Author: damazah@gmail.com

We’re sipping chestnut kir on a terrace overlooking the Tarn River in southern France when we hear excited voices from the table beside us: “Regards! C’est un castor!” Below us, a beaver the length of my leg is languidly swimming upstream. We don’t need our binoculars because the Tarn is so clean that almost every fish, frog, pebble and ribbon of weed can be seen with the naked eye, magnified by the clarity of the water. This meandering, jade-green river – which winds from its source in the Cévennes national park to Moissac, just north of Toulouse – is home…

• Maintains 100% JV cash call payments, seeks partners’ compliance • FG has hired PwC to streamline over 270 fees, taxes, says Lokpobiri • Renaissance finds new oil in OML 74 after SPDC acquisition • IPPG: Middle East crisis exposed Nigeria’s capacity gap Emmanuel Addeh and Peter Uzoho in Abuja Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) yesterday disclosed that it saved $3.4 billion through contract restructuring and optimisation between April 2025 and July 2026, while remitting N19.5 trillion to the Federation Account over the period. Group Chief Executive Officer, Bayo Ojulari, made the revelation while highlighting the impact of ongoing…

Shadow communications minister ‘not going to apologise for doing my job’ after testing triple zero twiceThe shadow communications minister, Sarah Henderson, says she is “not going to apologise for doing my job” after she tested the triple-zero number herself twice today, amid Telstra outages.Henderson said she called triple zero twice and when those calls didn’t connect, she notified Telstra. double quotation mark… it is my job to hold the government and the telecommunications carriers to account on critical services such as the operation of the Triple Zero network. After learning about the outage, my first concern was for the safety…

Good morning and welcome to FirstFT. In today’s newsletter:France’s Marine Le Pen to run for presidentNigel Farage’s gambit undercut by rivals’ refusal to participateDonald Trump threatens to remove all US troops from EuropeMeta tests ‘super sensing’ AI glasses You can listen to today’s top news stories in the FT News Briefing podcast.We begin in France, where far-right leader Marine Le Pen has said that she will run for president.What to know: Le Pen has announced she would seek the French presidency despite judges upholding her embezzlement conviction, setting up an unprecedented election campaign next year. “I am a candidate for…

Cases of a diarrhea-causing intestinal parasite have exploded in Michigan over the last two weeks in an outbreak that still has no clear source. As of July 6, the state has received reports of over 700 cases since June 22, along with 36 hospitalizations, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHSS) told Ars Technica on Tuesday. On June 30, the health department reported 170 cases, which rose to 572 on July 4. The microscopic unicellular parasite Cyclospora cayetanensis is behind the cases, causing a disease called cyclosporiasis. Although the infection is generally not life-threatening, it usually causes “watery…

Linus Aleke in Abuja Ebonyi State Governor, Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru, has described the establishment of the Nigerian Army Depot, Amasiri-Edda, as a strategic boost to national security, saying it would strengthen regional stability, enhance military capacity and stimulate socio-economic development in the South-East. According to a statement by the Acting Director of Army Public Relations, Colonel Appolonia Anele, the governor made the remarks while receiving the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, on a courtesy visit. He stressed the need for sustained collaboration between the Nigerian Army and the Ebonyi State Government to consolidate peace, enhance security…

Machines are increasingly being used to edit written output.Credit: GettyA new academic ‘humanizer’ tool aims to personalize the tone of research papers written with an artificial-intelligence program, in part by erasing apparent signs of AI usage. Some researchers praise the tool — but others are voicing concerns.The tool, released on 20 June, is tailored for “papers and grant proposals”, according to its developer, Jie Ding, a machine-learning researcher at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. It can be used to “match the author’s own voice”, according to the GitHub site for the tool, which lists under “core principles” the need…

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON – JULY 06: Romelu Lukaku #9 of Belgium celebrates with teammates after scoring the team’s fourth goal during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16 match between USA and Belgium at Seattle Stadium on July 06, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. David Ramos/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by David Ramos / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP) It is Donald Trump’s signature dance, but triumphant Belgian footballers stole his “Y.M.C.A.” moves after he intervened before the match in which they knocked the United States out of the World Cup. The Belgian team copied Trump’s unmistakable swaying fist…

US President Donald Trump described rapper Nicki Minaj as “respected” and “so hot” while introducing her during a White House Rose Garden luncheon on Monday. Mr Trump singled out the Trinidadian-born rapper during his speech, praising both her talent and her support before inviting her to stand before the audience. “We also have a woman who is so respected and so hot and such a great friend of… I don’t say conservative, I say of common sense.” He continued: “She’s a fantastic person, and she’s a woman that everybody respects. She’s got real talent. Nicki Minaj. Nicki, stand up, please.”…

The House of Representatives Public Accounts Committee has summoned the Accountant-General of the Federation, Shamseldeen Ogunjimi, to appear before it on Monday, 13 July. The summons follows the committee’s expression of dissatisfaction with what it described as the Accountant-General’s persistent failure to respond to invitations and requests for official documents. The committee also directed the heads of six Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) to appear on the same day, warning that it would invoke its constitutional powers to compel attendance should they fail to comply. The committee issued the directive during its sitting on Tuesday, with its Chairperson, Bamidele Salam,…