the economy.
According to the JNPSNC, the situation had made life increasingly unbearable for workers, adding that the provision of food palliatives was not a sustainable solution to the economic crisis.
“It has dawned on Nigerian workers that the provision of palliatives such as bags of rice, Indomie, vegetable oil, garri, among other edible foods, is as good as weaponising Nigerians with poverty because it is a Pyrrhic intervention which is unsustainable, inaccessible to the majority of Nigeria’s population and also limited to political cronies,” the workers said.
They further stressed that a more sustainable intervention would be to reduce the cost of fuel to N500 per litre, stating that the measure would have a multiplier effect across the economy.
●This is not Abdurrahman Ahmad Gumi, the hostage negotiator and spokesman of bandits. This is his father, the late Sheikh Ahmad Abubakar Gumi (1924-1992) who was the highest Sharia Court judge in Nigeria and one of Nigeria's leading Islamic scholars at the time.
POLITICS NOT FOR OUR WOMEN
New Nigerian, Saturday 11th, September 1976
From RUFAI IBRAHIM
GIVING women the right to vote or be voted for is neither in line with Islamic practice, nor an answer to our long search for lasting peace and political stability, the Chairman of National Pilgrims Welfare Board, Alhaji Abubakar Gumi, has declared.
"A society in which lasting peace and stability reign is that in which there is distinction between roles performed by women and men. But this distinction should not prejudice the woman or arrogate to the man dictatorial powers," he said.
Alhaji Abubakar who was speaking to me at an interview was asked to comment on the recent announcement that women in the northern states would be allowed to vote in the forthcoming local government elections.
Alhaji Abubakar, former Grand Khadi of Northern States, maintained that politics was the business of men and not women.
The women, Alhaji Abubakar said, had temperament and instinct, which made them fit not for politics, but for the role they played at home as mothers and queens, such as he argued, women were an essential need for home life.
●Putin wins record number of seats in sham elections
●Fears of military mobilisation after tightly controlled vote in which most opposition candidates were banned
●The election was Russia’s first since launching its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022
Vladimir Putin’s party has won a record number of seats in Russia’s carefully planned parliamentary election in which no parties critical of the president took part.
Preliminary results showed Putin’s United Russia party won 355 seats in the 450-seat Duma lower house of parliament, Ella Pamfilova, the electoral chief, announced on Monday – a supermajority larger than the party’s previous record of 343 seats.
The election result is expected to further tighten Putin’s grip on power.
Some fear a new military mobilisation in Russia, something the president has denied, while Kyiv accuses Moscow of planning a call-up in coming weeks.
The election, Russia’s first since launching its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, was tightly controlled by the Kremlin, which has banned criticism of its military campaign.
Most opposition candidates were excluded, including Yabloko – Russia’s only liberal, anti-war party – which was banned from the ballot and allowed to compete only in single-ballot races.
Some anti-war politicians were jailed or forced to flee abroad before the campaign.
Ms Pamfilova said turnout was more than 59 per cent, the highest in a parliamentary election in over a decade. She thanked Russians for voting despite what she called “psychological pressure” on the country and denounced “more than a thousand” cyber-attacks targeting the electronic voting system, which she blamed on Ukraine.
Parties that nearly always vote for Kremlin initiatives won seats in the State Duma. Russia’s Communist party came second, winning 40 seats. The nationalist LDPR party won 25 seats and the New People party won 20 seats.
Electronic balloting was available in many regions and encouraged by authorities. Critics said it made it easier for the government to control the outcome of the vote.
Yabloko and the Communist Party, which has criticised some aspects of government policy but carefully avoided any criticism of Putin, said many of their observers were turned away from polling stations.
Russia did not invite observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the Russian foreign ministry having accused the body of “double standards” for its criticism of Russia. Pere Joan Pons, the president of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, said that the decision was a breach of Russia’s commitments as a member state of the organisation.
Photographs of polling stations showed armed soldiers watching over people as they voted.
Ms Pamfilova said that more than 95 per cent of votes have been counted and that final results will be announced later this week.
A recent uptick in hybrid attacks suspected to have come from Russia have led to concerns in Europe that Putin will use his electoral success as an excuse to ramp up mobilisation, escalate its war on Ukraine and attack Nato.
With Ukrainian drone incursions increasingly attacking deeper into Russian territory, it was unsurprising the Kremlin kept a tight watch over the elections.
Kyiv has increasingly sought to humiliate Moscow and unnerve Russians with its heavy drone campaigns.
On Sunday, the final day of the elections, three people were killed after Moscow and the surrounding regions were pummelled with hundreds of drones.
Volodymyr Zelensky claimed the strikes damaged one of Russia’s “key oil facilities”.
In response, Russia has installed enormous anti-drone protective structures over the capital’s oil facilities.
Footage appeared to show workmen standing on layers of giant nets covering an oil refinery, held up by scaffolding.
With the exception of football, I don't indulge in any of those other "diversions."
When I'm not working, I relax by playing video games, reading novels, watching documentaries or series and old movies (movies from the 1930s, 40s, 50s and 60s).
Sirchiboy: Men who don't smoke, womanize, watch football, drink or have a woman in their life, what exactly makes you happy or no such man exist? All of you that are not planning to marry, how are you going to cope at old age?
"Support all our Muslim candidates in APC. Any political party with a Christian Governorship Candidate must not be voted for. If such a person is voted in, Islam would suffer”
Shittu Ibraheem (APC) represents Saki West State Constituency in the Oyo State House of Assembly (2023-date)
"Support all our Muslim candidates in APC. Any political party with a Christian guber candidate must not be voted for. If such a person is voted in, Islam would suffer” - Oyo State House of Assembly member representing Saki West, Ibrahim Shittu, says. pic.twitter.com/UXc83ugBVQ
Who is Putin’s mysterious bodyguard? The buff Russian pin-up and ice hockey elite always in tyrant’s shadow
DUBBED Vladimir Putin’s very “own 007”, Anton Afinogenov follows the tyrant like a shadow.
But strangely little is known about the buff Russian pinup who doubles as a sportsman on Putin’s elite ice hockey team.
Snapped in the background of high profile meetings or spotted lurking in the midst of crowds, Afinogenov has skilfully maintained a low profile.
But now the tall, stern faced figure has had his cover blow – by fan pages of Russian women ogling and fantasising over him.
A Moscow security source said: “He is clearly highly trusted by Putin who has his favourites among bodyguards.
“But the president cannot be happy at the superstar status ‘Hunky Anton’ is getting online.
“After all, Putin was a KGB spy and he knows the role is to be unseen and unheard.”
Despite thousands of fans on social media – who even appear to have mocked up pictures of him topless – his age, rank, hometown and education have all managed to remain tightly under wraps.
Swooning fan pages refer to the Presidential Security Service (SBP) officer as “AA” – often matched with a bear emoji.
Comments on fan sites include: “He looks so charming when he smiles; the dimples in his cheeks make him look even better… It’s just so sweet.”
Others swoon that the Putin protector is “walking testosterone” who must have been “created by God”.
Online speculation has linked Afinogenov’s looks to top secret “biotechnological enhancement” programmes.
The alleged projects have been rumoured to create genetically and psychologically modified soldiers.
One woman even urged Putin to elect Afinogenov as successor amid Russia’s ongoing presidential elections.
The woman posted: “I’m voting for him! Come on, Vladimir Vladimirovich [Putin]—seriously, think about a successor. You know the birth rate would skyrocket.”
Putin has already promoted a former bodyguard as a potential successor.
Afinogenov’s predecssor, meanwhile, did not attract a bear emoji but saved Putin from a rampaging brown bear, and was handsomely rewarded.
Ex-bodyguard Col-Gen Alexei Dyumin, 54, now a top Kremlin aide and secretary of the State Council, fired his service gun to scare away the beast.
He is tipped by some analysts to succeed Putin and is seen as backed by the ruler’s lover Alina Kabaeva, 43.
But the public appear to think Dyumin has lost his moment – perhaps to Afinogenov.
“Afinogenov is one of the most visible members of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s security detail,” said one account.
“His presence does not go unnoticed: his imposing physique, constant awareness of his surroundings and calculated movements have made him a recurring figure in official photographs and press footage.”
Weighing more than 100kg and “heavily muscled”, the account claims Afinogenov has paramilitary training and experience in martial arts – a discipline closely associated with the Russian security services.
“The story has even prompted comparisons with action-film characters, reinforcing the idea of a ‘supersoldier’.”
The first sighting of Afinogenov was in July 2011, though he may have been at Putin’s side even earlier.
He wasn’t outed until March 2025 when independent news outlet, Dossier Centre listed bodyguards with clearance and trust to guard Putin on foreign trips.
Based on official photo archives, the outlet identified Afinogenov as one of nine bodyguards to most frequently accompany Putin on trips over the past year.
Others included Alexander Gorelikov, Anatoly Kochkin, Konstantin Panin, Maxim Stepanov, Dmitry Fomin, Yaroslav Chubko, and Yuri Shchurov.
While the Dossier Centre managed to uncover information on almost all of Putin’s travel squad, not a single detail was recorded for Afinogenov.
In recent years, members of this close group have been appointed to leadership positions in both the Federal Protective Service (FSO) and other high ranking government agencies.
Much of what’s been revealed about the elite Presidential Security Service comes from the “Beyond Russia” website, run by a state-funded operation.
The website says Putin’s bodyguards are hand-picked for qualities including “operational psychology,” physical stamina and the ability to withstand cold and not sweat in heat.
Each guard is reportedly issued a special briefcase to serve as a shield to protect Putin.
They also reportedly carry Russian-made, 9 mm SR-1 Vektor pistols loaded with armor-piercing bullets.
Before Putin travels, advance teams scout out his destination, checking to see how the public will likely respond and even tracking the weather forecast.
Jamming devices are installed in a bid to prevent remote detonation of bombs while technicians surveil cellphones and other devices in the area.
It comes as paranoid Putin bolstered his personal protection squad in recent weeks amid fears of an imminent assassination plot.
The despot now has over 800 elite security forces watching his every move after ordering the number to be increased to 812 from 785, according to a draft decree.
It marks the fourth time Putin has reinforced his security team since he launched the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Before the tyrant launched his full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the central office of the FSO hadn’t increased for almost 13 years.
Putin is the top priority of the FSO alongside his family and closest allies in his inner circle such as the prime minister and defence minister.
Hundreds of staff working close to Putin have even been banned from using mobile phones or other internet-connected devices while around the tyrant, anti-Kremlin reports claim.
Even smart watches have reportedly been blacklisted since around mid-April, according to sources speaking to the Telegram channel Mozhem Obyasnit.
FSO officers also have security systems installed in their homes so other officers can monitor them to ensure they aren’t meddling with a paranoid Putin.
Some of the most senior FSO members have even been spotted wearing disguises to blend into the background of Putin’s annual events.
The rapid increase in FSO agents protecting Putin comes as the despot continues to fear for his life.
In June, he ordered his two eldest daughters to move into his highly guarded forest bunker palace with him for their safety.
He also ordered urgent checks on Russia‘s complex web of surveillance cameras, fearing it could be hacked by his enemies.
His reaction came after Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was taken out by the US and Israel after security cameras were hacked in the rogue nation to track his location.
I suspect they will sneak back into Nigeria at a convenient time when everyone has forgotten and they will be quietly reabsorbed into the same Nigerian health care system that created them.
Staff slept while patient killed at NHS mental health unit
James Melley, Senior social affairs producerand Alison Holt,Social affairs editor Staff falsified records, slept and were on their phones on the night one patient was killed by another on an NHS mental health unit in east London, an inquest has heard.
Hugo Flint Cahan, 34, was being treated at Newham Mental Health Centre (NMHC), run by the East London NHS Trust (ELFT), when he was fatally attacked by 22-year-old Rolando Torres-Pena.
Hugo's family say they have been shocked by the "dangerous" failures in his care.
The Trust says it has undertaken a significant programme of work to "improve our inpatient culture, behaviours and practice".
In a narrative conclusion, the coroner found Hugo was unlawfully killed which was contributed to by neglect, recommended four members of staff be referred to their regulator and that the Metropolitan police review their investigation into what happened that night.
Hugo, who had been a patient at the NHMC for six months, was strangled in the early hours of 3 January 2023 by Torres-Pena who had arrived on the ward five days earlier.
A coroner criticised repeated failures by the Trust in a number of patient deaths - not just Hugo's.
Graeme Irvine, the Senior Coroner for East London, said it was like "ground hog day" as he heard evidence of "the same" errors, "over and over again," including the falsification of patient observation records and slow emergency responses.
Events leading up to Hugo's death
On the night of Hugo's death, there were two nurses and a nursing assistant on duty on Topaz ward – an inpatient unit for men with acute mental health issues.
Torres-Pena was pacing the corridor believing he was about to leave, the inquest was told.
Hugo was also unsettled. CCTV shows him following one of the nurses at one point. After 01:00, Hugo is seen wandering the corridor on his own. The CCTV last shows him alive at 01:22. It's thought he went into Torres-Pena's room shortly afterwards.
At 01:26 Torres-Pena is seen walking the corridor. He went into Hugo's empty room, before he disappears out of shot a couple of minutes later.
It is not known exactly when Hugo was attacked, but at 01:31 the patient in the room next to Torres-Pena can be seen on CCTV coming out of his room. He appears to be looking up and down the corridor, seemingly disturbed by something. There are no staff in sight. The patient is then seen watching something that's out of shot. It is thought this is when Hugo was beaten and strangled.
During this period, the two nurses, Rosemary Chukwuji-Ohanachum and Raji Olagunju, were in the staff room with the door shut. Despite three patients having been seen walking around the corridor, no staff are seen. Nursing assistant Anthony Onuh was asleep for two hours in the therapy room.
Just before 02:00, Torres-Pena is seen walking around the corridor again. He was not wearing any trousers. The coroner at Hugo's inquest said Torres-Pena had taken them off because they were soaked in blood.
Patients on the ward should have been checked by staff hourly. The observation log for the ward falsely shows that at 02:00 Hugo was in his bed awake.
False records
Onuh admitted to the coroner that he filled out the form without checking where people were.
At about that time, CCTV shows Onuh emerging from the therapy room holding his bedding. He can be seen speaking to Torres-Pena whilst nurse Chukwuji-Ohanachum walks past with her blankets. She told the coroner she was going to the therapy room to sleep during her unauthorised two-hour break.
Hugo was discovered at 03:19 by nurse Olagunju, almost two hours after he was attacked. He didn't attempt CPR or raise the alarm and went to the find the unit's night manager, Alex Obamwonyi, who was on a neighbouring ward.
Obamwonyi told the inquest Hugo wasn't breathing and he couldn't find a pulse. He raised the alarm but locked the door into the room. He said he thought it was too late to start CPR, and he wanted to preserve the crime scene.
The emergency services were called at 03:37, and CPR finally started at 03:45.
Witnesses at the inquest described chaotic scenes. Nurse Chukwuji-Ohanachum was screaming and throwing herself on the ground. According to a statement read in court, she had to be restrained by other members of staff. One member of staff was left to do chest compressions on Hugo until she had to stop, exhausted.
Hugo was declared dead at 04:41.
Unsafe and unacceptable Hugo's father, William Flint Cahan, who has attended each day of the inquest with other family members, says there was "complacency" by staff, as well as a lack of care.
He maintains his son's death was "preventable had the level of care been as it should have been."
Hugo's brother, Jolyon, who is an NHS doctor, says the "litany of failures, both incompetence and dishonesty, that pervaded the care of both patients was harrowing."
Over the past 12 years, local coroners have sent at least 29 Prevention of Future Deaths (PFD) notices to the Trust. These are sent to an organisation when a coroner identifies problems which, if not dealt with, could lead to further deaths.
The BBC has analysed the reports which cover both in patient and community services. In more than half of cases there had been a failure to properly assess the risk the patient posed to themself or to others. Poor communications between staff, other agencies and families were also repeatedly highlighted.
The strongest warnings were about poorly carried out observations and falsified records – basic care needed to keep patients safe.
A report in 2021 by the coroner who carried out the Flint Cahan inquest warned that "a culture of impunity existed" at the Trust where "inaccurate and misleading recording of clinical records was tolerated."
In 2024, two further reports highlighted observations being missed then records falsified to suggest patients had been checked.
In response to one of the PFD's, the Trust said extensive training programmes and quality checks were introduced.
In 2025, a fourth report, into the death of a young woman, again highlighted falsified observation records. The coroner said, "despite assurances" from the Trust in numerous action plans", the inquest had "revealed widespread concerns" about how observations were carried out across two wards."
Other serious concerns raised in the reports include, how staff have responded to emergencies, with delays in resuscitation and - on one occasion - nursing staff giving chest compressions to a patient's stomach rather than their chest.
Brian Dow of the mental health charity, Rethink, is calling for a national register of patient safety to keep tabs on the type of care mental health units across the country are providing.
"We have been here before" with poor observations, records being falsified and unacceptable care, he says.
"We have got to have a better approach to patient safety in what are the most difficult and most vulnerable wards with the people who are the most unwell."
In a statement, Dr David Bridle, Chief Medical Officer at ELFT, said the Trust is deeply sorry to Hugo's family for the failings in his care.
He said the actions of the staff identified by the coroner were "wholly unacceptable and do not reflect the standards, values or behaviours we expect".
Dr Bridle says the Trust has worked to improve its services and "will ensure the learning from the coroner's findings informs our continuing work to strengthen patient safety and care."
Be honest with yourself. You know very well that there is no such thing as BRICS. There is only BRIC because the "S" is optional. It's just there for decoration
"S" stands for servant or slave in BRICS😂😂😂
RandDigital: Wishing "Cupcake" a speedy recovery. Hope nothing sinister occured in India.
Were Israel and America at the Brick meeting? What makes you think your president is important enough to be targeted by either Israel or the United States?
RandDigital: Wishing "Cupcake" a speedy recovery. Hope nothing sinister occured in India.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has withdrawn from public engagements after returning from the BRICS summit in India, his office said on Wednesday, citing ill health.
His absence comes as Deputy President Paul Mashatile continues to recover from a minor medical procedure, leaving both of the country’s top leaders away from public duties.
Ramaphosa, 73, returned from the BRICS summit in India on Monday and had been advised by his doctors to rest and recover, the presidency said.
Leaders of the BRICS bloc, which includes Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, concluded a two-day summit in New Delhi on Sunday, where discussions focused on inclusive global growth and the Middle East.
“Where possible, the president has asked the respective ministers to represent him at scheduled engagements,” his office said in a statement.
Mashatile said on Tuesday that his “recovery is progressing well” and that he was “regaining strength each day”.
“On the advice of my doctors, I will continue resting until advised otherwise while work and delegated responsibilities continue to be underway in the capable team in my office with other stakeholders in government, business and other sectors,” Mashatile said.
The simultaneous absence of Ramaphosa and Mashatile comes as South Africa enters an increasingly busy political season ahead of local government elections on November 4.
The loud and over demonstrative market woman variety of acting which is found in Nollywood can only appeal to its target local audience. It lacks the ability to cross international boundaries.
AndroBlaze: Even till now, Nollywood's best aren't able to blend so seamlessly into Hollywood and proper character acting..... If I had watched it by myself, I wouldn't have known it was him.
Taiwo Awoniyi has earned a diploma in global football sports directorship from the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) Business School in the UK.
The Ilorin-born striker was part of the initiative’s 2026 cohort and graduated on Monday. He had previously acquired a degree in business management from Buckinghamshire New University, Wycombe, UK, in 2022.
According to the institution’s website, the global football sports directorship is a postgraduate diploma, with Andoni Zubizarreta, former Manchester City sporting director, and Les Reed, former vice-president of Southampton FC, as programme coordinators.
“This programme aims to provide aspiring sporting directors with specialised training in the most complex and technical subjects that have never been covered in any training programme previously. Its ultimate goal is to prepare future sporting directors for the challenges that the football industry presents on a global scale,” the programme summary reads.
Awoniyi has spent over four years in the UK since joining Nottingham Forest for a then-club-record £17.2 million.
He moved to Coventry City last month for a reported fee of £17 million. The 29-year-old’s early days at his new club have been unimpressive, and he was sent off last weekend in their 5-0 loss to Brighton in the English Premier League (EPL).
●Ukraine strikes Black Sea resort near Putin’s villa
●Online footage appears to show drone attack on Sochi, where Russian president’s summer residence is located
●Vladimir Putin has visited Sochi only twice since the war began
Ukraine launched strikes near Vladimir Putin’s seaside villa in the Black Sea resort of Sochi overnight, injuring five people.
Footage posted online purported to show Ukrainian drones descending on the city, with large explosions and the thud of local air defence audible.
Officials in the Krasnodar Krai region said five people, including a child, had been injured and three homes damaged.
Local Telegram channels reported strikes on an S-400 anti-aircraft missile system, many of which have come under fire in recent weeks after military intelligence found that the defensive systems were being repurposed to strike ground targets in Ukraine.
One channel claimed that drones had targeted Putin’s Bocharov Ruchey summer dacha, a coastal compound in a busy area of the city. The Russian president is believed to have largely stopped visiting the residence since it came within range of Kyiv’s drones.
Reports of the attack could not be independently verified, and there has not yet been any comment from Ukrainian authorities.
Russia’s ministry of defence claimed that 399 Ukrainian drones had been shot down over the country overnight.
Sochi, on the north-east coast of the Black Sea, is more than 400 miles from the Ukrainian border and is one of the country’s most popular holiday destinations, welcoming millions of tourists each year.
It has come under increasing pressure from Ukrainian drone strikes as attacks have intensified this year.
Before the war, Putin visited Sochi frequently, but has since visited only twice and has not returned in almost 350 days. His absence was attributed to fears over Ukrainian drones, which struck the Black Sea resort for the first time in 2023.
In the area, he has both his official summer residence Bocharov Ruchey, constructed in 1955, and a lavish Italianate palace complex at Gelendzhik, about 105 miles north-west.
The Russian independent investigative outlet Proekt found that in February 2024 the main building at Bocharov Ruchey had been demolished.
However, this year the Federal Protective Service, the agency responsible for protecting high-ranking state officials, proposed establishing a protected zone covering 1.2 square miles around the residence to safeguard it from drones.
The site is also believed to be protected by a naval presence as well as Pantsir-S1 anti-aircraft missile and gun systems.
In September last yuear, Ukrainian drones were reported to have hit the city while Putin was on a working visit, with the Il-96-300PU presidential aircraft remaining on site at the airport during the attack.
Earlier this month, Volodymyr Zelensky warned airlines to avoid Russian airspace as Ukraine escalates near-nightly attacks using drones and occasional missiles.
Donald Trump, however, on Sunday called on the Ukrainian president to halt attacks on the Kremlin’s diesel infrastructure, blaming Kyiv for “hurting the world”.
The US president claimed shortages were not “done by the Middle East” but by “what’s happening with Russia and Ukraine”.
Last month, a report from the International Energy Agency found net exports of diesel and crude oil from the Gulf had plummeted to “just over a quarter” of the level seen before the US began its war on Iran in February.
Moscow also launches regular strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure.
The University of Chicago is banning generative Al, laptops, phones, and wearables in its core social science courses for undergraduates starting this fall. The policy, outlined in a memo from division head Jenny Trinitapoli, will require students to read assignments on paper and complete coursework independently, without Al assistance.
The goal is to teach students "to read, write, and think without dependence on Al," extending a similar device ban the university's law school introduced earlier this year.
Reasonable accommodations will still be made for students with disabilities, and the policy applies only to undergraduate courses, not graduate programs.
Refereeing body Pro Ref has admitted an error in awarding Manchester City's winner at Manchester United in their 1-0 victory at Old Trafford.
In a statement released just hours after Man City's win, Pro Ref revealed it had made contact with Man Utd to acknowledge an "error of judgment" and that the VAR "should have recommended an on-field review" for Erling Haaland's winner.
The striker's goal was initially disallowed for offside on the pitch before VAR overturned the decision.
The VAR officials deemed that Haaland was played onside by Man Utd defender Patrick Dorgu. However, Man City's Enzo Fernandez was in an offside position as he attempted to play the ball before it reached Haaland.
Despite not touching the ball, Fernandez's movement appeared to impact the defending of Man Utd's Lisandro Martinez before Haaland's back-post finish, which by the laws of the game should have led to the goal remaining disallowed.
A Pro Ref spokesperson said: "Following the incident in the 60th minute of Sunday's Premier League fixture between Manchester United and Manchester City at Old Trafford, we can provide clarification regarding Erling Haaland's awarded goal.
"The on-field decision was offside against Erling Haaland - that was checked by VAR and he was found to be in an onside position.
"In the same attack, it was established that Enzo Fernandez did not play the ball and therefore that makes any offside offence subjective, however, on this occasion, the VAR did not recognise the likely impact of his position and should have recommended an on-field review.
"Contact has been made with Manchester United this evening to acknowledge what we deem is an error of judgement. A review of the incident will take place."
What is Pro Ref?
Pro Ref (Professional Game Referees) is English football's refereeing body, which was formerly known as PGMO (Professional Game Match Officials) after a rebrand in the summer.
Ex-Premier League referee Howard Webb leads the body, which oversees the four men's top divisions, the National League, the WSL and the U21s Premier League 2.
What did the officials say? Who were the match officials at Old Trafford?
Referee: Michael Oliver Assistants: Stuart Burt, Tim Wood Fourth official: Paul Tierney VAR: Matt Donohue Assistant VAR: Blake Antrobus
In their post on X explaining why the goal was awarded, the Premier League Match Centre wrote: 'VAR checked the referee's call of no goal for offside - and determined that Haaland was in an onside position and recommended that the goal was awarded. The VAR also deemed that while in an offside position, Fernandez didn't play the ball.'
That stress on Fernandez not playing the ball chimed with replays shown during the VAR review, in which the VAR officials apparently sought to detect whether or not the City midfielder played the ball.
However, the offside rule clearly stipulates that a player can be offside despite not playing the ball and can interfere with an opponent by:
●preventing an opponent from playing or being able to play the ball by clearly obstructing the opponent's line of vision or challenging an opponent for the ball or
●clearly attempting to play a ball which is close when this action impacts on an opponent or
●making an obvious action which clearly impacts on the ability of an opponent to play the ball
Neville predicted error admission
Speaking at the time of the goal on co-commentary, Sky Sports' Gary Neville believed the VAR officials were "wrong" to award Haaland's effort.
Pro Ref's statement, however, fell short of Neville's prediction that they would apologise.
The former Man Utd defender told Sky Sports: "We will see an apology from Pro Ref.
"There is no doubt that Enzo is attempting to play the ball and putting Lisandro Martinez off.
"It's a really strange one. They'll recognise they got that wrong."
Speaking on his podcast, Neville continued: "I think they are ignoring the rule.
"They are digging themselves a bigger hole [with the Match Centre statement]. I'm really surprised they put that out.
"They will have to retract that."
Meanwhile, Man Utd defender Martinez said in his post-match interview that the goal should not have stood.
He told Sky Sports: "Every season the officials come to our club and spend an hour explaining the rules and they look so confident with that.
"Then after, five or six people [officials] doing this kind of mistake in the Premier League is unacceptable.
"We have to go home with this injustice."
Former Man City defender Micah Richards dismissed Match Centre's explanation that the goal was awarded because Fernandez didn't touch the ball as a "nonsense".
Asked whether Fernandez was clearly attempting to play the ball, Richards told Sky Sports: "One hundred per cent he is.
"I think it's been a bad day for referees and VAR.
"They got the Phil Foden decision wrong, and they got this decision wrong.
"How you can not say Enzo Fernandez is challenging for the ball - of course he is!
"I've been in that position as a defender where any slight movement can make the difference for going for the ball or not, so of course it affects him.
"I just think they've got it so wrong."
Roy Keane concluded: "Fernandez is interfering with play. Basically, United have been punished for holding a good line. When you are in that position, you are impacting the game. You're in the middle of the box, you're going for the ball.
"Their line is good. Fernandez is offside, and he goes to play the ball, so United are getting punished for good defending.”
Judge Judy Sheindlin is hanging up her robe and officially adjourning her time in-front of the camera after calling order on TV for 30 years.
With her latest series Judy Justice nearing the end in October, Sheindlin revealed that she’s handing over her gavel to her son, Adam Levy.
“I have a lot of other things of interest,” she told People in an interview published on Thursday. “I don’t want to do hair and makeup anymore, but I still want my message to get out there.”
The 83-year-old Judge Judy star revealed that she is producing her son’s court show, Adam’s Law.
The new series premieres on Sept. 14, almost 30 years after Judge Judy first aired in 1996.
In the official trailer for Adam’s Law, Sheindlin says, “I wouldn’t have encourage him to take on this role and responsibility 10 years ago or even five years ago because I wasn’t ready to give it up. And quite frankly, I think he has the talent to beat me.”
Levy describes the new series as a “court program where people with real cases want real justice.”
“There aren’t a lot of people who can carry a half hour on their own unscripted,” Sheindlin told People of her 58-year-old son. “He has what it takes.”
Get daily Canada news delivered to your inbox so you'll never miss the day's top stories. Levy previously appeared on Tribunal Justice alongside other judges on Prime Video in 2023 for three seasons.
In 2020, Sheindlin announced that Judge Judy would be ending after the 25th season.
Sheindlin said the 25th season would be “our best year” and said she has had “a 25-year-long marriage with CBS and it’s been successful.”
While speaking with Ellen DeGeneres, Sheindlin shared details about her series Judy Justice, which premiered in 2022.
“CBS sort of felt, I think, they wanted to optimally utilize the repeats of my program,” Sheindlin told DeGeneres at the time. “Now they have 25 years of my reruns. What they decided to do is sell a couple of years’ worth of reruns. But I’m not tired, so Judy Justice will be coming out a year later.”
“If you’re not tired, you’re not supposed to stop,” Sheindlin added.
Governor Abdullah Sarhadi gives money to treat a boy's broken arm and hands out funds for a local mosque - then, in his office in northern Afghanistan, an astonishing exchange unfolds.
A young woman tells the grey-bearded former Taliban commander that she wants to divorce her husband, who she accuses of months of abuse and beatings.
She will not take no for an answer.
In a country where girls are banned from secondary education, the 18-year-old argues her case calmly and confidently, her face completely hidden behind a full-face veil and sunglasses.
"If there was any chance to live together, I wouldn't be here… I have taken my decision," she says.
After trying to persuade her to avoid divorce, the governor later comments that women are "mindless" and "deficient in intellect", to laughter from the male officials, bodyguards and elders around him.
The moment gives a rare glimpse into the day-to-day realities of the Taliban's rule, five years after they swept aside the US-backed government in 2021.
In that time, women have been excluded from most workplaces, banned from universities and may not travel alone or visit parks and leisure centres.
In encounters spread over two years, the BBC gained unusual access to influential figures in the extreme Islamist movement, spending time with men who once planned suicide attacks or spent years in underground hideouts, but are now officials and soldiers.
The Taliban came into power saying they had changed, but many of their policies are similar to the hard-line interpretation of Sharia - Islamic religious law - they imposed in the 1990s.
The men we met seemed to want to present themselves as reasonable, yet were not keen to discuss their past violence. And we saw moments of unease between the rulers and those they rule.
Governor Sarhadi says Tuba – not her real name – should stay in the marriage.
"Ask yourself: 'Who would marry me after I get my divorce?'" says Sarhadi. "You'll have to compromise a lot or you'll lose your dignity and honour."
"Mr Governor, my honour and dignity have already been ruined," she responds.
Her husband listens, awaiting his turn to speak.
Under Sharia, a woman requesting that her husband agrees to a divorce may have to return some or all of the money given to her by him when they married. A financial settlement is often agreed. But this woman's husband says he wants four times the amount, which her family refuses to pay.
The governor says the woman should be given her own room. He adds that officials will warn him not to beat her - "otherwise he'd be jailed".
Unsatisfied, Tuba's father later tells the BBC the family will pursue divorce through the courts, even though, under the Taliban's court system, it is very difficult for a woman to get a divorce without the husband's consent.
Sarhadi was a military commander during the Taliban's first stint in power in the 1990s. He was among thousands of insurgents who surrendered in late 2001 as a US-led coalition ousted the group.
He was held for several years in US detention in Guantanamo Bay, but eventually released.
When the Taliban regained power, he became a governor - first in the province of Bamiyan, then when we met him in late June, in Sheberghan city in Jawzjan province. He has recently become deputy commander of a military corps in the northern province of Kunduz.
Tapping on an old-style mobile with a tiny screen, he says a recent ban on smartphones for officials has slowed things down. "Before, you could send a quick message… sending documents and getting an answer fast." If he says any more about the ban, "it will cause trouble", he adds.
But in other ways his worldview seems largely unchanged from the Taliban's position 25 years ago. Then, he was a military commander in Bamiyan, where the Taliban blew up ancient giant Buddha statues, triggering international shock and condemnation.
He initially tries to avoid our questions about the archaeological site, but eventually, he says: "I destroyed it with my own hands.
"Whatever we did and we do is in accordance with the guidance and God's law… We smash idols rather than sell them. Why should I regret? It was God's will."
In the capital Kabul, we meet another senior Taliban figure who swapped a violent past for a role with the ruling administration.
Habibullah Badr drives us through the streets in an armoured car.
He says he was previously "responsible for the operations of suicide attackers" in Kabul.
"I know all the roads and streets very well… we had all the information we needed about Kabul and its alleys," he says. "There were areas that needed a long time to plan."
Taliban suicide attacks killed thousands of people in Afghanistan, including many civilians.
Badr is cautious about discussing his past though, fearing it will "make people upset" and could "reopen wounds".
Asked about civilian deaths, he says the Taliban targeted US convoys and that civilians were urged to stay away from foreign bases.
Whenever I try to ask him about specific attacks that took place in civilian areas, he evades the question.
He is currently taking time out from official roles for medical treatment, but was previously deputy head of prisons for the whole country – and ran the very jail where he was held on death row under the previous government.
Badr invites us to join him at a tribal gathering, where the head of a charitable foundation is to honour him with a medal. But things take an unexpected turn.
"Mr Badr is a pride for Afghanistan and a great fighter," says Sultan Mohammad Talaee. "But I also have a complaint. If the schools and education were open to all it would be a great work for Afghanistan. I hope this doesn't offend you."
An awkward silence follows, his audience unsure how to react. Talaee's microphone is swiftly removed.
Afterwards, he tells the BBC: "I requested for the girls' schools to reopen… seeking knowledge is an obligation for both men and women in Islam."
He adds: "There were other things I wanted to say but they didn't let me talk more."
Often those who speak out face much more severe consequences.
Women told us of the deep despair they felt over dreams thwarted by restrictions on education, and of friends jailed for protesting.
Most journalists we spoke to said they had been summoned or questioned by the Taliban's intelligence organisation, Estikhbaraat.
The BBC put some of these concerns to the Taliban government's spokesman, known as Zabihullah Mujahid.
He has been a public face for the Taliban government since 2021. He still uses the pseudonym he went by for years during the insurgency, but he told us his real name is Tahir Shah Seddiqi - revealing it publicly for the first time.
In a lavish press centre funded by the Americans for the previous government, we ask him about the first press conference he gave there, two days after the Taliban took control of the country.
Then, he told the world the Taliban government would allow women to work and study "within our frameworks" and they would "be very active" in society. Why did they fail to keep their word?
"We are committed to women's rights, freedom of speech and other things within Sharia," he replies. "We should see everything through the Sharia lens."
Allowing women to work in offices such as his own "would lead to immoralities" and "their dignity would be undermined", he adds.
He says the issue of education for women is "under discussions… we need a Sharia-based solution for it".
When questioned about the Taliban's crackdown on media freedom, he says: "In a society like Afghanistan we have our restrictions. We can't let media do whatever propaganda they want… they can't broadcast against Islamic laws and rites."
The Taliban government sits in Kabul, but Mujahid spends a lot of time in the southern city of Kandahar, the Taliban's heartland, which some now consider the de facto capital.
We ask to meet the Taliban's supreme leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada, who is based there. He rarely appears in public and has never given a media interview - we are told it will not be possible at the moment.
Restrictions have been tightened in Kandahar since I last visited two years ago. Now men must have beards. Radio stations are not allowed to play music or broadcast women's voices, and we were not allowed to film in the city.
Two hours' drive away, along dusty roads, some of the group's most devoted former fighters showed the BBC the insurgents' old secret cave network.
Abid Lalai, a former fighter who now mans a checkpoint as part of a security force under the interior ministry, shows us the holes he fired from and the places he used to put his Quran and hang AK-47s.
His superior, Abdul Samad, shows us an unmarked graveyard, saying his father is buried here, killed fighting for the Taliban.
The area is one of the most deprived in a country where the UN says three in four people cannot provide for their basic needs. Samad says the local population desperately need water, roads and clinics.
"Emirate [Taliban] officials have not forgotten us," says Samad. He says the leaders may be busy with other priorities. "We are hopeful, they will look after us sometime."
Five years since the Taliban began their second stint in power, poverty, unemployment and economic instability remain pressing concerns.
Taliban figures we spoke to said they were working to tackle them, but we met other people who believe the group itself is the country's main problem.
"I'm speechless about how a group that has no understanding about life is suddenly in power," says Hoda - not her real name - a woman who protested on the streets when the Taliban first returned to power.
"Women can't accept this situation," she tells the BBC. "They might advance restrictions but it won't stay like this forever."
"I think the Taliban are scared of educated women," she adds. "That's why they restrict women. They want uneducated women so they can't raise wise men. Because that would end the Taliban."
So Hakeem Jeffries, a Black man, is a monkey for working with Jewish politicians, but Joe Biden who did the same thing, is not a monkey? Kuku just tell us you're a loyal slave and stop posing as if you're a human rights activist
HacheNoire: Considering what Hakeem has aided, she is justified.
European Football (EPL, UEFA, La Liga) › Man Utd: Red Devils Announced Record Revenues In 2026 Despite Not Playing Europe by BlackViper(op): 1:36pm On Sep 24
