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Tinubu, Dangote, Osimhen Make Most Influential Africans List

Published

4 months ago

January 4, 2024

Editor

President Bola Tinubu, businessman and Chairman of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, Nigerian footballer and Napoli striker, Victor Osimhen, and Grammy award-winning singer, Damini Ogulu, popularly known as Burna Boy, were among Nigerians who made the list of the most influential Africans.

This is according to a publication by New African magazine released Tuesday, being its listing of the 100 Most Influential Africans of 2023.

The list celebrates the achievements and contributions of Africans from various fields and sectors, who have made a positive impact on the continent and the world.

“The list features a diverse and inspiring group of men and women, who have demonstrated excellence, innovation, leadership, resilience, and vision in their respective domains. They include politicians, entrepreneurs, industrialists, environmentalists, creatives, scientists, educators, sports personalities, and more.

“The list also reflects the shifting trends and priorities in Africa, as the continent faces new challenges and opportunities in the post-pandemic era,” a statement by the publishers said, adding that “creatives dominate the ranking with 31 representatives.”

The magazine also said Nigeria was the country most represented on the list, highlighting the country’s dominance in the creative sector and business.

In the politics and public service section, Kenyan President William Ruto, the Director-General of the World Trade Organisation, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, President of the African Development Bank, Akinwunmi Adesina, among others were named alongside Tinubu.

In the sports category, Osimhen and the President of the Confederation of African Football, Patrice Motsepe, were named alongside others.

In the creative industry, Nigeria’s Burna Boy and Temilade Openiyi, aka Tems, were named while Dangote made the list of influential persons in the business category.

Tinubu was on May 29, 2023, sworn in as Nigeria’s President after defeating his major rivals, who were Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party and Peter Obi of the Labour Party.

Burna Boy won the Best Global Music Album category after beating four other nominees at the 63rd Grammys in 2021.

The head of Kenya’s election body in August 2022 declared Ruto the winner of the country’s closely-fought presidential poll.

Osimhen, who was crowned 2023 African Player of The Year, was also voted the Sportsman of The Year by fans and readers of PUNCH Sports Extra in late December 2023.

The Napoli superstar was given the nod ahead of Barcelona Femeni striker, Asisat Oshoala, women’s 100m hurdles world record holder, Tobi Amusan, and four-time winner of the Bundesliga Rookie of The Month award, Victor Boniface.

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Google To Offer AI-generated Answers In Search Results

Published

39 mins ago

May 14, 2024

Editor

Google has announced it would introduce AI-generated answers to online queries made by users in the United States, in one of the biggest updates to its search engine in 25 years.

“I’m excited to announce that we will begin launching this fully revamped experience, ‘AI overviews,’ to everyone in the US this week,” Google chief executive Sundar Pichai said at an event in California on Tuesday, May 14.

Google’s search results will feature an AI summary at the top of the page before the more typical unfurling of links.

The AI answers generated by Google’s Gemini technology will offer succinct summaries of what it found on the internet with links to the online sources that supplied the information.

“You can ask whatever’s on your mind or whatever you need to get done – from researching to planning to brainstorming – and Google will take care of the legwork,” said Google Search team boss Liz Reid.

The change comes as Google feels growing pressure from AI-powered search engines like Perplexity, and from the rumors that OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, is building its own AI search tool.

Searches through AI chats have also appeared on Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, with users able to get information from the web without Google.

The change will soon spread to other countries, Pichai added, making it accessible to more than a billion people.

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College Volleyball Player Killed In US Nightclub Shooting

Published

47 mins ago

May 14, 2024

Editor

Albany State University volleyball player Mariam Creighton has been tragically killed in a nightclub shooting in Atlanta.

Atlanta Police Department said on Tuesday, May 14, that the incident happened around 2:28 AM on Sunday, May 14, when officers responded to shots fired at the Elleven45 establishment.

Six people were shot, two of whom were pronounced dead at the scene, Creighton and 20-year-old Nakyris Ridley.

The police department said in a statement;

“Preliminary investigation indicates the shooting occurred during a physical dispute at the location that escalated to gunfire.”

Creighton was a member of the ASU Golden Rams volleyball team, and was one semester from graduating from the HBCU with a biology degree.

Her family said she was at the club on Sunday celebrating her niece’s birthday. “It’s just senseless,” Creighton’s sister, Tiffany, said. “My sister was just out having a good time, and now our lives are just altered forever.”

Headline

Nigerian Burnt To Death In Bangkok Car Crash

Published

1 hour ago

May 14, 2024

Editor

A 35-year-old Nigerian man identified as Daniel was burnt to death in a car accident in Bangkok, Thailand.

Bangkok’s Prawet Police Station, confirmed the identity of the Nigerian national in a statement on Tuesday, May 14, 2024,

Daniel, whose Thai wife came to confirm his identity with the police, died on Saturday, May 11, when his car crashed into a road median and caught fire.

This serious road accident occurred at 5:30 a.m. on a three-lane road near Soi Phatthanakan 53/1, Suan Luang Subdistrict and District, Bangkok.

When officials received the report and arrived at the scene, they found a gray Toyota Vios with Samut Prakan province license plates overturned and engulfed in flames, blocking the middle of the road.

The officers spent about 10 minutes spraying water to extinguish the fire, but the car was completely damaged by the flames.

At that time, rescuers had to use cutting and prying equipment to remove the driver’s body from the wreckage and send it to the Police Hospital for an autopsy. They found a document with a front-facing photo of a foreign man.

Eyewitnesses stated that they saw the car driving at high speed in the far right lane before losing control and crashing into the road median.

The car spun and hit a palm tree with such force that it flipped over and ended up on its roof in the middle of the road.

At that moment, good Samaritans tried to pry open the door to help the unconscious driver, but before they could pull him out, sparks ignited, and the car quickly caught fire.