Author: damazah@gmail.com

By Juliet Umeh & Islamiyyah Adekanbi The Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) has called for stronger protection of telecommunications infrastructure, saying sustained investment, innovation and collaboration are essential to closing Nigeria’s digital divide. Chairman of ALTON, Gbenga Adebayo, made the call at the Nigeria Information Technology Reporters Association (NITRA) Innovative and Scientific Conference in Lagos. Adebayo said the telecommunications industry had transformed Nigeria’s economy over the past 25 years, growing from fewer than 400,000 connected telephone lines before the GSM era to more than 170 million active subscriptions. He described the sector as one of Africa’s major…

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has launched a new technical package containing seven proven strategies to help governments and communities prevent drowning, one of the leading causes of death among children globally. The initiative, known by the acronym PROTECT, was unveiled ahead of World Drowning Prevention Day, observed annually on 25 July. In a statement issued on Thursday, WHO said nearly 300,000 people die from drowning every year, making it one of the 10 leading causes of death among children aged five to 14 years worldwide. WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus described every drowning as a preventable tragedy and urged governments…

•As depots, filling stations adjust prices By Udeme Akpan, Energy Editor Dangote Petroleum Refinery has resumed gantry loading of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), also known as petrol, in naira after a week suspension, ending uncertainty in the downstream sector over its temporary shift to dollar-denominated sales. Checks by Vanguard showed that the refinery has fixed its new ex-depot (gantry) price at N1,215 per litre, representing an increase of N140 per litre, or 13.02 per cent, from the previous price of N1,075 per litre. The increase in the gantry price is directly linked to the sharp rally in global crude oil…

Eventhive, Africa’s leading B2B2C event servicing company with a strong portfolio across key sectors and six major cities, is pleased to announce the fifth edition of Nigeria Fintech Forum 2026, a high-level gathering designed to convene the leaders shaping the future of Nigeria’s financial services ecosystem. The event will take place on Thursday, July 30, 2026, at Civic Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos, bringing together regulators, bank executives, fintech founders, infrastructure providers, investors, policymakers, and technology leaders to examine the next phase of financial innovation in Nigeria. Themed “Finance, Regulation, and the New Operating Reality,” the 2026 edition arrives at a…

Xbox is rolling out a test for ad-supported cloud gaming that will be available on a voluntary basis for members of its fan-feedback community, Xbox Insiders. Beginning Thursday, Xbox Insiders with an Xbox account will have the option to try out the free, ad-supported experience via a selection of games the players already own, including “Forza Horizon 6” and “007 First Light,” or through free-to-play games like “Call of Duty: Warzone,” “Genshin Impact,” and “War Thunder.” While Xbox has not confirmed this test will officially lead to it offering a future ad-supported tier of cloud gaming, the company states “we’ll…

I’m nearly 30 and my first serious relationship just ended a month ago. It lasted eight months, she was my first girlfriend and first kiss, etc. She broke up with me in a very kind and respectful way, and I have been … OK, I guess.The thing is, everyone has been saying to me, “But you must feel so much more confident now.” I don’t. My self-esteem and confidence wasn’t exactly soaring before I met her, but now I feel even less so. It just feels like most people are less tolerant or accepting of my shortcomings.If this wonderful, understanding…

United States President Donald Trump has said that a civilian nuclear cooperation deal with Saudi Arabia is “totally subject” to the kingdom normalising relations with Israel as part of the Abraham Accords.Trump’s statement on Thursday, a day after the agreement was announced, has cast confusion over an already opaque deal, the full details of which have not been released.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of listIn a post on his Truth Social Account, the US president wrote that the agreement “will be approved, but is totally subject to Saudi Arabia joining the very respected and successful Abraham Accords”.Saudi Arabia did…

Google’s cloud chief Thomas Kurian said the company’s existing customers are shelling out “roughly 50% more” than they’ve already committed to spend on its products, which helped drive its red-hot cloud growth during the second quarter. “Our existing customers have increased their spend when they make a commitment to us,” Kurian told CNBC’s Jim Cramer on Thursday. “They’re spending roughly 50% more than the commitment, and so it comes down to the differentiation in our product portfolio, the strength we have in our go-to-market execution, and you see that in both top line and operating income growth.”Kurian’s comments come after Google…

Google has been fined €890m (£759m) by the EU for allegedly abusing its power by favouring its own apps and services over those from rivals.It is the first major action against the tech giant under the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), a landmark law aimed at curbing the power of the world’s biggest tech companies.The Commission argued Google’s practices limited consumer choice and gave its own services an unfair advantage over rivals.But the firm criticised the decision, arguing the EU’s requirements could damage services used by millions of European customers.”To comply, we are having to strip away real-time Search features…

Andy Burnham has paused an early release scheme for 6,000 prisoners that was due to start in September after an outcry from crime victims.The prime minister said an “urgent review” will aim to “minimise risk to the public” amid concerns that killers, rapists and sex abusers would be freed on tags.Probation officers have warned that a “sense of chaos” had descended across the Prison Service, with staff unable to make preparations for the mass release.The mother of police officer Andrew Harper said on Thursday that the proposed early release of her son’s killers was “another letdown” for their family.In a…