Author: damazah@gmail.com

Angel investors are intensifying efforts to connect Nigerian startups with global capital and markets as declining venture funding raises concerns over the ability of the country’s innovation ecosystem to scale beyond domestic boundaries. Stakeholders at the World Business Angels Investment Forum (WBAF) Investors Week in Lagos said cross-border investment networks, alternative financing structures, and partnerships among investors, governments, and entrepreneurs are becoming critical to sustaining startup growth and expanding financial inclusion. The discussions come as startup financing in Nigeria fell 17 percent to $343 million in 2025, according to BusinessDay analysis. The figure represents the lowest level since 2019 and…

Anthropic may ask Claude users to verify their age and identity by uploading their government-issued documents, according to a new version of the company’s privacy policy.  The AI giant says the move was to allow users to appeal having their account flagged for potentially fraudulent activity rather than outright banning them, but comes at a time as Anthropic seeks to placate the Trump administration amid an ongoing standoff over who gets access to the company’s AI tools. According to a new section in its latest privacy policy published earlier in June and set to take effect on July 8, Anthropic…

Vice President JD Vance said on Monday that Iran had agreed to invite nuclear inspectors back into the country after the first round of direct talks in Switzerland to turn a preliminary cease-fire agreement into a lasting peace deal.But Iran’s foreign ministry said that it had made no new commitments, and the International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N.’s nuclear watchdog, did not comment on Mr. Vance’s claim that its inspectors would soon be able to resume operations in the country.“That is a major milestone for the American people and the first step in permanently ending a nuclear weapons program in…

Six simple things you can do to help keep your house cool when temperatures rise.

Lionel Messi became the highest goalscorer in men’s World Cup history on Monday, moving up to 17 and breaking a tie with Germany legend Miroslav Klose in Argentina’s Group J match against Austria.The Argentina captain has now scored in six consecutive World Cup games since 2022.Messi, after missing a penalty early on against Austria that briefly denied him the all-time record, struck home in the 39th minute to give Argentina a 1-0 lead in Dallas.Messi had tied Klose’s record by scoring a hat trick during Argentina’s 3-0 over Algeria to kick off the 2026 World Cup on June 16. The…

EXCLUSIVE: Michael Uppendahl (The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox, The Beauty) has been set to direct the pilot episode of Prime Video‘s Bishop, a thriller drama from co-creators Little Marvin and Tony Saltzman. Uppendahl will also executive produce. Bishop follows homicide detective Bishop Graves (Joel Kinnaman) – brilliant, battle-scarred – will put all of his skills to the test in the hunt for an elusive killer targeting San Francisco’s moneyed class. As this increasingly audacious killer develops a devoted following among the city’s powerless, Bishop becomes convinced these murders connect back to SF’s most powerful man, his own father, Lincoln…

The Andhra Pradesh Engineering, Agriculture and Pharmacy Common Entrance Test (AP EAPCET) 2026 result is expected to be released soon by Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University (JNTU) Kakinada on behalf of the Andhra Pradesh State Council of Higher Education (APSCHE). Candidates who appeared for the entrance examination can check their results online through the official portal at cets.apsche.ap.gov.in. How to Check AP EAPCET Result 2026 To access the AP EAPCET 2026 scorecard, candidates will need to enter their registration number and hall ticket number on the result login page. After submission, the scorecard and rank card will be displayed on the…

Two British cybercriminals from the Scattered Spider hacking group have pleaded guilty to a cyber-attack on Transport for London in 2024 that cost £39m and affected 10 million people.Thalha Jubair, 20, and Owen Flowers, 18, pleaded guilty to offences under the Computer Misuse Act at Woolwich crown court on Monday.The National Crime Agency (NCA) said last year it believed the attack was carried out by an online hacking community known as Scattered Spider, suspected of carrying out a series of attacks in recent years. TfL, the London mayor’s transport authority, handles up to 5m passenger journeys a day on the…

ToplineThe future of a rumored-to-be-unflattering film about Open AI co-founder Sam Altman looks murky after Amazon, the movie’s original distributor, abruptly dropped it and other big-name options, like Netflix and Focus, are said to have also passed on the film. Open AI CEO Sam Altman on Feb. 3, 2025. Getty ImagesKey FactsAmazon backed out of its deal to distribute “Artificial,” a biopic about Altman, and said it would be “better served if it were released by a different studio” and sent the movie by Oscar-winning director Luca Guadagnino scrambling to find a new home. The announcement comes months after Amazon,…

The African eCommerce market is often described as fast-growing. In 2020, it generated $27.97 billion in revenue, in 2024, it reportedly grew to $55 billion, and is now projected to reach $112.73 billion by 2029. However, a majority of eCommerce operators on the continent primarily use social media platforms to sell goods and manage their business, resulting in a variety of barriers to business growth. From a lack of accurate data and insight into business operations, such as who bought what, which goods sell the most, and when their customers are most active, to inventory mismanagement due to the fragmented…