Author: damazah@gmail.com

HBO Max is the latest streamer getting into vertical video — sort of. The platform on Tuesday announced two new mobile features for the U.S. market. The headline one is titled “HBO Max Shorts,” and is “designed to help users discover something to watch by highlighting iconic and memorable scenes from the HBO Max library in a vertical, scrollable feed,” per the platform. Right now, the feature is being tested with “select” iOS users in the U.S. More devices and more markets will come, HBO Max says, as will sports shorts. For now, the lucky few users can tap the…

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja NolliStream has given Nigerian audiences their first look at ‘Blood and Secrets’, an original film currently in post-production and set to carry the NolliStream label once complete. The project, according to a statement, centres on what family secrets cost once they surface, with NolliStream framing it as a story Nigeria has been avoiding. Describing it as a first look rather than a full unveiling, Nollistream stressed that the language points to a drama rooted in the kind of household tension many viewers will recognise but rarely see addressed head-on. It stated that a teaser clip is…

Alex Enumah in Abuja The Court of Appeal, Abuja has nullified the judgment of a Federal High Court, that ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister the African Democratic Congress (ADC), and four other political parties. A three-member panel of the Court of Appeal, in a judgment delivered on Tuesday, held that the trial court was wrong to have assumed jurisdiction in the suit filed by a non-juristic person. Recall that Justice Peter Lifu of a Federal High Court in Abuja, had on June 15, ordered INEC to deregister the five political parties because they failed to comply…

Ecobank Nigeria has launched Scaling Up!!!, its flagship business storytelling podcast designed to inspire, educate and empower entrepreneurs, founders, business leaders and the next generation of African innovators through authentic conversations with some of the continent’s most accomplished business personalities. The podcast, which will be available on Ecobank Nigeria’s official YouTube channel and other major digital streaming platforms, reinforces the bank’s commitment to supporting businesses beyond banking by creating a platform where entrepreneurs can learn from the experiences of successful founders, creatives and industry leaders who have built thriving enterprises across diverse sectors. Featuring compelling conversations on entrepreneurship, leadership, innovation,…

The future of payments might be closer than we think. Ten years ago, opening a bank account on your phone, getting instant payments, or buying goods without cash in remote areas seemed out of reach. Now these are everyday experiences for millions of Africans. What comes next could be even more transformative. We are moving into a time when payments will become less visible, not because they matter less but because they will be woven more deeply into our daily lives, work, and business. Soon payments will go beyond simple transactions and act as a hidden link between commerce, technology,…

The sell-off in AI stocks has intensified, driving South Korea’s stock market down to its lowest level in three months.Investors continued to ditch chip stocks on Tuesday, amid rising concerns about the huge amount of borrowing among AI companies to fund their datacentre expansion plans.The South Korean semiconductor companies SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics fell by more than 10%, dragging the country’s Kospi share index down by 11.5% to its lowest point since mid-April.US chip stocks extended their recent losses when Wall Street opened on Tuesday, with Intel, Advanced Micro Devices, Sandisk, Western Digital Corp and Seagate Technology all down…

Lucy Powell has said she wants to make sure the student loans system is “fair” and that the issue is at the top of her in-tray as the new education secretary.Labour’s deputy leader told the BBC she stood by comments she made in February that the interest rates graduates with Plan 2 loans were paying were “egregious”.She said she was committed to looking at the issue, although acknowledged she “can’t make any promises” about changes.Plan 2 loans were taken out by students in England between September 2012 and July 2023, and are still issued in Wales. Graduates pay back what…

A major Atlantic Ocean current is slowing, and the consequences could reach far beyond the Atlantic. New research from the University of California, Riverside suggests the change could strengthen powerful storms along the California coast while reducing snowfall over Greenland. The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, or AMOC, is a vast system of ocean currents that acts like a planetary conveyor belt. It carries warm tropical water northward, helping keep regions such as Europe relatively mild. After the water cools and becomes denser, it sinks and flows southward along the ocean floor. “It is well known that the AMOC is a…

Conor McGregor is seeking a rematch ⁠of his recent loss to Max Holloway in what would be the final bout of ⁠his UFC deal.In ⁠an ​Instagram post Monday that references the UFC’s International Fight Week next July, McGregor wrote, “What was ⁠to be a generational beating is now to be reset. IFW 2027. The Last Dance.”Should McGregor ⁠fight Holloway again, it would be the pair’s third ​matchup.In a welterweight fight ‌at UFC 329 ‌in Las Vegas on 11 July, Holloway (28-9) won by technical ‌knockout in just 69 seconds after McGregor (22-7) hurt his right knee on an early kick.The…

Nigerians on social media have become sharply divided over calls to boycott South African singer Tyla’s upcoming concert in Lagos, with many connecting the controversy to renewed anger over alleged xenophobic attacks on Nigerians in South Africa. The backlash followed the release of Tyla’s APOP World Tour schedule, which includes a performance in Lagos on December 22 before the tour wraps up with shows in Cape Town on January 4 and Johannesburg on January 9. The Grammy-winning artiste announced the tour on Monday, with concerts planned across Europe, North America, Nigeria and South Africa. The announcement quickly ignited heated reactions…