Author: Prima News

The clerical ​body that will choose Iran’s next supreme leader, succeeding the slain Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has more or less reached a ‌majority consensus, Assembly of Experts member Ayatollah Mohammadmehdi Mirbaqeri said on Sunday. The Mehr news agency quoted him as saying “some obstacles” still needed to be resolved regarding the process. On Saturday, a senior cleric in the Assembly of Experts said its members would meet “within one day” to choose the leader. NEXT SUPREME LEADER MUST ‘BE HATED BY ​THE ENEMY’ Two members of the panel, Ayatollah Mohsen Heidari Alekasir and Ahmad Alamolhoda, said the assembly had chosen a successor,…

U.S. President Donald Trump praised Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni ​and said she was willing to ‌help the United States and Israel in their war with Iran, Italy’s Corriere della ​Sera reported on Sunday. Speaking to ​the newspaper in a telephone call ⁠on Saturday, Trump described Meloni as “a ​great leader” and said Italy was ​doing what it could to assist.  “I love Italy, I think she is a great leader,” ​Trump was quoted as saying of ​Meloni. “She always tries to help, she is an ‌excellent ⁠leader and she is a friend of mine,” Trump said, according to Corriere…

At least four people were killed ​when an Israeli strike hit an apartment in the Ramada hotel building in central Beirut early on Sunday, ‌with Israel saying it targeted Iranian commanders operating in the Lebanese capital. The attack marked the first Israeli strike in the heart of Beirut since Israel-Hezbollah hostilities resumed last week, and prompted fears the scope of Israel’s strikes would expand outside areas where Hezbollah has traditionally operated. Israel said it targeted key commanders ​of Iran’s elite Quds Force of the Revolutionary Guards but did not name them. “The commanders of the Quds Force’s Lebanon ​Corps operated to advance…

Iran’s hierarchy is showing signs of fracturing over a war its leaders see as existential, with angry divisions between hardliners and more pragmatic factions laid bare by a row over President Masoud Pezeshkian’s promise not to strike Gulf states. Fissures within Iran’s ruling elite were ​long suppressed under the iron rule of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, but his killing a week ago has allowed them to spill out into the open as ‌U.S. and Israeli strikes pile pressure on Tehran. The unrelenting bombardment mortally imperils the Islamic Republic and has prompted its fiercest acolytes, the Revolutionary Guards, to seize a bigger role…

The U.S. embassy in ​Oslo was hit by a loud explosion early ‌on Sunday, causing minor damage but no injuries, Norwegian police said. The blast was heard from the embassy compound in ​western Oslo at around 1 a.m. (0000 GMT), and ​smoke was seen rising from the area, eyewitnesses ⁠said. “There was a very thick layer of smoke ​on the street,” said Sebastian Toerstad, 18, a high ​school student who drove past the embassy at the time of the incident. “There was some damage to the entrance,” Toerstad told ​Reuters. Oslo police said the blast had occurred at ​the entry…

Just a week ago, Lebanon had been “in relatively good shape”, Jeanine Hennis‑Plasschaert, the UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon, said in a press statement. The armed forces were extending State authority, long‑promised reforms were finally advancing, and preparations for legislative elections were underway. A major World Bank loan was set to jump‑start reconstruction, and a warming diplomatic track with Syria was creating “new areas for bilateral cooperation”.  ‘Progress has halted overnight’“Of course, things were not perfect,” she said – airstrikes, political infighting and institutional paralysis remained real constraints. “But there was progress. Progress which has now come to a screeching halt.”Since…

When Kennedy Adetayo needed to be in Johannesburg, South Africa, for the opening of his company’s new office, the hardest part wasn’t preparing presentations or coordinating the launch. It was getting into the country. Adetayo, then a regional marketing lead at global brokerage firm Exness, oversaw markets across West, East, and Southern Africa, a role that required constant travel. Within West Africa, the logistics were manageable. But crossing into Southern Africa, particularly South Africa, became a recurring obstacle. His visa applications were rejected twice. “I applied twice,” said Adetayo. “One was for the sticker visa (business), which was denied, and…

CBN has affirmed the capitalisation of Alpha Morgan Bank, strengthening growth and nationwide expansion.   NewsOnline Nigeria reports that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has affirmed the capitalization of Alpha Morgan Bank, marking a significant milestone in the institution’s growth and reinforcing its ambition to build a strong, resilient, and future-ready financial institution. The affirmation reflects the bank’s compliance with regulatory requirements and its strategic commitment to strengthening its capital base to support sustainable growth, innovation, and improved service delivery to customers.   With the development, Alpha Morgan Bank is now well positioned to expand its operations, with 14…

By Modupe Gbadeyanka A nationwide marketing campaign signalling a strategic shift toward proof-led messaging in Nigeria’s fast-evolving fintech sector has been launched by Smartcash Payment Service Bank (PSB). At the unveiling of this initiative in Lagos on Tuesday, the Airtel-owned digital financial services platform said the No Be Cho Cho Cho campaign represents a new chapter for Smartcash, following its earlier Money Matter Na Sense positioning, reflecting the company’s rapid growth and increasing role in Nigeria’s digital financial ecosystem. The platform now serves nearly three million active wallets, with users spanning students, traders, households and small businesses across the country.…

The Lagos State Government has again warned actress Sarah Martins against conducting charity cooking activities on public roads, walkways or medians in the state. PREMIUM TIMES reported that the warning came four months after authorities apprehended her for a similar outreach programme in the Admiralty area of Lekki Phase 1. In October 2025, this newspaper reported that officials of the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps (LAGESC/KAI) apprehended the actress for engaging in unauthorised activities on public infrastructure. Although Objective Four of the LAGESC/KAI law on “street vending” prohibits cooking or selling food on roads and sidewalks, Ms Martins posted a…