Author: News Room

FirstHoldCo Plc has reported another outstanding financial performance for the half year ended June 30, 2026. Most notably, profit before tax rose by an impressive 83.5 per cent to ₦653.5 billion. The Group also recorded gross earnings of ₦1.93 trillion, representing a 16.7 per cent year-on-year increase, while operating income grew by 25.8 per cent to ₦1.38 trillion. The result reflects a business that is emerging successfully from a period of strategic balance sheet transformation and is now firmly positioned on a trajectory of sustainable growth, enhanced profitability and long-term value creation for its numerous stakeholders and shareholders. Undoubtedly, this…

A new report has revealed that about half of the approved diagnostic tests for six epidemic-prone diseases prioritised by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) cannot be used in most primary healthcare facilities across Africa because they require laboratory infrastructure that is often unavailable. The report found that 50 per cent of approved diagnostics for Mpox, dengue, cholera, bacterial meningitis, malaria and Ebola depend on laboratory facilities beyond the reach of many frontline health centres. For Ebola alone, 88 per cent of approved diagnostic tests require laboratory infrastructure. It also found that funding for diagnostic research…

Gbemi, the new partner of comedian MC Fish, has responded to a cease-and-desist letter issued by his estranged wife, actress Anita Joseph, accusing her of making defamatory statements on social media. In December 2025, PREMIUM TIMES reported that Anita confirmed the end of her marriage to MC Fish on Instagram. In May, the comedian disclosed that infidelity on both sides led to the breakdown of the marriage. Following the separation, MC Fish made his relationship with Gbemi public after the pair first sparked dating rumours in February. Their relationship attracted criticism from social media users, many of whom accused Gbemi…

The Jigawa State Police Command has confirmed that the number of bodies recovered from the boat mishap at Malamawar Yan Dutse community in Ringim Local Government Area has risen to six, while 34 persons remain missing. The Command said the incident occurred at about 4:30 p.m. on Sunday when a boat conveying 40 farmers and labourers capsized while crossing a river. Confirming the latest development to PUNCH on Monday afternoon, the Police Public Relations Officer, Jigawa State Command, SP Shi’isu Adam, said rescue teams had intensified search operations. Adam said the number of recovered bodies had increased to six, adding…

AliExpress has been hit with a €550 million (about $629 million) fine for violating Europe’s Digital Services Act (DSA) rules by failing to prevent illegal, unsafe, or counterfeit products from being sold on the e-commerce platform. The European Commission ruled that AliExpress didn’t take effective measures to reduce the dissemination of illegal products, noting the company “allocated insufficient staff” to verify products, and failed to remove unsafe toys and dangerous cosmetics for “multiple weeks” after they were detected.“The spread of counterfeit clothing, unsafe toys, dangerous cosmetics and other illegal and harmful products is not an unavoidable cost of shopping online…

Institutional investors are looking beyond smart contract audits after traditional trust signals such as prior audits and operating history failed to predict which crypto projects would be exploited, according to Hacken.In its Q2 2026 Security & Compliance Report, Hacken said that only 9% of 1,427 tracked projects had third-party monitoring, while 4% combined monitoring with an active bug bounty and a security audit. The report highlighted that compromised keys, signers and infrastructure accounted for 88.3% of the roughly $764 million stolen during the quarter. Hacken said projects unable to provide ongoing evidence of operational security may face higher perceived risk, reduced…

Argentinian footballer Cristian Romero appeared to snub President Donald Trump’s handshake at the 2026 FIFA World Cup final. During the event’s medal ceremony, which saw FIFA officials award Argentinian players silver runners-up medallions following their loss to Spain 1-0, Romero, 28, was seen walking past the president, 80, who was tasked with handing out medals to players on both teams. The center-back did, however, shake the hands of FIFA president, Gianni Infantino, and Mexican president, Claudia Sheinbaum, who stood either side of Trump. Footage shared via X after the medal ceremony wrapped on-air clearly depicted Romero briefly glancing at Trump…

The Borno State Government on Saturday said it had received a proof-of-life video showing dozens of students abducted during the 29 June attack on Government Day Secondary School, Lassa, warning that renewed attacks on schools threaten hard-won gains in education across the insurgency-hit state. The disclosure came at the Borno State Education Summit in Maiduguri, where the Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Abba Wakilbe, played a 15-second video during a presentation on the security challenges confronting the education sector. Mr Wakilbe said 36 students remain in captivity from the Lassa abduction, comprising 25 girls and 11 boys, while rescue…

São Tomé and Príncipe rejected bids for its three offshore oil blocs after its 2026 licensing round attracted only Brazil’s Petrobras and Nigeria’s Oranto Petroleum. The decision surprised many because the island nation of Central Africa had offered investors unusually generous terms, including up to 85 per cent ownership of the oil blocs. Ordinarily, the government had expected generous terms to attract several competing investors, enabling them to negotiate better deals and maximise national benefits. Disappointingly, only two companies, Petrobas and Oranto, submitted bids, leaving the authorities without sufficient competition to determine the true market value of the assets. Petrobras…

On a quiet Sunday morning, as I was going for a walk, a stranger sidled up to me and said his “Good morning, sir”. “I see you on walks around the estate, with a camera. Are you into architecture?”, he then asked. The reality, I told him, is more prosaic: “I’m a birdwatching and photography hobbyist”. “Birdwatching?!” I wasn’t sure what the additional look on his face was. Disbelief? Disgust? Pleasant surprise? “Isn’t that what ‘Oyinbo people’ do?”, he blurted out. And that’s how seven years after the covid-19 pandemic forced me into a more intimate conversation with the space…