Author: Ohene Anochie

Nigeria’s official statistics agency has announced plans to revise the way inflation is calculated and reported after an expected technical distortion is set to trigger a sharp but misleading rise in December inflation figures. Officials from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) confirmed that data due next week is likely to show an artificial surge in headline inflation, driven not by real price increases but by a seasonal quirk in how consumer prices are weighted at the end of the year. Economists familiar with the data said the statistical effect could temporarily push…

Greenland has firmly dismissed any suggestion of becoming part of the United States, with Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen declaring that the autonomous Arctic territory has chosen to remain aligned with Denmark, the European Union and NATO. Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Nielsen said Greenland’s future would be decided only by its own people, rejecting recent statements by U.S. President Donald Trump suggesting that the island should fall under American control for strategic reasons. “We are a democratic society that makes our own decisions,” Nielsen said. “Greenland does not want to be owned by the United States, and Greenland…

The United States Department of Justice has ruled out launching a criminal civil rights investigation into the fatal shooting of Renee Good by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer in Minneapolis, marking a significant shift from how similar cases have been handled under previous administrations. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said on Tuesday that the department found “no basis” at this stage to involve its Civil Rights Division in the case, even as an FBI investigation into the incident continues. The decision was first reported by CNN and was later confirmed by Justice Department officials. The move has…

The death toll from Iran’s nationwide anti-government protests has climbed beyond 2,500, according to human rights activists, as limited phone connections to the outside world were restored on Tuesday following days of a government-imposed communications blackout. The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency reported early Wednesday that at least 2,571 people had been killed since demonstrations erupted in late December over Iran’s collapsing economy and rising cost of living. The figure marks the deadliest wave of political unrest in the country in decades and has drawn comparisons to the upheaval that led to Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution. Iranian state television…

Global K-pop phenomenon BTS has officially announced its long-awaited return to the world stage, unveiling a massive 2026–2027 world tour that will span more than 70 dates across five continents, marking the group’s first full concert run since 2022. The tour will begin in South Korea in April 2026 and conclude in March 2027, taking the seven-member group across Asia, North America, South America, Europe and Australia. The announcement signals the group’s full reunion after a nearly four-year hiatus caused by South Korea’s mandatory military service. The upcoming tour will be BTS’s first headline concert series since the “Permission to…

Ghana’s government says it has paid a total of US$1.47 billion in 2025 to clear long-standing debts in the energy sector, a move authorities describe as a major step toward restoring stability, investor confidence, and international credibility in the country’s power system. According to the Ministry of Finance, the payments covered a wide range of legacy obligations that had built up over several years and posed risks to electricity reliability. A key component of the settlement was US$597.15 million used to fully reinstate a World Bank partial risk guarantee that had been exhausted under the previous administration. The guarantee is…

Iran’s ruling establishment is facing one of the most perilous moments in its 47-year history as the largest protests in years rock the country, leaving hundreds dead and exposing deep vulnerabilities at the top of the Islamic Republic. The unrest, sparked by economic hardship and long-simmering public anger, has intensified following a violent crackdown by security forces that activists say has pushed the death toll into the hundreds. Internet access and communications with the outside world remain heavily restricted as demonstrations spread beyond Tehran to major cities across the country. Hard-line figures within Iran’s government have threatened retaliation against the…

Americans are increasingly turning away from the country’s two major political parties, with a growing share choosing to identify as independents, according to new polling data released by Gallup. The survey found that 45 percent of U.S. adults now identify as political independents, marking a significant rise from about one-third of Americans two decades ago. The shift reflects deepening dissatisfaction with both the Democratic and Republican parties and signals continued volatility in U.S. electoral politics. Gallup’s analysis suggests that independents are often motivated less by ideological alignment and more by frustration with the party in power. Over the past year,…

A criminal investigation launched by the Trump administration into Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell has triggered a sharp bipartisan backlash in Washington, with lawmakers, former central bank leaders and economists warning that the move threatens the long-standing independence of the U.S. central bank. The controversy escalated after Powell disclosed that the Department of Justice had subpoenaed the Federal Reserve, citing concerns over his testimony to Congress about a $2.5 billion renovation project at the Fed’s headquarters in Washington. Powell said the investigation was being used as a pretext to pressure him into cutting interest rates, a demand President Donald Trump…

The Islamic Republic of Iran has dispatched Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to Beirut, Lebanon, for high-level meetings with Lebanese officials, following the refusal of Lebanon’s Foreign Minister to travel to Tehran. The trip comes as regional tensions rise over the threat of a possible Israeli strike. Iranian authorities have also sent senior military commander Esmail Qaani, successor to Qassem Soleimani, to Iraq to coordinate last-minute strategic planning with allied groups in the region. Officials indicated that both deployments aim to ensure alignment with Iran’s proxies in Lebanon and Iraq regarding their respective roles in potential defensive or retaliatory actions. Araghchi…