Author: damazah@gmail.com

Hezly Rivera won the all-around title at the 2026 U.S. Championships on Sunday in Phoenix, coming from behind to defeat teammate Claire Pease in a fierce battle that came down to the wire. After falling from the uneven bars on day one, Hezly Rivera did not take the lead until the eighth and final rotation in Phoenix. Slowly chipping away, routine after routine, the defending U.S. Champion showed impressive mental endurance to clinch her second-straight championship. With her win, the 18-year-old joins an elite club of American gymnasts who won multiple U.S. titles, including Olympic Champions Simone Biles, Shawn Johnson,…

The reported freezing of Osun State Government’s account by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), coming just days before the state’s governorship election, is, to say the least, unfortunate. Regardless of the reasons advanced for such an action, the timing has inevitably generated public suspicion and political controversy. In a democracy, institutions entrusted with law enforcement must not only be impartial but must also be seen to be impartial. Any action capable of creating the impression of political interference undermines public confidence in both the electoral process and the institutions of government. Anti-graft agencies and other government institutions must…

When a wildfire broke out near his First Nation community in northern Ontario, Hubert Wigwas decided to stay put.He put sprinklers on his roof to extinguish falling embers. He checked on elders in his community who also stayed behind, and he fuelled up four boats down on the lake in case they needed a quick escape.”This is everything I’ve built in my 58 years,” Wigwas, a councillor from Gull Bay First Nation, told the BBC. “I’m just not going to run away and let it burn.”Canada has seen some of its worst fire seasons in recent years, and experienced its…

After years of speculation, Jose Mourinho has confirmed that he agreed to replace Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United in 2013, before changing his mind and re-joining Chelsea instead.”When I left Real Madrid, I signed to go to Manchester United after Sir Alex,” the 63-year-old coach – now back at Real for a second spell – said in a new Netflix documentary series about his career.”He was offered the job, yes,” confirmed Ferguson, who won 13 Premier League titles over 26 years at Old Trafford before retiring in 2013.”I sat him down and explained the situation,” he added: “As far…

During the RSC’s 65 years, numerous Lears have lost their minds and frequent Caesars been slaughtered by their courts. Now, though, a tyrant new to its stages faces both fates. He is King Aerys II Targaryen, ancestor of one warring bloodline in Game of Thrones, the dramatisation of George RR Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series of fantasy novels that helped TV streamers’ rise to global domination during eight HBO seasons from 2011 to 2019.Some may balk at an institution named for England’s greatest dramatist staging an American drama franchise. There is, though, a compelling economic imperative: rising…

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File image for illustration. By Peter Duru, Makurdi A farmer in Kastina-Ala Local Government Area (LGA) of Benue State has been forced to abandon his farm after suspected bandits demanded N500,000 from him as a condition for accessing and harvesting his crops. The farmer, whose identity was not disclosed, is a resident of Mbagena Council Ward in Kastina-Ala LGA, where suspected local bandits have allegedly been terrorising residents and imposing ransom demands on members of the community. His son, a 300-level student of Benue State University, BSU, John James, disclosed this at the weekend while narrating his family’s ordeal at…

Gbenga Sodeinde in Ado Ekiti Former Senator representing Ekiti North Senatorial District, Senator Ayo Arise, has sought to set the record straight on the establishment of the Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE), recounting how his intervention and engagements with the Federal Government initiated the process that eventually brought the institution to Oye-Ekiti. Arise, who served in the National Assembly between 2007 and 2011, said recent narratives crediting other individuals with the establishment of the university amounted to a distortion of the history of the institution and a disservice to those who worked to secure its location in Oye-Ekiti. Addressing journalists in…

Rep. Max Miller (R-OH) leaves a House Republican Caucus meeting on Capitol Hill on Nov. 19, 2024, in Washington, D.C.Andrew Harnik | Getty ImagesRepublican Rep. Max Miller of Ohio will remain in his reelection race, after a key deadline passed for the GOP to replace him as its nominee, despite mounting calls from fellow Republicans for him to drop his reelection bid.Under Ohio law, Republicans have until Monday at 4 p.m. to name a replacement nominee. But the local Republican officials responsible for choosing one must receive at least two days’ notice before meeting, meaning Miller would have needed to…

OpenAI’s upcoming smart speaker will probably cost over $300, “people familiar with the matter” have told Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. The generative AI company has “discussed” charging up to $400, Bloomberg, which has been reporting on the yet-to-be-announced smart speaker since July, said today. The publication said that OpenAI is viewing the smart speaker as a smartphone replacement. OpenAI has declined to comment on its product roadmap. Per Bloomberg, the speaker will follow in the steps of other smart speakers lately in pushing an AI-first focus aimed at helping people complete tasks, compared to simpler smart speaker tasks, like checking the…