Author: News Room

President Bola Tinubu has ordered the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to lift the freeze order it placed on a bank account of the Osun State Government. Mr Tinubu gave the directive in a statement he personally signed on Thursday, describing the timing of the EFCC’s action, coming 10 days before the upcoming Osun State governorship election, as deeply embarrassing. The directive came amid growing criticisms of the anti-corruption agency’s action, which has increasingly drawn condemnation as a politically motivated step. On Wednesday, the EFCC asked First Bank to freeze an account belonging to the Osun State Government, days…

Businesses in Nigeria identified high or multiple taxation, insecurity and high interest rates as the top three constraints they faced in July, according to the latest Business Expectations Survey (BES) released by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). In the July BES report, the apex bank said businesses remained optimistic despite perceived macroeconomic challenges. Effective April 2026, the CBN enhanced the BES methodology by changing the weighted diffusion index from the previously used three-point Likert scale to a five-point scale. The July survey was conducted from 6-10 July, with a sample size of 1,900 business enterprises across Nigeria. CBN said…

The House of Representatives Committee on Polytechnic and Higher Technical Education has directed the Federal Ministry of Education to submit all documents relating to the implementation of the Federal Government’s Technical and Vocational Education and Training programme on or before August 18, 2026. The committee also gave the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, a final opportunity to personally appear before it on September 17, 2026, warning that continued failure to honour its invitations could trigger further legislative action. The resolutions followed an investigative hearing held at the National Assembly on Thursday, where lawmakers expressed dissatisfaction over the minister’s repeated failure…

Today, I’m talking with Gaby Del Valle, a policy reporter here at The Verge, about the growing backlash against AI data centers.Gaby recently reported a fantastic piece about Hernando County, Florida, where last month the county commission unanimously approved a yearlong moratorium on data center construction. She attended a protest there organized by a group called Humans First, a conservative grassroots movement focused on combating AI data center build-outs.Verge subscribers, don’t forget you get exclusive access to ad-free Decoder wherever you get your podcasts. Head here. Not a subscriber? You can sign up here.You’ll hear Gaby explain that it was…

Bitcoin (BTC) institutional investment vehicles have shed 10% of their BTC holdings since May as analysis warns of a “breaking” sector.Key points:Bitcoin institutional funds see a blanket 10% reduction in holdings over three months.Analysis says that the Bitcoin treasury model is “breaking” as company valuations fall below net asset value.Coinbase premium has been negative for a record 93 days. Fund exposure drops as Bitcoin treasury companies face squeeze Data from onchain analytics platform CryptoQuant shows that combined institutional BTC exposure, which includes trusts, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and closed-end funds, has fallen from 1.33 million to 1.20 million BTC over three months.Bitcoin fund…

Jax Taylor is coming out swinging after ex Brittany Cartwright spilled details on their relationship during an appearance on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen. “The amount of blatant lies in this interview is unbelievable,” Jax, 47, commented on an Instagram post shared by WWHL from Brittany’s interview on the Wednesday, August 5, episode of the Bravo talk show. In the interview, Brittany, 37, alleged that her estranged husband recently missed parenting time with their son, Cruz, 5, because he was in Canada with the couple’s former publicist Lori Krebs, who Jax is now dating. “I have NEVER missed…

President Bola Tinubu has ordered the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to lift the freeze order restricting an account of the Osun State Government. Mr Tinubu gave the directive in a statement he personally signed on Thursday, describing the timing of the EFCC’s action, coming about 10 days to the upcoming Osun State governorship election, as deeply embarrassing. The directive came amid growing criticisms of the anti-corruption agency’s action, which has increasingly drawn condemnation as a politically motivated step. EFCC ordered the freezing of the state government’s account on Wednesday, days before the 15 August governorship election in which…

Nigerian banks increased the supply of secured, unsecured, and corporate loans in the second quarter of 2026, while loan default rates declined across all lending categories, according to the Central Bank of Nigeria‘s (CBN)’s latest survey. CBN, in its 2026 Q2 Credit Conditions Survey, released on Wednesday, revealed that demand for corporate and secured loans increased during the period. According to CBN, the survey results are based on weighted responses from lenders, with greater weight assigned to banks reporting more significant changes and to institutions with larger credit market shares. The regulator said the results were analysed by calculating net…

Mexican social media influencer, César Gastélum, has been shot dead while livestreaming outside a fast food restaurant in the northern city of Culiacán. Accorrding to BBC on Wednesday, Gastélum was filming with two friends in the Tres Ríos area on Tuesday evening when two men riding a motorcycle approached them and one of the assailants shot him at a close range. The influencer, who had more than 500,000 followers on TikTok, was known for sharing comedy videos on the platform. According to local media reports, Gastélum and his friends were wearing bright orange jackets and bags commonly used by delivery…

In the AI industry, Google prides itself on seeming like the adult in the room: quiet, stable, time-tested. On Wednesday, even as the company announced its largest AI org shakeup yet, Google and its leaders presented a unified front, keeping their messaging focused on how the changes tee up future success.But the reality is that the laundry list of executive changes likely signal deeper issues within Google’s AI organization. That starts with its tenuous position in the AI race, and it stretches to problems like Google DeepMind leader Demis Hassabis’ interest in longer-term research over shorter-term product shipping, as well…