Author: News Room

FirstBank is set to commemorate Children’s Day 2026 with a series of sponsored nationwide engagements designed to educate, inspire, and empower children across Nigeria. Through its sponsorship of initiatives organised by the Nigerian Television Authority, Nigeria Future Leaders Festival, and Lexicon, the bank has reaffirmed its commitment to nurturing the next generation of leaders and strengthening its role in sustainable community development. Commenting on the bank’s support for the initiatives, the Group Head, Marketing and Corporate Communications, FirstBank, Olayinka Ijabiyi, noted that the engagements aligned with the bank’s strategy on youth development and empowerment. Ijabiyi said, “Children are the foundation…

The 2026 Basketball Africa League Finals will hold on May 31 at 6:00 p.m. Central Africa Time at BK Arena in Kigali, Rwanda, with eight teams having qualified for the Playoffs that began on May 22. The eight qualifiers are Al Ahly (Egypt), Al Ahly Ly (Libya), ASC Ville de Dakar (Senegal), Club Africain (Tunisia), Dar City (Tanzania), FUS Rabat (Morocco), 2024 BAL champion Petro de Luanda (Angola) and the RSSB Tigers (Rwanda). The top four teams will advance to the single-game semi-finals and finals. The Playoffs and Finals are being livestreamed globally on NBA.com, the NBA App and BAL.NBA.com.…

British-Nigerian rapper Skepta has called for global support against what he described as continued injustice in Nigeria, urging the international community to speak up for the country. The appeal was contained in a video message which went viral on various social media platforms on Thursday. In the video, Skepta referenced his experience during the End SARS protests and said a recent memory on his phone reminded him of the demonstrations and the concerns that sparked them. “I just had a memory on my phone, when we were at the EndSars protest on ground and it just got me thinking man,…

Xiaomi has announced the 17T and 17T Pro, two cheaper spins on its 17 series flagships. As is usual for the T-series, the focus is more on performance than photography, with the biggest batteries Xiaomi has included on any of its phones outside China yet.The 17T includes a 6,500mAh silicon-carbon battery, while the 17T Pro goes even bigger with 7,000mAh, which I found to be enough to keep the phone running for up to two days. Xiaomi has included bigger batteries than these on previous China-only phones — the recent 17 Max has an 8,000mAh capacity — but never its…

Samsung Securities, Samsung SDS and Samsung Card will acquire a combined 4% stake in Dunamu, the operator of South Korean crypto exchange Upbit, in a deal that expands Samsung affiliates’ exposure to the country’s digital asset market, local media reported.The three Samsung affiliates held board meetings on Thursday and approved the purchase of 1.39 million Dunamu shares held by Kakao affiliates for 612.8 billion won ($408 million), according to local reports from Yonhap News Agency and ZDNet Korea. Samsung Securities will acquire a 2% stake, while Samsung SDS and Samsung Card will each acquire 1%. The investment extends Samsung’s digital asset…

Love Island USA has released a pointed statement before the season 8 cast is revealed. “The Villa runs on good vibes, and so does this community,” read a post via Instagram. “We love seeing your reactions, opinions, and debates, but everyone deserves to feel safe and respected.” The statement continued: “This is a space for fun, not negativity – so keep it kind, keep it positive, and remember: this is LOVE Island!” Love Island USA follows a group of singles who have to pair off in order to stay in the show’s luxury villa in Fiji. The contestants — who…

Dakar, May 27, 2026—CPJ welcomes the release of journalist and writer René Capain Bassène, who had been detained since 2018 in Senegal. Bassène was sentenced to life in prison on charges of complicity in murder and attempted murder, crimes that CPJ reporting found he could not have committed. “CPJ is particularly pleased by Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Diakhar Faye’s decision to release journalist René Capain Bassène after more than eight years of unjust detention,” said Moussa Ngom, CPJ’s Francophone Africa representative. “The Senegalese president has sought to correct a grave miscarriage of justice against a journalist who has devoted his…

The pan-Yoruba socio-cultural and political organisation, Afenifere, has taken a swipe at the administration of President Bola Tinubu, alleging that it has left Nigeria worse than it met it three years ago when he assumed office. Afenifere said this in a statement titled, “Tinubu’s Third Year Report: Summum Malum or Summum Bonum”, and signed by its leader, His Royal Highness, Oba Oladipo Olaitan, and National Publicity Secretary, Prince Justice Faloye. The group stated that the Tinubu administration is breeding poverty, unemployment and insecurity. “Afenifere is fearful of the current course of our democracy, and commiserates with Nigerian citizens following three…

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbass, has been asked to produce records of proceedings in the Green Chamber to show that a letter announcing Kingsley Chinda’s defection to the All Progressives Congress, APC, and resignation as Minority Leader, was read on the floor of the House.  The request was made by the Incorporated Trustees of the Association of Legislative Drafting and Advocacy Practitioners, who recently filed a lawsuit asking an Abuja Federal High Court to stop the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, from recognising Chinda as a governorship candidate of the APC. Chinda, an ally of the…

Former Manchester United striker, Michael Owen has said that Arsenal is not happy with striker Viktor Gyokeres after the club’s Premier League triumph. According to Owen, the Premier League North London club will seek to replace the Swedish international if a top centre-forward like Arsenal legend Thierry Henry is available this summer transfer window. “Arsenal would love to find another centre-forward – they are not happy with Gyokeres, really. They are not happy with a couple of positions,” Owen told Premier League Productions. “If someone becomes available that is top, if a Thierry Henry becomes available again, they’d move heaven…