Makeup-free Adele spotted on the shopping hunt in Target despite being a multimillionaire

Rolling in the deals: Proving she is still just a girl from Tottenham, Adele was seen going on a very moderately-priced shopping spree in Los Angeles, California, on Thursday

She is one of the world's most successful singers but that does not mean this star is about to splash cash about willy-nilly.

Proving that despite being worth an estimated $75 million she is still just a girl from Tottenham, Adele was seen going on a very moderately-priced shopping spree in Los Angeles, California, on Thursday.

The 27-year-old no doubt has brand everywhere desperate to give her the latest and greatest luxury products but instead she preferred a trip to her local Target and CVS pharmacy.

The Hello hitmaker was seen taking her time perusing the racks of West Hollywood's Target checking out some beauty products.

The star was also on the hunt for something fun for her three-year-old son Angelo and was seen picking up and Incredible Hulk colouring book.

As any person who has stepped into Target knows, while you may go in for one thing it can be quite a shopping vortex.

Despite her fame, Adele was not surrounded in helpers and pushed her own trolley up and down the aisles for some time.

While an eagle eye photographer obviously spotted the star, most of Adele's fellow shoppers were oblivious to the mega star they had in their midst.

The famous red head left the usual fancy clothing of celebs at home in favour of something a little more down to earth.

Perhaps wanting just to be comfy and cosy after her glamorous Grammys appearance on Monday, the English star headed out in a pair of loose fit black harem pants and a baggy black T-shirt.

The star left her porcelain skin free of makeup and her red locks fell unstyled to her collar with the front pushed out of her face by a pair of sunglasses.

Somehow not finding everything she needed, the songstress then headed to the nearby CVS where this time she was escorted around by her big burly bodyguard.

This week has been a big one for the singer, having performed at the Grammys and also appearing on Ellen.

The 27-year-old's performance at the awards was not what many have come to expect from the talented Brit.

First a sound glitch meant many could not hear the star as she sang All I Ask and the bits fans could hear, were a bit 

lacklustre.

Adele confessed to Ellen DeGeneres that she was devastated over what happened. 

'I cried pretty much all day yesterday,' the 27-year-old singer told Ellen on Wednesday.

'I don't feel like it could go that much worse than the Grammys though. So I feel like I'm alright now. Anything that happens, dust it off!' 

She immediately knew something was wrong, noting: 'I heard it straight away. And I wanted to turn, I knew what it was because in rehearsal on Saturday they were like we’re going to double mic the piano just in case one doesn’t work. 

'And I knew where the mic was and I wanted to turn around and lift it up, but I froze.'

The Hello singer said she felt 'so embarrassed' afterwards, but will be ready next time a mishap occurs during a live performance.

'Next time I have any sound issues I am gonna stop. I'll be like, sorry that's not working for me. If we have time to do it again, let’s do it. Otherwise, bye!'

Photo as Buhari leaves for Egypt

President Muhammadu Buhari has on Friday, travelled out of Nigeria on a trip to Sharm El-Sheikh, in Egypt.

The President will be in the North African country to participate in the Business for Africa, Egypt and the World Forum.

The forum, which is organized by the Egyptian government under the auspices of the African Union Commission, opens in the Egyptian resort town on Saturday, February 18, 2016.

See below, photos of Buhari’s departure from Abuja.

‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ author Harper Lee dies at 89

Harper Lee

Harper Lee, one of America’s most celebrated novelists whose masterpiece “To Kill a Mockingbird” was read by millions worldwide, has died, her publisher and officials confirmed Friday. She was 89.

A spokeswoman for Monroeville, Alabama, where Lee was born and spent her final years living in seclusion, confirmed local media reports of her death, saying: “She did pass away.”

“To Kill a Mockingbird” is considered one of the great classics of 20th century American literature, and is standard reading in classrooms across the world.

Published in 1960 and drawn from Lee’s own experiences as a child, it came to define racial injustice in the Depression-era South.

It tells the story of a black man wrongly accused of raping a white woman and the courageous lawyer, Atticus Finch, who defies his community to defend him.

Drawn from Lee‘s experiences as a child, the novel sold 30 million copies and won huge critical acclaim for Lee, thrusting her into the limelight amid an avalanche of publicity.

Her fame was sealed when the novel was adapted into a Hollywood film that won three Academy Awards in 1963, including an Oscar for leading man Gregory Peck.

“The world knows Harper Lee was a brilliant writer but what many don’t know is that she was an extraordinary woman of great joyfulness, humility and kindness,” said Harper Collins president Michael Morrison.

“She lived her life the way she wanted to — in private — surrounded by books and the people who loved her,” he added.

In one rare insight, Lee admitted in 1964 she had been completely caught off guard by being catapulted into the nation’s consciousness by her novel.

“I hoped for a little, but I got rather a whole lot and in some ways this was just about as frightening as the quick, merciful death I’d expected,” she said.

For decades she stayed out of the public eye, claiming to have said all she wanted in “Mockingbird” and vowing never to publish another book.

But in 2015, she upended the literary world by publishing the unedited manuscript of “Go Set a Watchman” — her first novel written in the 1950s which was essentially a first draft of “Mockingbird.”

The manuscript was an instant popular bestseller but it was mauled by critics, and its release sparked torrid speculation that the author, who suffered a stroke in 2007, was not of sound mind.

Lee’s London-based agent Andrew Nurnberg said Friday it had been “an utter delight” and an “extraordinary privilege” to know her.

“When I saw her just six weeks ago, she was full of life, her mind and mischievous wit as sharp as ever,” he said. “We have lost a great writer, a great friend and a beacon of integrity.”

Born Nelle Harper Lee in April 1926, she was the youngest of four children. Her father was a lawyer and a direct descendant of Civil War general Robert E. Lee.

Lee grew up during the Great Depression in a remote village where the few available books provided the only entertainment. She never married, and books remained forever her first love.

Known as a tomboy as a child, she counted author Truman Capote among her childhood friends — and often stood up for him when he was picked on as a sissy. She would later work as an assistant on Capote’s novel “In Cold Blood,” which examined a multiple killing in Kansas, and was dedicated to Lee.

A precocious child, Lee learned to read early and had devoured all kinds of literature by the time she started school. 

She also an early flair for writing even though her family hoped she would follow her father into law.

After a spell as an exchange student at Oxford University in England, she quit law school at The University of Alabama and headed for New York in 1949 to follow her dream of being a writer.

She worked for a while as an airline reservation clerk, until one Christmas when friends gave her enough money to live for a year without working so she could concentrate on writing.

Written before “Mockingbird,” the draft she released last year as “Watchman” tells a similar tale of small-town racism but recounted from a different perspective.

While her famous novel is told through the eyes of Finch’s young daughter, Scout, “Watchman” is narrated from perspective of a grown-up Scout living in New York and coming home to the South for a troubled visit.

But critics pointed to a number of troubling inconsistencies between the two — most notably that the hero Finch is portrayed in the manuscript as a man who harbors racist opinions.

The manuscript’s release sparked a furious backlash — partly because so little was known of Lee, who lived in a nursing home with a strictly controlled visitor list and who refused any request for interviews.

She made a rare public appearance in 2007, when then-president George W. Bush awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom, America’s highest civil honor.

She also quietly attended annual award ceremonies held by The University of Alabama for a writing contest about her book.

Her sister, Alice, who was her gatekeeper until her death aged 103 in 2014, explained in 2002 why her sister never seemed to make headway with a new book.

“I’ll put it this way. When you have hit the pinnacle, how would you feel about writing more? Would you feel like you’re competing with yourself?”

No ban on forex allocation for school fees, medicals – CBN

The Central Bank of Nigeria on Friday explained that it had yet to ban the allocation of foreign exchange for the payment of school fees and medical bills abroad.

The Director, Corporate Communications, CBN, Alh Muazu Ibrahim who made the clarification stated that school fees and medical payments still remain eligible for forex allocation, Channel News reported.

He said the clarification became necessary as there had been insinuations in some quarters that the bank had stopped allocation of forex for these purposes.

He said, “The Central Bank of Nigeria wishes to clarify to the general public that it has not stopped the allocation and sale of foreign exchange for purposes of paying school fees and settlement of medical bills overseas, in the report.

“The Bank therefore urges members of the public to disregard any contrary information in respect thereof.

“Despite assurances from the CBN, some persons have continued to suggest that the Bank had stopped the allocation of Foreign Exchange to Nigerians seeking to pay school fees and medical bills overseas.

“All genuine users desiring to obtain foreign exchange for the above-mentioned purposes are hereby urged to freely approach their banks with their requests and appropriate documentation.”

The Bankers Committee of the Central Bank of Nigeria had last week Thursday lamented that within the last few months, the country has witnessed a significant increase in the demand for foreign exchange for payment of school fees and medical bills abroad.

It said the development is currently crowding out the demand for foreign exchange in the real sector stating that if left unchecked, the trend could affect the banking sector’s objective of stimulating the real sector of the economy through the provision of foreign exchange to productive sectors of the economy.

The Managing Director, Standard Chartered Bank Plc, Mrs Bola Adesola had while speaking after the meeting of the committee  said there was a need for Nigerians to make sacrifices and be patriotic in their activities.

MTN Might Pay a “reasonable” Nigerian Fine Following Talks

South African telecoms firm MTN Group could end up paying a “reasonable” amount following talks with the Nigerian authorities over a disputed $3.9 billion fine for failing to disconnect unregistered SIM card users, two sources familiar with the matter said on Friday.

A judge in Lagos last month gave both parties until March 18 to reach a settlement, after MTN in December had asked the court to arbitrate over the dispute, saying the Nigerian Communications Commission had no legal grounds to order the fine.

Africa’s top telecoms firm was initially handed a $5.2 billion penalty in October, prompting weeks of lobbying that led to a 25 percent reduction by the NCC.

At the time an NCC source said its decision was based on advice from Nigeria’s state security service which suspected unregistered SIM cards were being used for criminal activity.

It had originally asked MTN to disconnect between 10 and 18.6 million users but MTN told the regulator it had 5.2 million unregistered users on its network, the source said.

The original amount was based on fining the company $1,000 for every unregistered SIM card in use.

MTN has said the revised fine of $3.9 billion is still too high, equating to more than twice MTN’s annual average capital expenditure over the past five years.

On Friday, the sources said talks were bearing fruit.

“There’s growing understanding within the NCC that the fine should be commercially reasonable,” a source close to the matter said.

Another source said a further reduction from $3.9 billion was a “possibility” because “the tone of the NCC is not combative any more.”

MTN’s spokesman Chris Maroleng said his company, which makes 37 percent of its sales in Nigeria, expected the talks with the NCC to lead to an “amicable resolution.”

MTN has hired former U.S. attorney general Eric Holder, who was one of President Barack Obama’s longest-serving cabinet members, to help with the matter.

“There remains some uncertainty as to the final quantum (amount) of the Nigerian fine, should-an-out of court settlement be reached,” MTN said in trading statement that warned of a drop in full-year profits on Thursday.

MTN’s regulatory and operational uncertainties in the west African country sent shares in the company plummeting.

By 1321 GMT, shares in the company had fallen 18.8 percent to 124.80 rand, on course for its biggest daily percentage decline in 18 years.

The company said on Thursday its profit last year fell by at least 20 percent due to an underperformance in Nigeria, triggering a selling frenzy in its share price. MTN said the profit warning did not include the penalty.

Nigeria has been trying to halt the widespread use of unregistered SIM cards amid worries they are being used for criminal activity, including by the Islamist group Boko Haram.

The fine also came months after Muhammadu Buhari was swept to power after an election campaign which pledged tougher regulation and a fight against corruption.