Michael Ehindero's Blog

Uganda has been plunged into a nationwide digital blackout on Tuesday evening as the government ordered internet service providers to sever connections just two days before a pivotal general election. The formal directive from the Uganda Communications Commission cited the need to curb misinformation, electoral fraud, and potential incitement to violence as justifications for the shutdown.  While government officials privately confirmed the order to AFP, the administration has avoided making a public announcement, reportedly to distance itself from the controversial decision. The timing of the disconnection heightens tensions as President Yoweri Museveni seeks to extend his four-decade rule against a familiar challenger, singer-turned-politician Bobi Wine. The blackout, which commenced at 6:00 pm local time, marks a stark reversal of recent government promises. Authorities had previously dismissed reports of an impending shutdown as "false" rumors designed to sp...

Elon Musk 's X has officially suspended the iconic @ twitter handle in a move that marks the final symbolic severance from its past. The account, dormant since Elon Musk’s $44 billion takeover, now displays a "Rule Violation" notice, though the company has not specified which policy was broken. The move marks a symbolic end for the "Blue Bird" era. Since the 2023 rebrand, Musk has steadily erased legacy features to make room for his "everything app" vision. While some see the suspension as a routine cleanup of inactive assets, others view it as the ultimate sunsetting of the Twitter brand. Neither Musk nor X leadership has commented on the deactivation. Share this story

Eminent Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has alleged medical negligence in the death of her 21-month-old son, Nkanu Nnamdi, who passed away on Wednesday, January 7, 2026.  Adichie’s media team confirmed to ARISE News on Saturday that the author penned a detailed statement of the incident, which was originally shared privately with family and close friends before becoming public. In the statement, Adichie said her son was taken to Euracare Hospital for an MRI scan and the insertion of a central line. He was sedated for the procedure but allegedly not properly monitored after being administered propofol, resulting in severe complications, including loss of responsiveness, seizures, and cardiac arrest. She stated that her son “would be alive today if not for an incident at Euracare Hospital on January 6th,” where he was taken for medical procedures. Adichie explained that her family had been in Lagos for Christmas when her son developed symptoms they initially a...

Bill Gates transferred $7.9 billion to a nonprofit led by Melinda French Gates in late 2024, according to a recent tax filing, the New York Times revealed. The move forms part of an agreement reached last year, in which Gates pledged $12.5 billion to support French Gates’ philanthropic efforts after the former couple opted to stop collaborating through the Gates Foundation. Gates and French Gates, whose 27-year marriage ended in 2021 in what remains one of the most expensive divorces in history, have continued to reshape their philanthropic legacies independently. Following the split, French Gates received roughly $76 billion in assets. Before the transfer was disclosed, Gates, now 70, held an estimated net worth of $118 billion, per the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. French Gates, 61, is currently valued at about $17.7 billion. The funds were directed to Pivotal Philanthropies, a tax-exempt nonprofit launched in 2022. It sits within French Gates’ broader network, Pivotal V...

Arsenal and England ace midfielder Declan Rice has been hit with a six-month driving ban after being caught speeding twice on the same road in just one week. The £105million midfielder was first caught doing 37mph in a 30mph zone on January 3 last year. Barely five days later, the 26-year-old was caught again on the same stretch of the A217, hit for doing 49mph in a 40mph limit. The England international, who did not attend the hearing at Crawley Magistrates Court Tuesday, 01/06/25, he was hit with a £2,185 bill in fines and costs.  The disqualification comes after the new offences took his license to 15 points, way over the total limit. Share this story

Kenneth Ofori-Atta , the former Finance Minister of Ghana, has been taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), according to a statement released by his legal team on Wednesday. The 66-year-old former official, who served under President Nana Akufo-Addo from 2017 to early 2024, is currently being held at a detention facility in Virginia. The detention appears to center on Ofori-Atta’s immigration status. His lawyers clarified that while he has a pending petition to regularize or extend his stay in the United States, federal authorities moved to detain him earlier this week. Ofori-Atta has resided in the U.S. for over a year, a period his legal team says was necessary for him to undergo medical treatment, including surgery for prostate cancer. This development follows an intensifying legal battle between Ofori-Atta and the Ghanaian government. In February 2025, authorities in Accra declared the former minister a fugitive after he failed to appear f...

Anthony Joshua has shared his first social media update since surviving a tragic car accident on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Nigeria. The crash claimed the lives of two of his friends, Sina Ghami and Latif Ayodele. View this post on Instagram A post shared by @anthonyjoshua After being hospitalized for injuries sustained in the wreck, the professional boxer has returned to the UK. Upon his arrival, he   _______________________ RELATED : Anthony Joshua's driver to be prosecuted for crash that killed Joshua's 2 friends _______________________ prioritized visiting the grieving families of his late friends to pay his respects.  Sharing photos from the visit on Instagram, Joshua included a heartfelt caption: " My Brothers Keeper ." Share this story

U.S. forces have captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores , following what American officials described as a large-scale overnight military operation in Venezuela. U.S. authorities said on Saturday that the couple has been indicted in New York on drug-trafficking and related charges. In a statement posted on Truth Social, U.S. President Donald Trump said the operation was carried out in coordination with American law enforcement agencies. He described the action as a joint military and legal effort targeting the Venezuelan leader. “The United States of America has successfully carried out a large-scale strike against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolas Maduro, who has been, along with his wife, captured and flown out of the country,” Trump said, adding that the operation was conducted alongside U.S. law enforcement authorities. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a post on X that Maduro and Flores were indicted in the Southern...

Vince Zampella , the influential co-creator of the Call of Duty franchise and founder of Respawn Entertainment, was killed Sunday 12/21/25 in a high-speed, single-car accident in the San Gabriel Mountains. He was 55 years. The crash occurred at approximately 12:45 p.m. on a scenic stretch of road north of Los Angeles. According to the California Highway Patrol (CHP), Zampella was driving a 2026 Ferrari 296 GTS southbound when the vehicle veered off the pavement immediately after exiting a tunnel. The red sports car struck a concrete barrier with enough force to eject a passenger from the vehicle. While the passenger was rushed to a local hospital, they later succumbed to their injuries. Their identity has not yet been released. _______________________ _______________________ Zampella remained trapped inside the Ferrari as it was engulfed in flames. Authorities confirmed he was pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators are currently reviewing video footage provided by a ...

Ghanaian police have arrested self-declared prophet Evans Eshun , popularly known as Ebo Noah , after his prediction of a global flood on December 25, 2025, triggered public panic. The arrest was confirmed on Wednesday through a statement released on the official website of the Ghana Police Service. Police said Eshun was taken into custody by the Inspector General of Police’s Special Cyber Vetting Team as part of ongoing efforts to monitor and address cyber-related activities, particularly in the lead-up to 31st night religious services. Authorities added that the arrest followed reports and security warnings concerning public prophecies capable of causing fear or public disorder, noting that details of the specific allegations under investigation have not yet been disclosed. Share this story

World's richest man Elon Musk in a new tweet quoted that the IRS (Internal Revenue Service) couldn't process his taxes because of the numbers involved and had to update their software before it could be processed I paid so much in taxes one year that it broke the IRS computer (actually). Too many digits. They had to update the software to get it processed. https://t.co/pyUNJWFMwr — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 1, 2026 He made this tweet quoting a X user who tweeted saying 'the rich already pay more than their fair share of taxes'. According to a check by Grok, Elon Musk's personal federal and state tax payments are estimated at over $20 billion (e.g., $12B in 2021, $8B+ in 2022 from stock sales). His companies have received about $38 billion in government contracts, subsidies, tax credits, and incentives as of 2025.  Share this story

German police have launched an intensive manhunt after one of the largest bank heists in Germany’s recent history, in which thieves drilled into the underground vault of a Sparkasse savings bank in Gelsenkirchen and stole cash, gold and jewellery estimated at about €30 million . The carefully planned robbery occurred over the Christmas holiday in the Buer district of Gelsenkirchen, western Germany. Investigators believe the suspects took advantage of the prolonged holiday closure to access the vault unnoticed. Police said the gang drilled through a thick concrete wall to enter the basement vault, where they systematically forced open thousands of customer safe deposit boxes and removed valuables worth tens of millions of euros. Sparkasse confirmed that more than 3,000 boxes were smashed open, representing over 95 percent of the branch’s 3,250 deposit boxes, making the scale of the theft unprecedented for the bank. Police said witnesses saw several men carrying large bags ...

The United States has announced a partial suspension of the issuance of certain visas to Nigerian nationals, effective from January 1, 2026, following a new presidential proclamation on border and national security. In a statement issued on Monday, the US Mission in Nigeria said the restriction will take effect at 12:01 a.m. Eastern Standard Time on January 1, 2026, in line with Presidential Proclamation 10998, titled “Restricting and Limiting the Entry of Foreign Nationals to Protect the Security of the United States.” Nigeria is among 19 countries affected by the measure. Others listed include Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Burundi, Côte d’Ivoire, Cuba, Dominica, Gabon, The Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Senegal, Tanzania, Togo, Tonga, Venezuela, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The US government clarified that the proclamation applies only to foreign nationals who are outside the United States on the effective date and who do not hold a valid US visa as of January 1, 2026. It ad...

Anthony Joshua knocked out Jake Paul in the sixth round of their highly anticipated bout in Miami, ending the contest decisively. The British two-time world heavyweight champion is now expected to pursue a long-awaited showdown with fellow Briton Tyson Fury. Paul exceeded expectations by surviving the early rounds against Joshua in a fight that drew widespread attention and controversy across the boxing world.    ________________________ ________________________ The contest, which reportedly saw both fighters share a staggering $184 million purse, raised concerns because of the vast difference in size, experience and pedigree between Joshua, a former two-time world champion, and Paul, an internet personality turned boxer. At one point, even referee Christopher Young appeared frustrated, admonishing both fighters in the fourth round, telling them: “The fans did not pay to see this.” As the bout wore on and Paul began to get tired, Joshua increased the ...

Elon Musk has set another historic milestone in global wealth rankings, becoming the first individual ever worth $700 billion just four days after crossing the $600 billion mark. The surge followed a ruling by the Delaware Supreme Court on Friday, which overturned a lower court decision that had voided a massive Tesla stock options award to Musk. In contrast, the second richest person in the world, Larry Page is worth an estimated $253 billion about half-trillion dollars less than Musk.   The restored package, now valued at about $139 billion, significantly boosted his net worth. With the successful appeal, Musk’s personal fortune has climbed to an unprecedented $749 billion, according to estimates. Tesla remains Musk’s most valuable asset, with his holdings valued at approximately $336 billion. His second-largest stake, a estimated 42 per cent share in SpaceX iss now worth just $2 billion less than Tesla following a private tender offer this month that valued the ...

A Romanian court has sentenced American rapper Wiz Khalifa to nine months’ imprisonment after he admitted to smoking cannabis on stage during a music festival. The artist, whose real name is Thomaz Cameron Jibril , acknowledged lighting a joint while performing at the Beach, Please! festival in Costinești last year. Romanian authorities said he was found with more than 18 grams of cannabis and also consumed the substance publicly during the show. An appeal court overturned an earlier penalty that had imposed a fine of 3,600 Romanian lei and instead ordered a custodial sentence. Following the incident, Jibril wrote on X that he had not intended to offend the country. Last nights show was amazing. I didn’t mean any disrespect to the country of Romania by lighting up on stage. They were very respectful and let me go. I’ll be back soon. But without a big ass joint next time — Wiz Khalifa (@wizkhalifa) July 14, 2024 However, legal experts say the sentence is unlikely to be e...

American rapper Cardi B was back in the news recently after American Vice-President JD Vance waded into the ongoing rivalry between her & Nicki Minaj saying Nicki Minaj is greater than Cardi B. ________________________ ________________________ In a recent Instagram live she broadcasted from Saudi Arabia, Cardi B can be heard saying she's beginning to dislike America because the Vice President dissed her and also because America makes her pay lots of taxes and her fans should plead with her to return to America. Share this story

United States Vice-President JD Vance is the latest to wade into the conversation between rap rivals Nicki Minaj & Cardi B . I n a post on X, JD Vance wrote ' Nicki>Cardi '. This comes after Nicki Minaj, in a now deleted tweet, posted ' Vance > Rants ' with a chucky meme. W ho would have guessed a day would come when we'd see the United States Vice President drop his 2 cents on one of Hip-Hop's greatest rivalry? Nicki>Cardi https://t.co/LlbijpnwcD — JD Vance (@JDVance) December 11, 2025 Share this story

Paramount has launched a surprise counteroffer for Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), just days after Netflix unveiled plans to acquire the media giant in a deal valued at nearly $83 billion , including debt. The move sets the stage for what could become one of the most significant takeover battles in Hollywood’s history. In a statement on Monday, Paramount said it would take its $30-per-share all-cash offer directly to WBD shareholders. The proposal, which includes WBD’s Global Networks division, values the company at $108 billion, far higher than Netflix’s offer. Paramount also urged WBD’s board to reject Netflix’s bid. “We believe our offer will create a stronger Hollywood,” Paramount chief executive David Ellison said, adding that the proposal serves “the best interests of the creative community, consumers and the movie theatre industry.” The escalating contest has drawn political scrutiny. U.S. President Donald Trump has raised concerns about the potential concentration ...

Netflix, Inc . and Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc . have signed a definitive agreement that will see Netflix acquire Warner Bros., including its film and television studios, as well as HBO and the HBO Max streaming platform. The cash-and-stock deal values Warner Bros. Discovery at $27.75 per share, with an enterprise value estimated at $82.7 billion and an equity value of $72 billion. The acquisition is expected to be completed after WBD’s previously announced spinoff of its Global Networks division, Discovery Global, into a new publicly traded company. That separation is now projected for the third quarter of 2026. The merger will unite Netflix’s global streaming dominance with Warner Bros.’ century-old reputation for premium storytelling. Iconic titles such as The Big Bang Theory, The Sopranos, Game of Thrones, The Wizard of Oz and the DC Universe will join Netflix’s catalogue, which includes hits like Wednesday, Money Heist, Bridgerton, Adolescence and Extraction. The comp...