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Selena Gomez has revealed that she “can’t carry” children due to medical reasons.

The 32-year-old singer shared with Vanity Fair on Monday that she had to grieve the loss of her ability to become a mother naturally. “I haven’t ever said this,” she explained, “but I, unfortunately, can’t carry my own children.”

She went on to explain, “I have a lot of medical issues that would put my life and the baby’s in jeopardy. That was something I had to grieve for a while.” Although her path to motherhood will look different, the actress is determined to become a mother one day.

“It’s not necessarily the way I envisioned it. I thought it would happen the way it happens for everyone,” she said. “I’m in a much better place with that now. I find it a blessing that there are wonderful people willing to do surrogacy or adoption, which are both huge possibilities for me.”

She expressed gratitude for alternative paths to motherhood, saying, “It made me really thankful for the other outlets for people who are longing to be moms. I’m one of those people. I’m excited for what that journey will look like, but it’ll look a little different.”

Through surrogacy or adoption, Selena insists the child will be hers, saying, “At the end of the day, I don’t care. It’ll be mine. It’ll be my baby.”

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When the Federal Reserve meets next week, market participants will closely watch how members vote on interest rates to inform how policy may move in the months ahead — and they'll take special note if the vote isn't unanimous.

The fed funds rate has been at a more than two-decade high for more than a year, an effort to tame inflation that was spurred by the pandemic's initial shocks. Recent reports have shown price pressures moving closer to the Fed's 2% annual goal, causing several Fed officials to signal that it's time to cut rates.

Fed Chair Jerome Powell will likely try to get everyone on board for at least a quarter-point rate cut when the central bank meets later this month. However, Powell and others may press for an even larger cut because of recent weakness in the labor market. 

“Fed Chair Powell does not need a unanimous consensus to commence rate cuts at the upcoming September meeting," said Kathy Bostjancic, senior vice president and chief economist at Nationwide, in an email. "But he likely prefers to have it, especially for the first rate cut."

The FOMC has 12 voting members, including the seven governors and five of the 12 regional bank presidents, who vote on a rotating basis. Votes at Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meetings are often unanimous, even when there is disagreement over the course of action.

The last dissenting vote at the FOMC came in 2022, when then-Kansas City Fed President Esther George voted against a three-quarter point interest rate increase, arguing instead for a smaller hike of 50 basis points.

Minutes from the most recent Fed meeting, in July, showed several members discussed cutting interest rates, but none dissented during the vote to keep current rates intact.

“Practically speaking, the committee members engage closely between meetings to work toward a consensus, but there are no guarantees,” said Jeffrey Roach, LPL Financial's chief economist.

Getting all members of the Federal Reserve on the same page can help send a message to markets that Fed officials are in agreement about its actions. A divided vote could raise questions about whether the central bank believes it is taking the right action and what is motivating Fed officials.

“Consensus has been a way to keep the Fed from getting politicized,” Betsey Stevenson, a former Labor Department economist, wrote on X. “They can see what's happening on the Supreme Court, and if I was on the FOMC, I think I would prioritize the fight for consensus.”

While unanimity isn’t needed to proceed, it could boost market participants' confidence in the Fed's ability to keep a recession at bay. This could be relevant if Powell wants to push for an even larger half-percentage point rate cut at the September meeting.

“It would be difficult,” said Dan North, senior economist with Allianz Trade Americas, on whether Powell could rally consensus behind a larger interest rate cut. “It would be with a lot of dissent, and that would look bad."

Powell may be willing to take that risk, wrote Diane Swonk, chief economist at KPMG.

“Powell is worried more about the labor market than his peers. He wants to nail a soft landing. The question is how hard he pushes for a half percent cut and how many dissents he is willing to take to get it,” Swonk wrote on X.

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The Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), has declared that those found guilty of corruption should not enjoy state pardon.

He also advised law enforcement agencies against conducting shoddy investigations, urging them to ensure they have their facts straight before summoning anyone for questioning.

According to a statement made available to newsmen by his media aide, Kamarudeen Ogundele, the AGF spoke at a roundtable organized by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) for state Attorneys General in Abuja on Monday. The AGF stated, “I will suggest in our next constitution review exercise that we exclude those found guilty of corruption from benefiting from the powers of ‘Prerogative of Mercy’ to serve as a deterrent to others.”

Fagbemi emphasized that the cooperation of all stakeholders, especially the Attorneys General, is crucial in the fight against corruption. He advised them to avoid nepotism, political witch-hunting, rivalry, and bigotry in their efforts to combat corruption, particularly to please their governors.

He also stated that there should be no justification for rationalizing corruption or crimes, adding that their legal opinions on cases must be based on facts as practiced in advanced countries. The AGF remarked, “We should not give in to public sentiment. In Nigeria, we are polarised along political lines.”

Fagbemi then advised participants and anti-graft agencies to conduct thorough investigations of cases before arresting suspects to avoid media trials. “Let us be thorough and take our time before inviting someone for questioning. Don’t do a shoddy job,” he said, and cautioned against filing excessive charges against defendants just to generate public frenzy. “Nobody wants a 50-count charge. Make it five or six and be sure. Make sure you get him (the suspect) in,” the Minister concluded.

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News about Apple’s (AAPL) latest iPhones was the meat and potatoes of the tech giant’s Monday event, but the company also shared a raft of other updates to products, including its AirPods and Apple Watch. 

Some of the company’s non-iPhone announcements included:

The announcements came after a number of August updates from the company—including the news that it would get a new CFO, with Kevan Parekh replacing Luca Maestri. Apple also is just a few weeks away from reporting its latest quarterly results.

Apple shares were little changed in Monday afternoon trading after the event, still leaving them up close to 15% for the year so far.

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A man has stated that being a good person has no benefits.

He said this when asked about what is the harshest truth he has learnt? And he said Unfortunately there are no benefits to being a good person.

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The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) recently launched the Device Management System (NCC-DMS), which is a thorough Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR) designed to oversee and control mobile devices that connect to the country’s communication networks.

The new ‘Type Approval Business Rule 2024’ stipulates that all Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) in the country are required to connect to the system as mandated by the Commission. It stated that the initiative is designed to ensure stricter control over mobile devices, enhance security, and promote compliance with established regulatory standards.

The Commission added that the NCC-DMS will act as a central database for tracking devices across all Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) in Nigeria. By registering and monitoring device access, the NCC said it seeks to curb the use of unapproved devices and prevent issues such as phone theft and fraudulent activities involving mobile devices.

According to the Commission, all mobile network operators are required to connect to the NCC-DMS and mirror network-related policies configured by the NCC. This, it said ensures that network operators adhere to the same standards and policies, fostering a uniform approach to device regulation. “NCC-DMS shall acquire the International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) of all devices latching to the communication network and synchronise with International databases of IMEI repositories.

NCC-DMS shall maintain a registry of all communication devices available in the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” the Commission stated in the Business Rule.

It added that individuals would be able to register their mobile devices, but the number of devices allowed for registration will be limited and determined by the Commission. Additionally, device suppliers will be responsible for registering type-approved devices on the NCC-DMS.

All MNOs are also required to synchronise their Equipment Identity Registers (EIRs) with the NCC-DMS, ensuring that mobile devices accessing their networks are compliant with NCC regulations. Device registration on the NCC-DMS will require payment of fees, distinct from type approval fees.

This fee structure will be applied to every device registered, making it a necessary step for suppliers and individuals alike.

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