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.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, on Monday, said Nigeria has recorded 152 deaths from Lassa fever so far in 2025. The Case Fatality Rate now stands at 18.7 per cent, higher than the 17.3 per cent recorded during the same period in 2024. As of epidemiological Week 28, Nigeria has reported a total of 6,520 suspected cases and 811 confirmed cases across 21 states and 105 Local Government Areas. The NCDC also noted that the number of new confirmed cases in week 28 remained the same as in week 27, with fresh infections reported in Ondo, Edo, and Benue states. A significant majority of 89 per cent of confirmed Lassa fever cases were recorded in five states -Ondo (32 per cent), Bauchi (23 per cent), Edo (17 per cent), Taraba (14 per cent), and Ebonyi (three per cent). The remaining 11 per cent of confirmed cases were reported from 16 other states. The most affected age group is between 21 and 30 years, with a median age of 30 years. The report stated, “In week 28, the number of new confirmed cases is the same as epi week 27 of 2025. These were reported in Ondo, Edo, and Benue States. “Cumulatively, as at week 28, 2025, 152 deaths have been reported with a Case Fatality Rate (CFR) of 18.7 per cent, which is higher than the CFR for the same period in 2024 (17.3 per cent). In total for 2025, 21 States have recorded at least one confirmed case across 105 Local Government Areas. “Eighty-nine percent (89 per cent) of all confirmed Lassa fever cases were reported from five states (Ondo, Bauchi, Edo, Taraba, and Ebonyi), while 11 per cent were reported from 16 states with confirmed Lassa fever cases. Of the 89 per cent confirmed cases, Ondo reported 32 per cent, Bauchi 23 per cent, Edo 17 per cent, Taraba 14 per cent, and Ebonyi three per cent.” It added that there is no new healthcare worker affected in the reporting week 28, and the national Lassa fever multi-partner, multi-sectoral Technical Working Group is coordinating the response activities at all levels.

Moyo Orekoya, who is co-founder of an AI-powered teaching platform known as Shepherd, makes a case for the adoption of the recently launched platform in Nigeria’s teaching and learning environment, in this interview with WALE AKINSELURE What informed your decision to launch Shepherd? Every student deserves personalised support. Unfortunately, most classrooms, especially in countries like Nigeria, are overcrowded, under-resourced, and overstretched. Growing up, I was lucky to have extra lessons, and it changed the trajectory of my life. But that kind of one-on-one support isn’t scalable. Hence, Shepherd exists to fix that. My cofounder, Kehinde Williams and I developed Shepherd to make personalised learning available to every child. This, through the teachers they already have, and using tools that feel like magic but work with real pedagogy. How is Shepherd helping to solve real challenges faced by teachers and students today? Teachers have two big concerns today. First, they’re drowning in admin: spending hours on grading, lesson prep, and exam creation. Second, they struggle to personalise learning in overcrowded classrooms with 30 to 50 students. Educators are overwhelmed. Students, on the other hand, are anxious and unsupported. Many are afraid to ask questions in class. Some turn to AI tools that give quick answers without teaching them how to think. Shepherd steps in to solve both problems. For teachers, it acts as a co-pilot. Shepherd automatically generates lesson materials, grades essays, and handles repetitive tasks. But more importantly, it empowers them to design and assign personalised AI tutors to students, auto-generate quizzes with instant feedback, build flashcards and study plans, and track student progress in no more than 5 minutes. This also translates to personalised 24/7 academic support for students to stay on track, and teachers get time back to do what only they can: teach, coach, and care. How do you address the AI potential for overreliance and dependence, and the reduction of critical thinking and human interaction in the learning environment? We built Shepherd to prevent mindless AI use. Instead of handing students answers, it asks questions, nudges thinking, and scaffolds learning. It’s built on the Socratic method, so students must try, explain, and reflect. But more importantly, teachers stay in control. They can monitor learning, spot gaps, and intervene. For every user, we have gone to great lengths to make AI the co-pilot, not the driver. Can you explain how Shepherd uses AI to support teachers without replacing them? Shepherd isn’t a replacement. It’s an amplifier. Think of it as a 24/7 teaching assistant that helps plan lessons, assess students, and generate learning resources instantly. But the teacher is always in charge. Shepherd is designed to free the teacher to focus on higher-impact teaching, mentoring, and motivation. A World Bank Study done in Nigeria showed that Teacher and AI collaboration drove more impact in driving learning gains than either one alone. We believe that is the future of AI in education, not self-serve bots, but teacher-guided journeys grounded in pedagogy. Many Edtech tools promise improved learning outcomes, but what makes Shepherd’s approach different? Our approach is evidence-backed. There is this paper – From Chalkboards to Chatbots – by the World Bank, where they did a Randomised Control Trial and showed that a Teacher and AI approach drove learning outcomes more than any other learning intervention. By centring the educator and enabling them to quickly design the AI experience and then monitor it, we drive unprecedented impact. Unlike other ed-tech tools, which are content-first. Shepherd is pedagogy-first. Instead of just delivering static material, we take the best of learning science. For example, spaced repetition for recall, quick feedback, scaffolding, then layer it with the best reasoning AI model, and put teachers in the loop to monitor and provide the right guardrails. What are the measurable impacts of Shepherd in classrooms where it’s currently being used? In classrooms, teachers tell us that Shepherd saves about 75 per cent of the time they spend grading essays. So, they can assign three times more writing assignments because Shepherd helps them grade in minutes. Imagine a student being coached daily, and a teacher doing more than half the admin. That’s the real impact. On the student side, over 150,000 students have used Shepherd personally, and we have received phenomenal feedback on how it improved their study habits and grades.  Shepherd is backed by Y Combinator. What does that support mean for your growth plans? Being backed by Y Combinator means we are building at global standards, with the mentorship, network, and credibility to scale fast. But it also means something deeper: the world’s top investors believe that African schools can leapfrog the classroom bottlenecks using AI, and Shepherd is their bet to make that happen. What markets are you currently active in, and how are you scaling the platform? We’re active across the globe with students using our student-only platform (shepherd.study). But our teacher-in-the-loop product (teacher.shepherd.study) is now being piloted in the US and Nigeria, with partnerships expanding rapidly. We’re scaling through direct school partnerships, teacher ambassador programs, and collaboration with ministries and governmental organisations. The goal is to make Shepherd the default AI co-teacher in every school. Are there plans to introduce Shepherd to African schools? Absolutely, and this is personal. For too long, African education systems have been playing catch-up. We missed the industrial age revolution. We missed the internet revolution in our classrooms. But we do not have to miss the AI revolution. We can leapfrog. Shepherd is already working with a growing number of forward-thinking Nigerian schools that are not just adopting AI, they’re using it to empower their teachers, personalise learning, and better prepare students for the world ahead. We’re aligning Shepherd with local curricula like WAEC and JAMB, and we’re training teachers to use it, not as a replacement, but as an extension of their ability to teach and care. Parents and government leaders should pay close attention to what’s happening globally. In China, AI education is now mandatory in schools, with students as young as six getting familiar with the tools that will shape their future. It’s not just about coding. It’s about thinking, reasoning, and working alongside intelligent systems. That’s what Shepherd enables. Even if a student doesn’t go on to build AI, they’ll grow up knowing how to work with it, and that familiarity will be a key advantage in the global labour market. So yes, we’re coming to Nigerian and African schools, but it’s not just up to us. This is a conversation every parent should be having with their school today. Ask them: “What are you doing to prepare my child for a world shaped by AI?” If the answer isn’t clear, Shepherd is here to help. Do you plan to organise training and sensitisation programmes for educators on the effective use of Shepherd? Absolutely. We’re rolling out “train-the-trainer” models, on-site workshops, and mobile onboarding flows in local languages. We’re not just giving teachers a tool; we’re helping them build 21st-century teaching capacity. It’s part of the product, part professional development. And the feedback so far has been electric. What specific challenges do you see in applying AI tools like Shepherd in the Nigerian education system? We are tackling three challenges head-on: Digital literacy caps, low device access, and scepticism and awareness. To address digital literacy gaps, we offer mobile-ready, language-inclusive training. On low-end device access, we want to ensure Shepherd works great on low-end Android phones. To address scepticism and awareness, our focus is to lead with the teacher, not the tech. When they see Shepherd save hours and improve engagement and confidence in the students, the scepticism melts away. Teachers and schools are already burdened by economic realities. What is the cost of adopting Shepherd? We are sensitive to the economic realities in the country. So we try to ensure pricing structure flexibility. We can offer school-wide licenses, parent-funded bundles, and even NGO/government-sponsored access for public schools. We are, however, confident in the Return on Investment we deliver – more learning, less stress, better results. Would you consider partnering with state or federal education agencies in Nigeria for the sake of accessibility? Yes, we’re excited to have those conversations. To reach every student, we need the public sector. We’re gearing up to speak with ministries, governors’ forums, and donor-backed agencies to bring Shepherd into public schools, from primary to university, and even teacher colleges. How will Shepherd improve UTME/SSCE results? Shepherd is built to help students excel at exams. Upload a WAEC or JAMB syllabus, and Shepherd creates a full plan, notes, flashcards, quizzes, past questions, and reminders. It’s like a personalised prep coach that never sleeps. And teachers can track readiness, spot weak points, and give targeted support. We’ve seen students jump two to three grade levels in a matter of weeks. But also, we are working on building a vast library of UTME/SSCE and international exams – IB, AP, SAT, etc, resources that are AI-enabled, with 24/7 interactive explanations on questions, and ready to help students excel.

Aston Villa produced a sensational performance to beat Newcastle United at Villa Park and lay down a marker in the race for the top five and Champions League qualification. Ollie Watkins became Villa's joint-top Premier League goalscorer - alongside Gabriel Agbonlahor - on 74 when his shot took a wicked deflection off Fabian Schar after just 33 seconds. Newcastle levelled in the 18th minute when Schar met Harvey Barnes' deep, curling cross and headed through the legs of Villa keeper Emiliano Martinez. But in the 64th minute Watkins sent in full-back Ian Maatsen who deservedly restored Villa's lead with a cool dink over the goalkeeper. Villa added a third in the 73rd minute when Jacob Ramsey's pass across goal bounced in off Newcastle defender Dan Burn. And a fourth came moments later through substitute Amadou Onana's stunning strike which found the top corner from the edge of the box. Villa's convincing win lifts them to sixth in the table, level on points with fifth-placed Nottingham Forest. Newcastle remain third but are now just two points ahead of Villa with five games of the season remaining. Villa Park is packed full of positivity these days. Unai Emery's side have now won 10 of their past 11 games in all competitions to propel themselves back into Champions League qualification contention. Their first half was inspired by Watkins who twice hit the woodwork, clattering an effort against the underside of the crossbar at 1-0, and thumping a header against the post at 1-1. In the second half Villa always looked the likelier to score and John McGinn came close to putting them ahead but he was denied by Newcastle keeper Nick Pope when through on goal. Three goals in 11 minutes from Maatsen, the unfortunate Burn and Onana put the result beyond doubt though. And shortly after they went 4-1 up, Ramsey nearly made it five but his shot struck the inside of the post. Villa face fellow European hopefuls Manchester City and Bournemouth in the run-in but after beating a Newcastle team that had won six on the bounce, and scored 12 goals across their past three games, few would bet against Emery's side reaching the Champions League for a second successive season. Newcastle never really clicked and were blown away by Villa's energy. Alexander Isak was well-marshalled by defenders Tyrone Mings and Ezri Konsa and was pretty much limited to one tame, curling effort straight at Emiliano Martinez with the score at 1-1. Tricky wingers Jacob Murphy and Harvey Barnes were likewise dealt with by Villa's full-backs Matty Cash and Maatsen. Assistant manager Jason Tindall once again deputised for manager Eddie Howe who continues to recover from pneumonia. Their side could have gone eight points clear of Villa with a win. Instead their advantage over the Villans was cut to just two points. Newcastle will hope to respond when they host Ipswich next Saturday, while Villa are away at Manchester City on Tuesday.