Author: damazah@gmail.com

Just eight months after launching its commercial service, AI leaderboard provider Arena, which originated as a research project at UC Berkeley in 2023, has reached $100 million in annualized run-rate revenue. Arena is best known for its popular crowdsourced AI model performance leaderboard, generated from over 10 million user evaluations. Its consumer website lets a user type a prompt it sends to two models; afterwards, the user chooses which model did a better job. While Arena’s popular AI model leaderboard is free for public use, the company began generating revenue from its platform in September when it introduced AI Evaluations,…

Former Conservative MP Craig Williams has pleaded guilty to cheating at gambling by placing bets on the date of the 2024 general election.The 41-year-old was the MP for Montgomeryshire and an aide to then-Prime Minister Rishi Sunak before the election was called.The prosecution said Williams bet £250, £100, and £22.50 on the election date, telling the court he “used highly sensitive and confidential information”.Sunak’s decision to call the poll was a surprise to many, including many Conservative MPs, who were expecting an autumn date.When details of the scandal first emerged in June 2024, Williams admitted making a “huge error of…

The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Enoch Adeboye, has revealed what God told him about the abducted pupils and teachers from Oyo State. PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported that gunmen kidnapped about 32 people from Community High School, Ahoro-Esiele; Primary School, Esiele; and Yawota Baptist Nursery and Primary School, all in Oriire Local Government Area of the state. It occurred on 15 May. The newspaper further reported that captors beheaded one of the victims, a mathematics teacher identified as Michael Oyedokun, in captivity. Speaking in a viral video captured during the US-Nigeria Faith Heroes Award Gala…

Nigeria has officially unveiled a 12-man roster for the upcoming FIBA Basketball World Cup African Qualifiers, with newly appointed head coach David Fizdale set to lead the D’Tigers into their first competitive assignment. The qualifiers will tip off on Thursday in Angola, where Nigeria will face Tunisia, Guinea, and Rwanda in a crucial bid to strengthen their qualification hopes for the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup. The squad blends experienced internationals with proven performers from leagues across Europe, North America and Africa, highlighting Nigeria’s determination to return to the global stage. Leading the team is former NBA forward Chimezie Metu,…

Ned Nwoko has publicly marked the birthdays of his two sons with Regina Daniels, Munir Neji Nwoko (Moon), who turned six and Khalifa Chimka Nwaorah Nwoko (Khalif), who turned  four, drawing renewed attention to an ongoing custody dispute in which Ms Daniels alleges she has been denied access to her children for months. As previously reported by PREMIUM TIMES, the custody dispute is still before an Abuja Family Court.  In an earlier ruling, the court granted temporary custody of the children to Mr Nwoko, senator representing Delta North, and ordered that Ms Daniels could only regain access to them after…

By Dickson Omobola West Africa’s largest airline, Air Peace, has attributed the flight disruptions experienced across its route network, Monday, to a power surge that affected a critical IT infrastructure server used for crew scheduling and flight planning. The airline said the incident resulted in delays on some of its flights as its technical teams, in collaboration with service providers, worked to restore the affected system. Air Peace, in a statement posted on its X handle, apologised to passengers for the inconvenience, assuring that every effort was being made to restore normal operations while maintaining the highest safety standards. The…

Iyke Bede A campaign by Lagos-based public relations firm Blanche Aigle Communications for the Gino World Jollof Festival has been shortlisted for the 2026 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity and named a finalist at the 2026 SABRE Awards EMEA. The campaign, developed for Gino in partnership with celebrity chef Hilda Baci, was shortlisted in the Brand Experience & Activation category after emerging among 158 shortlisted entries from 1,551 submissions worldwide. It was also named a finalist in the Diamond Geographic Category for Africa at the SABRE Awards EMEA. According to the agency, the campaign transformed Nigeria’s signature jollof rice…

Ebere Nwoji The National Insurance Commission (NAICOM), has  demonstrated  its commitment to leveraging digital innovation to deepen insurance penetration and expand Nigerians’ access to insurance through granting of  a Partnering Insurtech licence to  a new insurtech firm, NETAPPS. The commission also made a significant step towards deepening regional collaboration within the African insurance sector. Speaking at the event, the Commissioner for Insurance, Mr. Olusegun Ayo Omosehin highlighted NAICOM’s strategic priorities which include consumer protection, strengthened regulatory capacity, financial soundness, innovation and sustainability, and broader access to insurance services. He emphasised that insurtech firms play a critical role within the Commission’s…

Music streaming service TIDAL is the latest to take aim at AI-generated music with the introduction of a new policy that will prevent fully AI-generated music from making money on its platform. In addition, TIDAL will use automated tools to remove AI-generated music that attempts to impersonate an artist or a group, the company said. “We are committed to protecting and rewarding organic creativity to avoid compromising an artist’s ability to connect with and build their fandom from TIDAL subscribers. Many have told us they do not want to be exposed to — or prompted to listen to — wholly…

Former and current members of the Democratic Unionist party (DUP) knew of allegations about the former leader Jeffrey Donaldson but did not share them, the party has said.Information about Donaldson was not reported through “appropriate channels” and left the party unable to formally respond, the DUP leader, Gavin Robinson, said on Monday.The admission came as new claims about Donaldson’s conduct engulfed the party in crisis a week after he was convicted of sexual abuse against children in a case that shocked Northern Ireland.It is alleged that the former Lagan Valley MP sexually pestered women, visited a gay sauna while denouncing…