Author: Prima News

Crystal Palace went down to a 2-1 defeat at Fiorentina on Thursday but nonetheless progressed 4-2 on aggregate to the semi-finals of the UEFA Conference League, where they will meet Shakhtar Donetsk. On the other side of the draw, Strasbourg pulled off a fine comeback to book their spot in the last four against Rayo Vallecano. In Florence, Ismaila Sarr opened the scoring for Palace, before Albert Gudmundsson and Cher Ndour struck to give the Italian side hope. It was a difficult night for Oliver Glasner’s side as a first defeat in six matches in all competitions was compounded by…

MTN’s $4.8 billion acquisition has emerged as the defining transaction behind Sub-Saharan Africa’s outbound mergers and acquisitions surge in the first quarter of 2026. MTN Group drove outbound M&A activity in the region to $6.7 billion during the period with its deal accounting for the majority of total value recorded. The transaction, which involves the acquisition of IHS Holding Ltd, signals a deliberate move to deepen control over critical telecom infrastructure and strengthen long-term operational efficiency. The scale of the acquisition highlights MTN’s position as one of the few African corporates with the financial capacity to execute multi-billion-dollar cross-border transactions.…

Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, on Thursday, inaugurated committees on the 25-year Tourism Masterplan and the 2026 International Tourism Summit. Makinde inaugurated the nine-member committee of the 25-year Tourism Masterplan and the eight-member organising committee for the 2026 International Tourism Summit at the Executive Council Chamber, Governor’s Office, Secretariat, Agodi, Ibadan. The governor, in a statement released by his Special Adviser on Media, Sulaimon Olarenwaju, in Ibadan, noted that the state has valuable tourism assets and sites to attract tourists and investors from different parts of the world. Makinde noted that his administration would continue to build systems and structures…

Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, has approved a set of palliative measures for public servants in the state, including a weekly day off duty and a ₦10,000 transport allowance, to cushion the effects of rising fuel prices and increased cost of living. The initiative, which will run for three months beginning in April 2026, is aimed at easing the burden on workers grappling with high transportation costs following the recent hike in the pump price of fuel. In a statement issued by the State Head of Service, Kehinde Onasanya, the government said each eligible worker would observe one day off…

Lionel Messi has bought Catalan club Cornella and become the team’s new owner, the Spanish fifth-tier side announced on Thursday. The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner is still playing in the United States for Inter Miami and is expected to play a key role in Argentina’s World Cup title defence this year. “This move reinforces Messi’s close ties to Barcelona and his commitment to the development of sport and local talent in Catalonia,” the club said in a statement confirming the former Barcelona star’s acquisition. Several top players have come through the ranks at Cornella, based in the Barcelona suburbs, including…

Nigerian actress Victoria Inyama has sparked conversations online after sharing her personal experience with female circumcision, describing it as both traumatic and, in her view, beneficial. In a video posted by media personality Daddy Freeze via his Instagram page on Wednesday, Inyama revealed that she underwent the procedure as a child while living with her grandmother in the village. According to her, the experience, though painful, shaped her mindset and personal choices as an adult. “FGM is evil, but you now have to deal with the consequences of that thing…” she said. The actress explained that she believes the procedure…

Aged 17 and coaching archers three times her age on her home Caribbean island of Tobago, Ms. Lewis transfers the confidence and skills she gained from the sport into advocacy and diplomacy, spaces where youth, especially girls, must often fight to have their voices heard.“The biggest challenge has to be my age,” she said, highlighting a cultural norm passed down to many young Caribbeans to “speak only when you’re spoken to” and to “leave the older heads to have the big discussions.”Sport has helped her overcome these barriers: “Archery gives you that discipline to keep pushing forward,” she said. Anthurium…

No fewer than 2.2 million candidates are expected to sit the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, which commenced nationwide on Thursday. The examination, organised by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, will run from April 16 to April 22 across accredited centres in the country. JAMB Registrar, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, urged examination officials to demonstrate professionalism and commitment, noting that the success of the exercise depends largely on their performance. Oloyede gave the charge during a virtual briefing for technical officers ahead of the examination. He commended staff and service providers for their roles in the conduct of the mock…

Cristóbal Valenzuela, the co-founder and CEO of AI video-generation startup Runway, now valued at north of $5 billion, may not be winning over more hearts and minds in the anti-AI, creative crowd with his recent comments about AI’s potential in Hollywood. At Semafor’s World Economy Summit this week, the AI executive suggested that studios should take the $100 million they spend on a single film and put it toward 50 films, in order to increase their output and their chances of getting a hit. “If you’re spending a hundred million dollars on making one feature film, which is 90 minutes, imagine…

A Nigerian couple, Luciana and Femi Akanbi, have been jailed in the United Kingdom for orchestrating a large-scale fraud involving the stolen personal data of Transport for London employees, in a case described as the ‘worst’ data breach in the agency’s history. According to a report by KentLive, the couple were each sentenced to three years and nine months’ imprisonment after defrauding the UK tax authority through false rebate claims. The report said Luciana Akanbi, 38, who worked in the human resources department of Transport for London, accessed sensitive personal information of her colleagues, including passport details, National Insurance numbers…