Author: damazah@gmail.com

One of the UK’s biggest defence contractors has blamed Brexit and Covid among a catalogue of problems to beset an important contract for the Royal Navy, which led its annual profits to plunge.Profits at Babcock International fell by almost a fifth in the year to the end of March, as the firm reported a £140m charge on its contract to build five Type 31 frigates for the Royal Navy.The company, which reported a 19% fall in underlying operating profits to £293.3m, said the contract it won in 2019 only had “certain escalation clauses” to protect it from cost increases related…

Energy company Aradel Holdings saw its net profit for 2025 increase by 192.3 per cent, compared to what it reported a year earlier, according to its latest audited report, taking its profit after tax to the peak level ever. The remarkable improvement rested on the ₦393.2 billion translation gain it earned from the business combination it executed last year after acquiring a majority stake in ND Western, an oil drilling firm in which it previously held a non-controlling interest. Towards the end of 2025, Aradel procured a 40 per cent stake in ND Western in a transaction that took its…

For Ayesha Omar, the argument is not theoretical. The actress, who has worked in Pakistan’s film and television industry for more than 20 years, says her own images were stolen and circulated long before social media made such exposure commonplace. Photographs taken on a holiday over a decade ago in Thailand with a female friend, on a beach, where she wore a one-piece swimsuit and shorts, were taken from a laptop without her knowledge and posted online.

…the absence of serving security chiefs from the second day of the summit was disappointing. The gathering offered a rare opportunity for frank conversations, confidence-building, and institutional learning. Meanwhile, the communiqué issued at the end of the two-day summit, signed by NUJ President Comrade Alhassan Yahaya Abdullahi, captured many of the concerns raised during the discussions. Most importantly, participants reaffirmed that national security and sustainable development depend on strong, transparent, and accountable partnerships among the media, security agencies, government institutions, and citizens. Crisis communication teaches one hard truth: silence doesn’t calm a crisis — it fuels it. When leaders fail…

Sam BordenJun 22, 2026, 03:12 AM ETCloseSam Borden is a senior writer for ESPN.com.Multiple AuthorsIRVINE, Calif. — At each match during this summer’s FIFA World Cup, there is a person tasked with an incredibly important (and uniquely modern) job: Make sure the soccer balls don’t die.This is the reality of playing soccer in a post-technological era. The Adidas Trionda, which is the official match ball of this tournament, is a fully “smart” ball — Adidas uses the term “connected” — which means the ball can transmit a record amount of near instantaneous data, assist in making offside decisions in a…

Nigerian actress Toyin “Lola Idije” Afolayan has revealed what she believes lies at the root of the nation’s current problems. The actress disclosed this on Friday at the Osun Dagbonu cinema experience with Sotayo Gaga, amid growing insecurity, a worsening economy, and other challenges confronting the country. Speaking on Day Two of the four-day cinema tour with fans, Lola Idije attributed the country’s problems to the abandonment of indigenous spiritual practices. She said: “We won’t suffer, and we won’t be implicated in matters we know nothing about. God will help us find solutions to these problems in Nigeria. It’s when…

It took Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood more than a decade to follow acclaimed 2015 album “Junun.” A musician died. A pandemic intervened. And then there were the visas. “Ranjha,” released last month via World Circuit/BMG, reunites Greenwood with Israeli musician Shye Ben Tzur — who divides his time between Israel and India — and their ensemble The Rajasthan Express for a follow-up to their debut. In the intervening years Greenwood has composed film scores, recorded “Jarak Qaribak” with Israeli rock musician Dudu Tassa, and played in The Smile with Radiohead’s Thom Yorke – but this is the project he kept…

As heatwaves become an increasingly common feature of European summers, more of us are looking to cooler, northern coastlines for our seaside holidays. From the traditional seaside towns of Germany, northern France and the Netherlands, to the long sandy beaches of the Baltic coast and the islands of Scandinavia, we’d love to hear about your favourite cooler coastal breaks in Europe.The best tip of the week, chosen by Tom Hall of Lonely Planet wins a £200 voucher to stay at a Coolstays property – the company has more than 3,000 worldwide. The best tips will appear in the Guardian Travel…

Former Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova was handed a four-year suspension on Monday for refusing an anti-doping test. Vondrousova did not submit a sample when notified by a doping control officer during an out-of-competition test attempt at her home in December 2025. The 26-year-old Czech, who won Wimbledon in 2023, said stress and poor mental health had affected her decision-making, in addition to concerns for her safety. An independent tribunal considered Vondrousova’s claims, as well as testimony from the Doping Control Officer who attempted to conduct the test. The tribunal concluded that the evidence offered “no compelling justification” for the world…

Will Cathcart, who led WhatsApp for the past seven years, is stepping down from his role as Meta appoints a new leader. On Monday, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced on Facebook that Kunal Shah, the founder of an Indian fintech startup called Cred, is taking over as the head of WhatsApp.Cred is an app that allows people to manage their bills and receive rewards for making payments through the platform. As part of Shah’s appointment, Meta is investing $900 million into Cred, giving it a 20 percent stake in the startup, Bloomberg reports.Meanwhile, Shah will step down from his role…