Author: damazah@gmail.com

SATURDAY UPDATE: Not sunny weather, nor World Cup is hindering Universal‘s The Odyssey which as of this morning is on its way to becoming Christopher Nolan‘s best global opening ever with $257.8M, which puts away his previous highs of The Dark Knight Rises ($249M WW debut in like-for-likes), The Dark Knight ($198M WW) and Oppenheimer ($180M WW). As far as the top global openings year-to-date, it’s the best for a live-action movie quite easily, but it’s third overall behind Universal/Illumination/Nintendo’s The Super Mario Galaxy Movie ($372.5M WW) and Disney/Pixar’s Toy Story 5 ($312M WW). With domestic at $120.5M, the best live-action debut…

The CBSE released the results for Second Board examinations today, July 18, 2026. The question now arises, did the new two-board system actually help students? We try to decode the logic and the result behind this initiative, aimed at aligning the hitherto education framework to a more NEP 2020-aligned system.The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) declared the results of the Class 10 of the Second Board Examinations today, July 18, 2026. The results were released for the students who took the improvement examinations for class 10, a new initiative started by the Board in order to align the framework…

Governor Umar Namadi of Jigawa State on Friday suspended a N1.3 billion hospital renovation project after publicly querying the quality of work. He cited the use of low-quality materials and non-compliance with project specifications. The project is for the renovation and remodelling of the Gumel General Hospital. ​Governor Namadi had conducted an unscheduled night inspection of the facility in Gumel Local Government Area. ​The contract was awarded to Yasmeen Automobile Nigeria Limited last December, with an eight-month completion timeline. “The work is very poor; that is the truth. What we asked to be done in Gumel is the total renovation…

César Alcaraz had only just become a firefighter in the late 1990s when he found himself ambushed by a fast-moving blaze. Barely able to breathe and with no more water left in his truck, he and his colleagues fled an inferno ravaging Spain’s Montgó mountain region, wishing their bosses had sent more support.But nearly three decades on, as an officer with Alicante’s provincial firefighters, Alcaraz has more sympathy for the agonising choices that commanders have to make. When wildfires overwhelm an area, his job resembles that of a doctor in an emergency room with too few ventilators.It is a dilemma…

By Etop Ekanem Nigeria’s foremost development finance institution, Bank of Industry (BoI) has secured a 60 million euro credit facility from the European Investment Bank to fund Nigeria’s cocoa and dairy value addition drive, with a focus on processing, ingredients and chocolate manufacturing. Managing Director/CEO of BoI, Dr. Olasupo Olusi, disclosed this during the Africa Cocoa Summit convened in Abuja on July 14 by the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment with the aim of transitioning Africa from exporting raw beans to local processing and branding. Also known as the Cocoa Value Addition Summit with the theme: “From Bean to…

“This is a great big fat ‘Oh, no,’” Anawalt said in reaction to Hegseth’s announcement. “We’re turning the clock back on rational healthcare. … I’m worried about the ethics. I’m worried about the health consequences. I’m worried about unnecessary evaluations, incorrect assessments, and incorrect diagnoses that lead to inappropriate prescriptions of testosterone.” To understand why, let’s start with the basic question: Why might someone have low testosterone? Causes of “low T” Disease states that can cause low testosterone include genetic conditions, such as Klinefelter syndrome (when a male has an extra X chromosome) or a problem with the brain’s pituitary…

Burnham is unusual in politics because even colleagues who are furious that he ousted Sir Keir Starmer say he is an affable and decent person.But does he have the experience and skills to pick Labour’s morale up off the floor, and tackle the deep problems the country has?One old friend wonders: “He is a lovely bloke, but I just don’t know if he is up to it – that is the honest question.”Being Mr Nice Guy isn’t enough to be an effective prime minister in a confusing and brutal political era.But you can be ruthless with a smile, and Andy…

Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and the only female candidate in the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) presidential election, has maintained an early lead in the race. When PREMIUM TIMES checked the live election results portal at 4:15 p.m. on Saturday, Mrs Badejo-Okusanya had polled 9,053 votes, representing 45.18 per cent of the ballots cast. Her closest challenger, Lateef Omoyemi Akangbe, also a SAN, had secured 6,253 votes (31.27 per cent), while Olumuyiwa Akinboro, also a SAN, polled 4,709 votes (23.54 per cent). The live results portal also showed that 20,035 voters, representing 24.38 per cent of the…

Keely Hodgkinson secures her first Diamond League win of the season, beating Femke Broeders-Bol to place first in the women’s 800m event at the London Stadium.

“The Odyssey” didn’t need a Trojan Horse to break into the top of Friday’s box office charts. Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” earned $51 million on Friday from 3,919 North American screens. Early estimates had the saga grossing $90 million to $100 million by Sunday, but after a stellar opening day, forecasts have the film climbing as high as $120 million. “The Odyssey” will soon become the third film in 2026 to open above $100 million after “Toy Story 5” ($159 million) and “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” ($131 million). “The Odyssey” carries a hefty $250 million price tag. An $120…