Author: News Room

The African Democratic Congress has said that the defection of governors and other elected politicians to the All Progressives Congress cannot guarantee the return of President Bola Tinubu to Aso Rock in the 2027 general elections. Speaking in an exclusive interview with PUNCH Online at the party’s stakeholders’ meeting on Saturday in Yola, the Chairman of the Adamawa State chapter of the ADC, Shehu Yohanna, said politicians defecting to the ruling All Progressives Congress were heading into political exile. He said the party had proposed former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar as its presidential candidate and Peter Obi as vice-presidential candidate for…

ClapMi, an African creator-tech startup, has secured a $20,000 innovation grant from Lisk through the Aya × Lisk Incubation Programme, aiming to launch Africa’s first competitive livestreaming platform, it said in a statement. The funding will accelerate ClapMi’s development of its creators layer and support the company’s mission to scale a hybrid Web2/Web3 livestream competition platform that enables performance-based monetisation for creators across the continent. Africa’s creator economy is projected to surpass $29.8bn by 2032, driven by mobile-first consumers and a digitally native population. But monetisation remains a significant challenge. Industry data shows that over half of African creators earn…

The winners of the 2026 World Cup will receive $50 million in prize money as part of a record financial contribution for the tournament from FIFA, world football’s governing body announced on Wednesday. The total World Cup prize fund of $655 million (558.5 million euros) represents an increase of almost 50 percent from the $440 million distributed to teams taking part in the last tournament in Qatar in 2022. However, next year’s World Cup — to be held in the United States, Mexico and Canada from June 11 to July 19 — will be the first to feature 48 teams,…

2025 Afrobeats breakout singer, Folarin Odunlami, with the stage name, Fola, has apologised to fans following the abrupt end of his first headline performance at the Mainland Block Party, which was halted over safety concerns after the venue reportedly exceeded its capacity. The event, held on Monday, December 15, at the Balmoral Event Centre, Federal Palace Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos, was disrupted after a large influx of fans led to overcrowding, rowdiness and reported safety breaches. Attendance was said to have surpassed the venue’s approved capacity, prompting organisers to stop the show. Several fans at the venue complained of poor…

Microsoft is at it again with another round of ads showing people talking to Copilot AI on their computers. This time it’s holiday-themed, including a cameo from the big man in red. The 30-second TV spot asks if you’re “ready for the holidays” and features actors in various festive home settings asking Copilot for some ho-ho-ho-help with everything from holiday lighting and cooking to oversized outdoor decorations.Just like the last time I tested Copilot Vision and Voice Mode, I made a list of all the prompts in Microsoft’s ad and I’m checking them twice. Or as many times as I…

Bitcoin (BTC) ramped up volatility into Thursday’s Wall Street open as markets reacted to surprise US inflation data.Key points:Bitcoin traders weather more snap BTC price volatility as CPI surprises to the downside.US inflation unexpectedly drops to multiyear lows, fueling bets of interest-rate cuts.Bitcoin price action continues repeating its early 2025 fractal.Bitcoin stays erratic after “massive” CPI missData from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView showed BTC/USD passing $89,000 before reversing lower. BTC/USD one-hour chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingViewThe move followed the November release of the Consumer Price Index (CPI), which printed one of its largest monthly declines since 2023 — firmly against expectations.“The…

Us Weekly has affiliate partnerships. We receive compensation when you click on a link and make a purchase. Learn more! Think you missed the best deals of the season? Not quite. Madewell is quietly hosting an under-the-radar sale packed with last-minute gifts that feel thoughtful and elevated. You can score up to 50% off when you use the code ‘Holiday,’ making now the perfect moment to shop for someone stylish on your list (or yourself). We narrowed the sale down to 13 fashion finds that are actually worth adding to your cart. Below, you’ll find French-inspired sweaters, sleek statement bags…

President Bola Tinubu will on Friday present the 2026 Appropriation Bill to a joint session of the National Assembly, despite the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and Fiscal Strategy Paper (FSP) for the 2026–2028 period yet to be approved by the House. The plan was announced by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, during plenary on Thursday, following the receipt of a letter from the President requesting permission to address a joint sitting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. In the letter, President Tinubu sought the “kind indulgence” of the House of Representatives to allow him…

The federal, state and local governments shared a total of N1.928 trillion as Federation Account revenue for November 2025, according to the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation. The allocation was approved at the December 2025 meeting of the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) held in Abuja. This was disclosed in a press statement on Monday by the Director of Press and Public Relations in the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, Bawa Mokwa. The total distributable revenue comprised N1.403 trillion in statutory revenue, N485.838 billion from Value Added Tax (VAT) and N39.646 billion from the Electronic…

The Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF) has intervened in the proposed ban on sachet alcohol products announced by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC). PREMIUM TIMES reported that NAFDAC pledged to enforce a total ban on the production and sale of alcoholic beverages in sachets and small bottles by December 2025. The directive followed a motion sponsored by Asuquo Ekpenyong, the senator representing Cross River South, who raised concerns over the repeated postponement of the policy despite growing health and social problems associated with the consumption of sachet alcohol.…