Author: damazah@gmail.com

Germany will gradually raise its retirement age to about 70 by the early 2090s under recommendations backed by the chancellor, Friedrich Merz, as a means of future-proofing the pension system for an ageing population.Presenting its findings on Tuesday, an expert commission set up to explore reforms to the pension system said retirement age should be linked to rising life expectancy and early retirement should be scrapped.“No citizen needs to worry,” said Merz, as he said the measures would prevent the collapse of the creaking pension system and strengthen the social contract between generations. Young people, he argued, would be given…

Champion Breweries Plc has appointed Malolan Sampath as the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Company, taking effect from 1 September. The company disclosed the leadership transition in a regulatory filing signed by its chair, Imo-Abasi Jacob, on Tuesday. The appointment followed the resignation of Inalegwu Adoga as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the company. “The Board has approved the appointment of Mr. Malolan Sampath as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer with effect from 1 September 2026,” the statement read. The board expressed its confidence that Mr Sampath’s expertise in manufacturing excellence, commercial execution, and…

In 2016, the Lagos State Government took a bold step to tackle youth unemployment, provide financial support, and create wealth for residents, which led to the establishment of the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF) under the Ministry of Wealth, Creation, and Employment. Ten years on, the fund continues to provide much-needed support to innovators and businesses in Nigeria’s centre of excellence through five key interventions: access to finance, access to skills development, access to capacity building, access to the market, and access to the technology ecosystem The fund marked its tenth anniversary on June 15th, 2026, in Lagos, gathering…

It is 10 years since the British public decided to pack up its troubles in its old kit bag, give Jacques Delors the final up yours and march off into an EU-free paradise. Opinions may differ on how that has worked out. Certainly several of the architects of the whole thing are enjoying lovely well-paid retirements on the speaking circuit or have seats in the House of Lords. Anyway, here are 18 questions about Brexit and the referendum campaign. How much do you remember about some of the weirder aspects of those few weeks, months and then years as the…

Kombucha has surged in popularity worldwide in recent years, becoming one of the most widely consumed fermented drinks. While many people choose it for its distinctive flavor, researchers are taking a closer look at what is happening inside the beverage during fermentation and how its ingredients may influence its properties. Scientists from the Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences and Wroclaw Medical University (Associate Professor Helena Moreira, PhD, Associate Professor Ewa Barg, PhD, and Anna Szyjka, MSc Eng.) set out to investigate one key question: Does the type of tea used to make kombucha affect the final product? Their…

Head coach Brendon McCullum said he remains “good friends” with England captain Ben Stokes and the pair have “no idea” why rumours of a rift have emerged.The pair reunited on Tuesday for England’s crucial deciding Test against New Zealand after Stokes missed the second following an incident in a London nightclub.Both McCullum and Stokes had previously denied their relationship was strained during the 4-1 Ashes defeat in Australia, and McCullum has faced questions about their partnership during Stokes’ absence.At Trent Bridge, two days before the third Test against New Zealand, McCullum revealed the pair spoke face-to-face on Tuesday morning.”I said:…

In the final moments of Casino Royale, a piercingly blue-eyed Daniel Craig holds the conniving career criminal known as Mr White (Jesper Christensen) at gunpoint on the steps of his Lake Como villa. “The name’s Bond,” the spy says coolly to his captive. You can probably finish the rest of that sentence.Despite the intense scrutiny Craig endured prior to its release, the 21st entry in the 007 franchise would prove to be an era-defining take on a truly modern-day Bond. If past iterations saw him reduced to a smattering of cliches, all parodied to death over the years, Craig’s debut…

The adoption of citizen-centred reform in public service is fundamental to democratic consolidation in the country, Prof. Tunji Olaopa has declared. Olaopa , the Chairman of the Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC), spoke on Tuesday in Abuja on the topic “The Public Service in Challenging Times: Rethinking Praxis for More Inclusive and Innovative Reform” during the Nigeria Public Service Lecture marking the United Nations Public Service Day organised by the Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR) . According to Olaopa who was the guest speaker at the event, public service reforms have not yielded expected results because they have failed…

The Trump administration temporarily lifted oil sanctions against Iran on Monday in a sharp reversal of U.S. policy that could provide Iran with an economic boon after years of having to sell at a discount to buyers who risked running afoul of the United States.Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that the 60-day sanctions exemption, which authorizes the purchase of Iranian oil in U.S. dollars, giving Iran greater access to American currency, was the result of “ongoing productive” talks with Iran in Bürgenstock, Switzerland.Vice President JD Vance, who has been leading the U.S. negotiating team in Bürgenstock, said that Tehran had…

Météo France said the red alert in much of France would be extended on Wednesday afternoon from 54 to 58 of the country’s 96 metropolitan departments, to include several areas in the north west.The president of the Île-de-France region which covers the entire Paris area, Valérie Pécresse, urged people not to travel and to work from home instead: “The rail tracks cannot withstand temperatures above 50C. So we’ll have a lot of disruption to public transport.”The Eiffel Tower said it was closing early on Tuesday because of the high temperatures forecast in the capital. Instead of staying open until 00:45…