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The date for Chelsea's hearing on their transfer ban has been scheduled for April 11 Chelsea lodged an appeal against the two-transfer-window ban to the FIFA Appeal Committee, FIFA have confirmed. Chelsea were banned from registering new players until the summer of 2020  for allegedly breaking rules on the signings of minors from abroad, but the club have denied any wrongdoing. A club statement on March 8 read: "Chelsea Football Club is astonished by the FIFA appeal committee's decision not to suspend its sanction pending completion of the appeal process. "So far as the club is aware, in all previous cases where a registration ban has been imposed by FIFA, a decision has also been made to suspend the sanction until the appeal process has been completed. "In this case, Chelsea considers that it is being treated inconsistently in comparison with other European clubs. We will consider our next steps once we have received the written reasons for this decis...

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has rested its case of alleged misconduct against the suspended Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen, at the National Judicial Council. Our correspondent learnt from multiple sources conversant with the proceedings of the five-man investigation panel of the NJC that the EFCC rested its case after calling seven witnesses. The commission was said to have called its first witness on March 12 and rested its case within one week. It was learnt on Sunday that Onnoghen has since opened his defence and called two witnesses on Wednesday, March 20. “The EFCC has rested its case and Justice Onnoghen has opened his defence. With this, we expect that the NJC will soon end its investigation,” one of the sources told our correspondent. In its petition before the NJC, the EFCC, it was learnt, accused Onnoghen of having some suspicious lodgments of huge funds in his bank accounts. The other petition against the suspended CJN was re...

Scott Walker, one of the most innovative and enduring songwriters of the 20th century, has died aged 76. The news was announced by his label, 4AD. “For half a century, the genius of the man born Noel Scott Engel has enriched the lives of thousands,” a statement read. The cause of death has not been announced. Walker first came to fame in the mid-1960s in the group the Walker Brothers, before creating a string of acclaimed solo albums – Scott I to Scott IV – that are regarded as some of the most adventurous and boundary-pushing pop albums of the era. He then moved further out to the periphery of the music scene, with an increasingly experimental run of albums, including 1995’s Tilt and 2006’s The Drift, which reflected on Mussolini’s mistress, Srebrenica and 9/11. His most recent work was music composed for the Natalie Portman movie Vox Lux. Walker was born Noah Scott Engel in Hamilton, Ohio in 1943, and grew up in California. In 1964, he teamed up with John Maus – who was n...

A science teacher from rural Kenya, who gives away most of his salary to support poorer pupils, has won a $1m prize (£760,000) for the world's best teacher. Peter Tabichi, a member of the Franciscan religious order, won the 2019 Global Teacher Prize. Brother Peter has been praised for his achievements in a deprived school with crowded classes and few text books. He wants pupils to see "science is the way to go" for their futures. The award, announced in a ceremony in Dubai, recognises the "exceptional" teacher's commitment to pupils in a remote part of Kenya's Rift Valley. He gives away 80% of his pay to support pupils, at the Keriko Mixed Day Secondary School in Pwani Village, Nakuru, who otherwise could not afford uniforms or books. Improving science "It's not all about money," says Brother Peter, whose pupils are almost all from very disadvantaged families. Many are orphaned or have lost a parent. The 36-year-old teache...

Prince Charles  and Camilla have arrived in Cuba for a historic visit which will see them celebrate cultural ties between the UK and the Communist state. Charles and Camilla's official trip to Cuba will be a first by members of the  monarchy  and comes after the couple's tour of five Commonwealth Caribbean countries where the Queen is head of state. The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall were welcomed by officials after touching down at Jose Marti International Airport in Havana in an RAF Voyager plane from Barbados. They have attended a wreath-laying ceremony at the Jose Marti monument and were pictured standing in front of an image of Ernesto "Che" Guevara, a well known figure of the Cuban Revolution. The couple started their four day visit by laying a wreath at the memorial for Cuba's national hero, the essayist and poet Jose Marti. Charles walked behind two soldiers who held a large floral tribute made of roses and laid it at t...