Author: damazah@gmail.com

From “Howdy” to “G’day”, English – like other languages – is rich in dialects. Now researchers have found sperm whales on different sides of the Mediterranean show similar variations in their vocalisations.Sperm whales communicate vocally using sequences of short clicks called codas. However, the rhythmic pattern of these clicks, known as the dialect, can differ between different matriarchal groups.Crucially, one group of sperm whales will only associate with another if they share the same dialect and hence belong to the same “vocal clan”.“The dialect is used to form social structures, within which these animals will cooperate,” said Dr Luke Rendell,…

Daniel Munoz’s second-half strike was enough to see a dominant Colombia beat DR Congo 1-0 as the South Americans secured their place in the World Cup last 32.Colombia, who had 20 efforts on goal, were made to wait until 14 minutes from time though to make the breakthrough at the Estadio Guadalajara after an inspired performance by DR Congo goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi. However, there was nothing Mpasi could do to stop Munoz’s deflected shot as the Crystal Palace player scored his second goal of the tournament to keep his side top of Group K and DR Congo will join them…

Actor Yul Edochie has dismissed recent criticism surrounding his personal life, insisting that no “mortal or spirit” can bring him down amid ongoing public debate involving his marriage to actress Judy Austin and her former husband, Mr Obasi. In a Facebook post on Sunday, Edochie said he has faced false claims for years but maintained that they have failed to affect him. “My aura gives my enemies sleepless nights. In the last 4 years they’ve told all sorts of lies against me and they all failed,” he wrote. He alleged that recent narratives suggesting he “took another man’s wife” were…

After the two hottest May days on record in the UK last month, gardeners may be surveying the damage and dreading the summer months ahead. “Heatwaves early in the summer can result in scorched, brown leaves,” says Leigh Hunt, the principal horticultural adviser at the Royal Horticultural Society. “When temperatures climb over 35C, there are more extreme effects.” (Thermometers hit 35.1C in London on 26 May.)But don’t put down your trowel in defeat just yet. “Plants were caught out by the sudden change in temperature,” says Hunt. “They are a bit more naturally resistant later in the summer.” Plus, there…

The Association of Resident Doctors at the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital, Sagamu, Ogun State, has announced a 10-day warning strike over the non-payment of revised professional and specialist allowances, acute manpower shortage, delayed training funds, and deteriorating welfare conditions. The association also imposed a fine of N50,000 on any member who violates the strike directive. The decision to embark on the industrial action was reached at the association’s second-quarter Ordinary General Meeting held on Monday at the Adebola Adegunwa Hall, OOUTH, Sagamu, according to a communiqué made available to our correspondent on Tuesday. In the communiqué, signed by the…

Illapa Sairitupac, Democratic New York State assembly candidate, from left, Zohran Mamdani, mayor of New York, and Brad Lander, former New York City comptroller and US Democratic House candidate for New York, campaign during a primary election in New York, US, on Tuesday, June 23, 2026. Adam Gray | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesThree progressive candidates endorsed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani won Democratic primaries for House seats on Tuesday night, ousting two incumbents in the process.Brad Lander, who previously was the city’s comptroller, defeated incumbent Rep. Dan Goldman in the 10th congressional district, which includes parts of lower…

In October, Kelly Clancy’s son received an assignment in sixth grade at a middle school in Brooklyn, New York, to create a science experiment and then ask Google Gemini, an artificial intelligence chatbot, for feedback, she said.Clancy, who has three children in New York City public schools, told the teacher that the bot “is something that just teaches kids that they can have machines do the thinking for them”, instead of suggesting: “Let’s talk to your partners. What about the science experiment could you improve?”Clancy also founded Parents for AI Caution in Educational Spaces, a group pushing the city to…

Let’s imagine you’ve been dumped by someone you were expecting to stay with for the rest of your life. The breakup is bitter. The logistics, exhausting. The two of you spend an eternity negotiating who gets to keep the dog, the flat, the friends; it’s hard to imagine that things will ever feel normal again. But the years have a way of softening these things. Some years later, a photo of your ex flashes up on your social media feed. And suddenly, you realise you feel no grudge. In fact, you barely feel anything at all.This is how it feels…

On the night of 13 March, under dim lights and the sound of worship songs, a crowd gathered at a crusade ground in Onyadama community, Obubra Local Government Area of Cross River State, in the south-southern part of Nigeria. What followed, according to video evidence and witness accounts obtained by PREMIUM TIMES, was not deliverance but a sustained mob assault. The victim of the attack was Grace Ekoi, a woman who appeared to be in her 50s. She survived. But another person, according to community sources, died. Several weeks later, no one has been arrested for the assault. There is…

“It’s hot, too hot. Very, very hot,” says Clark from Dalkeith, who is standing on a sidewalk in Miami. “I want a wee Arctic blast for about half an hour to calm down.”We’re outside the Auld Dubliner in downtown, where a number of Scots have gathered to watch the England game and apparently not for reasons of schadenfreude (at least not initially). The mood is upbeat, there are locals arriving to share the vibe, and nobody appears to have tired of drinking just yet.“Everybody loves the Scots,” says Clark’s friend Graeme, from Perth, who seemed to be of the impression…