Author: News Room

The Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda presents an urgent public health and development challenge for the Great Lakes region. Although smaller so far than the 2014-2016 West Africa Ebola epidemic, history shows how quickly localised outbreaks can escalate when containment is delayed, and health systems are strained. The immediate policy priority is containment. Failure to control transmission would not only increase mortality but also impose high economic costs through reduced productivity, heightened fiscal burdens and disruptions to trade, investment and development. As of 7 July, the DRC had reported 1 759 confirmed…

Brandy encouraged her fans to be “gentler with one another” in an empowering post about body positivity. “I’ve learned that it takes only a moment to form an opinion about someone’s appearance, and a lifetime to understand what they’ve lived through,” the Cinderella star, 47, wrote to her Instagram followers on Saturday, July 11.”So may we become gentler with one another. Not because everyone is fragile, but because everyone is carrying a story we cannot see.” Her open letter started with a reflection on what “beauty” actually means in the age of social media. “Perhaps we’ve been looking for it…

Civil society organisations from Africa have called on governments to move beyond anti-corruption commitments and focus on enforcing existing laws, warning that weak accountability continues to fuel grand corruption and deprive the continent of billions of dollars needed for development. The groups made the call in a joint statement shared with PREMIUM TIMES on Saturday to mark the 2026 African Anti-Corruption Day observed under the African Union (AU) theme, “Scaling Up the Promotion of Integrity and Anti-Corruption Actions Across Africa.” Observed annually on 11 July, African Anti-Corruption Day commemorates the adoption of the African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating…

Summer House’s Ciara Miller got visibly emotional while discussing the challenges that come with dating — and the importance of female friendships — after navigating the fallout of Amanda Batula and West Wilson‘s public scandal. During the Saturday, July 11, episode of Love Island USA: Aftersun, Ciara, 30, showed support for Melanie Moreno, whose family didn’t approve of her connection with Sincere Rhea. “I was in tears when it came to her mom speaking life into her. I’m having chills right now,” Ciara, who was on the show virtually amid filming Summer House, said. “Like, to say that your heart…

First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, has appealed to leading Afrobeats artists—including Damini “Burna Boy” Ogulu, David “Davido” Adeleke, and Ahmed “Asake” Ololade—to increase their support for the country’s less privileged citizens. Speaking at the launch of a national community food bank in Lokoja, Kogi State, on Saturday, Mrs Tinubu emphasised that while personal success is laudable, there is a pressing need for influential figures to contribute to social welfare. Citing Akon’s philanthropic work as a benchmark, she encouraged artists to establish foundations to assist people experiencing poverty directly. “The burden on the government is huge; you can still help,” Mrs Tinubu…

Organisers of the inaugural National Intermediate Games (EKO 2026) unveiled the official logo and mascot on Saturday, describing the ceremony as a major milestone in preparations for the youth sports festival, scheduled for 1 to 15 October. The unveiling took place at the Marriott Hotel in Ikeja and was attended by officials of the National Sports Commission (NSC), the Lagos State Sports Commission (LSSC), members of the Main Organising Committee (MOC) and the Local Organising Committee (LOC). Speaking after the ceremony, the Director-General of the Lagos State Sports Commission, Lekan Fatodu, said the unveiling underscored the state’s readiness to host…

A new Cambridge study placed Ethereum near the lower end of energy intensity among major proof-of-stake (PoS) blockchains, although the network still used more electricity overall than most of the PoS networks studied.The Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance estimated that Ethereum consumes about 7.87 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of electricity annually. When adjusted for market value, the network used roughly 33 kilowatt-hours (kWh) per $1 million, the second-lowest figure among the proof-of-stake networks assessed, behind BNB Chain.Solana used the most electricity among the PoS networks studied, at about 13.48 GWh per year. Its energy intensity was roughly 283 kWh per $1 million…

Mick Jagger reacted to comedian John Mulaney saying that the Rolling Stones frontman was not “nice” when they worked together on Saturday Night Live. “A lot of people in show business only hang around with people in show business, because they’ve got something in common, they can relate to each other, and you get disassociated from what people might call ‘real life,’” Jagger, 82, admitted to the New York Times Magazine in an interview published In a 2019 comedy special, Mulaney, 43, recounted his experience as an SNL writer pitching sketches to Jagger, who has been a frequent guest on…

A Republican US senator, Lindsey Graham, is dead. His death was announced early on Sunday in a post by his office on his official X account. “On the evening of Saturday, July 11, U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham passed away from a brief and sudden illness…” the office stated. Mr Graham, 71, a veteran senator, is notorious for often urging the US to go to war, especially wars that favour Israel. He had repeatedly stated in the past that part of his job as an American senator was to protect Israel’s interests. He is one of the senators who staunchly supported…

Inside the 2026 World Cup’s refereeing storm It is unworthy that the 2026 World Cup’s defining narratives centre on manipulation and political string-pulling rather than footballing brilliance. I am no conspiracy theorist, yet the mounting evidence suggests something is amiss. But the more I look at the facts and evidence that have piled up over the last month, the clearer a certain picture is emerging: something about this tournament does not sit right, and it is not the football. Are the goalposts being shifted? Are the referees on call to Gianni Infantino? Has football become the ultimate political tool? Let’s…