Author: Opalim Lifted

A major shipment of KitKat chocolate bars has been stolen while in transit across Europe, raising fresh concerns about supply chain security. KitKat, owned by Nestlé, confirmed that 12 tonnes of its products were taken during transportation from its factory in central Italy to Poland. The company disclosed the incident in a statement on X on Monday, noting that the goods were intercepted before reaching their destination. While details remain unclear, Nestlé said it is working closely with law enforcement agencies and logistics partners to investigate the theft and recover the missing products. Despite the scale of the incident, the…

A 50-year-old grandmother from Tennessee spent more than five months behind bars after an AI facial recognition system wrongly linked her to bank fraud cases over 1,000 miles away in North Dakota. Angela Lipps was arrested on July 14 after authorities in Fargo issued a warrant accusing her of multiple fraud-related offences. At the time, she says she had never even visited the state. The case centres on the use of facial recognition technology by the West Fargo Police Department, which relied on software from Clearview AI. The system flagged Lipps as a “potential suspect” based on similarities with an…

Pope Leo XIV has condemned the widening gap between the rich and the poor during a high-profile visit to Monaco, describing inequality as a threat to justice and global peace. The pontiff made the remarks on Saturday during his first trip to Western Europe, choosing the wealthy Mediterranean principality as a symbolic backdrop for his message on economic imbalance. Arriving by helicopter from Rome, Pope Leo was welcomed by Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene at Monte Carlo’s heliport under clear skies. Speaking in French from the balcony of the Prince’s Palace, he criticised what he called “structures of sin”…

VAT does not know who drinks what. Every time news breaks of Hisbah, Kano State’s moral police, smashing bottles of beer, millions of people mostly in the South erupt in rage. Band A rage, that is. Most of the anger, I believe, is expressed by people who identify as Christians and who see the Muslim North as bad news. The comment sections, especially on Facebook, burn hottest. The question that comes up again and again is: why should states that ban the consumption of alcohol receive VAT from alcohol? I used to think this was a clever gotcha, but I…

More than $1.2 billion in unclaimed tax refunds from the 2022 tax year remains uncollected, with over 1.3 million taxpayers yet to file, according to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The agency said individuals who did not submit a 2022 tax return may still be eligible to claim refunds but must act before the April 15, 2026, deadline. Taxpayers typically have a three-year window to claim refunds, after which the funds become the property of the US Treasury. Failing to file a return does not only mean losing withheld income; it may also prevent taxpayers from accessing refundable tax credits,…

President Bola Tinubu has announced plans to donate all his salaries since assuming office to a special fund aimed at supporting Nigeria’s armed forces and their families. In a personally signed statement on Sunday, the president said the initiative forms part of activities marking his 74th birthday, while also recognising the sacrifices of military personnel across the country. “On this my 74th birthday, I celebrate the valiant men and women of our Armed Forces,” Tinubu stated. He revealed that he has directed the Accountant-General of the Federation to establish a dedicated account to manage the fund, which will cater to…

At least 28 civilians have been killed in fresh drone strikes in Sudan, as the country’s brutal conflict continues to claim lives despite repeated international warnings. The latest attacks struck two locations hundreds of kilometres apart, a crowded market in Darfur and a major road in Kordofan highlighting the widening danger posed by drone warfare in civilian areas. Health workers, speaking via satellite communication due to an ongoing blackout, confirmed the deaths on Thursday. In North Darfur’s Saraf Omra, a drone strike hit a busy market, killing 22 people, including an infant, and leaving 17 others injured. Eyewitness Hamid Suleiman…

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, is expected to resign from his position as he prepares to contest the Bauchi State governorship in the 2027 elections, according to sources familiar with the development. The anticipated move follows a directive issued by President Bola Tinubu, requiring all political appointees seeking elective office in 2027 to step down on or before March 31, 2026. The directive was confirmed in a statement by Dewan Goshit, head of information and public relations at the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF). Tuggar’s expected exit comes shortly after the 2026 national…

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has directed mobile network operators (MNOs) to compensate subscribers for poor quality of service (QoS) in areas where performance falls below regulatory standards. In a statement issued on Sunday, Nnenna Ukoha, Head of Public Affairs at the NCC, said the directive is aimed at ensuring that consumers do not bear the full burden of service disruptions caused by operators’ failure to meet prescribed benchmarks. “The commission’s position is that subscribers should not be made to bear the full burden of service disruptions where operators fail to meet prescribed standards of service delivery,” she said. The…

Pope Leo XIV has warned that God does not accept the prayers of leaders who initiate wars, declaring that those responsible for violence approach God with “hands full of blood” as the Iran conflict enters its second month. Speaking to tens of thousands of worshippers at St Peter’s Square during Palm Sunday, the pontiff delivered a strong message against the use of religion to justify armed conflict. “This is our God: Jesus, King of Peace, who rejects war, whom no one can use to justify war,” he said under bright sunshine at the Vatican. The pope reinforced his remarks by…