Author: damazah@gmail.com

Energy expert Dan Kunjle has urged the federal government to privatise the four state-owned refineries operated by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL). Mr Kunle made the call in an open letter to President Bola Tinubu on Sunday titled, “NNPC’s Four Diseased Fingers: The Refineries That Must Be Privatised.” In the letter, he described the refineries—Port Harcourt Refineries I and II, Warri Refinery and Kaduna Refinery—as “four diseased fingers” that have drained public resources for decades without delivering reliable refining capacity. He argued that continued spending on the refineries diverts scarce resources from critical sectors such as healthcare, education,…

United States midfielder Christian Pulisic (10) celebrates with teammate United States forward Folarin Balogun (20) after a goal against Paraguay in the first half of a FIFA World Cup 2026 soccer match at Los Angeles Stadium in Inglewood on Friday, June 12, 2026.Medianews Group/pasadena Star-news Via Getty Images | Medianews Group | Getty ImagesPresident Donald Trump reportedly asked FIFA to review a one-game World Cup suspension of U.S Men’s National Team striker Folarin Balogun before the international soccer regulatory body surprisingly reversed the ban on Sunday.Trump cheered FIFA’s decision, which allows the 25-year-old Balogun to play against Belgium in Monday’s…

Back in February, Uber announced ambitious plans to launch in seven new European markets in 2026 — but now the Financial Times reports that five of those launches are on hold. Country launches that have been paused include Austria, Norway, and Greece. Uber seemed to confirm the decision to the FT, saying that recent launches in Finland and Denmark had been a “huge success,” so now it wants to “focus on continuing the momentum” in existing markets. Another likely factor in the decision: Uber’s continuing efforts to acquire Delivery Hero, a European company that rejected Uber’s 10 billion euro takeover…

As Nigel Farage awaits the findings of a standards watchdog investigation into a £5m gift he received from the British-Thai crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne, fresh allegations about his finances have emerged.We take a look at the latest claims.What are the latest allegations?George Cottrell, a longtime aide to Farage, provided funding for the Reform UK leader’s operation, including for staffing, security and housing, according to a report in the Sunday Times.Cottrell recruited and paid three staff to work on Farage’s social media before the general election, and offered him the use of a five-storey Georgian townhouse he rented near Buckingham Palace,…

Ever since Crispr-Cas9 gene-editing technology emerged in the early 2010s, ethical questions around genetically altered humans, so-called designer babies, have become increasingly urgent. There is already a worldwide legal prohibition. No country currently allows human germline editing (meaning genetic changes to an embryo that could also be passed on to its children), and 70 have laws against it, including the UK. But a series of recent discoveries and a new poll suggest that scientists and the public believe gene-edited humans are likely – even desirable – in the near future.Two new studies use base editing – a more precise next-generation…

Key events83 min: Vinicius Jr, one of the few Brazilians to have taken the game to Norway wins a corner. Neymar takes. Norway head it away for another corner. Cleared at the near post.Share81 min: I wouldn’t say that was coming but Brazil have been so passive in this game, it’s far from an injustice.ShareHaaland has barely had a touch this game but this is what he does. Schjelderup floats the ball across and Haaland leaps and thumps the ball home with his head. Of course he does.ShareGOAL!!! Brazil 0-1 Norway (Haaland 79 min)Who else?Norway’s Erling Haaland scores. Photograph: Omar…

Tom Holland recently told Fandango that he thought director Christopher Nolan hated his performance on his first day filming “The Odyssey” because he kept calling cut. In reality, Nolan’s cuts were due to the limitations of the Imax cameras he was using. “Working with the Imax cameras for the first time is an experience,” Holland explained. “It is unlike anything I have ever seen before, and I didn’t know that it only ran for three minutes. So, I remember you would continue cutting, and I was with Jon [Bernthal], like, ‘Why does he keep cutting? Why does he keep doing…

Iyobosa Uwugiaren writes that in encouraging Nigerians, especially women and young people, to engage in small businesses such as frying akara or roasting corn, the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, touched a nerve in a nation weighed down by economic hardship. Critics saw the comment as lowering the aspirations of educated Nigerians who have invested years in acquiring university degrees. Yet, beyond the emotional reactions and political interpretations lies a reality that has defined Nigerian society for decades When the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, recently encouraged Nigerians to embrace small businesses such as frying akara and roasting corn, as legitimate…

By Marindoti Oludare The essence of democracy is not the ballot. The ballot is only its instrument. The essence of democracy is the free and open contest of competing ideas — the guarantee that power may be questioned, that the governed may argue back, and that no authority is so settled that it cannot be challenged in the open air of public debate. Strip away that contest and what remains is not democracy but its costume: elections without meaning, chambers without dissent, a people who vote but do not choose. This was the insight at the heart of the political…

Conservatives are winning elections across the region.In the past month, right-wing contenders have won presidential elections in Peru and Colombia.They are the latest additions to an expanding slate of conservative leaders who’ve come to power in Latin America, during the past three years.They’ve echoed some of US President Donald Trump’s rhetoric on crime and migrants.So, is this part of a new conservative regional alliance in the making?Presenter: Scott McLeanGuests:Jose Ragas – historian and assistant professor at the Catholic University of ChileOliver Stuenkel – associate professor, School of International Relations at the Getulio Vargas Foundation in BrazilJavier Farje – journalist and…