Mariah Carey and James Packer are engaged

                                          Getty Image

Ms Carey performed at the opening of Mr Packer's casino in Macau last year

US pop star Mariah Carey and Australian billionaire James Packer are engaged to be married, the BBC has learned.

The couple went public with their relationship last June after they were seen on holiday together in Italy.

Mr Packer, 47, is Australia's fourth-richest person, according to Forbes, with a fortune estimated to exceed A$4.7bn ($3.1bn £2.3bn).

Mariah Carey, 45, released her first album in 1990 and is one of the biggest selling artists of all time.

Mr Packer, who inherited an Australian media empire from his father Kerry Packer, and now operates casinos, split from his second wife model and singer Erica Baxter in 2013.

Ms Carey announced her break-up from "America's Got Talent" host Nick Cannon in 2014.

Gates, Dangote Foundation seal N19.7bn deal to reduce malnutrition

The Dangote Foundation on Thursday sealed a partnership worth $100m (N19.7bn) with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation towards ending malnutrition in Nigeria within the next five years according to Punch.

The agreement was sealed in Abuja by the President Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote who signed on behalf of the Dangote Foundation while Mr. Bill Gates signed on behalf of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

The agreement was witnessed by members of the international community  as well as top officials of government such as the Ministers of Health, Education, Agriculture, Planning and Budgeting.

Speaking on the motivation behind the agreement, Dangote said "despite its rapid economic growth, Nigeria was still ranked as the second country in the world with high rate of under nutrition".

He said more worrisome was the fact that the country was also rated as the second highest in terms of stunted growth owing to malnutrition.

"Currently, there were about 11 million children in Nigeria experiencing under nutrition with the North East and North West region accounting for the highest percentage of under nourished children."

"Owing to its vital role in child health, growth and cognitive development, better nutrition would be essential towards unlocking the potentials of the next generation of Nigeria."

“Over the past few months, Dangote Foundation has gone through a strategy revision exercise and we arrived at a conclusion that the biggest challenge confronting us as we work at reducing childhood death is reducing the level of malnutrition in Nigeria."

“Globally, Nigeria has the second highest level of acute malnutrition rate at 13 per cent and at least five of all the children under the age trove years that died in Nigeria do so as a result of malnutrition."

“Stunting which is chronic malnutrition is the second highest in the world which is about 37 per cent."

“We have to ensure that children who are already malnourished receive help and are prevented from dying while we improve the conditions that led to them being malnourished in the first place.”

In his address, Gates said the agreement would enable the two foundations to begin a joint process that would strengthen the collaboration within the next five years.

He said programs that would be implemented under the pact would include community based approaches and proven interventions linked to behavioral change, fortification of staple foods with essential micronutrients and community management of a cure malnutrition investment in the local production of nutritious foods.

"One of the key objective would be to improve the livelihoods o households by supporting nutrition-sensitive agricultural programs that can increase family income, improve diets and empower women and youth."

Gates said, “Nutrition is one of the highest impact investments we can make in Nigeria’s future growth and prosperity".

With Punch

Arms Procurement: Dasuki’s Trial Stalled, Case Adjourned Till January 22

The case which is before Justice Hussein Baba Ahmed was stalled following a letter from the Counsel to Mr Dasuki, according to Channel Television.

The Counsel to Dasuki claimed that he is before an election tribunal matter in Kogi State, and as such the court should adjourn the case till January 22, to enable him defend his client.

As a result, Justice Hussein Baba-Yusuf, therefore adjourned the case till Friday, January 22 for trial to commence.

On Wednesday, a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja ordered the Federal Government to produce Col. Dasuki in court on February 16 and 17, 2016 for trial.

Justice Ademola Adeniyi, in his order, said the court has not excused the former National Security Adviser from being present in court to face the criminal charges preferred against him by the Federal Government.

Bizarre two-legged frogfish stumps scientists

      MUSEUM OF NEW ZEALAND TE PAPA TONGAREWA VIA FACEBOOK

This fish, believed to be a Frogfish, was washed up on the beach at the Bay of Islands in New Zealand.

The curious all-black creature — believed to be a Frogfish — was found washed ashore in shallow water in the country’s Bay of Islands.

Holidaymakers Claudia Howse and James Beuvink found the frog-like fish and sent it on to the Museum of New Zealand to discover exactly what it was.

Experts at the Te Papa Tongarewa museum believe it is a rare type of Frogfish and shared pictures of the unusual animal on Facebook.

“This weird creature is likely to be a species of Frogfish, but we won't know until we have a chance to examine it closely,” said the museum in a statement.

“Frogfishes have the fastest bite of any vertebrate. Their mouths expand at the speed approaching a 22 rifle bullet — and that's in a medium 800x denser than air.”

The frogfish has fins on both sides of its body that have evolved to be leg-like and are generally found living on the seabed.

The fish are known to be cannibals and regularly eat shellfish, other ocean dwellers and each other.

They are found in both tropical and subtropical oceans and seas, except the Mediterranean Sea, according to Mirror Online.

Edo 2016: No candidate yet —Odigie-Oyegun

The national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, on Wednesday, disclosed that the party does not have an anointed candidate for the 2016 Edo governorship election, according to Nigerian Tribune.

The APC national chairman dropped the hint during a meeting with APC governoship aspirants for the Edo State governoship seat at the party’s headquarters in Abuja.

He said, “Once I open my mouth to support any candidate, it hampers my ability to be objective and fair in the process. The moment you begin to tell anybody why don’t you step down, the next question is what is in for me?”

“The APC has recorded credible primaries with examples being the presidential primaries and primaries in Kogi and Bayelsa states. Even in the case of Bayelsa State where there were issues, the party cancelled the first primaries and and ordered a fresh exercise — all in a bid to achieve credible primaries.”

“The party assures of credible primaries for the Edo State governorship when the time comes and with the right credentials,” he stated.

On the sidelines of the meeting, an aspirant, Ilenre Austin Emuan, said: “All aspirants were invited for a meeting with the national leadership of APC to have a discussion as far as the campaigns for the Edo State governorship election is concerned and it was a fruitful meeting.”

“As we know, the political climate in the state is getting warmer, hence, the party felt we had to meet so that we could be reminded of the party manifesto, ideology and the fact that everyone should embrace the rule of fair play and above all, to assure everyone of us that all the aspirants will be given a level playing field.”

“Of course, there are a lot of insinuations going around that there is an anointed candidate, but today, all that has been laid to rest. I can say that many of us left with so much confidence about APC and in the process of the forthcoming primaries in Edo State,” he stressed.

Aspirants present at the meeting include: Ilenre Austin Emuan; Dr Don Pedro Obaseki and Professor Oserheimen Osunbor.