Author: News Room

A party chieftain and member of the dissolved Tinubu-Shettima Presidential Campaign Council in Rivers State, Iyke Ejie, has thrown his weight behind the proposed defection of former Governor Nyesom Wike to the ruling All Progressives Congress to take charge of party affairs in Rivers State. Ejie also urged Nigerians to ignore the statement credited to the former House of Representatives member, Austin Wokocha, that the ex-governor Wike didn’t work for the victory… Read the full article here

Promising young defender Harrison Sodje has signed a new one-year contract with Leyton Orient. The 19-year-old, who can operate as both a centre-back and a left-back, has continued to develop since his first professional deal last season. Heading out on loan to Heybridge Swifts and Cray Wanderers saw Sodje pick up vital first-team experience, proving to be a key cog in both teams’ successful seasons. Now, with a new contract at the club, Sodje is excited to… Read the full article here

England have included Josh Tongue in their XI to face Australia in the second Ashes Test at Lord’s after Moeen Ali was left out following a finger injury.Tongue, 25, took five wickets in the second innings as England beat Ireland at Lord’s earlier this month.He has been picked ahead of fellow pace bowler Mark Wood, who again misses out on a spot in the team.CricketEngland to open World Cup against New Zealand in rematch of unforgettable 2019 final3 HOURS AGOTongue’s inclusion means… Read the full article here

TikTok is killing off its BeReal clone TikTok Now, according to notifications being sent to users. Multiple Twitter users have posted screenshots of the message in different languages, which says that ByteDance is “updating the TikTok experience and [is] discontinuing TikTok Now.” News of its discontinuation comes a little over nine months after TikTok Now was officially announced, although it’s unclear exactly when the feature will disappear for good.TikTok Now was launched in… Read the full article here

Receive free Brookfield Asset Management Inc updatesWe’ll send you a myFT Daily Digest email rounding up the latest Brookfield Asset Management Inc news every morning. Brookfield has offered to acquire American Equity Investment Life for $4.3bn, making it the latest private capital manager looking to expand in credit investing by adding retirement annuity and life insurance assets. AEL, based in West Des Moines, Iowa, is one of a few independent annuities operators remaining amid a… Read the full article here

The Bank of England (BoE) has made significant developments in its central bank digital currency (CBDC) program. Tom Mutton, director of fintech at the BoE, recently shared insights on the privacy aspect of the CBDC and why the central bank might look for other options beyond blockchain as the underpinning technology.In the interview, Mutton said that during a recent meeting of technologists hosted by the BoE to discuss digital pound design, there was a clear disagreement on which ledger… Read the full article here

It’s been brutal out here without new music from Olivia Rodrigo — but the “Driver’s License” songstress has finally announced her second album. Does Olivia Rodrigo’s 2nd Album Have a Release Date? Guts, the 20-year-old’s follow-up to her 2021 debut LP, Sour, will debut on September 8. “I am so proud of this record and I can’t wait to share it with you all!” Rodrigo shared via Instagram on June 26 alongside the cover of her upcoming release. The album shows… Read the full article here

Boko Haram’s return to using improvised explosive devices (IEDs) is a major worry for Cameroon’s Far North Region. Until recently, the region hadn’t recorded any major bomb attacks since 8 January 2021, when 15 people were killed in Mozogo. But on 21 March this year, a vehicle belonging to the Rapid Intervention Battalion was hit by an IED in Amchide. One soldier died and six were injured in the attack. Just one month later, on 24 April, six members of the 42nd Motorised… Read the full article here

Mr Peter Obi of the Labour Party, LP, has reacted to the recent demolition of some buildings at the Alaba International Market by the Lagos State Government. Obi said although some of the demolitions might be excusable, they had left many victims, mostly ordinary people who he believed were either innocently ill-informed or misguided. He said the primary duty of any government is to care for and protect its citizens. In a statement issued via his verified Twitter handle on Tuesday, the… Read the full article here

The Benue State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has lambasted the state governor, Rev Fr Hyacinth Alia, for paying just one month’s salary to workers. The governor had, in his Democracy Day speech, urged civil servants in the state to be expectant of alerts from June 25. Alia stated this while lamenting the plight of the people following the unpaid salaries and pensions he inherited from the immediate past administration led by Chief Samuel Ortom. Some of the workers were,… Read the full article here