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A group of 24 Nigerian girls who were abducted from their boarding school over a week ago have been released, the country’s president says.
Armed assailants stormed the school in Nigeria’s Kebbi State on 17 November, killing two members of staff and abducting 25 students. One was able to escape soon after.
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu praised security forces for their “swift response” to the kidnapping – although the circumstances of the girls’ release remained unclear.
Africa’s most populous nation suffered a spate of abductions last week – with more than 250 children abducted from a Catholic school last Friday still missing, according to the school authorities.
Friday’s kidnapping, in Niger State, has been described as one of the worst mass abductions in Nigeria’s history. However, some officials say the number of missing children has been overstated.
Addressing the earlier abduction in Kebbi State, Bayo Onanuga, a special adviser to the president, confirmed on Tuesday that all the kidnapped schoolgirls had been accounted for.
Onanuga’s statement said the attack had triggered copycat kidnappings.
President Tinubu said more personnel would be deployed to “vulnerable areas to avert further incidents of kidnapping”.
In a post on X, he wrote: “The Air Force is to maintain continuous surveillance over the most remote areas, synchronising operations with ground units to effectively identify, isolate, disrupt, and neutralise all hostile elements.”
More than 1,500 children have been abducted from Nigerian schools since 2014, when 276 girls were taken during the infamous Chibok mass abduction.
The kidnapping of people for ransom by criminal gangs, known locally as bandits, has become a major problem in many parts of Nigeria.
In the north-east of the country, jihadist groups have been battling the state for more than a decade.
On Friday, at least 300 children and staff were abducted from St Mary’s, a Catholic boarding school in Niger state, according to the Christian Association of Nigeria (Can). The organisation says at least 250 people remain unaccounted for.
On Wednesday, Niger state governor Umar Bago told the BBC that 11 St Mary’s pupils had been found in a “farm settlement” and rescued by security forces. He refused to give any further details about the operation.
Bago also cast doubt on Can’s statement that 300 people had been abducted, saying the organisation had not presented any reliable data.
“They should declare their register available to the authorities,” he said.
Niger State’s police commissioner has also questioned Can’s figures.
The abduction at the school was the third to hit Nigeria in a week, forcing President Bola Tinubu to cancel his trip to the G20 summit, held in South Africa at the weekend, to deal with the crisis.
Dozens of people seized from a church in Kwara state, south of Niger, have since been freed.
UN education envoy Gordon Brown called on the international community to “do our utmost” to support efforts to return the abducted children.
Brown, a former UK prime minister, said: “It’s also incumbent on us to ensure that Nigerian schools are safe spaces for learning, not spaces where children can be plucked from their classroom for criminal profit.”
The Nigerian government has called claims that Christians are being persecuted “a gross misrepresentation of reality”.
The BBC was told that the schoolgirls abducted from the Government Girls Comprehensive Senior Secondary School (GGCSS) in Kebbi are Muslim. An official has said that “terrorists attack all who reject their murderous ideology – Muslims, Christians and those of no faith alike”.
Organisations monitoring violence say most of the victims of the jihadist groups are Muslim because most attacks happen in the majority-Muslim north of the country.
Hello, tech editor Alexei Oreskovic here, pitching in for Allie today. As you gather around the Thanksgiving table tomorrow, you may find yourself debating the state of the AI bubble with your guests. There’s plenty to chew over, from sky-high valuations and capital expenditures to circular business models and mouth-watering salaries.
So allow me to flag one new item on the table that may have gone unnoticed: Warner Music Group’s legal settlement with AI music startup Suno. The deal, announced on Tuesday, ends Warner’s copyright lawsuit against Suno and establishes a partnership that will let consumers create AI-generated music with the voices, compositions, names, and likenesses of any Warner Music artists who choose to participate.
This is a big deal not just for Suno, which raised $250 million at a $2.45 billion valuation earlier this month, and for its investors (including Menlo Ventures, Lightspeed, and Nvidia’s NVentures), but for AI in general. I’m not making a judgement here about whether the deal is good or bad for musicians or for the future of music as an art form; I’m simply recognizing how remarkable of a statement it is about the business world’s attitude towards artificial intelligence.
Consider the marquee copyright battle of the last big technology shift, when Viacom sued YouTube in 2007 over users uploading clips to the video site. That case dragged on for seven years before finally settling in 2014.
In AI, everything moves faster. And so, just one year after Warner sued Suno, the music label is now ready to embrace the startup and AI. Warner and Universal Music Group also each settled with Udio, another AI-generated music platform, in recent weeks. These record labels are in the intellectual property business. IP is their most important asset, and they instinctively fight tooth and nail to stop others from getting anywhere close to it.
The fact that they’re folding so soon, instead of digging in for a long fight, suggests they don’t expect the AI bubble to burst anytime soon.
Joey Abrams curated the deals section of today’s newsletter.Subscribe here.
Venture Deals
– Range, a McLean Va. and New York City-based AI-powered wealth management platform, raised $60 million in Series C funding. Scale VenturePartners led the round and was joined by GradientVentures, CathayInnovation, and others.
– CoPlane, a San Francisco-based developer of AI software designed to streamline back office operations, raised $14 million in seed funding. Ribbit led the round and was joined by Stripe, OptumVentures, and Terrain.
– Mnzil, a Riyadh, Saudi Arabia-based workforce housing solutions company, raised SAR 44 million ($11.7 million). FoundersFund led the round and was joined by existing investor COTUInvestors.
– Onton, a San Francisco-based AI-powered ecommerce platform, raised $7.5 million in seed funding. Footwork led the round and was joined by Liquid2, ParableVentures, 43, and others.
– Juo, a Warsaw, Poland-based developer of a dev-first toolkit for non-digital product subscriptions, raised €4 million ($4.6 million) in seed funding. MarketOneCapital and Peak led the round and were joined by SmokVentures, BADideas, and others.
– Monq, a London, U.K.-based AI-powered negotiation platform for sales teams, raised $3 million in pre-seed funding. OutwardVC led the round and was joined by CornerstoneVC, PortfolioVentures, OctopusVentures, and others.
– SportAI, a Oslo, Norway-based sports technology company, raised $3 million in funding from AltitudeCapital and others.
PRIVATE EQUITY
– CourizonPartners acquired AirBurners, a Palm City, Fla.-based provider of air curtain burner systems used for the disposal of wood and vegetable waste. Financial terms were not disclosed.
EXITS
– EMKCapital agreed to acquire ProjectInformatica, a Milan, Italy-based IT infrastructure and services provider, from H.I.G.Capital. Financial terms were not disclosed.
OTHER
– S&PGlobal acquired WithIntelligence, a London, U.K.-based private markets data provider, for $1.8 billion from a group of investors led by Motive Partners.
Over the past two centuries, the United States has repeatedly carried out military operations in Central and South America and the Caribbean.
Starting in the late 1800s, all the way into the early 20th century, the US conducted the Banana Wars, a series of military interventions in Central America, to protect the interests of US corporations in the region.
In 1934, under President Franklin D Roosevelt, the US introduced the “Good Neighbor Policy”, pledging not to invade or occupy Latin American countries or interfere in their internal affairs. However, during the Cold War, the US financed several operations aimed at overthrowing elected left-wing leaders in the region.
Many of these operations have been coordinated by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), which was founded in 1947.
As Washington builds a large-scale military presence close to the coast of Venezuela and continues air strikes on Venezuelan boats it claims are trafficking drugs in the Caribbean and the eastern Pacific, US President Donald Trump says he has not ruled out a land operation inside the country itself. Many observers believe that Trump’s allegations that Venezuela is responsible for drug trafficking are a cover for his real objective of regime change there.
We look at some of the US’s history of similar interventions.
1950s in Guatemala
In 1954, elected Guatemalan President Jacobo Arbenz Guzman was toppled by local fighter groups backed by the CIA under US President Dwight Eisenhower.
Arbenz had sought to nationalise a company, stoking fears within the US of more socialist policies in Guatemala.
Under the CIA’s Operation PBSuccess, the agency trained fighters led by military officer Carlos Castillo Armas, who took power after the coup. A civil war raged in Guatemala from 1960 to 1996 between the Guatemalan government and military on one side, and leftist rebel groups on the other.
Jacobo Arbenz Guzman (centre), ousted as president of Guatemala in an anti-communist revolt backed by the CIA, speaks with a group of French reporters in Paris in 1955. He and his wife travelled to Switzerland, where he negotiated with authorities for recognition of his Swiss citizenship, based on the Swiss nationality of his father [Bettmann collection/Getty Images]
1960s in Cuba
In 1959, Cuban communist leader Fidel Castro came to power after overthrowing dictator Fulgencio Batista.
Under Eisenhower, the CIA devised a plan to train Cuban exiles to invade the country and overthrow Castro. US President John F Kennedy, a Democrat who won the 1960 election, was briefed about the plan during his inauguration.
Castro found out about the training camps through Cuban intelligence. In 1961, Kennedy signed off on the Bay of Pigs Invasion, a plan for the Cuban exiles to overthrow Castro. However, the invasion failed when the Cuban military overwhelmed them.
Cuban exiles trained by the US landing at the Bay of Pigs, Cuba – and surrendering – in 1961 [Photo12/Universal Images Group via Getty Images]
1960s in Brazil
In 1961, Joao Goulart came to office as president of Brazil, with a mandate to pursue social and economic reforms. He maintained good relations with socialist countries such as Cuba and nationalised a subsidiary of the US-owned International Telephone and Telegraph (ITT).
In response, the CIA funded pro-US politicians and supported anti-communist groups. This undermined Goulart’s leadership, culminating in a military coup in 1964, which established a US-friendly dictatorship that would last until 1985.
Troops guard the War Ministry in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, through the night on April 1, 1964, as a rebellion against the left-leaning regime of President Joao Goulart begins [Bettmann collection/Getty Images]
1960s in Ecuador
After going through 27 presidents between 1925 and 1947, Ecuador witnessed a rare period of stability in the 1950s.
It was not to last. By the early 1960s, the US was worried about the pro-Cuba policies of President Jose Velasco Ibarra and his Vice President Carlos Julio Arosemena, who advocated for closer relations with Soviet bloc nations.
The CIA, using US labour organisations as its conduits, financed the spread of anti-communist sentiment in the country.
“In the end, they [the CIA] owned almost everybody who was anybody [in Ecuador],” a CIA agent told analyst Roger Morris later, in a 2004 CIA-approved appraisal of the agency’s activities in Latin America.
Arosemena first staged a coup against Ibarra, and initially turned further to the left, before trying to moderate his positions. Then, in 1963, the military staged a coup against him, banning the Communist Party and severing ties with Cuba, aligning with US interests.
Student protesters overturn a car in downtown Guayaquil, Ecuador, on November 6, 1961, during a demonstration against the government of President Jose Velasco Ibarra [Bettmann collection/Getty Images]
1960s and 70s in Bolivia
Between 1963 and 1964, the US used covert funding, largely through the CIA, to influence Bolivia’s politics.
The funding backed leaders who were friendly to the US, and supported a military coup in November 1964 led by General Rene Barrientos Ortuno against elected President Victor Paz Estenssoro. The coup was successful and forced Paz Estenssoro into exile.
But the US was not done interfering in Bolivia.
By the early 1970s, Washington had its eye on another regime change. This time, the target was President Juan Jose Torres, who had come to power in 1970 and had nationalised multiple US companies in the country.
According to the US State Department’s official history, the US ambassador in La Paz, in June 1971, told Washington that it needed to support Torres’s opponents. The White House secretly sought, and received, $410,000 ($3.3m in today’s money) in what critics within the administration described as “coup money” to finance military leaders and political leaders opposed to Torres.
Two months later, senior military officer Hugo Banzer led a successful coup against Torres. The US continued to fund Banzer’s government, which ruled until 1978. Nearly two decades later, Banzer would return to power once again, after actually winning an election in 1997.
Bolivia’s President Hugo Banzer, whom the US supported, wearing a uniform and decorations at his desk in April 1978 [Keystone/Getty Images]
1970s in Chile
The CIA provided funding to help end the presidency of Salvador Allende, an elected leftist leader. Allende had planned to nationalise Chilean copper companies, many of which were owned by US interests.
The CIA funding was used to back Allende’s opponent and spread anti-communist sentiment. This spiralled into the 1973 military coup led by General Augusto Pinochet. Allende shot himself dead using an AK-47 rifle before he was captured: Doubts about the cause of his death lingered for decades before it was confirmed by an independent autopsy years later.
The brutal US-backed dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet lasted 17 years.
Edward J Gerrity, a senior vice president for corporate relations at the US-owned International Telephone and Telegraph (ITT), tells US Senate investigators in 1973 that he talked with a CIA agent in 1970 about plans designed to create economic chaos in Chile after the election of Salvador Allende as president [Bettmann collection/Getty Images]
1970s: Operation Condor in six countries
In 1975, the CIA supported right-wing military dictatorships in six Latin American countries by setting up a transnational network called Operation Condor. This began during the US presidency of Gerald Ford.
Targeted countries included Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Uruguay and Paraguay. The operation was aimed at crushing political dissidents, leftists and communist sympathisers. The dictatorships used a shared database to monitor dissidents and their families across state borders.
They used tactics such as exchanging intelligence, information, prisoners and torture techniques. Under the operation, at least 97 people were killed, according to Plan Condor, a joint initiative by Latin American organisations and the University of Oxford.
1980s in El Salvador
In December 1981, the Salvadoran military’s elite Atlacatl Battalion conducted a deadly massacre in the village of El Mozote, killing about 1,000 civilians, including women and children. This was during El Salvador’s civil war of 1980-92.
The battalion was trained and equipped by the US under its larger Cold War policy of suppressing leftist rebellions in Latin America. The US government greatly increased military aid to El Salvador between 1980 and 1982.
1980s in Grenada
It was a familiar story by now. Maurice Bishop, the prime minister of the tiny Caribbean island, had adopted Marxist-Leninist policies after seizing power himself in 1979 when the previous premier, Eric Gairy, was out of the country.
By the early 1980s, the US was worried about Cuban influence in Grenada. As bloody infighting broke out within Bishop’s party over a leadership struggle in October 1983, the US swooped in an operation codenamed Operation Urgent Fury, invading the country, capturing Cubans in Grenada and ensuring that the country’s future was aligned with US priorities.
US Marines take a break during the US invasion of Grenada in 1983, codenamed Operation Urgent Fury [Archive Photos/Getty Images]
1980s in Panama
The US invaded Panama in 1989 during the US presidency of George HW Bush, a Republican. The invasion was called Operation Just Cause.
The US underplayed the death toll and justified the invasion, saying it was carried out to remove President Manuel Noriega for alleged drug trafficking.
UK music rights organization PPL has appointed Anne-Marie Pearce as its new Chief Financial Officer.
She succeeds Chris Barton, who announced earlier this year he would be leaving the collective management org at the end of 2025.
As CFO, Anne-Marie will join the Executive Leadership Team, reporting to CEO Peter Leathem OBE.
She will oversee the Finance and Distribution teams, who are responsible for the payment of royalties to PPL’s recording rightsholders and performer members, as well as running both the Finance and Distribution Committees.
Pearce will also become a board member of PPL PRS Ltd, the public performance licensing joint venture operated by PPL and PRS for Music.
The exec brings over 20 years of senior finance leadership experience across the media, entertainment and advertising sectors, having qualified as a Chartered Accountant with Arthur Andersen.
She joins PPL from Publicis Groupe, where she served as UK Country CFO, responsible for its portfolio of world-leading agencies across its Creative, Production, Media, Influence and Healthcare practices.
Prior to Publicis Groupe, Pearce was Group & Commercial Finance Director for Global Media & Entertainment, overseeing its Audio, Digital and Outdoor businesses across the UK, EMEA and North America.
She spent the majority of her career at The Walt Disney Company as Finance Director for Disney’s UK media businesses, spanning program and digital distribution, media networks, social and mobile gaming, and advertising sales and brand partnerships.
During her tenure, Pearce was the commercial finance lead for Disney’s first global direct-to-consumer subscription video offering in the UK, which later evolved to become Disney+.
Outgoing CFO Chris Barton joined PPL in 2005 as a Financial Analyst and worked his way up to Financial Controller by 2009, before being appointed to the Executive Leadership Team in 2014 as Finance Director. He was named PPL’s CFO in 2018 and became a board member of PPL PRS Ltd in the same year.
Courtesy of PPL
“Anne-Marie’s proven track record of driving transformation, delivering operational efficiencies, and supporting strategic growth in complex, fast-moving environments makes her the ideal choice to help drive PPL’s next phase of growth.”
Peter Leathem PPL
Peter Leathem OBE, CEO of PPL, said: “Anne-Marie’s proven track record of driving transformation, delivering operational efficiencies, and supporting strategic growth in complex, fast-moving environments makes her the ideal choice to help drive PPL’s next phase of growth as we look to deliver our vision to be the number one choice for neighbouring rights globally.
“I would also like to thank Chris for his dedication and loyalty to PPL. His integrity and wisdom have been invaluable to the company, and we wish him the very best with everything to come.”
Anne-Marie Pearce added: “PPL plays a crucial role within the global music industry to ensure its members are fairly compensated for the broadcast and public performance use of their recorded music.
“My career has been shaped by a passion for transformation and collaboration, which are shared values at the core of PPL.”
Anne-Marie Pearce
“Peter, the Board, and the wider leadership team have established this position through continued investment in technology, wider industry collaboration, and by building a culture of transparency, respect and trust, leading to record revenues of over £300 million in 2024.
“My career has been shaped by a passion for transformation and collaboration, which are shared values at the core of PPL. I am excited to join the organization as it embarks on its next chapter of growth.”
“It has been a privilege to serve as CFO and to be part of the company’s journey for the past 20 years.”
Chris Barton
Chris Barton said: “It has been a privilege to serve as CFO and to be part of the company’s journey for the past 20 years. I am proud of what we have achieved together and grateful for the support of my colleagues and the Board.
“I look forward to seeing the organisation go from strength to strength, and I wish Anne-Marie and the entire PPL team every success for the future.”
Elsewhere at PPL, Dr. Richard James Burgess MBE was recently named as the new chair of the UK music rights org, effective January 5, 2026.
Burgess succeeds John Smith OBE, who will be stepping down after nearly a decade leading the board.
So few can begin to understand the feelings and emotions of being a sibling to an Olympic champion. In the case of Alison Kos, the 15-year-old sister of Hungarian star Hubert Kos, it is about having her own identity and pursuing her goals, while being measured against her own flesh and blood in the process.
Kos delivered an emotional and deeply personal message at the TEDx event at the American International School of Budapest, titled “Find Your Pool: Turning Pressure Into Purpose”.
Kos opened up with a recollection of the men’s 200 backstroke final in Paris, where her brother went on to become an Olympic champion.
“I think it’s most athletes’ biggest dream to win an Olympic gold medal, and to have a brother that won it is a great feeling and is really special to me,” Kos said. “It gives me the confidence that I am able to do this as well.”
The success of her brother, while monumental, also began to change her life following those Olympic Games.
“At my first race after the Olympics, nothing really changed… It’s just that many people came up to me asking me these questions [like], ‘Oh, are you Hubi’s sister? [and] What’s it like being an Olympic champion’s sister?’ and to be honest, ot does get annoying after a while,” she said.
But the race was still the focus for Kos.
“I jumped in the pool, and I swim my race, and all I can think about is the present moment and what I need to do now.”
Following her performance, she met with her coach and discussed the questions she was asked before her race, which “annoyed” her.
His response was one that changed her way of thinking, “ He tells me, ‘oh, well, you’re not Hubi’s sister, you’re Aison Kos’,” she said.
Kos noted that professional athletes tend to fail at a higher rate when others set high expectations for them. She even openly admits that she has been dealing with this same feeling since Hubert’s crowning Olympic achievement.
“This is something that I’m going through right now and I did go through before. Whether it’s a race, or me just standing here right now… I have messed up a lot of races before in my past, and this is because I was scared of failure, and because I put myself under pressure because of my brother being an Olympic champion.”
In that same year, Hubert was the poster boy for the Short Course World Championships in Budapest. Meanwhile, Alison was preparing for a championship meet of her own, the Hungarian National Championships.
“I swam [the 200 backstroke], I didn’t swim a personal best. I was very disappointed in myself,” she said. “A week later, my brother Hubie went to the world championships and he won a gold medal, only 0.03 seconds off the world record.”
Hubert is not the only swimming brother of Alison; she describes Oli, her other brother who swims at Northwestern University, and his reasoning for heading stateside to further his career.
“He believed that if he goes to America, he will have a much bigger chance of pursuing his dreams of becoming an Olympic champion, because not many people believed in him here at home,” she said.
She described another study, talking about how pressure can both negatively and positively affect an athlete’s performance, explaining how “ there are some athletes that can turn pressure into motivation. They can help them bring the best out of themselves. But as I said before, there are many people or many athletes that performed very poorly under pressure because they overthink and they’re scared.”
She circled back to the simple words her coach had spoken to her after her race.
“After my coach told me these wise words many more times, that I’m not Hubi’s sister, I’m Alison, I came to the realization of what this meant,” she said. “I’m not doing the sport so I become like my brother. I’m doing the sport for myself to achieve my own goals and to achieve my own dreams.”
Her closing remarks were directed towards anybody dealing with pressure or stress.
“Find something that helps you get your mind off of things, like how the pool makes me [feel]. So, in other words, for me, that would mean, find your pool.”
Israel has confirmed that Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) handed over the body of deceased Israeli hostage Dror Or on Tuesday.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said his government “shares in the deep sorrow of the Or family” following the completion of forensic testing overnight.
It stressed that Israeli authorities were working “tirelessly” to bring home the last two dead hostages still in Gaza and demanded that Hamas uphold its commitments to hand over their remains under the six-week-old Gaza ceasefire agreement.
Or’s body was transferred via the Red Cross after PIJ and Hamas announced that it had been recovered in central Gaza on Monday.
On Wednesday morning, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said its representatives had informed Or’s family that his body was returned after experts at the National Centre of Forensic Medicine in Tel Aviv confirmed its identity.
According to the IDF, the 48-year-old father of three was killed by PIJ at his home in Kibbutz Be’eri during the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023. His body was then abducted and taken to Gaza as a hostage.
Mr Or’s wife, Yonat, was also killed during the attack, while two of their children, Noam and Alma, were kidnapped alive. They were held hostage in Gaza until November 2023, when they were released as part of a week-long ceasefire deal.
“The IDF expresses deep condolences to the families, continues to make every effort to return all the deceased hostages, and is prepared for the continued implementation of the agreement,” an IDF statement said.
“Hamas is required to fulfil its part of the agreement and make the necessary efforts to return all the hostages to their families and to a dignified burial.”
Under the first phase of the US-brokered ceasefire deal, which took effect on 10 October, Hamas agreed to return the 20 living Israeli hostages and the bodies of the 28 dead Israeli and foreign hostages still in Gaza within 72 hours.
All the living hostages were released on 13 October in exchange for 250 Palestinian prisoners and 1,718 detainees from Gaza.
So far, the remains of 23 dead Israeli hostages have been handed over, along with those of three foreign hostages – one of them Thai, one Nepalese and one Tanzanian.
In exchange, Israel has handed over the bodies of 330 Palestinians killed during the war. It should hand over another 15 bodies in return for Mr Or’s remains.
One of the remaining dead hostages is Israeli – Ran Gvili, 24 – and the other is Thai – Suthisak Rintalak, 43.
Israel has accused Hamas of deliberately delaying the recovery of the hostages’ bodies, while Hamas has insisted it is struggling to find them under rubble.
The slow progress has meant there has been no advance on the second phase of President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan. This includes plans for the governance of Gaza, the withdrawal of Israeli troops, the disarmament of Hamas and reconstruction.
The two dead hostages still in Gaza were among the 251 people abducted by Hamas and its allies on 7 October 2023, when about 1,200 other people were killed.
Israel responded to the attack by launching a military campaign in Gaza, during which more than 69,770 people have been killed, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry.
Black Friday has always been the most anticipated moment for riders seeking top-tier e-bikes at breakthrough prices. This year, Kingbull is not just participating—we are redefining what a true Black Friday sale should look like. With aggressive price cuts, expanded service support, and a refined lineup of high-performance fat-tire e-bikes, Kingbull’s 2025 Black Friday Event is built to deliver extraordinary value for new riders, seasoned commuters, adventure enthusiasts, and anyone upgrading to premium electric mobility.
This year’s event is driven by a simple promise: make premium e-mobility more accessible than ever while enhancing the rider experience through nationwide service partners and upgraded coverage. Whether you ride for commuting, cargo, fitness, or backcountry exploration, the Kingbull lineup delivers the torque, endurance, and build quality that today’s riders demand—now at unprecedented price points.
Unbeatable Updated Black Friday Pricing
Kingbull has introduced its strongest pricing strategy to date, reducing bestselling models to levels that make premium fat-tire performance accessible to almost every rider segment. Based on your current finalized table, here are the headline prices shaping this year’s campaign:
Hunter 2.0 – $799 The Hunter 2.0 is engineered for torque, trail handling, and oversized load capacity. At $799, this becomes one of the most aggressively priced all-terrain e-bikes in the market.
These price points reinforce Kingbull’s objective: making industry-leading power systems, battery ranges, and structural durability accessible without compromise.
A Lineup Engineered for Real-World Riders
The diversity of the Kingbull portfolio allows riders to select models tailored to their environments, riding habits, and performance expectations. Each product category plays a distinct strategic role in this year’s campaign messaging.
Urban Mobility and Daily Commuting
The Literider 2.0, now at $849, is the cornerstone of Kingbull’s commuter strategy. Its lower standover height, modular cargo accessories, and supple ride geometry make it ideal for new riders transitioning to electric mobility. During the Black Friday window, the Literider becomes a high-value acquisition for buyers seeking efficiency and portability without sacrificing motor power.
All-Terrain and Performance Riding
The Hunter 2.0, now positioned at a compelling $799, anchors the adventure-riding segment. Its beefier frame, enhanced suspension architecture, and power-dense motor configuration help it perform reliably in sand, snow, gravel, and steep trails. Pricing this aggressively reinforces Kingbull’s ambition to dominate mid-range off-road categories for Q4.
Premium Utility, Cargo, and Family Riding
Models such as Discover, Discover ST, and Rover—all standardized at $999—are optimized for riders who need range, towing capacity, and stability. Families, long-distance commuters, and cargo-haulers will see these models as exceptionally strong value propositions now that all three sit under the $1,000 threshold.
High-Performance Flagships
The steep discounts on the Verve, Jumper GO, Trekker, and EX Titan show the brand’s commitment to opening up premium-tier performance to a broader rider base. These models target riders upgrading from entry-level e-bikes or longtime cyclists transitioning to electric for the first time.
Why This Black Friday Campaign Hits Harder Than Competitors
Beyond pricing, several strategic advantages differentiate Kingbull from competing fat-tire e-bike brands launching seasonal promotions.
1. Nationwide Retail & Service Support
Kingbull’s expansion to 13 U.S. retail and service centers allows riders to access test rides, diagnostics, professional assembly, and ongoing support—all included within the brand’s holistic ownership experience. This is a major competitive differentiator during peak shopping cycles, when many brands sell exclusively online without physical support points.
2. Premium Quality Battery Systems
All Kingbull models rely on automotive-grade battery technology and reinforced structural designs. Riders receive superior power retention, thermal management, and real-world mileage compared to typical discount-season offerings.
3. Optimized Post-Purchase Experience
Dedicated customer support, enhanced warranty coverage, and quicker parts supply chains ensure that riders entering through the Black Friday sale remain long-term brand advocates. The recurring message for this year’s campaign is clear: value is not just about lower prices—it is about a stronger, more reliable ownership lifecycle.
Perfect Timing for New Riders and Upgraders
The 2025 Black Friday landscape is shaping up to be one of the most competitive consumer environments for e-mobility. High demand, rising fuel prices, and a shift toward electric commuting make this the ideal time for first-time buyers to join the market.
Kingbull’s pricing strategy—especially the $849 Literider 2.0 and $799 Hunter 2.0—eliminates traditional entry barriers while delivering feature sets previously seen in higher-priced models. Existing riders looking to upgrade will also notice the enormous value in flagship discounts that reduce top-tier builds by hundreds of dollars.
Final Call to Ride Into Black Friday Savings
This year’s Kingbull Black Friday promotion is more than a sale—it is an invitation. Riders can now access high-performance, purpose-built fat-tire e-bikes at breakthrough pricing backed by nationwide service support and a brand deeply committed to rider satisfaction.
From the agile Literider 2.0 at $849 to the rugged Hunter 2.0 at $799—and the expanded lineup of $999 bestsellers—Kingbull’s 2025 Black Friday Event stands as the most complete value proposition in the U.S. fat-tire e-bike category.
For riders who have waited, compared, researched, and hesitated, this is the moment to act. Once Black Friday ends, these price points will not return.
