Author: damazah@gmail.com

The head of a leading Russian drone manufacturer has been critically injured in a car bomb near Ekaterinburg, in what appears to be the latest in a series of assassination attempts targeting figures linked to the country’s war in Ukraine.Vladimir Tkachuk, the founder of the private drone manufacturer Uraldronzavod, was rushed to intensive care on Wednesday after a bomb planted beneath his Mercedes exploded, according to Russian state media, citing emergency services. His bodyguard was killed in the explosion.The Russian news agency Tass reported that Tkachuk was in a critical condition and doctors were “fighting [to save] his life”.Images circulating…

By Elizabeth Adegbesan The withdrawal of the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) COVID-19 regulatory forbearance given to banks has pushed banks’ Non-Performing Loans (NPLs) ratio to 9.94 per cent in the first quarter of 2026 (Q1’26), significantly above the apex bank’s prudential benchmark of 5.0 per cent. The development was disclosed in the CBN’s first quarter 2026 (Q1’26) Economic Report, which attributed the increase to the end of the long-standing pandemic-era relief measures introduced to support borrowers and strengthen financial system stability during the COVID-19 crisis. According to the report, the NPL ratio rose by 2.43 percentage points from 7.51 per…

Advanced artificial intelligence models have stunned the UK’s AI Security Institute by carrying out a hacking campaign against real people during a cybersecurity test.The institute (AISI) said the incident was unprecedented and involved sending targeted emails to software developers in an attempt to pass a cyber challenge.The hack involved agents – AI systems that can perform tasks without human help – powered by models developed by US tech companies OpenAI and Anthropic. The AISI, which was set up by former prime minister Rishi Sunak, described the unsanctioned behaviour as a “serious incident”.The watchdog said the hack was carried out by…

A former neo-Nazi activist who was convicted of harassing a Jewish MP has withdrawn as a Conservative election candidate after his selection prompted an outcry from Jewish groups and others.Joshua Bonehill-Paine said on Wednesday he had withdrawn from next year’s local elections, and that Kemi Badenoch had instead offered him a role as an advisor to her party’s culture and integration commission, specifically focusing on how young men become radicalised.The Tory leader, who has come under pressure in the last 48 hours from individuals and organisations, including the the Board of Deputies of British Jews, said she was “sad” that…

Professor Wole Soyinka The hall wore a robe of expectations as minutes ticked towards the hour. The city was wrapped in the mood of impending festivity. Something was in the air. Road safety personnel and armed policemen were on duty — directing traffic and maintaining orderliness along Woji Road. A walk into the event hall felt like an excursion into a carnival. From the urbane music equipment emitting jazzy tunes, to the symmetrically-arranged seats, the arty wall decorations, and the storybook backdrop, poetry was on display. Outside, directly opposite the car park, a massive poster announcing the event in the…

Every 23 October, football lovers across Nigeria and beyond pause to remember one of Africa’s greatest strikers, Rashidi Yekini. Although the Nigerian football legend died in May 2012, his memory remains as fresh as ever. His famous celebration inside the goal net after scoring Nigeria’s first-ever FIFA World Cup goal against Bulgaria at USA ’94 remains one of the most unforgettable moments in African football history. For many Nigerians, Yekini is more than a football icon. He represents hard work, humility and the belief that a young athlete from a small Nigerian town can conquer the world. That town is…

Last September, the dismembered, decomposed remains of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez were found in the front trunk of a Tesla sitting in a Los Angeles impound lot. The car was registered to David Anthony Burke, better known as D4vd, a rising singer-songwriter who’d become a Gen Z favorite with his brooding, moody bedroom pop. While links between Burke and Rivas Hernandez quickly began to emerge online, it wasn’t until April that Burke was arrested and formally charged with murdering Rivas Hernandez to cover up his sexual abuse of the girl.  Not long after he was taken into custody, Rolling Stone…

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has said Nigeria’s domestic economy expanded by 3.87 per cent in 2025, an improvement over the 3.38 per cent recorded in 2024. The CBN said this in its recently released annual report for the 2025 fiscal year. According to the apex bank, broad-based growth followed gains from the continuing implementation of a cocktail of reforms in key sectors and the rebasing of the economy to accommodate emerging subsectors. It said that headline inflation declined to 15.15 per cent in December 2025, from 34.80 per cent at the end of 2024. It said that this…

Ameerah Legacy Foundation has officially launched, marking its inaugural community outreach with an event that brought academic recognition and free healthcare together for over 200 students, parents and teachers across two public schools in Surulere, Lagos. The event, held on July 24 2026, at Community High School, Tafawa Balewa Crescent, Surulere, featured Academic Excellence Awards recognising outstanding students from the host school and Lagos Progressive Secondary School.  It also offered free health checks to members of the community, a pairing the Foundation says reflects its core belief that education and health are inseparable pillars of community development. Ameerah Legacy Foundation…

For many Nigerian university students, learning often extends beyond the lecture hall. Large classes, limited access to lecturers and the high cost of private tutoring mean that understanding difficult concepts frequently depends on personal study or help from classmates. Increasingly, however, students are turning to artificial intelligence-powered education platforms for academic support, signalling a shift in how learning takes place on campuses. One such platform, Florence, has gained traction among students by providing curriculum-based academic assistance through chat applications such as Telegram and WhatsApp. Rather than relying on advertising campaigns, the platform has spread largely through recommendations among students seeking…