Author: damazah@gmail.com

In his first speech as prime minister, Andy Burnham has promised to give people more “breathing space” to help with the cost of living.Policies will be announced on Tuesday – his first full day in the job. Although a few hours after taking office, the new prime minister confirmed he will be “looking at” the tax-free personal allowance ahead of his first Budget in the autumn.Cost of living is a key issue for Burnham. Many people, he has previously said, can’t go out for a pint on a Friday, can’t take the kids out and can’t go on holiday owing…

An international research team led by Hiroshima University has developed a technique that can reveal extremely early changes in human skin collagen, long before the damage becomes visible under conventional imaging. The findings, published in ACS Nano on July 16, 2026, suggest that collagen begins losing its precise molecular organization before its fibers become thinner, fragmented, or disconnected. In other words, skin tissue may appear structurally intact even after important changes have already begun at a deeper level. Hidden Damage Inside Skin Collagen Collagen is the main structural protein in skin. It forms an intricate network that helps tissue remain…

The potential for stigma was laid bare close to the conclusion of Saturday at the Open Championship. “Bryson, ya cheat,” bellowed a lone voice from the stand adjacent to Royal Birkdale’s 18th green. This is an environment in which being unfaithful to one’s spouse would be seen as preferable to breaching the sacred rules of a sacred game.By Sunday, the world No 1, Scottie Scheffler, was riding to the defence of Bryson DeChambeau. “I’ve known him for a long time and he’s a lot of things, but he’s definitely not a cheater,” said Scheffler. Except in this case, nuance is…

In an era where AI can help make films about anything and everything, Utopai Studios has landed on farts. The AI production company will produce an animated feature-film adaptation of “The Most Serious Fart,” a 2023 children’s book written by “Not Another Teen Movie” screenwriter Mike Bender and illustrated by Chuck Dillon that was inspired by Bender’s Lyme disease diagnosis amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The book follows Siegfried, an “exceptionally serious” fart determined to change flatulence’s global perception while finding a sense of belonging along the way. Bender will write and direct the movie, which will be produced by “Flight Risk” producer Russell Hollander.…

In 1996, a young doctor converted a three-bedroom flat on Aromire Avenue in Ikeja into a clinic. Three decades later, that clinic, St. Ives Specialist Hospital, is one of Nigeria’s most trusted names in women’s health and fertility care. The man behind it all is Dr. Babatunde Okewale, a Fellow of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists trained in the UK, who returned home determined that Nigerians should not have to fly abroad for quality health care. St. Ives marked its 30th anniversary on July 10, under the theme “Celebrating 30 Years of Care, Compassion and Innovation.” The hospital…

By Shina Abubakar, Osogbo OSOGBO — The Accord Party’s campaign council in Osun State has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ensure a transparent and credible conduct of the August 15, 2026 governorship election, urging the electoral body to address concerns raised from previous off-cycle elections. Speaking with journalists in Osogbo, the Director-General of the Imole Campaign Council, Senator Lere Oyewumi, said the group was raising its concerns ahead of the election to give INEC sufficient time to strengthen its preparations and reassure voters. Oyewumi said the council was concerned about reports and allegations that emerged during…

Alex Enumah in Abuja The National President of the Miyetti Allah Kauta Kore, Alhaji Bello Bodejo has been granted bail in his alleged $2.63 million money-laundering trial. Justice Inyang Ekwo of a Federal High Court, in Abuja, on Monday, admitted him to bail in the sum of N2 billion with two sureties in like sum. Justice Ekwo, in a ruling on the defendant’s bail application held that one of the sureties must have a three-year tax clearance and must reside in Abuja. The judge in addition held that the second sureties must have a land worth N2 billion in Abuja,…

Google Map showing 26 Federal Plaza in New York City.Source: Google EarthA man described as an anti-ICE activist was taken into custody after setting off fireworks and wielding two airsoft rifles outside an immigration court building in lower Manhattan on Monday morning, five law enforcement sources told MS NOW.Two people were injured and treated on the scene, and another person is being checked, the sources told MS NOW.The fireworks were in a shopping cart, which the man doused with an accelerant and lit on fire, according to those sources.He also “menaced” nearby pedestrians with the airsoft rifles, which are a…

Cases of predators coercing children into producing sexual photos and videos of themselves have surged globally in the past year, a cruel phenomenon known as “sadistic online exploitation”, child safety experts and law enforcement officials warn.In cases of sadistic online exploitation, perpetrators target vulnerable teens on social media platforms and online games. These predators then compel their victims into producing child sexual abuse material (CSAM), harming themselves and others, or, in extreme cases, attempting suicide.“We often see that the offenders will communicate with that child and, through that initial communication, ask them for nude or explicit imagery of themselves,” said…

​​​​​Politics is not only about winning elections. At its best, politics is about ideas. It is about offering society a better way of organising itself, solving problems, and improving the lives of the people. Throughout history, every enduring political ideology began as an idea; an idea that was questioned, debated, criticised, refined and, in some cases, embraced. As Nigerians, we have largely relied on political philosophies developed elsewhere. We speak of democracy, liberalism, capitalism and socialism. While these ideas have shaped modern governance across the world, I sometimes wonder whether our own experiences should also inspire original political thought. Can…