Author: damazah@gmail.com

GKids has acquired the Studio Ghibli library for the U.K. and Ireland, picking up rights across theatrical, home video, TV and digital for the Japanese animation studio’s entire 23-film back catalog. GKids will kick off the new deal with a theatrical Imax release of Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989) on Aug. 21. Hayao Miyazaki‘s second feature follows the adventures of Kiki, a young witch who moves to the port city of Koriko with her cat Jiji and starts a flying courier service. Future Ghibli titles slated for the Imax treatment include Hiromasa Yonebayashi’s The Secret World of Arrietty (2010) and Yoshifumi…

The Federal Government has said it has secured 1,721 terrorism convictions since the commencement of its Mass Trial Programme in October 2017. This was disclosed by the Director, Legal Services, Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), Mr Zakari Mijinyawa, on Thursday during a joint security news briefing by the spokespersons of the security, defence and law enforcement agencies in Abuja. Mijinyawa said the programme, coordinated by the ONSA, Federal Ministry of Justice, Judiciary and security agencies, had completed 10 phases of terrorism trials. According to him, the programme has also discharged or acquitted defendants where evidence failed to establish guilt beyond…

*Says it’s the party’s internal affairs Alex Enumah in Abuja Justice Musa Liman of a Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday dismissed a suit challenging the Senator David Mark-led leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC). Justice Liman dismissed the suit while delivering ruling in the preliminary objection filed by the defendants. A Kogi State House of Representatives member, Hon. Leke Abejide, had dragged the ADC, preliminary objections raised by the ADC, its former National Chairman, Ralph Nwosu, current National Chairman, Mark, National Secretary, Rauf Aregbesola and two others to court, seeking an order voiding their leadership of the…

A Federal Government delegation, led by Ekperikpe Ekpo, Minister of State, Petroleum Resources (Gas), is presently in Rivers State to assess the impact of gas leaks in Bille community, Degema Local Government Area. The visit came less than 48 hours after Siminalayi Fubara, governor of Rivers State, vowed swift action to ensure enduring solutions to the environmental crisis in the community. Ekpo led the delegation to an enlarged meeting of key stakeholders, comprising representatives of the Federal Government, the state government and community leaders at Government House on Wednesday. Onwuka Nzeshi, chief press secretary to the state governor, said the…

Owners of Meta’s AI glasses have been told they must pay a monthly fee if they want full access to a feature that was previously free.Users will have to shell out $19.99 every month to use “Conversation Focus”, which uses the microphones on the glasses to make it easier to hear people you’re talking to, for more than three hours a month.Meta says those who hit the “free monthly usage limit” will have to wait for their free hours to refresh each calendar month unless they subscribe.The social media giant declined to provide a statement, but a spokesperson said the…

— Describes state police as a “child of necessity”— Governors promise speedy approval— As Ekiti governor promises 700,000 votes for Tinubu, reaches out to opposition By Johnbosco Agbakwuru ABUJA — The Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, on Wednesday said the National Assembly is working to prevent governors from abusing state police. The Ekiti State Governor, Abiodun Oyebanji, also promised that the state will deliver about 700,000 votes to President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 elections. The two spoke to State House correspondents after meeting with President Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. Fielding questions about fears that governors might use their…

A civil society organisation, Coalition of Concerned Nigerians on Health Reform, has passed a vote of no confidence on the Minister of Health, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, and called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to immediately declare a state of emergency in Nigeria’s health sector. In a statement read by the Coordinator of the group, Muniretu Isa, titled ‘Enough Is Enough: Declare a State of Emergency in Nigeria’s Health Sector Now,’ the coalition said: “We have lost confidence in Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate as the Coordinating Minister of Health. “The Coalition of Concerned Nigerians on Health Reform calls on President…

Belgium produced one of the most remarkable comebacks of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Wednesday, fighting back from two goals down to defeat Senegal 3-2 after extra time and book a place in the Round of 16. Youri Tielemans converted a dramatic penalty in the 125th minute to seal Belgium’s victory and extend the Red Devils’ unbeaten run to 17 matches. Senegal dominated the opening stages and deservedly took the lead through Habib Diarra after Ismaïla Sarr’s header struck the post. The Teranga Lions continued to dictate play, with Sadio Mané and Sarr causing constant problems for Belgium’s defence.…

Variety gathered leading figures from the French film industry for its fourth dinner at Lapérouse in Paris, a post-Cannes and summer celebration bringing together Cannes Film Festival director Thierry Frémaux, Mediawan boss Pierre-Antoine Capton, MK2 Films co-CEO Nathanaël Karmitz and Pathé Films president Ardavan Safaee, as well as actors and filmmakers Anamaria Vartolomei, Rebecca Zlotowski, Guillaume Canet, Marina Foïs, Géraldine Nakache and Elsa Zylberstein, among others. Hosted at the iconic Paris restaurant with the support of co-owners Émilie and Benjamin Patou, the evening toasted the global reach of French cinema after a Cannes edition that showcased a wide range of…

…Rodney must be placed at the centre of a people-centred historiography of Sierra Leone, even if he has not been institutionally recognised as such. His interest was not in rulers alone, nor in ethnic origins as static inheritances, nor in colonial institutions as the natural containers of history. He was interested in social formations. He wanted to understand how communities produced, exchanged, fought, ruled, absorbed outsiders, generated dependents, and responded to the pressures of long-distance trade. His was a history of ordinary people, but not in a sentimental sense. Walter Rodney occupies a strange place in the historiography of Sierra…