Author: damazah@gmail.com

The Nyesom Wike faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kwara State has unveiled former Secretary of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Cornelius Fawenu, as the running mate of its governorship candidate, Kawu Agaka, for the 2027 election. This is contained in a statement issued in Ilorin on Wednesday by the party’s publicity secretary, Olusegun Adewara. According to the statement, Mr Agaka communicated his decision to nominate Mr Fawenu as his preferred running mate in a letter to the party’s state chairman after concluding consultations with party stakeholders. The PDP said the choice of the cleric reflected its…

At least two people died on Wednesday during massive celebrations in Mexico City as the national team advanced to the next round at the World Cup, according to the local government. A 19-year-old woman and a 44-year-old man died of asphyxiation, according to the city’s health ministry. Authorities have not confirmed the death of a third person, reported by local media. The celebrations came after Mexico beat Ecuador to record their first World Cup knockout win since 1986, sending the co-hosts into the round of 16. More than a million people gathered in the streets of Mexico City, mainly around…

David Chase, the seven-time Emmy winner and showrunner of HBO series The Sopranos, is set to be a key speaker at the upcoming edition of the Karlovy Vary’s Industry Days program, the industry strand of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.  Further speakers this year include Bad Sisters writer-actress-producer Sharon Horgan, Succession director and cinematographer Andrij Parekh, Riff Raff Entertainment’s Ben Jackson and Katie Sinclair, Nomadland producer Mollye Asher, The Hurt Locker producer Greg Shapiro and Debbie McWilliams, the legendary casting director who has spent decades casting James Bond films.  Chase will participate in an on-stage conversation at Karlovy Vary on July 8 where he will reflect on…

Sunday Aborisade in Abuja The Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) yesterday unveiled former All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain and academic, Professor Festus Uwakhemen Asikhia, as its candidate for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Senatorial seat for the 2027 general election. The candidate pledged to pursue legislative reforms aimed at improving gover-nance, eliminating multiple taxation, and strengthening democratic institutions in the nation’s capital. At the unveiling ceremony in Abuja, the party’s National Chairman, Dan Nwanyanwu, expressed confidence in Asikhia’s candidacy, describing him as a politician with integrity and the capacity to effectively represent FCT residents in the National Assembly. Nwanyanwu said the ZLP…

The Nigeria Alumni Chapter of the China Europe International Business School (CEIBS) has urged Nigerian business leaders to embrace executive education that combines global business perspectives with local realities, arguing that such exposure is increasingly important as China’s economic footprint across Africa continues to expand. The call was made on Saturday during the induction of the CEIBS Nigeria Alumni Chapter and the launch of its website in Lagos, where business executives, entrepreneurs, alumni, and graduates of the school’s programmes gathered to discuss leadership and business development. Speaking at the event, Executive Director of CEIBS Africa, Professor Gordon Adomdza, said executive…

Gold prices fell further on Wednesday, after the precious metal closed its worst quarter in 13 years in three months to the end of June. Gold futures began the second half of 2026 on the backfoot, sliding 1.24% in early trade to $3,989.00. Spot prices were also lower, falling 0.82% at $3,974.51.Having spiked at an all-time high of $5,586.20 on Jan. 29, bullion has since plunged as investors turn negative on the non-yielding asset’s prospects in a potentially higher rate environment.About 16% was wiped off gold in the three-month period ended June 30 — its worst quarter since the second…

As one of France’s hottest days on record unfolded on 23 June, exasperated people painted white chalk on their windows to screen out the sun. Paris’s Eiffel Tower closed early.And in the town of Ergué-Gabéric, in Brittany, the punishing temperatures – around 40C – were too much for one electric transformer.The chunky metal box malfunctioned, initially leaving more than 100,000 people without power.It was a “heat related” incident, according to local authorities, external. Videos posted to social media appeared to show a plume of smoke rising from the stricken transformer. A spokeswoman for power company RTE confirmed to the BBC…

Kaduna State Governor, Senator Uba Sani, has urged politicians to refrain from politicising judicial decisions, saying the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, was among those who had benefited from court rulings in the past. Speaking during an exclusive interview with ARISE NEWS on Tuesday, Sani reacted to concerns surrounding the Federal High Court’s ruling affecting the registration of the NDC, stressing that confidence in the judiciary remained critical to the survival of Nigeria’s democracy. The governor said politicians should not applaud the courts when judgments favour them and condemn the judiciary whenever decisions go against…

We are born with an understanding of numbers, which has probably given us a huge evolutionary advantageMarc Calleja / Alamy Babies are born with an innate sense of numbers, and now, the brain mechanisms behind this ability have been identified for the first time. Within days or even hours of being born, a group of babies could distinguish between four and 12 stimuli, with their brain activity showing how this rudimentary sense of numerosity is in place. “Extracting numerical information from the environment is just like seeing the world in colour, for most people,” says Brian Butterworth at University College…

Scarlets made a loss of £2.1m during the 2024-2025 season, according to the club’s latest accounts.It is a third year in a row the Welsh region have posted a loss of more than £2m.The financial results cover the period to June 2025, with the loss down from £2.6m from the previous 12 months.Turnover dropped from £10.2m compared to £11.3m with gate receipts, sponsorship and money received from the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) all down.The region made cuts to outgoings of 10%, with the wage bill down from £8.24m to £6.94m.A new share issue also boosted finances by £940,000.Scarlets’ debt remains…