Author: damazah@gmail.com

In a summer heatwave, you keep the curtains drawn all day.It helps keep the room cool.The physics of what is happening is as follows: Solar energy comes through the windows and is absorbed by the curtains. The curtains get hotter and hotter until they reach a temperature at which they are radiating as much heat as they absorb. The curtains radiate 50 per cent of this heat back towards the window, and 50 per cent of the heat into the room.In other words, curtains stop 50 per cent of the energy from the Sun.Today’s puzzle:Imagine a room with roller blinds…

Suggestions around Rashford have been that he is relaxed about the prospect of returning to training at United.For a start, there is not the same confrontational relationship between the player and his coach.Ruben Amorim fell out with the forward within weeks of his arrival from Sporting Lisbon. Amorim eventually exiled him, which triggered a loan move to Aston Villa. Then the head coach put Rashford in his ‘bomb squad’, along with Alejandro Garnacho, Antony, Tyrell Malacia and Jadon Sancho, when pre-season training began last summer. The other four players have all now left the club.Amorim’s replacement, Michael Carrick, is a…

Stephen Chow‘s perfectly timed return to soccer comedy kept on kicking in its second weekend at China‘s box office. Kung Fu Soccer, the comedy legend’s Shaolin Soccer spinoff, added $73.7 million (RMB 501.1 million) over the July 17-19 frame, lifting its total to $214.3 million (RMB 1.46 billion) in just nine days, according to data from Artisan Gateway. In a market where second weekends routinely shed half their opening business, the film instead topped its two-day debut frame of $73.6 million (RMB 500.3 million), albeit spread across three days this time. Having crossed $147 million (RMB 1 billion) in its…

By Lemmy Ughegbe Power changes many people. Some become distant. Others become inaccessible. Many begin to measure success by the authority they wield rather than the lives they touch. But every so often, one encounters a public servant whose humanity appears to have survived the weight of office. Such leaders remind us that compassion is not the opposite of strength.It is one of its highest expressions. That thought came to mind recently following reports that the Director-General of the Department of State Services, Mr. Oluwatosin Adeola Ajayi, facilitated the meritorious employment of twenty-seven orphans into the Service. In a country…

The United States has attacked Iran for a ninth consecutive night after the US military’s Central Command (CENTCOM) announced a US soldier had died in northern Iraq in a controlled detonation of unexploded ordnance from a downed Iranian drone.Here is what happened over Sunday night and Monday morning and what officials on both sides have said:Where was Iran attacked?CENTCOM announced in a statement on X that it completed the ninth wave of attacks against Iran at 02:00 GMT on Monday.It said it “targeted Iranian military command centers, air defense and coastal surveillance sites, maritime capabilities, missile and drone launch sites,…

Kayode Tokede  Following the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) reforms, which boosted investors’ interest in bank shares, the market capitalisation of 12 deposit money banks listed on the Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX), increased to N25.6 trillion as of July 17, 2026, about 58.6 per cent or N9.45 trillion increase when compared to N16.12 trillion in December 2025. Top on CBN’s  reforms include the sector’s recapitalisation, stability in the foreign exchange, tightening monetary policy, strengthening corporate governance, among others.  With the overall market capitalisation at N157.057 trillion as of July 17, 2026, the 12 banks contributed about 16.28 per cent or…

For many birdwatchers, recording a species outside its normal range is the holy grail. In the UK, the discoveries often make national headlinesThe western reef heron, for example, usually found in Africa and southern Europe, spotted in a seaside town in north Wales in June, which was widely celebrated on birding forums.But a new scourge is threatening to disrupt the fun: AI slop.Scientists are appealing to birders to limit their use of AI when editing images over fears that it could undermine the credibility of popular citizen science platforms such as iNaturalist and Macaulay Library, which are routinely used in…

A newly identified branch of the marsupial family tree is adding a surprising twist to the history of Australia’s most distinctive mammals. The finding suggests that their evolution was more complicated, and more mysterious, than scientists previously understood. Marsupials first reached Australia more than 55 million years ago. Since then, they have spread into an astonishing range of habitats and lifestyles. Today, they include about 160 species, from High Country animals (thumb-sized possums that sleep through the winter), to desert specialists in the Red Center, including tiny moles with pink fur and no eyes that spend their lives underground. Yet…

Jul 20, 2026, 03:25 AM ETArsenal are considering a move to sign John Stones as a free agent this summer, as cover for the injured William Saliba, while Dusan Vlahovic and Darwin Núñez are on Barcelona’s shortlist if they can’t land Julián Álvarez. Join us for the latest transfer news and rumors from around the globe.Transfers home page | Men’s summer grades | Women’s gradesTrending rumorsFormer Manchester City defender John Stones could head to London. Getty- Arsenal are considering a shock deal to sign former Manchester City defender John Stones as a free agent this summer, according to The Sun. It’s…

New-Gen Universe, Inc. is launching its first consumer products initiative at San Diego Comic-Con, debuting an exclusive collector’s trading card set made with Cryptozoic Entertainment to celebrate its Marvel-distributed comic series. Just 300 convention exclusive boxes exist worldwide for the July 23–26 event, making this among the rarest “New-Gen” collectibles released to date. Designed solely for the convention, the set also builds momentum for the upcoming 3D CGI animated series “New-Gen Nanobot Heroes.” In the comic, twin brothers Sean and Chris learn their bodies have been enhanced by nanotechnology, thrusting them into a fight against the villain Deadalus within a…