Author: damazah@gmail.com

Welcome to the ConversationA good sex life is key to a good life. Want to know how to improve yours, whether that’s practical advice on how to broach the subject of trying something new (and what to do if your partner reacts poorly); how to become more confident at talking dirty or giving constructive in-the-sack feedback; or even how to be intimate with your partner when you’re just plain knackered?No question is too niche or too embarrassing, too mild or too wild – from how to give great massages and tried-and-tested toys to spend your money on; to how to…

The Category 1 hurricane misses Kauai but causes widespread destruction, power outages and evacuations.Published On 9 Sep 20269 Sep 2026Catastrophic winds and torrential rains from Hurricane Lowell have pelted Hawaii’s western island of Kauai, knocking out power to at least 30,000 residents and ripping up tracts of beachside roads.Vicious winds knocked down trees and left nearly 92 percent of Kauai Island Utility Cooperative (KIUC) residents without power by early Tuesday as the storm moved north into the open sea.While the now-weakened Category 1 hurricane did not make landfall on Kauai, it blew down trees, power poles and lines, causing massive…

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has clashed with AfD leader Alice Weidel in parliament, calling her party a “destructive force” with a migration policy that amounts to “ethnic cleansing” for skilled workers.Merz was addressing the Bundestag in the aftermath of the anti-immigration party’s sweeping victory in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt where it won almost 44% of the vote, while the chancellor’s conservatives saw their vote halved.Weidel told MPs that voters had shown that Merz’s coalition with the centre left was a total failure and his time was up.Merz hit back saying the AfD had harmed German interests by backing Russia,…

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine testified earlier this year before the Senate Armed Services Committee about the Pentagon’s 2027 budget request.Getty ImagesI have been asked recently about my views on under-the-radar security threats and whether the Iran war is distracting attention from longer-term, systemic challenges. I know from personal experience serving for many years in senior national security positions that it’s easy to get absorbed by the challenge of the day— and the Trump team has many on its plate. These challenges include the Iran conflict’s worrisome trajectory and…

The White House has taken down a Tetris-style game on its website called “Build The Wall”, days after The Tetris Company raised concerns over its use of the game’s likeness.The game, which saw players stack blocks to build a wall to “protect the border” is one of five arcade games which have appeared on the White House website. On 4 September the official Tetris account on X posted, external the firm was “not involved in the creation” of the game and it took “copyright infringement very seriously”.The White House has not responded to requests for comment from the BBC or…

Osteoporosis, a condition that weakens bones and increases the risk of fractures, affects millions of people and remains a major challenge for doctors seeking safe treatments that can be used over long periods. In Germany alone, about six million people are affected, most of them women. Because existing therapies can have limitations and side effects, researchers are looking for new biological targets that could lead to more effective ways of preserving or rebuilding bone. Scientists at Leipzig University have now identified one such target in GPR133, a receptor that appears to play an important role in keeping bones strong. A…

French football legend Zinedine Zidane has strongly backed Lionel Messi in the debate over the greatest footballer of all time, saying those who still doubt the Argentine’s status do not understand football. According to Marca, Zidane was also emphatic in backing Messi’s Ballon d’Or candidacy, saying he would vote for the Inter Miami forward “100 times” if given the opportunity. “I think people really don’t understand how incredible it is to still be among the best players in the world at 39 years old,” Zidane said. Messi, 39, was named among the 30 nominees for the 2026 Ballon d’Or, with…

This image was taken in 2011 or 2012, just after I had moved to Los Angeles. I was downtown, an area I don’t go to that much, walking around with my camera. Some black smoke started to emerge from a grate in the street – I guess something underground was on fire. It was hilariously cinematic, as if some sort of devil was going to appear. It was really just one of those eerie, spontaneous things that happen in a city. There is a very powerful feeling of surrender when I am photographing. I have to submit to the authority…

The Federal Government has settled the Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance (CATA) for academic staff of universities, polytechnics and colleges of education, from January to August 2026. The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, disclosed this to newsmen on Wednesday in Abuja. Alausa said the affected institutions, including Federal Universities of Agriculture, had been notified to commence payment of the allowance to their academic staff. He said the government was also working to provide funds for the payment of CATA to non-academic staff, expressing optimism that the funds would be made available within the next few weeks. He said the development…

Authorities have not clarified what caused the explosion near the city of Sarmada.Published On 9 Sep 20269 Sep 2026⁠At least 14 ⁠people have been ⁠killed in an explosion at a temporary ⁠depot for weapons and ⁠remnants of ⁠war near Sarmada, a city in Syria’s ‌Idlib province, according to state television.Wednesday’s blast also injured 11 people, and thick smoke from a resulting fire billowed from the site for hours.Syria’s defence ministry said some of its personnel were among those injured, according to the Reuters news agency.Earlier, the state news agency reported that emergency teams had been immediately dispatched after the explosion…