Author: starconnect
Admin I Monday, September 07, 2027 LAGOS, Nigeria – Financial literacy content aimed at young Nigerians has grown steadily in reach over the past few years, spanning podcasts, social media pages and, more recently, entertainment formats such as game shows. What is drawing closer attention now is not how many people are consuming this content, but how many are acting on it. InvestBeta, the financial game show produced by Stanbic IBTC Asset Management, a subsidiary of Stanbic IBTC Holdings, is one of the formats credited with making that content more accessible. Now in its third season and soon…
By Esther Pius Ekong I Sunday, Sept. 06, 2026 LAGOS, Nigeria – On one of those days, while returning from school in the company of my schoolmates, we saw a deaf and dumb girl, judging from her school uniform to be a student of Junior Secondary School, running out of a bush path. While speech failed her amidst teary eyes, her hands demonstrated what the mouth was unable to express. However, beyond legislation, there is a need for stronger institutional protection. Just as we have the Family Court, there should also be a specialised court or judicial mechanism…
Admin I Sunday, Sept 06, 2026 LAGOS, Nigeria – Interswitch Group, one of Africa’s leading integrated payments and digital commerce companies, has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the growth and evolution of Nigeria’s media ecosystem as a proud sponsor of the Media Independent Practitioners Association of Nigeria (MIPAN) Annual General Meeting. The event which took place in Ogun State, under the theme “Monetising Tomorrow: Outpacing Disruption, Capturing Growth, provided a timely platform for industry leaders and practitioners to interrogate the forces reshaping media, advertising and communications, and explore new pathways for sustainable growth. For Interswitch, the conversation shifted…
By SCM International Desk I Sunday, Sept 06, 2026 CRISTIANO RONALDO was left biting the dust in Jeddah as teenage sensation George Ilenikhena upstaged a pitch packed with global superstars to earn Al-Ittihad a dramatic 2-1 Saudi Pro League triumph. In a high-octane encounter brimming with Premier League and European royalty, it was 20-year-old forward Ilenikhena who stole the show from the iconic five-time Ballon d’Or winner, bagging a lethal first-half brace that sent the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium into raptures. Ronaldo, leading an star-studded Al-Nassr line-up featuring João Félix, Sadio Mané, and Kingsley Coman, attempted to set…
By SCM International Desk I Sunday, Sept 06, 2026 TEHRAN — Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed on Sunday that its forces launched a ballistic missile attack targeting a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier and a guided-missile destroyer in strategic regional waters, framing the operation as a defensive strike against an ongoing American naval blockade. In an official statement released by its Aerospace Force, the IRGC asserted that the two American vessels sustained damage and were “forced to flee” the area of engagement to avoid further strikes. Tehran touted the acknowledgement of the incident by U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM)…
By SCM International Desk I Saturday, Sept 05, 2026 TEHRAN — Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced on Saturday that it carried out its single largest coordinated strike to date in the Strait of Hormuz, hitting six vessels with anti-ship missiles in a sharp escalation of the maritime conflict. The retaliatory barrage was launched hours after United States forces carried out morning strikes against three Iranian crude oil tankers transiting the crucial energy bottleneck. According to a statement released by the IRGC and carried by state media, Iranian naval forces targeted three oil tankers that were allegedly…
By abiodun KOMOLAFE I Saturday, Sept 05, 2026 IJEBU-JESA – The Southwest, although it now laudably has a Development Commission, ought to project a future that will match the best days of the past. With off-cycle elections now out of the way in Ekiti and Osun States, the region needs to now begin a succession planning. This is so vitally necessary because the region today should see itself as being placed in “catch-up” mode. Yorubaland has a lot of catching up to do in every area of development planning, including infrastructure, the modernisation of agriculture, education, and health in particular.…
By Emmanuel Thomas l Sunday, Sept 05, 2026 PORT HARCOURT, Nigeria — In the sprawling, oil-rich hub of Port Harcourt, the epicenter of West Africa’s energy economy, political realignments ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 general elections are taking an increasingly sharp, populist tone. Dumo Lulu-Briggs, the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) governorship candidate for Rivers State, led a historic town hall meeting hosting the party’s national ticket—presidential candidate Peter Gregory Obi and vice-presidential candidate Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso. Addressing crowds of residents, community leaders, and multi-party sympathizers, Lulu-Briggs articulated what he described as a patriotic “burden” to reclaim Nigeria’s standing…
By SCM International Desk I Saturday, Sept. 04, 2026 KATHMANDU, Nepal — Emergency workers operating in treacherous conditions pulled an elderly woman and a male engineer alive from deep mud and structural debris, offering a rare ray of hope as search teams race against time following a catastrophic landslide. The two survivors were extracted from within the subterranean complex of a devastated hydroelectric power station. Their rescue came roughly 24 hours after search teams freed two other workers, bringing the total number of survivors recovered from the site to four. Rescuers equipped with heavy machinery, life-detection sensors, and rock-breaking…
By SCM International Desk I Friday, Sept 04, 2026 FRANKFORT, Ill. — A suburban Chicago mother faces three counts of first-degree murder after authorities say she strangled her 2-year-old son to death, telling police officers that she committed the act because she believed the toddler was the “devil” and the “antichrist”. The suspect, identified as Corie Walsh, was taken into custody following the incident at her residence in Frankfort, a village located in southwest Will County. Authorities confirmed that Ms. Walsh was hospitalized for self-inflicted wounds shortly after officers arrived at the scene. She remains held under medical supervision and…