Author: News Room

Artificial intelligence adoption among businesses remains lowest in Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East, highlighting a widening digital divide across emerging regions, according to a new World Bank survey. The survey, conducted in June 2025, covered more than 2,200 companies across over 85 countries backed by the World Bank Group’s private-sector arm or by private equity and venture capital funds in its portfolio. The findings show that while AI is beginning to reshape business operations in some emerging economies, adoption remains uneven and at an early stage in many regions. Overall, about 40 per cent of firms in emerging markets…

TikTok says a power outage is causing ongoing issues and outages that started in the US early Sunday morning. In an email to The Verge, TikTok USDS spokesperson Jamie Favazza pointed to a statement posted to the joint venture’s newly-created X account, which says the company has been “working to restore our services following a power outage at a U.S. data center impacting TikTok and other apps we operate.”On Sunday, many US users, including some of us here at The Verge, reported not being able to upload videos to TikTok or see most new videos, including new videos uploaded successfully…

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.France’s billionaire Pinault family has agreed to sell its entire €1.5bn stake in sportswear brand Puma to Chinese sporting equipment maker Anta Sports.Anta will pay €35 a share for the 29.06 per cent stake in Puma held by Artemis, the investment vehicle of the Pinault family whose portfolio includes a controlling stake in luxury group Kering.The sale comes in the midst of a turnaround effort by Puma, which has lost ground to traditional rivals Nike and Adidas and faces competition from fast-growing…

A $2.24 billion drop in total stablecoin market capitalization over the last 10 days could signal capital is leaving the crypto ecosystem and may delay market recovery, according to a crypto analytics platform. In a post to X on Monday, Santiment said much of that capital has rotated into traditional safe havens like gold and silver, pushing them to new highs, while Bitcoin (BTC), the broader crypto market and stablecoins have retraced. Top 12 stablecoins by market cap collectively fell by $2.24 billion over the past 10 days. Source: Santiment“A falling stablecoin market cap shows that many investors are cashing out…

Guy Fieri is opening up about his “JustaGuy” transformation. “If you’re going to go big, go big,” Fieri, 58, told People in an interview published on Monday, January 26. Fieri shocked fans on January 22 when he showed off a brand new look for his 58th birthday via Instagram. The transformation included shaving his goatee and ditching his famous spiky blonde hair for a sleek brunette look. He completed the look by trading in his signature casual clothing style for a blue gingham button-up, a brown belt and khakis. “Hey there! After so many years of celebrating my birthday as…

Igbinedion University, Okada, Edo State, on Saturday, reaffirmed its strict on-campus residency and disciplinary policies as it matriculated about 1,300 students for the 2025/2026 session. The Vice-Chancellor, Lawrence Ezemonye, said compulsory hostel residence was central to ensuring a safe, controlled and academically focused learning environment. “Life on campus is not optional in this university. All students must live in designated on-campus hostels. Residing elsewhere is not permitted,” Mr Ezemonye, a professor, declared. He explained that the policy enabled effective monitoring of student welfare, enforcement of discipline, and the sustenance of the university’s culture of excellence. Mr Ezemonye said the student…

The Nigerian Medical Association, NMA, has debunked a report by the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and the Trade Union Congress, TUC, claiming that doctors benefited from an upgrade of the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure, CONMESS. The National Publicity Secretary of the association, Dr Mannir Bature, disclosed this on Monday in Gusau, Zamfara State capital, while addressing newsmen. Bature described the allegation as misleading and capable of fuelling industrial tension in the health sector. This statement was in response to the ultimatum issued by the NLC and TUC over the ongoing nationwide industrial action by the Joint Health Sector Unions, JOHESU.…

Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State has said he does not know who will succeed him after the expiration of his tenure in May 2027. Speaking over the weekend at a critical All Progressives Congress (APC) stakeholders’ meeting in Maiduguri, Zulum reaffirmed that his administration is focused on strengthening security and providing much-needed development to the people. He said he is committed to a fair, transparent, and just process in the election of party officials during the forthcoming congresses. According to him, the integrity of the process is paramount for the party’s unity and future success, advocating for a fresh…

Troops attached to Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS) Joint Task Force have killed two suspected bandits during a security operation along the Naka–Makurdi axis of Benue State. Sources in the area disclosed on Monday that the assailants allegedly moved onto the highway before residents alerted security forces. The troops were said to have swiftly mobilised to the scene and engaged the suspects in a gun battle, resulting in the deaths of two of them. The Naka–Makurdi road had previously gained a reputation for frequent kidnappings and violent attacks by armed groups, forcing many motorists to avoid the route for years. However,…

Liverpool legend, Jamie Carragher, has claimed Arsenal don’t have a sueprstar forward in their squad. Carragher, speaking on Monday Night Football, played down concerns over the Gunners’ mentality. He was analzying Mikel Arteta’s men 3-2 defeat to Manchester United on Sunday. Carragher said: “I don’t think Arsenal lack mental strength – they lack quality in attacking areas. Do they have a genuine superstar in attack? I’ve always had this feeling with Arsenal for a number of years and I felt that was the reason why they didn’t go on and win the Premier League. “You think what Mo Salah did…