Cynthia Erivo to receive the Derek Malcolm Award for Innovation at the London Critics’ Circle Awards, Adekunle Gold sets a new record for artists ahead of the 2025 concert, AFCON will be held every four years from 2028. Stay informed with our Rave News Summarywhich summarizes five of the hottest global news stories you need to stay informed, saving you time and energy. Consider it your daily news fix.
Here’s a look at five of the hottest news topics…
1. Cynthia Erivo receives Derek Malcolm Award for Innovation at the London Critics’ Circle Awards
Cynthia Erivo receives the Derek Malcolm Award for Innovation at the 46th London Critics’ Circle Film Awards.
She becomes the third recipient of the award, after Colman Domingo and Zoe Saldaña. pic.twitter.com/jEmX0TK2NA
— Film Updates (@FilmUpdates) December 22, 2025
Cynthia Erivo will be honored with the Derek Malcolm Award for Innovation at the 46th London Critics’ Circle Film Awards, taking place in February 2026. Bad star becomes the third recipient of the annual award, named in memory of the renowned film critic Derek Malcolmwho died in July 2023 at the age of 91. Colman Domingo received the opening prize in 2024, followed by Zoe Saldaña in 2025. In a statement, Erivo said yes “very honored” to be recognized by the London Film Critics’ Circle, noting that portraying Elphaba on screen, a character she described as “the epitome of a pioneer,” has been one of the great privileges of her career.
The awards ceremony will take place on Sunday, February 1, 2026 Paul Thomas Andersons One battle after another leading nominations with nine nods, closely followed by Chloe Zhao’s Hamnet with eight. Ryan Cooglers Sinners earned seven nominations, while by Josh Safdie Marty Supreme secured six, and I’m sorry, honey landed five. Announcing Erivo’s honour, Chairman of the London Film Critics’ Circle Jane Crowther praised the actor’s groundbreaking career and said the organization was too “pleased to present Cynthia with this honor in recognition of her innovative work telling stories that enlighten, inspire and challenge audiences,” and adds Erivo “Defy expectations in music, film and stage.”
2. Adekunle Gold sets a new record for artists ahead of the 2025 concert
Adekunle Gold has officially sold out the 3,500-seat New National Theater (Wole Soyinka Centre)
He will be the first artist to perform there🦈 pic.twitter.com/3nsI85Ei0M— Afrobeats Head (@AfrobeatsHead) December 20, 2025
Adekunle Gold has set a new benchmark for Nigerian artistes ahead of his highly anticipated headline concert scheduled for December 26 at the National Theater in Lagos. The multi-award winning singer disclosed that he is the first and only Nigerian artiste to sell out and headline a concert at the grand bowl hall of the Wole Soyinka Center for Culture and Creative Arts, formerly known as the National Theatre. Adekunle Gold shared the milestone on social media, describing the achievement as a milestone, with the upcoming show already being hailed as one of the most distinctive live performances of his career.
The Boxing Day concert is expected to be notable for its scale and artistic ambition as Adekunle Gold will perform with a full orchestra, a rare feat in Nigerian pop music. The show will reimagine songs from across his discography through orchestral arrangements that blend strings, brass, woodwinds and percussion with influences from Afropop, highlife, soul and Fuji. Combining African music traditions with large-scale classical production, the performance underlines Adekunle Gold’s reputation for innovation and positions the event as a culturally significant alternative to the typical Detty December concert format in Lagos.
3. A paraplegic engineer becomes the first wheelchair user to rocket into space
German engineer Michaela Benthaus has become the first paraplegic to travel to space, leaving her wheelchair behind for a suborbital journey in Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin rocket.
🚀: https://t.co/rtneG2xpMX pic.twitter.com/9GLGAjutC5
— DW News (@dwnews) December 20, 2025
A paralyzed engineer from Germany has made history by becoming the first wheelchair user to travel to space, departing Saturday aboard a Blue Origin rocket from West Texas. Michaela BenthausThe 33-year-old, who was seriously injured in a mountain bike accident seven years ago, joined five other passengers on the short sub-orbital flight operated by Jeff Bezos’ aerospace company. The capsule floated more than 60 miles above Earth, allowing Benthaus to experience weightlessness after leaving her wheelchair behind upon takeoff. “It was the coolest experience,” she said after landing, adding that she laughed all the way up and even tried to turn upside down in space.
Blue Origin stated that only minor adjustments were needed to accommodate Benthaus, including a transfer board to ease her movement between the capsule hatch and her seat, underscoring the spacecraft’s accessibility-oriented design. She was accompanied by Hans Koenigsmanna retired SpaceX executive who helped organize and sponsor her trip and was designated as her emergency backup. Benthaus, a member of the European Space Agency’s graduate trainee program, said she hopes this milestone opens doors for greater inclusion, both in space and on Earth. “You should never give up on your dreams” she said, urging greater accessibility for people with disabilities as commercial space travel continues to expand.
4. Tyra Banks faces a $2.8 million lawsuit over a lease dispute over a hot ice cream store in D.C.
Tyra Banks faces $2.8 million lawsuit over failed DC location for her ‘hot ice cream’ store
https://t.co/fDFkhzFNJ8— Philip Lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) December 21, 2025
Tyra Banks is facing a $2.8 million lawsuit stemming from a dispute over a planned flagship location for its Smize & Dream “hot ice cream” store in Washington, DC. The lawsuit was filed by the entrepreneur and landlord Christopher Powellalleging breach of contract and related claims against Banken, her company School of Smize LLC and business partner Louis Martijn. According to the complaint, at a March 2024 meeting, Banks expressed interest in opening a nonprofit-backed Smize & Dream location in the District, envisioning the D.C. location as the flagship for a global concept that combines dessert retailing with youth education initiatives.
Powell claims a 10-year commercial lease for a property in the Eastern Market area was signed in April 2024, but claims Banks and her team abruptly left the project two months later and failed to pay rent. However, Banks and Martin claim they pulled out after being denied access to the entire space they thought they had rented, saying they gave advance notice, giving Powell time to find another tenant. They have now submitted a request to dismiss the case. Powell is seeking $2.8 million in damages, along with fees and interest. Meanwhile, the legal dispute is unfolding amid Banks’ continued expansion of the Smize & Dream brand, which currently operates a flagship store in Sydney, Australia.
5. AFCON will be held every four years from 2028
AFCON will be held every four years from 2028.
This move aims to alleviate an already overloaded calendar and increase the prestige of AFCON by aligning it with global tournament cycles.
MORE: https://t.co/poscwKwAP3 pic.twitter.com/X38XABLYJR
— VERSUS (@vsrsus) December 22, 2025
The Africa Cup of Nations will be held every four years from 2028, ending more than five decades of the tournament’s traditional two-year cycle, says president of the Confederation of African Football Patrice Motsepe announced. AFCON has been organized biannually since 1968, apart from a one-year gap between the 2012 and 2013 editions, but Motsepe said the shift is aimed at better aligning African football with the global calendar. The change will take effect after the 2027 tournament in East Africa and a follow-up edition in 2028, after which AFCON will take place in the same years as the European Championship.
The announcement was made after a meeting of the CAF executive committee in Morocco ahead of the 2025 finals and comes amid long-standing concerns about on-field crowds and clashes with the European club season. Motsepe said the decision was made in consultation with the FIFA president Gianni Infantino and Secretary General of FIFA Mattias Grafstromwho describes the move as a necessary compromise. To maintain regular, high-level international competition, CAF will introduce an African Nations League from 2029, to be held annually, while also increasing the AFCON prize money for champions from $7 million to $10 million as part of wider reforms to grow the game across the continent.
Featured image: Don Arnold/WireImage
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