For much of the 120 minutes at Hampden, there was precious little hint of the beautiful story to come, the heart-warming endgame to a Scottish Cup semi-final that wasn't always easy on the eye. From a grind to a thing of glory for Aberdeen and their match-winner, Oday Dabbagh, a Palestinian, born in the Old City of Jerusalem. We waited and waited for a story and, boy, did we get one. Dabbagh came on to the pitch in the 81st minute when Aberdeen were mid-toil. Very little wit, very little imagination, very few signs that they had it in them to take advantage of their numerical superiority. Hearts had been down to 10 men since just short of half-time. It took a dreary Aberdeen another 58 minutes to get their first shot on target. Moments later, they had a second. Dabbagh, and fellow substitute Dante Polvara, were beginning to make a difference. The Palestinian forced a terrific save from Craig Gordon and slowly Aberdeen started to turn the screw. Alexander Jensen had a chance, Jeppe Okkels had one of his own. Penalties loomed, but so did Dabbagh. When he tucked away the goal that sent Aberdeen to the final - just two minutes short of penalties - he wheeled away to be with his supporters. On full-time, his team-mates went to him, one by one. Later, amid the bedlam, he spoke about it all. "It's a really incredible feeling, I can't explain," he said. "I'm happy to score the winning goal, I'm happy to be in the final. Thank you to the fans. "I want to thank the staff and my team-mates for believing in me. They said I would finally get the goal and I did." This was Dabbagh's 10th game for Aberdeen since he joined on loan from Charleroi at the turn of the year. A 90th-minute winner against Kilmarnock, a double against Queen's Park in the cup, and now this, a different stratosphere to the others. It's a goal that will mean more to him and football people in his homeland than we'll possibly ever know. His story is quite something. As a kid on the cobbles of Jerusalem, he idolised Robin van Persie. At the age of 16 he was playing for, and excelling with, Hilal al-Quds in the West Bank Premier League. He won league titles there. In 2018-19 he was the competition's top scorer. At 19, he played for his national team. A teenager, yes, but one who had already seen a lot - too much. Matches delayed while teams were held at checkpoints. Tear-gassing of stadiums. Players who lost homes in bombings. Dabbagh's reputation grew and he moved to Kuwait, broke a collarbone, got Covid and still won trophies and a golden boot. When winning a league title, he dedicated it to home. In August 2021, at the age of 22, Dabbagh was signed by Arouca in the Portuguese top flight. He made his debut off the bench against Porto and Pepe was his marker. Arouca lost 3-0, but the significance didn't come with the result, it came with Dabbagh's appearance - the first homegrown product to reach one of Europe's big leagues. Just as he spoke about his happiness at Hampden, he spoke then about his pride in reaching such a level "not just for me but for all Palestinians. I hope I can be an ambassador for Palestinian players". Palestinian football commentators and social historians remarked on what Dabbagh had done in Portugal, how football was tied up in the psyche of the Palestinian people and how Dabbagh, the new pioneer in foreign fields, embodied that spirit. In the summer of 2023, he moved to Charleroi in Belgium, played Asian Cup for his country and had a crack at the World Cup qualifiers. But game-time for his club grew limited. When Aberdeen were looking for a loan striker, their research threw up his name - a player who had lost his way a little, but one who had still plenty to give in the right environment. And the environment was never more right than at Hampden in the 118th minute of a tight scrap that seemed destined to end in penalties until Dabbagh did his thing. Aberdeen are now in the final having faced Elgin (third in League Two at the time); Dunfermline (who were eighth in the Championship); and Queen's Park (fifth in the same second tier). That was a charmed path to Hampden and the breaks continued for Aberdeen when Hearts went down to 10 and then nine men, unjustly in the case of Cammy Devlin, many would say. Still, Jimmy Thelin's side needed a hero and, for all their possession and all of their territory, it didn't look like they had one in their ranks - until Dabbagh pounced. In that moment of triumph the roars of the fans won't just have carried all the way home to Aberdeen. Around 3,000 miles away, passionate football people might have been listening and cheering, too.

A Nigerian Islamic scholar, Dr Dauda Awwal, has launched what he describes as the world’s first comprehensive Yoruba-English Qur’an translation, an initiative aimed at making the Islamic holy book more accessible to Yoruba-speaking communities around the world.
The disclosure was made in a statement on Thursday to The PUNCH.
The project, called the Global English-Yoruba Qur’an 4-in-1, features the original Arabic text, full transliteration for proper pronunciation, Yoruba translation with high linguistic accuracy, and English translation enriched with commentary, Hadith references, biblical comparisons, and scientific insights.
“This is the first time in history that all these elements are coming together in a single Qur’an.
“For over a century, Yoruba-speaking Muslims have lacked a complete, authentic Qur’anic reference in their language. This project will bridge that gap,” said Awwal, a graduate of Muhammad Ibn Saud University in Riyadh.
Awwal also announced the launch of “My First 13 Surahs for Children,” a colourful, interactive edition designed for children aged five to ten. It includes Arabic, Yoruba, and English translations of 13 short chapters, with illustrations, worksheets, mobile app integration, and audio-visual recitations to support early Islamic education.
The scholar plans to print and freely distribute five million copies of the children’s edition across four continents: two million in Africa, and one million each in Europe, Asia, and the Americas. Digital formats will also be made available through mobile apps and e-books.
“We’re inviting global sponsors, Islamic organisations, and philanthropists to partner with us in this historic project,” Awwal stated. “This is not just a book. It is a cultural legacy and a tool for interfaith understanding.”
Awwal, who has authored over 50 Islamic publications, has received international recognition for his work, including a commendation from the late Queen Elizabeth II. The Qur’an project was previously presented to the Nigerian High Commission in London and Nigerian communities in the UK.
He also extended a call to leaders such as Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to support the global rollout of the initiative.

It is not just Celtic fans who will be willing them on in Sunday's Scottish Cup semi-final with St Johnstone. Those who support Hibernian, Dundee United, St Mirren - and maybe even the more pessimistic Aberdeen fans - will also be hoping Brendan Rodgers holders win for one simple reason... A final between Celtic and Aberdeen - regardless of the outcome - will mean the top five finishers in the Scottish Premiership will be guaranteed Europe next season. The Scottish Cup winners earn a spot in the Europa League play-off round, with the team that finishes third in the Premiership going into the second qualifying round. Whoever is fourth, will be in the equivalent stage of the Conference League. However, if Celtic win the cup, everything shuffles down because they have already clinched a place in the Champions League qualifiers. Rangers will too. That means the Europa play-off place - and the guaranteed six-game Conference League campaign that comes with it - goes to whoever finishes third in the league. Currently, that's Hibs. But United and Aberdeen and St Mirren - albeit the arithmetic is hugely against them - are still in the mix. But even the clubs who miss out on third could still be rewarded. Fourth place would be upgraded from Conference League to Europa League, with that Conference spot going to whoever finishes fifth. St Johnstone, of course, could scupper all this with a second victory over Celtic inside a month. Should they do so, then either they or Aberdeen could look forward to at least six lucrative games in the Conference League come the autumn.

MTN Nigeria Communications Plc has invested N565.7 bn in the first half of 2025 to accelerate the expansion of its network infrastructure, marking a 288.4 per cent increase in capital expenditure compared to the same period last year. The country’s biggest telecom firm disclosed this in its half-year financial results released on Thursday, explaining that the funds were channelled towards rolling out additional 4G sites, extending fibre-to-the-home services, and developing a new data centre. Subscribers anticipate better service quality following a 50 per cent tariff increase approved by the Nigeria Communications Commission earlier this year. Operators are starting to demonstrate commitment to these improvements, supported by the recent arrival of $1bn worth of telecom equipment. MTN said the surge in capex, excluding lease payments, was necessary to meet growing data traffic and improve service quality for its over 84 million subscribers. “The accelerated capex in H1 was deployed to support growth in data traffic as well as enhance service quality and user experience,” the telco stated in the document. A breakdown of the investments shows that MTN deployed 240 new 4G sites, expanded its fiber-to-home network, and began work on a new data centre to meet increasing digital demand. The company said these upgrades were vital to reduce congestion and improve coverage across its footprint. When lease-related items, such as tower rental agreements, are included, total capex rose by 208.2 per cent, which the company attributed to the increase in right-of-use assets following the extension of tower lease contracts with IHS Towers, its infrastructure partner. Despite the scale of investment, MTN said it maintained a strong financial footing, reporting a free cash flow of N409.8bn and a post-tax profit of N414.9bn, compared to a loss of N519.1 bn in the same period last year. Capex intensity, which measures the proportion of revenue spent on capital projects, stood at 23.8 per cent, indicating the company’s front-loaded spending strategy for 2025. The operator said it expects this intensity to moderate in the second half of the year. The company added that the investments are crucial to expanding coverage and improving user experience, particularly as demand for data and digital services continues to rise. MTN Nigeria also confirmed that about 74 per cent of its total debt is now denominated in naira, reducing its exposure to foreign currency risk. It noted that its liquidity remains strong with a cash balance of N257.6bn. GCR Ratings recently affirmed the company’s national scale long- and short-term issuer ratings at AAA and A1+, respectively, while upgrading the outlook from negative to stable, citing MTN’s return to profitability, improved cash flow, and sustained revenue growth.