Skip to main content

Posts

Featured post

Travel ~ The Best Spas in Europe That Mix Travel With Pure Relaxation

Tyla Beats Burna Boy, Davido, Ayra Starr To ‘Best African Music Performance’ At 2026 Grammys

South African singer Tyla has won the ‘Best African Music Performance’ award at the 2026 Grammy Awards, defeating Nigerian superstars Burna Boy, Davido and Ayra Starr, in the competitive category. Tyla clinched the prize with her hit single “Push 2 Start,” edging out Burna Boy’s Love, Davido’s With You featuring Omah Lay, Ayra Starr and Wizkid’s Gimme Dat, as well as Hope & Love by Eddy Kenzo and Mehran Matin. The category, which was introduced to spotlight African music on the global stage, once again saw strong Nigerian representation, with three Nigerian artistes, Burna Boy, Davido and Ayra Starr, making the final shortlist. With the win, Tyla becomes a two-time Grammy winner in the category. She first made history in 2024 when she won the inaugural ‘Best African Music Performance’ award with her global breakout hit “Water.” Her latest victory further cements her growing influence and dominance in the global Afrobeats and African pop scene.

Saudis won’t let the US use its bases or airspace for an attack on Iran, senior Gulf official reveals

As President Donald Trump  weighs his options on a possible military strike on Iran, a senior Gulf official told Fox News Saudi Arabia will not allow the U.S. to use its airspace or bases for such an attack. A high-ranking government figure from a Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) state told Fox News that the "U.S. hasn’t shared objectives or plans" regarding Iran  with Gulf allies despite recent high-level Saudi meetings in Washington aimed at gaining clarity. "We said this as friends, [we] want to make sure they understand our position and our assessment in general. And we want to understand the U.S. assessment with as much clarity as possible," the senior official said. "I’d like to get full clarity, and we did not get there." Regarding U.S. military movements  for a strike on Iran, the official said, "The plan is something other than using Saudi airspace." The official said the U.S. is welcome in Saudi Arabia , especially...

Nigeria set to overtake South Africa as Africa’s top contributor to global growth in 2026

The  International Monetary Fund  (IMF) projects that Nigeria will account for 1.5 percent of total global real GDP growth in 2026, placing it among the world’s top ten contributors and making it the only African country on the list. In previous  IMF outlooks , South Africa had ranked ahead of Nigeria in Africa’s share of global growth, supported by its larger nominal economy. Nigeria’s weaker performance over the past two to three years, affected by currency instability, inflation, and policy uncertainty, had limited its contribution. The 2026 projections mark a shift in Africa’s economic landscape, with Nigeria regaining momentum following recent reforms, while South Africa continues to face headwinds from low growth, power shortages, and trade pressures. Nigeria’s Growth Outlook The IMF forecasts  Nigeria’s real GDP will expand by 4.4 percent in 2026, easing slightly to 4.1 percent in 2027. The Fund attributes this outlook to exchange-rate adjustm...

Danish veterans stage protest outside US Embassy

COPENHAGEN, Denmark --  Hundreds of Danish  veterans — many of whom fought alongside U.S. troops — and thousands of supporters staged a silent protest Saturday outside the U.S. Embassy in Copenhagen in response to the Trump administration's threats to take over Greenland  and Trump's belittling of their combat contributions. Veterans first gathered at Copenhagen’s Kastellet historic fortress, which includes a public park and places still used by the Danish military, and then marched to the nearby U.S. Embassy, carrying several large Danish flags. “Denmark has always stood side by side with the USA — and we have showed up in the world’s crisis zones when the USA has asked us to. We feel let down and ridiculed by the Trump Administration, which is deliberately disregarding Denmark’s combat side by side with the USA,” Danish Veterans & Veteran Support, the organizers of the protest said in a statement. “Words cannot describe how much it hurts us tha...

Musk says steps to stop Russia from using Starlink seem to have worked

Feb 1 (Reuters) - Elon Musk said on Sunday that moves by his SpaceX company to stop the 'unauthorized' use by ​Russia of its internet system Starlink seemed to have worked, ‌while Kyiv's defence chief said officials were working on ways to prevent any ‌future use by Moscow. Kyiv's military relies on tens of thousands of satellite-based Starlink internet connections for battlefield communication and for piloting some drone missions, but said this week it had found Starlink terminals on ⁠long-range drones used in ‌Russian attacks. Ukraine said it was working with SpaceX to stop Russia from guiding drones with Starlink. "Looks like the ‍steps we took to stop the unauthorized use of Starlink by Russia have worked. Let us know if more needs to be done," SpaceX ​CEO Musk said on X. In a separate statement on Sunday, ‌Ukrainian Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said Kyiv was developing a system that would allow only authorised Starlink terminals to work o...

The number of Russian assaults is increasing in the Kharkiv region — General Staff

Over the past 24 hours, January 31, 338 combat clashes were recorded on the front. Of these, 37 attacks took place in the Kharkiv region. The General staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported    this in its morning briefing    . In the South Slobozhansk direction, the Russian army tried 25 times to break through the defensive lines of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, in the areas of the settlements of Vovchansk, Starytsia, Prylipka and towards the settlements of Grafske, Vilcha, Vovchanski Khutory, Kolodyazne, Figolivka, Kutkivka. There were 12 Russian attacks in the Kupyansk direction yesterday. Defense forces repelled Russian assaults in the direction of Petropavlivka, Peshchany, Kurylivka, Novoosynovo, Novoplatonivka, and Glushkivka. Let us recall that Russian troops plan to create so-called buffer zones    in the Kharkiv, Sumy, and Dnipropetrovsk regions, while their intentions to reach the administrative borders of Donbas by the e...

Inside the premiere of Melania Trump’s not-documentary documentary

First lady Melania Trump  wants you to know that  her new documentary  is not a documentary. “Some have called this a documentary. It is not,” she told a crowd of Cabinet members, conservative influencers and minor celebrities gathered in the opera house of the newly rebranded Trump Kennedy Center  for the film’s premiere Thursday evening. “It is a creative experience that offers perspectives, insights and moments,” she said. After more than a year of production, “Melania” is getting its debut, and the country is getting an education in what has become the lucrative business of being first lady. Trump inked a $40 million deal with Amazon MGM Studios, plus a whopping $35 million marketing budget, according to a source familiar with the matter. Asked how she would define success for the film, the first lady didn’t point to box office numbers or streaming statistics — because the deal has already been a win, in her view. I’m very proud of the film so pe...

Britain prepares emergency alert amid fears over Chinese space junk

Mobile networks have been asked to check the UK’s emergency alert system over concerns that fragments of a Chinese rocket could land in Britain. Government officials are monitoring debris from the rocket, which is heading towards the Earth and has a remote chance of hitting the UK. Britain’s mobile networks have now been asked to check that their emergency alert system is operational, in case the debris crashes in Britain and a message needs to be sent to people living near to the impact site. A spokesman told The Telegraph that it was “extremely unlikely” that the space junk would enter British airspace and stressed that emergency systems were “tested routinely” with partners, including mobile networks. However, officials are understood to be closely monitoring the Chinese Zhuque-3 (ZQ-3) rocket, which launched in early December and was expected to re-enter the atmosphere around midday on Friday. Fragments expected to pass over Europe The rocket is likely to arrive in the ...

Iran wants to make deal rather than face military action, Trump says

President Donald Trump has said Iran wants to make a deal rather than face US military action, despite Tehran's insistence that its missile and defence systems will "never" be up for negotiation. "I can say this, they do want to make a deal," Trump told reporters at the White House on Friday when asked about a build-up of US military forces in the Gulf, without providing details. He had warned Tehran on Wednesday that time was "running out" to negotiate a deal on its nuclear programme after a large US naval fleet had gathered near the country. Iran's foreign minister said there were no talks planned with the US at present but that Tehran was open to negotiations based on "mutual respect" and trust. Also on Friday, the Kremlin said the head of the Iran's Supreme National Security Council Ali Larijani had met Russian President Vladimir Putin. They discussed "Middle Eastern and international issues" among other matt...

Ukraine contacted Musk’s SpaceX over Russian drones using Starlink to target cities

KYIV - Ukraine’s Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said on Jan 29 Kyiv was in contact with entrepreneur Elon Musk’s SpaceX over allegations that Russian drones were using internet from Starlink satellites during attacks on Ukrainian cities. “Within hours of Russian drones with Starlink connectivity appearing over Ukrainian cities, the Ministry of Defence team promptly contacted SpaceX and proposed ways to resolve the problem,” Mr Fedorov said on social media. “I’m grateful to SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell and personally to Elon Musk for their swift response.” Mr Fedorov and the US-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said earlier this week that the Russian army used Starlink satellites to guide its drone attacks deep into Ukraine. Russia has been battering the country’s energy grid as temperatures tumble below freezing and the invasion’s fourth anniversary looms. The ISW said that “Russian forces are increasingly using Starlink satellite systems to extend the range...

Iran is open to US talks but won’t be dictated to and won’t negotiate on missiles, foreign minister says

Iran is ready to participate in “fair and just” nuclear talks with the United States amid rising tension  between the two nations, but will not be dictated to, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Friday. “We are under no circumstances willing to accept dictation or imposition,” Araghchi said at a press conference during a visit to Istanbul alongside Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan. “Nevertheless, Iran is ready to participate in any diplomatic process that is meaningful, logical and fair.” It is not clear when or in what format the potential talks could occur. Araghchi said no meeting with the US has been arranged while cautioning that such talks cannot be “conducted under threat.” He also ruled out the possibility of Tehran engaging in negotiations about what he called Iran’s “defensive capabilities,” as well as its missile programme. “I believe no country is prepared to compromise on its own security or its national defence,” he said. The announcement fol...

Trump says Putin agreed to not fire on Kyiv for a week during cold

WASHINGTON, Jan 29 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin had agreed to refrain from firing on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities for a week because of cold winter weather. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he thanked Washington for the initiative, which he described as halting Russian strikes on energy targets, which have left hundreds of apartments in Kyiv without power during freezing weather. There was no immediate comment from Moscow, which had earlier issued a new invitation for Zelenskiy to hold talks in Moscow, an offer already long rejected by the Ukrainian leader. "We asked President Putin if they could stop the shooting for a week," Trump told reporters at an event in the Oval office. "They're being hit with, proportionately, the kind of cold that we're being hit. It's much colder in Ukraine to start off with, but it's really cold. He agreed to do that. We appreciated that...

UK, France, Canada among 11 countries condemning Israel’s UNRWA demolitions

Eleven countries have condemned Israel’s demolition  of the East Jerusalem headquarters of the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, saying it “marks the latest unacceptable move to undermine” UNRWA’s work. In a joint statement on Wednesday, the foreign ministers of Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Ireland, Japan, Norway, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom slammed the demolition as an “unprecedented act” against a UN agency. “We call upon the Government of Israel, a member of the United Nations, to halt all demolitions,” they said. Israel has carried out an intensified pressure campaign against UNRWA, which provides aid and services to Palestinian refugees across the Middle East, amid the country’s genocidal war against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. Without concrete evidence, the Israeli government and its allies, including the United States, have accused UNRWA of being linked to Hamas – a claim rejected by the UN. Israel  has used t...

Music legend Fela Kuti becomes first African to get Grammys Lifetime Achievement Award

Long crowned by his legion of fans as the king of Afrobeat, the late Fela Kuti is finally being recognised by the global music industry. The Nigerian star will posthumously receive a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Grammys - almost three decades after his death at the age of 58. "Fela has been in the hearts of the people for such a long time. Now the Grammys have acknowledged it, and it's a double victory," his musician son Seun Kuti tells the BBC. "It's bringing balance to a Fela story," he adds. Rikki Stein, a long-time friend and manager of the late musician, says the recognition by the Grammys is "better late than never". "Africa hasn't in the past rated very highly in their interests. I think that's changing quite a bit of late," Stein tells the BBC. Following the global success of Afrobeats, a genre inspired by Fela's sound, the Grammys introduced the category of Best African Performance in 2024. This year,...