Author: damazah@gmail.com

Morris: One child was from a family that was uninsured because they didn’t feel that they would need to use the medical system. They were faced with the high burden of cost of our health care system. The cost was playing into the parents’ decision on whether or not their child should receive necessary medical care. I said something like: “Please don’t go home. Your child needs oxygen. She has pneumonia. We will figure out a way to pay for this, because we acknowledge what we do is expensive.”On top of that, the parent had several other children in the…

Deputy Governor of Lagos State and candidate of the All Progressives Congress for the 2027 gubernatorial election in the Centre of Excellence, Dr Kadri Obafemi Hamzat, in this interview reflects on his philosophy of leadership and governance, offering insights into the challenges and opportunities facing Lagos. He discusses issues ranging from infrastructure, housing and environmental sustainability to politics, urban development and the future of Africa’s largest city, while outlining his vision for building a more resilient, inclusive and globally competitive Lagos. Excerpts: You currently serve as Deputy Governor and have now emerged as your party’s governorship candidate. Many Lagosians have…

Researchers at Seoul National University and the University of Seoul have developed a programmable photonic integrated circuit that can slow light whenever needed. The team was led by Professors Namkyoo Park and Sunkyu Yu of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Seoul National University, working with Professor Xianji Piao of the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Seoul. Slowing Light Could Help Solve a Computing Bottleneck The rapid growth of generative AI and large scale AI models has sharply increased the amount of computing power required by data centers and servers. Conventional electronic semiconductors…

Fans waving Argentine flags gather near the Argentine Football Association (AFA) training camp in Ezeiza, Buenos Aires Province, on July 20, 2026, as they wait for the arrival of Argentina’s national football team from the United States after losing the 2026 FIFA World Cup final. (Photo by TOMAS CUESTA / AFP) Argentina’s top football officials on Wednesday firmly denied reports that their federation’s president and treasurer were detained and questioned upon leaving the United States after the World Cup final. The Argentine Football Association (AFA) did, however, acknowledge a US investigation into a third party with links to the association.…

The 83rd Venice International Film Festival is unveiling its official lineup today. Venice artistic director Alberto Barbera and Pietrangelo Buttafuoco, president of the Biennale di Venezia, will confirm the films running in competition and main sidebar sections. You can follow their presentation, starting from 11 am local time at La Biennale Library of the Historical Archive in Venice, on the festival site or on its social media channels on YouTube, X, TikTok, and Facebook. Venice, alongside Cannes, is considered the world’s most prestigious film festival and a major awards season prognosticator. Buttafuoco, who has usually avoided making political statements in…

Johnson Anosike  Most betting shops in Nigeria still revolve around football. Television screens show Premier League matches, customers debate accumulators, and someone is almost always convinced they have found the surest odds of the weekend. That picture still has not changed. What has changed is what happens at the end of the match. Many betting sites are now seeing attention shift beyond football to casino sections that, until recently, received far less attention. Crash games, virtual tables, live blackjack and roulette are no longer tossed side. They are becoming part of how many users spend time on betting apps, whether…

Super Eagles striker Tolu Arokodare has explained why he staged a protest that forced Wolverhampton Wanderers to cancel a pre-season training session amid an ongoing transfer dispute with the club. The incident occurred on Monday after the 25-year-old reportedly sat on the training pitch and refused to leave, preventing the team from holding its scheduled session. The protest prompted new head coach Cesar Peixoto to call off training, while extra security was deployed at the club’s Compton Park training ground to stop the Nigerian forward from returning. Reports indicate that Arokodare had been instructed not to train with Wolves’ first…

UniCredit is aiming to exercise control of Commerzbank in the fourth quarter, the CEO of the Italian bank told CNBC in an exclusive interview.Speaking with CNBC’s “Europe Early Edition,” UniCredit CEO Andrea Orcel said the bank is happy with its position in Commerzbank, with the bank now closing in on full control of the German lender, having upped its stake to 48%.Orcel said the Italian bank is firing on all cylinders, having raised its full-year guidance after posting its best-ever second-quarter and first-half results Thursday. Asked when a full acquisition could take place, Orcel told CNBC’s Carolin Roth that certain…

Tesla is no longer planning to reach “volume production” of three of its newest products — the Cybercab, the Tesla Semi, and its Megapack 3 commercial energy-storage solution — in 2026, according to a second-quarter shareholder letter published Wednesday. The company also removed language from its first-quarter letter about its Optimus robot reaching “volume production.” The company said Wednesday that it’s trying to increase battery production, specifically around the company’s 4680 cell, in order to start building the Cybercab and Tesla Semi at scale. It did not offer a reason for pushing back volume production of the new Megapack, but…

Another key strand of Burnham’s campaigning strategy has been connecting with and organising grassroots social media activists.Among the politicians and staffers invited to stand outside Number 10 to watch Burnham become prime minister on Monday were teenage TikTokers whose video edits have brought him to a new social media audience.Between them, Will, Lottie, Megan, Ellen and Poppy, all aged between 17 and 19 have racked up millions of likes on TikTok, and across platforms share memes, trends and nostalgic edits of New Labour footage, including of Burnham’s time in office.The Labour activists were invited to canvass with him and make…