Lionel Messi scored his 900th career goal on Wednesday to become the second player to reach the mark in elite men’s football after Cristiano Ronaldo. The 38-year-old Argentine World Cup winner brought up the milestone with a left-footed strike in Inter Miami’s 1-1 draw with Nashville SC in the CONCACAF Champions Cup. The 900th goal came 21 years after Messi scored his first in senior football for Barcelona as a 17-year-old in 2005. Inter manager Javier Mascherano said Messi’s tally was “insane”. “I’ve been lucky enough to see most, or many of the goals he’s scored, much closer than you…
Author: Newsdesk
Vodacom Lesotho has announced a major investment of over $40 million (approximately M700 million) aimed at upgrading its network infrastructure and expanding digital connectivity across the country. The initiative is designed to enhance service quality, improve network performance, and extend coverage to underserved and previously unconnected areas, reinforcing the company’s commitment to supporting digital inclusion. Speaking on the development, Vodacom Lesotho CEO, Mohale Ralebitso, revealed that the company is also integrating artificial intelligence across its operations. The use of AI will span network management, customer engagement, and internal processes, enabling the company to operate more efficiently and make smarter, data-driven decisions.…
Showmax Originals are set to transition to a new home on DStv Stream, as part of a strategic move by MultiChoice to consolidate its streaming offerings. The shift will see Showmax Originals and selected titles integrated into a dedicated Showmax section within the DStv Stream app, ensuring continued access to popular African content ahead of the planned closure of Showmax on 30 April 2026. The integration brings together on-demand entertainment and live television, including sports, into a single streaming destination. Subscribers on DStv Compact and DStv Premium packages—both satellite and streaming-only customers—will be able to access Showmax Originals directly through DStv Stream, with additional movies…
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Kano Strategic Command, has seized 510 blocks of cannabis sativa and arrested a suspect in a major operation ahead of Eid-el-Fitr celebration. The State Commander, Mr Dahiru Yahaya-Lawal, disclosed this in a statement issued by the command’s Public Relations Officer, Sadiq Muhammad-Maigatari, on Thursday in Kano. He said the suspect, Sani Musa, 34, from Bebeji Local Government Area, was arrested on March 10, following an intelligence-led operation by NDLEA operatives. Yahaya-Lawal said that during the operation, officers recovered 510 compressed blocks of cannabis sativa from the suspect. He added that the suspect confessed…
The United States has relaxed sanctions on Venezuela’s state-owned oil company, Petróleos de Venezuela. The development was communicated by the US Treasury Department in a post on X, as gathered by Ashenews. The move comes amid the global oil shortage caused by the ongoing Middle East conflicts as the US-Israeli war against Iran rages on. The war has led to the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical oil shipping route. A general licence issued on Wednesday by the US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) now allows the company to sell oil directly to US companies and on the…
Mozambique has set its sights on a future where it no longer depends on costly rice imports, and it is looking to Thailand to help make that vision a reality. The ambition was laid out clearly at a meeting in Maputo between a Thai business delegation and local leaders, where agricultural cooperation took centre stage and the conversation quickly turned to what it would take to unlock Mozambique’s considerable but largely untapped farming potential. The Confederation of Economic Associations of Mozambique made the case with conviction. The country sits on roughly 36 million hectares of arable land, enjoys plentiful water…
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has handed over nearly ₦4 billion in recovered funds to the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL). The sum of ₦3,936,145,822 was presented on Wednesday, March 18, 2026, at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja. The presentation was made on behalf of the EFCC chairman, Ola Olukoyede, by the Secretary to the Commission, Mohammed Hammajoda, during a brief ceremony attended by officials of both organisations. Speaking at the event, Hammajoda said the recovery followed detailed investigations into fraudulent activities involving some actors within the national oil company. He added that the commission remained committed to…
Avio Smart Market Stack Limited (ASMS), formerly known as Bartronics India Limited, has entered into a strategic partnership with Kissan Agri Mall Private Limited to accelerate the deployment of a technology-driven agri-retail and supply chain ecosystem under Project AVIO Agritech. The partnership brings together ASMS’s deep rural distribution network, digital infrastructure, and financial inclusion capabilities with Kissan Agri Mall’s strong on-ground presence in agri-input retail and farmer engagement. Together, the companies aim to build a scalable “phygital” platform integrating agri-input distribution, advisory services, output market linkages, and post-harvest infrastructure. ASMS has established a significant presence across 5000 villages in India through its financial inclusion network, and, under Project AVIO…
The Minister of Works, David Umahi, has ordered a comprehensive anti-corruption review of federal road projects, reinforcing transparency and accountability in infrastructure delivery. Umahi disclosed this on Wednesday in Abuja while receiving the ‘Personality of the Year’ award from Al-Jazeera Newspaper Nigeria. He said the ministry invited Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) and Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to independently investigate road projects nationwide. “We wrote to ICPC to investigate all our projects, not on paper, but physically verify what the President is delivering. “We also wrote to EFCC. ICPC has concluded. We gave them space to check procurement processes. They…
Global child survival has improved over two decades, marking a major public health success, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), which released new global estimates on child mortality trends this week in a report. Speaking at an online briefing on Thursday, Tedros Ghebreyesus, Director-General of WHO, said more than 10 million children died before the age of five in 2000, dropping to 4.9 million in 2024, according to new estimates. He attributed the progress to investments in vaccines, skilled birth care, nutrition treatment, and stronger primary healthcare systems, noting that millions of children survived because governments and partners scaled…