News on the Go: 5 things that should matter to you today

• Frustrated GoTV subscribers demand refund after channel shutdown
• Microsoft  report reveals 600m daily cyber attacks globally
• FCCPC boss blames food inflation on hoarders

We have highlighted the five most important developments in the news today, Thursday, 24, and present them below.

5 issues in the news that should matter to you today

1. Frustrated GoTV subscribers demand refund after channel shutdown: Subscribers, particularly football-loving Nigerians using GoTV, a prepaid satellite cable service, were frustrated on October 22 when multiple channels suddenly disappeared.

The subscribers' outage led many customers to demand compensation from Multichoice, GoTV’s parent company, during separate interviews on October 23.

2. FEC approves $618m loan for fighter jets, ammunition: The Federal Executive Council has approved a loan of about $618 million from a group of financiers to procure six fighter aircraft and ammunition for the Nigerian Air Force.

This was disclosed by the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, in Abuja on October 23, following the conclusion of the FEC meeting presided over by President Bola Tinubu, reports Voice of Nigeria.

3. Lagos sinking due to climate change, deputy gov warns: Lagos State Deputy Governor, Dr Obafemi Hamzat, has warned of the dangers climate change poses to the state, urging immediate action to avert potential natural disasters.

Addressing attendees at a strategic stakeholders’ management meeting with Ministries, Departments, and Agencies organised by the Ministry of Justice on October 23, Hamzat pointed to global examples, such as the United Kingdom and New York City in the United States, where residents are already relocating due to the impacts of climate change.

4. Microsoft report reveals 600m daily cyber attacks globally: The Microsoft 2024 Digital Defense Report has shown an alarming rise in cyber attacks, with incidents targeting customers globally doubling to 600 million per day.

The Commercial Solution Area Director, Microsoft, South Africa, Mr Colin Baumgart, made this known on October 23 during his virtual Microsoft Africa AI Journalist Academy presentation.

5. FCCPC boss blames food inflation on hoarders: The Federal Competition and Consumers Protection Commission (FCCPC) said that ‘Unscrupulous actors’ are the major contributors to food inflation in the country. Other causes, according to the commission, are price fixing by rotten eggs and entrance levies imposed by market associations. 

FCCPC Executive Vice Chairman/Chief Executive Officer Tunji Bello said that with time, the government would check all the ‘bad eggs’ engaged in hoarding, artificial market creation, price fixing, and gouging.