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The United States is considering sending its outdated HAWK air defense equipment from storage to Ukraine to help it defend against Russian drone and cruise missile attacks, two U.S. officials have revealed.   The HAWK interceptor missiles are an  upgrade to the Stinger missile systems - a smaller, shorter range air defense system - that the United States has already sent to Ukraine. The Biden administration said on Tuesday, October 25 that it would use the Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA) to transfer the HAWK equipment which is based on Vietnam-era technology, but has been upgraded several times. The PDA allows the United States to transfer defense articles and services from stocks quickly without congressional approval in response to an emergency.  The HAWK system is the predecessor to PATRIOT missile defense system made by Raytheon Technologies (RTX.N) which remains off the table for Ukraine, U.S. officials say according to reports.   After a de...

Eleven children have died after a fire broke out in the early hours of Tuesday October 25, at a school for visually impaired children in Uganda. Police say they are investigating the cause of the fire at the boarding school after it killed 11 girls, ages four to 13.     The fire at the Salama School for the Blind in Uganda's central Mukono district broke out shortly after midnight Monday, in a girl's dormitory that was occupied by 17 children. Kampala deputy police spokesman Luke Owoyesigire said police have deployed a forensics team that will carry out DNA tests before the bodies of the dead children are handed over to family members.  "The cause of the fire is currently unknown. But so far, eleven deaths as a result of the fire have been confirmed. While six are in critical condition," Owoyesigire said.   The Salam School for the Blind, in the town of Kisoga, is home to 70 visually impaired children. Hudson Kiyaga, the town's mayor, told VOA t...

An Iranian man nicknamed the "dirtiest man in the world" for not taking a bath for decades has died at the age of 94. Amou Haji, who did not shower for about 60 years and was single, died on Sunday, October 23,  in the village of Dejgah in the southern province of Fars, IRNA news agency reported on Tuesday, October 25. Haji had avoided showering over fears of "getting sick", the agency quoted a local official as saying. However, a few months ago, villagers, who were fed up, had taken him to a bathroom and forced him to shower. Mr Haji had an aversion to soap and water. He said he hated even the thought of bathing. Mr Haji previously said that he chose this way of life after experiencing emotional setbacks in his youth. Since then he became isolated. As well as cleanliness, Mr Haji also had an aversion to fresh food and drink. His favorite food was rotten porcupine, and he would choose to drink water from a rusty oil can. Amou Haji also liked to smoke animal...

A baker who refused to make a cake for a lesbian wedding because of her Christian beliefs has won a landmark court case.   Cathy Miller, who owns Tastries Bakery in California, US, went viral in 2017 after she refused to create a cake for lesbian couple Eileen and Mireya Rodriguez-Del Rio.     She cited her Christian beliefs and reportedly gave the couple the name of another bakery.   However, the couple were furious and lodged a discrimination lawsuit against Miller.   On Friday, October 21, 2022, a Kern County judge ruled she had acted lawfully.   Writing on Facebook after the win, Miller said: "Thank you Tastries friends and family for your support and encouragement over the last 5 years!!   "Yesterday, after much consideration and analysis of details regarding the Cathy’s Creations and Tastries Bakery discrimination case, Judge Eric Bradshaw ruled in favour of Cathy Miller.   "We appreciate your prayers and support as we joyf...

Rishi Sunak on Tuesday, October 25, became the UK’s prime minister following a meeting with King Charles III.   The tradition sees the monarch invite the leader of the party with the highest number of MPs to form a government, which since the 2019 general election has been the Conservatives.   In a speech outside 10 Downing Street after the meeting, Sunak said: "Our country is facing a profound economic crisis. The aftermath of Covid still lingers, Putin’s war in Ukraine has destabilized energy markets and supply chains the world over."   He paid tribute to his predecessor Liz Truss, who he said was "not wrong" to want to improve U.K. growth.   He said, "some mistakes were made," not "borne of ill will or bad intentions" but "mistakes nonetheless" and he had been elected "in part to fix them."   He added: "I will place economic stability and confidence at the heart of the government’s agenda. This will mean ...

  Super Eagles and Everton midfielder, Alex Iwobi is officially the best passer of the ball in the Premier League, according to the league’s official website, premierleague.com.    The Nigeria international is also the joint-second player with the most assists in the EPL (five), along with Manchester City’s Bernardo Silva.   Iwobi has turned his career around at Everton and is currently the best player this season.    Iwobi put up a top performance against Crystal Palace on Saturday, making two assists in the Toffees’ 3-0 win.   In the entire game, he had 53 touches, three key passes, an 87 percent pass success rate, created two big chances, 13 final third passes, and two successful long balls. Defensively, the former Arsenal man had a 100 percent tackle success rate and four-ball recoveries to emerge as the Man-of-The-Match.   The 26-year-old, who has made 476 passes this season, beat Arsenal duo Bukayo Saka (352), Gabriel...

  Kanye West has lost his status as a billionaire after Adidas ended a lucrative Yeezy deal in response to his bizarre anti-Semitic scandal , according to Forbes   Of West’s estimated $2 billion fortune, a whopping $1.5 billion was attributable to his relationship with Adidas, Forbes said on Tuesday, October, 25,  The loss of the deal effectively erases that massive chunk of his net worth, which is now estimated to be a comparatively paltry $400 million.   The estimated $1.5 billion value of West’s Adidas deal is based on a multiple of the partnership’s annual earnings, according to Forbes.   The publication noted his remaining net worth is tied to his music catalog, real estate holdings, liquid cash, and his 5% stake in Skims, his ex-wife Kim Kardashian’s burgeoning shapewear brand.   “When you part ways with a massive company that is your distribution partner it has to have an impact on your bottom line,” Columbia Univer...

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Abuja Zonal Command on October 25, 2022, secured the conviction of an internet fraudster, Ekechukwu Wilson Chinaza before Justice F.A. Aliyu of the FCT High Court sitting in Apo, Abuja.   A statement released by EFCC spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, says Chinaza was convicted after pleading guilty to a one count charge bordering on impersonation.   The charge reads   "That you, Ekechukwu Wilson Chinaza sometime in 2022 at Abuja within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court cheat by impersonation when you created a WhatsApp profile page using a white lady’s picture with the name Amber and under that assumed character did obtain the sum of One Hundred United States Dollars ($100) from Brian in the pretext that you are in a romantic relationship and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 321 of the Penal Code Act, Laws of the Federation (Abuja) 1990, and punishable under Section 324 of the same ...