Nigeria denies report it paid 'huge' ransom to free pupils in mass abduction
The rebuttal was followed by news the police chief was resigning a year before the end of his term.
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Free Market Foundation slams treasury’s proposed gambling tax
The Free Market Foundation (FMF) is demanding that a national 20% tax for online gambling proposed by the national treasury be withdrawn and reconsidered within South Africa’s existing decentralised regulatory regime. It said the proposed tax will undermine provincial authority and overburden legal gambling operators, and risks driving consumers further towards unregulated offshore platforms, which…
America’s free hotel breakfast is facing K-shaped economy threat
Jeff Greenberg | Universal Images Group | Getty Images At some point in the 1980s and 90s, the free hot breakfast became a staple of the hospitality industry. At many a Holiday Inn or Hampton Inn, the lobby at 8 a.m. is a pinwheel of pajama-clad kids, frazzled parents, and solo business travelers jockeying for…
Africans Want Elections but Don’t Trust Electoral Management Bodies to Ensure They’re Free and Fair
Assessments of election quality have worsened over the past decade. Key findings On average across 38 countries, about three-quarters (74%) of Africans support choosing their leaders through regular, open, and honest elections. This is the majority position in every surveyed country, although support for elections has weakened over the past decade. Strong majorities favour multiparty…
YouTube Music paywalls lyrics with limit for free users
In a move that mirrors past controversial shifts in the streaming industry, YouTube Music has begun moving its lyrics feature behind its Premium paywall. Previously available for free since its introduction in 2020, the “Lyrics” tab now presents free-tier users with a stark warning: “Unlock lyrics with Premium.” Read: iPhone 17e to retain $599 entry…
Prominent CIO Ramuthaga joins University of Free State council
Tshifhiwa Ramuthaga, ministerial representative to the University of the Free State Council. Well-known chief information officer (CIO) Tshifhiwa Ramuthaga has been appointed as a ministerial representative to the University of the Free State Council. Ramuthaga will represent minister of higher education Buti Manamela at the university’s council. “In this role, I contribute to the governance…
Carney says Canada not pursuing free trade deal with China as Trump threatens 100% tariffs
Mark Carney, Canada’s prime minister, after speaking in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada, on Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images Canada has “no intention” of pursuing a free trade deal with China, Prime Minister Mark Carney said, after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to slap punitive tariffs on Ottawa. Speaking to reporters…
Climber Alex Honnold free solos Taipei 101 skyscraper
Climber Alex Honnold has completed a free solo ascent of Taipei 101 in Taiwan, not using any ropes to scale the massive 1,667-foot skyscraper — and he did it live, as the world watched on with bated breath and hearts racing. It took Honnold 1 hour and 31 minutes to climb the 101-floor tower on…
Africa: The Somaliland Crisis Demands That the AU Break Free From Its Rigid Adherence to Postcolonial Sovereignty
The African Union operates within a framework where sovereignty is treated as a static legal artefact, a ‘frozen right’ granted irrevocably at the moment of decolonisation, ignoring the functional, governance-filled reality of Somaliland. The contemporary political landscape of Africa is haunted – not by the spectres of its colonial past, but by a robust, living…
Africa: Emaswati Welcome Foreign Powers, Favour Free Trade
Most say African countries should have a greater say in international decision-making bodies such as the United Nations. Key findings About half of Emaswati are satisfied with the way that SADC (51%) and the AU (51%) recognise Eswatini’s needs and interests in their decision making; only about one in five (17%-20%) express dissatisfaction. Almost three-fourths…