Author: Prima News

Oracle disclosed Monday that it has reduced its workforce by 21,000 employees over the past 12 months, a decline of 13%, which means more cuts than was previously known, including jobs eliminated because of AI. “The adoption and deployment of AI technologies across our operations have resulted, and may continue to result, in reductions to our workforce,” the company said in an annual financial regulatory filing. The revelation puts new numbers to what feels to many in the tech industry like an epidemic: companies reporting record revenues while simultaneously culling their workforces, pointing to AI as both the engine of…

The United States Mission in Nigeria has opened applications for the 2026 cohort of the EducationUSA Nigeria Opportunity Fund Programme, inviting qualified Nigerian students seeking higher education opportunities in the US to apply. The application window, as seen by PUNCH Online on Monday, is open from June 15 and will close on June 30, 2026, according to a notice published by the U.S. Embassy and Consulate in Nigeria. The programme, coordinated by the Public Diplomacy Section of the U.S. Mission through EducationUSA Nigeria, is designed to assist academically outstanding Nigerian students with leadership potential in pursuing higher education in the…

Nigeria’s external reserves increased by approximately $1.69 billion within three weeks amid growing improvement in the country’s foreign currency position. Data released by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) showed that gross external reserves rose from $49.34 billion on May 26, 2026, to $51.04 billion as of June 18, 2026. The increase represents a gain of about 3.4 percent over the period. The reserves crossed the $51 billion mark on June 18 after recording steady growth throughout June. The upward movement underscores improving foreign exchange inflows and growing resilience in Nigeria’s external sector. A closer review of the figures shows…

A former governorship candidate of the Action Alliance in Imo State, Uche Nwosu, on Monday commended the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, for what he described as remarkable infrastructural development across Abuja. Nwosu’s commendation comes amid growing public debate over the performance of the FCT Administration under Wike, who has in the last two years embarked on an aggressive infrastructure renewal programme aimed at improving road networks, transportation, housing and other public facilities across the nation’s capital. Speaking at a news conference in Abuja, Nwosu said the minister had demonstrated exceptional leadership through the execution of critical…

By Ndahi Marama The Joint Task Force (North East), Operation HADIN KAI (OPHK), has recorded yet another significant humanitarian success with the rescue of 47 persons, mostly women and children who were held captive by Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists in Kangarwa village, Kukawa Local Government Area of Borno State. This success story took place on 20 June 2026. In a press statement signed by the Acting Media Information Officer Headquarters Joint Task Force North East Operation HADIN KAI, Captain Mohammed Goni on Monday night said: “The successful rescue operation was made possible through sustained aggressive pressure and relentless offensive operations conducted…

Former Super Eagles coach Gernot Rohr has backed Morocco and Senegal to make significant progress at the 2026 FIFA World Cup while expressing disappointment at Nigeria’s continued absence from football’s biggest stage, saying it is a real shame that stars of the calibre of Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman are not on show in North America. Rohr, who guided Nigeria to the 2018 World Cup in Russia and currently manages Benin Republic, spoke with Footy-Africa after watching several matches in the United States before returning home, and said African teams have closed the gap on their European and South American…

Grammy-winning Afrobeats star  Temilade Openiyi, popularly known as Tems, has met with former United States First Lady Michelle Obama at the newly opened Media Suite of the Obama Presidential Centre in Chicago, where both figures engaged young aspiring artists in a conversation on confidence, creativity and self-expression. The meeting, which was shared in a video posted by Michelle Obama on X on Monday, formed part of activities at the Obama Presidential Centre’s creative hub in Jackson Park. The Centre, which opened just days earlier during its June 18–21, 2026 launch events, includes a Media Suite designed to give young people…

The DRC now has more than 780 confirmed cases and 180 deaths, while Uganda has recorded 19 confirmed cases, including two deaths.On the ground, the response has expanded considerably. Some 400 beds are now available and four laboratories are operational. Two of them alone can process nearly 1,000 samples a day. Yet despite this scale-up, the World Health Organization (WHO) believes efforts remain far below what is needed to bring the outbreak under control.“On a scale of zero to ten, compared with where this response needs to be, I would say we are at about three or four,” said Dr. Rose…

Nigeria is facing a slow-burning epidemic of non-communicable diseases driven by unhealthy diets, tobacco use, physical inactivity and harmful alcohol use, with cardiovascular diseases now a leading cause of adult death and disability. Recent estimates suggest hypertension prevalence is about 30–31per cent nationally, yet only 29 per cent of people with hypertension are aware of their condition, 12 per cent receive treatment, and fewer than three per cent have their blood pressure under control, underscoring a dangerous treatment and financing gap in the health system. In Kano State alone, more than 30 per cent of adults are estimated to have…

A company that sells spyware and hacking tools to government agencies has published details of a vulnerability in Apple chips that can potentially help hackers unlock older iPhones. This release opens the door for other researchers who specialize in finding iOS vulnerabilities, such as those working for governments or their contractors, to develop effective hacks for iPhones, provided they can find additional vulnerabilities to chain together with this one. This could help security researchers develop a so-called iPhone jailbreak, a technique to hack into Apple’s mobile operating system and remove all the restrictions the company puts on it. The release…