Author: News Room

Do you remember Friend? The Friend that launched an AI pendant, spent $1.8 million of its $2.5 million to acquire friend.com, and plastered the NYC subway with ads promoting artificial companionship?Yeah well, if you didn’t remember, Friend is back. And now, it’s twice the price.This morning, Friend launched a new ad showing two people talking to their Friend pendants about very personal life problems. It didn’t say it explicitly, but the ad showcased a new feature the pendant now includes: a speaker. Before, Friend would only message back to you, but now, it will talk to you, too. For some…

Bitcoin (BTC) shook off volatility on Thursday as US stocks rebounded on the back of inflation-data relief.Key points:Bitcoin avoids a snap reaction to US personal consumption expenditures (PCE) inflation data, which reverses a local uptrend.Analysis remains wary of inflationary tendencies despite PCE conforming to expectations.Bitwise predicts that going forward, Bitcoin will become less sensitive to Fed interest-rate changes.PCE ends uptrend while staying above Fed inflation targetData from TradingView showed BTC price action focusing on $64,500, broadly unchanged from the day prior. BTC/USD one-hour chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingViewThe major risk-asset headwind from earlier in the week in the form of a mass sell-off…

Us Weekly has affiliate partnerships. We receive compensation when you click on a link and make a purchase. Learn more! We still have a few months left of sandal season, however, if you’re like Us, you’re bored with your current lineup. The Nordstrom Anniversary Sale is a (totally justified) excuse to restock, especially with when the most chic brands are on major sale. Spoiler: some are over 50% off. The only catch? Top picks are selling out in real time. Nordstrom’s big sale technically runs until August 9, but we don’t recommend waiting to snag your favorites. Whether you’re updating…

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, says the FCT Administration could not complete the abandoned Millennium Tower project due to the multi-billion-naira sum demanded by the contractor. Mr Wike, who spoke after inspecting some ongoing projects in Abuja on Thursday, said the contractor handling the massive project demanded between N300 billion and N400 billion to complete it. The minister explained that the FCT Administration could not shoulder the staggering completion cost without abandoning every other project in the nation’s capital. He described the project, awarded during the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, as a national…

The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, has said that the savings from the removal of fuel and foreign exchange subsidies have largely gone into debt servicing, increased workers’ wages, student loans, and other major government obligations. Speaking at the 7th African Emerging Markets Forum, organised by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), in Abuja on Thursday, Mr Oyedele acknowledged growing public concerns over the fate of the subsidy savings, describing the question as legitimate and promising greater transparency in the coming days. He said the combined impact of the subsidy on fuel and foreign…

The remaining work is demanding. Farms must be renewed; credit must reach viable producers and businesses; processors must secure reliable supplies; compliance must be proved; and markets must be established before capacity is expanded. Success will be visible in productive farms, fuller factory order books, auditable supply chains, and higher household incomes, not in the number of declarations signed or facilities announced. Every bag of cocoa that leaves Nigeria as unprocessed beans carries two values. The first is recorded at the port. The second, and much larger, is created later through grinding, pressing, ingredient manufacture, confectionery, branding and retail. Most…

The Nigeria Natural Medicine Development Agency (NNMDA) has identified inadequate funding, weak research infrastructure and equipment shortages as major obstacles to developing and integrating herbal medicine into Nigeria’s healthcare system. The Director-General of the agency, Martins Emeje, disclosed this on Tuesday during a one-day working visit by the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Kingsley Udeh, to the agency’s headquarters in Lagos. Mr Emeje said the challenges have slowed efforts to validate traditional medicines scientifically and develop locally produced herbal products that can be safely incorporated into healthcare. Martins Emeje, the Director-General (DG) of the Nigeria Natural Medical Development Agency…

Thirty-nine scholars have graduated from the MUSON School of Music Diploma Programme, marking 20 years of partnership between the MTN Foundation and the Musical Society of Nigeria (MUSON) in music education. The graduates, representing the programme’s 19th cohort, completed a two-year diploma course funded entirely by MTN Foundation scholarships. They were formally recognised during a convocation ceremony held on July 7 and 8 at the Shell Hall, MUSON Centre, Lagos. The event featured performances by the graduating scholars and the MUSON School Orchestra. Training young musicians The MUSON School of Music Diploma Programme provides conservatory-level training in music performance, theory,…

After another productive day that delivered a world record and two more medals, Team Nigeria will return to action on Thursday with some of its biggest athletics stars, led by world record holder Tobi Amusan looking to keep the country’s impressive Commonwealth Games campaign on track. Nigeria heads into Day Seven as the highest-ranked African nation on the medals table with seven gold, five silver and two bronze medals, following Goodness Nwachukwu’s world record performance in the women’s F42-44/F61-64 discus and Jessica Oji’s silver medal-winning debut in the shot put on Wednesday. Attention will now shift to the athletics track,…

The North East Development Commission has approved plans to invest about N100bn in a 50-megawatt solar power project aimed at improving electricity supply across the North-East, describing power as the region’s most critical requirement for economic recovery and development. The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the commission, Mohammed Alkali, disclosed this on Thursday during a press briefing in Abuja while outlining the commission’s transition from recovery to expansion under its regional master plan. Alkali said the NEDC board had approved the immediate commencement of the project, which will deploy modular solar-powered electricity systems to schools, hospitals, markets and…