Author: damazah@gmail.com

After two decades running nightclubs around New York, he became an actor at age 42, stood out in ‘Gotti,’ got whacked by David Chase and appeared twice on Broadway.

I met Trent in 2012 in a car park in Winnipeg. We were handing out flyers on the Canadian fringe circuit. I was wearing a pink tutu for my contemporary clown show and Trent was in the tight black suit of his vaudeville character the Birdmann. We barely spoke but I had this strange feeling, almost as if I should avoid him – a feeling I sometimes get around people who go on to become important in my life.Trent and Sachie in Seattle in 2012Backstage at the next festival in Edmonton, Trent kept trying to give me liquorice but I…

The EU is to hold an urgent meeting of interior ministers on Tuesday amid continued divisions in the bloc over the arrival of more than 50,000 migrants in the Spanish territory of Ceuta in north Africa.The decision was taken by officials representing EU member states and Frontex border agency experts at what was described as a “sobering” meeting on Saturday.Spain confirmed at least 67 people had died in the attempted crossing. Some drowned, while others were crushed as they tried to cross a breakwater barrier.The decision to call a summit of ministers was unanimous as EU leaders seek to heal…

United States President Donald Trump has criticised his own Department of Justice after it decided to drop criminal charges against a former Olympic athlete for the alleged vandalism of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington, DC.Trump voiced his opposition to the decision on Saturday, a day after US Attorney Jeanine Pirro announced she was dismissing the charges against 67-year-old competitive canoeist David Hearn.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of listPirro said the damage was the result of “a botched installation and not vandalism”, contradicting both her own previous statements and claims made following Hearn’s June 19 arrest.On Saturday, Trump…

Charles Ajunwa writes that the leadership qualities of the Akwa Ibom State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno, has continued to earn him recognitions from public and private institutions within and outside Nigeria As the Nigerian and Namibian governments back Solewant Group’s new  coatings and paints manufacturing plant, oil and gas industry stakeholders project that the new facility is well positioned to deepen local content, protect critical assets and strengthen Nigeria’s industrial manufacturing base, Blessing Ibunge reports Senior government officials, oil and gas industry leaders, diplomats, academia and other stakeholders across the energy value chain yesterday demonstrated the growing confidence in indigenous…

A high-profile publishing deal for a debut crime novel has collapsed after doubts emerged over whether artificial intelligence played a role in writing it.The hotly anticipated manuscript Call Me, I’ll Hide the Body, by Jerry Falade, was withdrawn from sale by its agent despite reportedly receiving an offer for more than $2m (£1.5m) from Minotaur, owned by Macmillan US, as part of a 14-way auction. The plan was to publish it in 2028.An email sent to publishers by Falade’s agents and seen by the Guardian said: “Jerry Falade produced an incredible manuscript that dazzled us and the top publishing professionals…

By Omeiza Ajayi ABUJA: Presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress ADC and former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has fired back at former President Olusegun Obasanjo, insisting that his latest attack is rooted in lingering bitterness over the collapse of his third-term agenda years ago, and recalling how he helped the ex-president when he was still his lowest. In a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku said he watched Obasanjo’s recent interview with sadness rather than anger, describing it as another attempt by the former president to rewrite history and cloud the truth…

President Bola Tinubu has reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to strengthening immunisation and local vaccine production, describing the partnership with Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, as critical to improving public health and expanding Africa’s vaccine manufacturing capacity. Mr Tinubu spoke on Friday while receiving a delegation from Gavi at the Presidential Villa in Abuja. The president thanked Gavi for its continued support, saying the organisation had played a significant role in protecting lives and advancing healthcare in Nigeria and across the continent. “The commitment to humanity, the wonderful job of Gavi and the team is well appreciated, and the programme of acceleration for…

An international research team has found that primordial black holes may trigger white dwarf stars to explode as Type Ia supernovae. These unusual explosions could also help explain a chemical abundance pattern observed among stars in the Milky Way, according to a recent study published in The Astrophysical Journal. Primordial black holes (PBH) are hypothetical remnants of the universe’s earliest moments. Scientists think they may have formed during cosmic inflation, when rapid expansion amplified small fluctuations in the distribution of matter. These black holes have been proposed as possible candidates for dark matter, the invisible material thought to account for…

Moving day at Royal Lytham – who’ll end it in pole position?