Author: damazah@gmail.com

Iyke Bede Oscar-nominated filmmaker Abderrahmane Sissako, Nigerian filmmaker and media entrepreneur Femi Odugbemi, film curator Keith Shiri and international producer Virginie Besson-Silla are among leading industry figures converging at Kunle Afolayan Productions (KAP) Film Village and Resort in Oyo State as the KAP-SOPA Pan-African Filmmaking Bootcamp concludes this week. The three-day programme, holding from September 17 to 19, will mark the graduation of 20 young Beninese filmmakers after a 12-week filmmaking programme jointly organised by Kunle Afolayan’s KAP Film and Television Academy and the Government of Benin through its audio-visual agency, SOPA. The programme began with four weeks of theoretical…

The Nigeria Labour Congress has called on the Federal Government to urgently introduce measures to cushion the impact of the rising price of petrol, including the payment of reasonable wage awards to workers and the sale of crude oil to local refineries in naira. The NLC, in a statement signed by its President, Joe Ajaero, on Wednesday, said petrol now sells for about ₦1,430 per litre in major cities, with prices reportedly higher in less accessible locations. The labour centre warned that the rising cost of petrol would further worsen the economic hardship facing Nigerians, noting that increases in transportation…

The leaders of eight German states have backed the nation’s chancellor amid growing speculation about his political future.The premiers – all of whom are part of Friedrich Merz’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) – wrote that restoring trust in their party lay in “listening ​and taking political action, not in debates ​over personnel”.Merz, who has only held the post for 16 months, is facing poor approval ratings while the anti-immigration, far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party is surging, prompting questions about whether he is an electoral liability.He has vowed to carry on but two more state elections on Sunday have been…

Oil prices in China have jumped to record highs, as refiners in the world’s biggest crude importer step up a hunt for supplies amid widening fears over the security of exports from the Middle East.Oil futures in Shanghai were trading at $129 a barrel on Wednesday, above their peak of $121.80 in the first weeks of the Iran war. The price has jumped 14 per cent since the end of last week when Saudi Arabia was forced to shut a key pipeline taking exports to the Red Sea after attacks by Iran-backed militias in Iraq.The price shock has reverberated through…

Microsoft’s head of AI has warned Anthropic’s approach to training its AI model Claude could have a “disastrous impact on the wellbeing of humanity”.Mustafa Suleyman said his rival risked creating something “impossible” to control by treating it like a human – including by telling it it “may be conscious” and was “deserving of independent agency”.”We must not sleepwalk our way into a decision we later come to bitterly regret,” he wrote.The comments are the latest in a series of stark warnings from the AI industry on the possible dangers of the technology. The BBC has contacted Anthropic for comment.”AIs are…

Sarah Cooper-Lesadd, one of 34 Reform MSs elected in May’s Senedd election, defected to Plaid on Tuesday.

The human brain is made up of billions of cells, interconnected in millions of circuits, making it difficult to understand its development and what exactly is happening – at the cellular level – when things go wrong.While this research is not the first time human neurons have been implanted in laboratory rodents, external, these scientists took that approach to a new level.First, they genetically-engineered mice to develop almost none of their own cerebral cortex – that is the outer layer of the brain sometimes referred to as “grey matter”. It handles higher-level thinking, memory and senses.The researchers then used skin…

Key eventsOooh wristy gorgeousness from George Hill as Leach is dispatched through the legside for four.ShareWarwickshire are going to win in two days again, to chalk those points on the slate. They’ve lost Yates, for 33, but only need 46 to sends Essex’s season sliding closer to the trap door.Applause round Headingley as the Yorkshire lead reaches three figures. And now we have Jack Leach.ShareKent need 140 to beat LancashireThree wickets each for Khaled, Milnes and Dudgeon at Canterbury in Lancs’ 192 all out. Harris (48) and Jones (54) propped the innings up. With promotion dangling, can Kent buckle through?ShareUpdated…

Nigerian serial entrepreneur, philanthropist, mentor and thyroid-health advocate, Ambassador Akawor Dolor, has added another significant milestone to her distinguished journey as an entrepreneur and philanthropist after being presented with the Distinguished Award for Social Impact & Humanitarian Leadership at the prestigious University of Oxford. Ambassador Dolor received the award at the Nelson Mandela Leadership Awards & Diplomat Summit, held at the University of Oxford, United Kingdom, on September 7, 2026. The recognition highlights an inspiring story of enterprise evolving into impact. Dolor is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Luxebyglamoholic, a multi-brand luxury retail company that has expanded its…

* Describes demise of the towering figure in the creative industry as a great loss to the nationDeji Elumoye in Abuja  President Bola Tinubu has expressed sadness over the passing of veteran Nollywood actor and film executive Oludotun Baiyewu Jacobs, popularly known as Olu Jacobs, who passed away at age 84 on Wednesday. After his training at London’s Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, Olu Jacobs built a career in British television and international film before returning home to Nigeria, where he became a major force in the film industry. He won major industry honours and awards for his pioneering roles and…