Author: damazah@gmail.com

Born Nigel John Dermot Neill in Omagh, Northern Ireland, in 1947, he moved to Christchurch, New Zealand, with his family as a child.He adopted the name Sam at the age of 12 because there were several Nigels at his school.He began acting while studying at the University of Canterbury and made his film debut in 1971’s The City of No. After a number of television and film roles in New Zealand, he gained wider recognition in the 1977 film Sleeping Dogs, one of the country’s first films to achieve international distribution.He later moved to Australia, where he starred in My…

Courgettes are an early summer delight, when, such is their appeal and versatility, you often can’t move for them in my kitchen. Even so, I am not entirely sure they get the full recognition they deserve in the UK, not least because we grow some marvellous varieties here. I use courgettes in everything from raw salads (very thinly sliced courgettes tossed in salt and lemon) to slow-cooked, crisp-fried (the flowers are especially good stuffed with cheese or meat, then deep-fried) or lightly charred on a barbecue, which brings out a wonderful sweetness; you can even bake them into a deliciously…

Pubs and brewers are being prevented from capitalising on Britons’ record-breaking thirst for alcohol-free beer because of over-strict regulation, a trade body has warned.More than 64m pints of low- and no-alcohol beer is forecast to be sold over the summer, an increase of 8m compared with 2025, the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) said, citing the figures as proof that the category is “not just a fad”.The trend comes amid lower rates of alcohol consumption among younger people and a more short-term trend towards moderation, with the UK in the grip of multiple prolonged heatwaves.However, the BBPA warned that…

The Bangkok pub that has become the scene of the city’s deadliest blaze in 17 years has said it will cooperate with an investigation into alleged negligence, as the death toll rose to 30.The local district office said on Tuesday that three more people died after the devastating fire that broke out in the early hours of Monday. An initial assessment by disaster officials found that an electrical short ‌circuit in an air conditioner located in the ‌ceiling caused the fire.Authorities have confirmed the identities of 27 victims, with three yet to be identified. Most are believed to be Thai…

A pattern is emerging among people who’ve already made it big. They’re rolling up their sleeves again, seemingly out of fear of missing AI’s defining moment and, presumably, the irresistible allure of making even more money — potentially a lot more. Tom Blomfield, who co-founded GoCardless and Monzo before spending 4.5 years mentoring founders as a Y Combinator Group Partner, announced on Monday that he is taking a leave of absence to join Anthropic’s compute team — not as an executive, but as a member of technical staff. He’s not alone in making that kind of move. Instagram co-founder Mike…

***Awards N10m cost against party ***Judgment won’t affect ADC candidates, party insists ***Atiku heads to S’Court, alleges forged INEC documents over ‘fake’ nomination upload By Ikechukwu Nnochiri, Omeiza Ajayi & Luminous Jannamike ABUJA — In a split decision of two-to-one, the Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja yesterday affirmed the judgment restraining the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, from recognising or participating in any state congresses organised by committees appointed by the Senator David Mark-led caretaker leadership of African Democratic Congress, ADC. But the party in a swift reaction, insisted the judgment does not affect candidates produced through the party’s…

Scientists often talk about the importance of flora and fauna to the health of our planet, but Dr Toby Kiers, an evolutionary biologist and founder of the Society for the Protection of Underground Networks, wants us to consider another force: fungi. Her work charting the planet’s vital underground systems has earned her numerous awards, including a MacArthur fellowship and a Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement (sometimes called the ‘green’ Nobel). She tells Ian Sample about her work mapping fungal networks on the remote Palmyra Atoll in the Pacific Ocean, and what the research reveals about fungi’s often invisible role

PHILADELPHIA — I was ready to be angry. Hell, I was angry. I wrote a whole column about how mad I was at myself for getting angry regarding the Home Run Derby format change. I still prefer the clock, but Monday night’s event in Philadelphia had positives. A good number of them. Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber and the Citizens Bank Park crowd sprang to life and stole the show late, making it an incredibly fun night before Cardinals breakout star Jordan Walker made an unlikely late surge to win it. This Derby was a rousing success.  The potential problems with this Home Run Derby formatOn the negative…

By Ayo Onikoyi Nigerian adult film actress Gray Africana has opened up about the criticism she receives because of her career, stating that many people often forget that she is human and capable of experiencing love and emotions. The actress shared her thoughts during a recent appearance on Out of the Box Podcast, where she reflected on relationships, heartbreak and the challenges of being judged based on her profession. Gray Africana revealed that despite the public perception surrounding her, she desires a genuine relationship and hopes to share the love she has within her heart with the right person. “I…

Nigeria and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China have signed a bilateral agreement to eliminate double taxation and strengthen economic cooperation between both jurisdictions. The agreement, signed virtually on Monday, is aimed at preventing the double taxation of income, curbing tax evasion and avoidance, and creating a more predictable tax environment for businesses and investors operating across both economies. Nigeria’s Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, signed the agreement on behalf of the Federal Government, while Hong Kong’s Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Christopher Hui, signed on behalf of the Hong…