Author: damazah@gmail.com

Canadian rapper Drake has lost a $1.5 million (more than N2 billion) bet after Argentina were beaten 1-0 by Spain in the 2026 FIFA World Cup final. The Grammy-winning artiste had backed Argentina to defeat Spain in Sunday’s final, placing the wager through betting platform Stake. Had Argentina won, the bet would have returned more than $5.1 million. Instead, Spain emerged champions after scoring the decisive goal in extra time to claim the World Cup trophy, leaving Drake’s multimillion-dollar wager unsuccessful. The loss has once again reignited discussion around the so-called “Drake curse” — a popular internet theory suggesting that…

In 2025 I’d not had a paid-for haircut in about five years, preferring to ask my ex to cut it with kitchen scissors in the bathroom. But now I was in my late 20s and single and I decided that it was time to look more grown up. Not knowing the first thing about looking after my hair, I felt that a trip to an establishment that offered something beyond a short back and sides – a trendy, gentrified place where a trim puts you back a cool £38 – was sorely overdue.“You need to stop washing your hair,” my…

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged the C to withdraw a bill seeking to compel social media platforms and bloggers operating in Nigeria to establish physical offices with verifiable addresses in the country. The organisation made the call in a letter dated 18 July and addressed to the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas. The letter was signed by SERAP’s Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare. SERAP argued that the proposed legislation could lead to the exclusion or shutdown of social media platforms in Nigeria and expose millions of Nigerians to…

The pattern has now become wearily familiar in Nigeria.Many die in a boat accident; officials say the regulations should be followed; their calls are ignored; campaigners say the resources are not available; another tragedy happens.This time, a search-and-rescue team is looking for survivors of a capsized wooden canoe in Jigawa state.Forty were thought to be on board, mostly female farmers and labourers, when it sank on Sunday. Twenty-three people have been rescued alive but seven bodies have been recovered from the river so far.Last month, a boat accident on the River Benue in central Nigeria claimed the lives of 12…

A Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday granted Jimoh Yisawu, former managing director of the Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company Limited, bail in the sum of N500 million after he was arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on alleged money laundering charges. Yisawu, who was brought before Justice Inyang Ekwo on an eight-count charge, pleaded not guilty to all the allegations. Following his plea, Ekele Iheanacho (SAN), EFCC counsel, asked the court to fix a date for trial, while defence counsel Wale Balogun (SAN) sought leave to move the defendant’s bail application. Although the prosecution opposed…

Hugging Face, a platform that hosts AI models and datasets, said its internal datasets and service credentials were compromised in a hack last week. The company disclosed the breach on Friday, but said it was still investigating whether any customer or partner data was stolen during the incident. In a blog post, the company said a dataset uploaded to its platform abused a security vulnerability to run malicious code on its servers, allowing the attackers to escalate their permissions and gain broader access to Hugging Face’s internal systems. The company said it has revoked and rotated the stolen credentials that…

The last time I saw Laura Grego was in a tent in a baking field on the Welsh borders in May. The conversation on stage ranged from the dangers of space debris to how the law of the sea might pertain to outer space; from our sense of the sacred to our interplanetary futures. At one point Grego, a physicist, said intently, “People have to be aware of what is happening in space. Public knowledge has to catch up.” Three weeks later, SpaceX launched on the stock exchange, temporarily making Elon Musk the world’s first trillionaire.So, I ask her now,…

Fenerbahce and Gornik Zabrze, Hearts’ possible opponents, finished as runners-up last season in Turkey and Poland respectively, with Jagiellonia Bialystok finishing behind the latter on goal difference.Third-round qualifying ties in the Champions League are scheduled for 4/5 August and 11/12 August, with Europa League and Conference League games on 6 and 13 August. Dates and home-and-away details are yet to be confirmed.Hearts, who play their first leg against Sturm in Graz on Tuesday, last took part in Champions League qualifying in 2006-07, when they were eliminated at the third qualifying round by AEK Athens.Last term, Rangers started in Champions League…

By Enitan Abdultawab Nollywood actress Destiny Etiko has revealed that she lost ₦5 million after placing a bet on the 2026 FIFA World Cup final, saying the experience has convinced her to stay away from gambling. The actress disclosed that it was her first time betting as she shared her disappointment in an Instagram post on Monday. “First time betting and I lost. Will never try it again. My 5M gone. In fact am done watching football. Anxiety almost killed me,” she wrote. Although Destiny Etiko did not reveal the exact bet she placed, her social media activity during the…

Fresh, light but filling – these bruschetta are beautiful to bring outside as part of a lunch spread. They take minutes to whip together (sorry) and, for extra Marie Antoinette at Le Petit Trianon vibes, pick mint (or/and baby courgettes) from your own garden. You can get ahead by making the whipped feta and lemon dressing in advance, and keeping the courgette ribbons and radishes in cold water until needed. Drain and dress the courgettes just before serving – they’re lovely with the contrast of the toasted baguette and cool cheese.Courgette and whipped feta bruschetta with radishesPrep 10 minCook 15…