Author: Agency Reporter

Spotify, an online music streaming platform, has partnered with the Nigerian Afrobeats superstar, Asake, on the promotion of skateboarding in Nigeria.Phiona Okumu, Spotify’s Head of Music, Sub-Saharan Africa, disclosed this in a statement in Lagos on Tuesday.Okumu said that the partnership entailed Asake taking over Spotify’s Skate Noise playlist.“Afrobeats superstar, Asake is taking over Spotify’s Skate Noise playlist, putting Nigeria’s vibrant skate scene front and centre.“Known for his passion for skateboarding, Asake will be bringing fresh energy to the playlist, celebrating the diverse, inclusive culture at the heart of Nigerian skateboarding.“Inspired by Lagos’ emerging skate crews, including the pioneering Dencity…

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State, Princess Oladunni Odu, has expressed confidence in Gov. Lucky Aiyedatiwa, the party’s candidate, emerging victorious in the Nov. 16 governorship poll in the state.Odu, the first female Secretary to the State Government (SSG), who served under late Gov. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, told newsmen in Okitipupa on Tuesday, that the electorate in the state would vote Progressives to stay with the ruling party at the centre.The APC chieftain said that the party’s women forum in the state was ready for the governoship poll and had mobilised support for the ruling party…

South African pay television company MultiChoice Group has reported a 99% fall in half-year profit on Tuesday and described the operating environment as “extremely hostile”.The owner of DStv, whose pay-TV business operates across 50 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, said its performance was marred by weaker local currencies and constrained consumer spending particularly in Nigeria and extreme power disruptions in Zambia.Advertisement · Scroll to continueMultichoice said its adjusted core headline earnings per share – its measure of the underlying performance – fell to 2 cents per share for the six months ended Sept. 30, down from 356 cents per share a…

The Archbishop of Canterbury has resigned after a report found the Church of England covered up sexual abuse by a barrister.The independent Makin review into John Smyth QC’s abuse of children and young men was published last week.Across five decades in three different countries and involving as many as 130 boys and young men in the UK and Africa, John Smyth QC is said to have subjected his victims to traumatic physical, sexual, psychological and spiritual attacks, permanently marking their lives.The report concluded he might have been brought to justice had Mr Welby formally reported it to police a decade…

A decline in U.S. influence in Africa means U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s administration will have to grapple with blind spots in its understanding of a fast-changing continent increasingly allied with China and Russia and threatened by spreading jihadist insurgencies.Interviews with eight current and former officials along with a review of U.S. government watchdog reports show that a dearth of staff and resources under President Joe Biden at embassies in Africa undermined efforts to implement Washington’s goals.Advertisement · Scroll to continueThe U.S. racked up diplomatic setbacks over the past four years, including losing America’s major spy base in Niger and failing…

Shell has won its appeal against a climate court ruling that it must sharply reduce its carbon emissions.The oil and gas producer went to the Court of Appeal in the Netherlands following a decision in support of environmental campaign groups in the country, including Friends Of The Earth.That ruling, in 2021, ordered Shell to cut its carbon emissions by 45% by 2030 compared to 2019 levels in order to protect Dutch citizens.The emissions curbs included those caused by the use of Shell’s products.The judge in the appeal dismissed all the claims against Shell.The company, which exited its dual headquarters structure…

•World leaders begin plenary speeches today Azerbaijan’s president, whose country is hosting the COP29 climate talks, on Tuesday repeated his insistence that oil, gas and other natural resources are a “gift of the God.”In a robust defence of his country against what he termed “fake news” and a “well-coordinated campaign of slander and blackmail,” Ilham Aliyev said nations should not be judged by their natural resources and how they use them.”Quote me that I said that this is a gift of the God, and I want to repeat it today here at this audience,” he told delegates at the climate…

Kanye West raided his pension pot and used high risk mortgage lenders to fund a $35 million Beverly Hills mansion – a property he does not intend to live in with wife Bianca Censori, DailyMail.com can exclusively reveal.The rapper, 47, and his wife, 29, borrowed a total of $15.5 million, DailyMail.com can reveal – including a $2.7 million loan from a fitness entrepreneur.The couple closed on the home with 11 bedrooms and 18 bathrooms in the uber-exclusive Beverly Park gated community last month. Neighbors include Adele and Justin Bieber.But the property, jointly owned with his wife Bianca Censori through their…

A black mother with a fair-skinned daughter had to get a DNA test after naysayers questioned if the child was really hers.Mom-of-three Alex, whose husband Rob is white, welcomed daughter Pudge Pudge, 2, via IVF.The couple said they were ‘surprised’ by how ‘different’ Pudge Pudge looked, especially compared to their other two children, who are darker.’I was super surprised,’ Alex told Truly. ‘Her ears weren’t even dark. They were really, really white!’Due to the difference in their skin tones, Alex said that she gets ‘a lot of negativity’ from both trolls online and people in real life.Recalling one instance, Alex…

•How to deal with Trump•PM and French leader plan for US trade war•End of Pentagon defence handouts and Ukraine peace deal Keir Starmer is holding talks with Emmanuel Macron about Trump, Ukraine and tariffs today ahead of Armistice Day events in France.The PM was warmly welcomed by the President as he arrived in Paris – with the looming handover in the US high on the agenda.They are expected to consider whether outgoing commander-in-chief Joe Biden can be convinced to give Kyiv permission to use Storm Shadow missiles against Russia, as well as Donald Trump’s approach to the conflict.The prospect of…