Author: JT

Quincy Jones, popularly known as the giant of US music is dead. Jones was a musician and producer who worked with Michael Jackson, Frank Sinatra and many others in the American music industry. According to a statement by Jones’ publicist, Arnold Robinson, Jones “passed away peacefully” on Sunday night at his home in Bel Air. “Tonight, with full but broken hearts, we must share the news of our father and brother Quincy Jones’ passing. And although this is an incredible loss for our family, we celebrate the great life that he lived and know there will never be another like…

NigeriaIn a candid interview on Nigeria’s Beat FM to promote her latest single, Forgiveness, Tiwa Savage revealed insights into her life and career, showing a side that fans rarely see. When asked about her most daring act for love, Tiwa didn’t hold back. “If I’m into someone, I’m really into that person,” she confessed. Reflecting on the craziest thing she’s ever done for love, she said, “I’ve pulled up at a guy’s house unannounced. I may not be as savage as people think.” Turning to her career, Tiwa described the fierce drive that’s fueled her rise to fame. “I’m a…

Ghana: Party officials stated that the new candidate will be introduced to the public in the coming days, emphasizing GFP’s commitment to the election and its vision for Ghana despite the loss of their founding leader. At a news conference in the Ashanti Region on Friday, November 1, GFP leaders spoke to members and supporters, expressing unity and determination to uphold Akua Donkor’s legacy. Nsawam-Adoagyiri parliamentary candidate Patrick Tetteh confirmed that the party’s executive council has reached a consensus on both the presidential candidate and a running mate, chosen to uphold GFP’s values and dedication to the Ghanaian people. Tetteh…

The chancellor, Rachel Reeves, delivered her long-awaited first budget on Wednesday. Here is our checklist of things you may want to do with your finances as a result. Use your Isa allowance The chancellor confirmed that the limit on payments into these tax-efficient wrappers will remain at £20,000 a year until 2030. If you want to invest in stocks and shares, it makes good sense to use up that allowance first, as you can keep all of your capital gains. This was the case before the budget, but the increase in the rate of capital gains tax (CGT) on shares makes it…

Low-income renters will struggle to afford housing costs after Rachel Reeves’s decision to freeze the amount of housing benefit they receive in the budget, experts have warned. Liz Kendall, the work and pensions secretary, confirmed on Thursday that local housing allowance (LHA) – the localised rates that determine how much housing benefit claimants are entitled to – will be locked at the current levels until 2026. LHA has failed to keep step with rising rental costs for more than a decade. The Conservative party froze it for seven out of the last 12 years, before increasing rates earlier this year. Cara Pacitti, senior…

There is a consensus among economists that a precondition for higher growth is higher levels of investment, and that one of the most certain ways of lifting investment levels is for the state to provide a lead. Whether European growth in the 1950s, Japan’s astounding national income-doubling plan in the 1960s or the dynamic growth of the Asian tigers in the 1970s and 80s, it has been the same story of higher public investment triggering a step change in economic growth. In the US, vast increases in investment spending on defence have induced growth and the tech revolution, given extra economic…

Botswana’s president, Mokgweetsi Masisi, has conceded defeat in Wednesday’s elections, which his Botswana Democratic party lost by a landslide after nearly six decades in power. With almost all constituencies counted, the opposition coalition Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) had secured a parliamentary majority, with its leader, the lawyer Duma Boko, on track to become the southern African country’s next president. Soaring unemployment has hit young people especially hard, fuelling a backlash at the ballot box against the BDP, which has ruled the country of 2.5 million people since it became independent from Britain in 1966. The election result is also part of…

Silvio Jeremias was on his way home from his job at a petrol station on the night of 25 October, in Mozambique’s capital Maputo, when he and his friends happened upon a group of protesters demonstrating against that day’s election results. The ruling Frelimo party’s presidential candidate Daniel Chapo secured 70.7% of the vote, according to official results, ensuring the party that has ruled Mozambique since independence in 1975 remained in power, but there were widespread allegations of rigging. At the protest, one of many across the country, the police fired live bullets and Jeremias, who had a two-year-old daughter, was shot dead.…

The US presidential election campaign enters its final weekend with polls showing Donald Trump and Kamala Harris in seemingly permanent deadlock and few clues as to which of them will prevail on Tuesday. At the end of another unruly week that began with Trump’s racially charged rally in New York’s Madison Square Garden and was punctuated by celebrity endorsements, misogynistic comments and insults about “garbage” being levelled left and right, the Guardian’s 10-day polling average tracker showed little change from seven days earlier, with voter loyalty to their chosen candidate appearing relatively impervious to campaign events, however seismic. Nationally, Harris, the Democratic nominee, has a one-point…

The 60th US presidential election will decide the 47th president – widely held to be the most powerful job in the world – and 50th vice-president. The candidates and their supporters are describing it as the most important election of their lifetimes with democracy and the American way of life are at stake. Record amounts of money have been raised and spent on campaign ads and ground games. Media coverage in print, on TV, online and on podcasts has never been more intense – or more polarised. All 435 seats in the House of Representatives are up for grabs along with 34 of the 100…