Author: damazah@gmail.com

The year 1724 found Handel at the very height of his popularity. Giulio Cesare, written for a handpicked cast of the finest singers, may lack the psychological depth of Tamerlano, the year’s other premiere, but rarely had the composer come up with such an infectious score. A gung-ho tale of colonial conquest, it is ripe for sending up politicians with a hankering for foreign intervention. Here, however, David Alden resists the temptation to skewer the likes of Trump in a Kafkaesque production that takes quite a different tack.For an opera often staged as a comedic romp, Alden’s nightmarish world of…

Lagos State is focused on building a resilient, inclusive, and future-ready education system, writes TAYO OGUNBIYI The administration of Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu clearly understands the key role education can play in transforming society. This explains the decision of the administration to make education a foremost part of its developmental agenda. Under the current administration, concerted efforts have been made to develop and sustain basic education. This is quite understandable because basic education is the foundation of every educational system. The increase in budgetary allocation for education, no doubt, signifies the intention of the Sanwo-Olu-led government to use education as the…

The Federal Government has intensified pressure on cement manufacturers to reduce the cost of cement, warning that the current pricing regime is placing a heavy burden on ongoing infrastructure projects and triggering growing demands from contractors for contract variations. Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, stated this on Sunday while delivering a keynote address at the unveiling of the new corporate identity of Lafarge Africa, which has now been rebranded as HBM following its acquisition by the Chinese-based HUAXIN Group. This was disclosed in a statement issued by the minister’s Senior Special Assistant, Media, Francis Nwaze, on Monday. Speaking before…

Andy Burnham sworn in as MP for MakerfieldLindsay Hoyle says, in a particularly loud voice, ‘we now come to Andy Burnham, member for Makerfield.”There is a heckle from Desmond Swayne.And Burnham takes the oath.New Labour party MP for Makerfield, Andy Burnham. Photograph: PRU/AFP/Getty ImagesShareUpdated at 16.08 CESTKey events9m agoUK-EU summit scheduled for 22 July reportedly postponed to allow new PM more time to prepare26m agoBurnham jokes he’s ‘naughty boy’, after MP heckles ‘he’s not the messiah’ as he’s sworn in34m agoAndy Burnham sworn in as MP for Makerfield43m agoHow Burnham dodged most of the press pack as he arrived at Euston1h…

Kayode Tokede  In a bid to meet lending needs across Africa and fund Nigeria’s infrastructure development, 10 leading banks in Nigeria borrowed N7.81 trillion (current/non-current) from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), among other international institutions, in the 2025 financial year. This is about a 20.2 per cent decline when compared with the N9.74 trillion borrowed by the 10 banks in 2024. Banks operating in the country have continued to borrow from local and international financial institutions, such as the African Export-Import Bank (Afrexim), the African Development Bank, and JP Morgan Securities Limited, among…

As Governor Abiodun Oyebanji becomes the first Ekiti state governor to secure re-election without interruption since the state’s creation, the outcome raises a bigger question: what exactly did he do differently from his predecessors? Raheem Akingbolu examines the political design, governance choices and elite consensus that shaped a historic victory. In politics, patterns often harden into prophecy until someone quietly breaks them. For nearly three decades since its creation, Ekiti State’s governorship had followed an almost ritualistic cycle of disruption. Governors emerged, governed for a single term, and exited either through electoral defeat, political realignment, or judicial intervention. The state…

The Future of the Past: When Cultural Heritage Meets Climate Change Thijs Weststeijn Polity (2026)In 2019, unprecedented flooding in Venice submerged more than 80% of the historic city, prompting Italy to declare a state of emergency. That same year — and in 2025 — wildfires in California burned thousands of hectares of land. The flames came dangerously close to the Getty Villa, a museum in Los Angeles that houses one of the world’s most important collections of ancient Greek and Roman art.These incidents illustrate a troubling reality: cultural heritage sites, once seen as enduring fixtures of human achievement, are increasingly…

Instagram is exploring new formats in an apparent effort to bring its platform to more TV users. The social network, which launched a TV app last year, says it’s going to experiment with longer-form content, episodic series, and Live TV. Instagram said it is exploring ways to bring longer-form videos, content spanning multiple episodes, and live creator experiences to its TV app. This follows news earlier this month that Meta is testing a new “Series” feature for Reels that’s designed to make it easier to keep up with serialized content on Instagram and Facebook. While Instagram has long been competing…

Talk about delayed satisfaction.Two weeks after Dua Lipa’s three-day Sicilian wedding celebration with Callum Turner, the bride’s wedding dress was finally revealed: a befeathered and bejeweled Chanel couture halter-neck confection with crystal Art Deco trim, a six-and-a-half-foot train and a close-to-20-foot veil that made her look like a cross between a fairy queen and Josephine Baker, borne on a cloud.It’s almost guaranteed to set off a new trend in wedding fashions, in more ways than one.First, because it was the debut celebrity wedding dress from the newish Chanel designer Matthieu Blazy, whose transformation of the brand has created a veritable…

NFL NationJun 22, 2026, 06:00 AM ETCloseNFL Nation is made up of 32 team-specific reporters who cover the NFL year-round across ESPN.com, ESPN television shows, ESPN Radio, ESPN+ and social media platforms. It was established ahead of the 2013 season.Multiple AuthorsWelcome to the NFL waiting period, the monthlong break until training camp begins in late July. Offseason team activities and mandatory minicamps have wrapped up and players are now on vacation.It’s a perfect time to take a look back at under-the-radar players who turned heads this spring while battling for starting spots or depth roles.Which players surprised their coaches and…