Author: damazah@gmail.com

In 2002, Hansard became the original presenter of Irish broadcaster RTÉ’s acclaimed music series Other Voices.His charity work has included Dublin’s annual Christmas Eve charity busk in support of the Dublin Simon Community, a charity in the UK and Ireland which helps homeless people.The busk, which Hansard started in 2010, attracted several high-profile musicians each year including Bono, Sinéad O’Connor, Imelda May and Shane MacGowan.In a statement, the charity said it was “devastated” to learn of his death, and offered condolences to his friends and family.”While known to many as a genius songwriter and storyteller, for us, he was threefold…

Crusoe Osagie reflects on the findings of the 2026 Phillips Consulting States Performance Index and distils possible learning points from Edo State’s abysmal performance The 2026 Phillips Consulting State Performance Index (pSPI), released this week, placed Enugu State at the top of the 33 states assessed as the most improved relative to the national average, while identifying Edo State as the least improved. While it will be difficult to cut through the political noise that this report is most likely to generate, it is essential to put this very important survey into proper perspective and draw the necessary lessons from its…

Thirty-nine scholars have graduated from the MUSON School of Music Diploma Programme, marking 20 years of partnership between the MTN Foundation and the Musical Society of Nigeria (MUSON) in music education. The graduates, representing the programme’s 19th cohort, completed a two-year diploma course funded entirely by MTN Foundation scholarships. They were formally recognised during a convocation ceremony held on July 7 and 8 at the Shell Hall, MUSON Centre, Lagos. The event featured performances by the graduating scholars and the MUSON School Orchestra. Training young musicians The MUSON School of Music Diploma Programme provides conservatory-level training in music performance, theory,…

Last week, two of OpenAI’s most advanced AI models were reported to have “escaped” a controlled testing environment and hacked Hugging Face, a totally separate AI company, moving from one computer system to another to complete their task.Reuters reported that the models exploited vulnerable code written by a customer of yet a third independent AI company, Modal Labs.This is likely the first incident of an AI “agent” – an AI system that can make decisions and take actions – acting autonomously, offering a rare glimpse into how these systems can plan, adapt and pursue goals with minimal human intervention.Al Jazeera…

The Port & Terminal Multiservices Limited (PTML) Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) yesterday held a Sensitisation Workshop on the Deployment of the Electronic Cargo Tracking System (ECTS) at the PTML Conference Hall. Deputy Comptroller Nura Miko, Controller of the PTML Area Command, announced that PTML has been selected as the second pilot command for the nationwide rollout of the ECTS, following the successful implementation at Apapa Area Command. The selection reflects PTML’s strategic importance in national revenue generation and trade facilitation. The deployment forms part of the ongoing reform and modernisation agenda of the Nigeria Customs Service…

DoorDash is launching a new drone delivery program called DoorDash Air. The largest food delivery app in the US said that it has approval from the Federal Aviation Administration that clears the way for drone delivery in the near future.DoorDash said it has received a Part 135 air carrier certification from the FAA that enable it to delivery small packages via drone. Other companies to receive this designation include Alphabet’s Wing, Zipline, and Amazon.Previously, DoorDash worked with Alphabet’s drone delivery division Wing on a number of pilots in places like Dallas-Fort Worth, Virginia, and Australia. Now the company says it…

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said that before assisted dying is considered in England and Wales, the funding of palliative and social care should be “fixed”.It is the first time Burnham has set out his position on the issue since becoming prime minister, as MPs prepare to debate it again when Parliament returns in September.The government is likely to remain officially neutral, but Burnham’s remarks suggest he personally will not back a bill being proposed by Labour MP Lauren Edwards.The position is a shift from that of former Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, who voted in favour of the previous…

Fauci invokes fifth amendment right not to answer questionsAnthony Fauci, the former veteran director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (Niaid), invoked the Fifth Amendment during a hearing before the US Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.During his long history in the government, he many times appeared before committee’s for hearings and respects the value of oversight.“However, given Senator Paul’s obvious obsession with calling for my prosecution, his repeated slanderous comments about me, and recently his publicly releasing my unredacted personal diary aimed at embarrassing and intimidating me, the only conclusion I can reach is that…

Jurrien Timber has travelled back to London from Arsenal’s training camp in Spain in a move related to the groin injury that caused him to miss the end of last season.The Netherlands international missed two months towards the end of last season because of an ankle injury, but returned in time for the Champions League final loss to Paris St-Germain.However, a groin issue then caused him to miss the World Cup.It is now understood that the right-back has returned to London from the Gunners’ training camp in Spain but sources insist the visit is part of his rehabilitation schedule and…

By Enitan Abdultawab Big Brother Naija Season 11 housemate Kamsy has declared her interest in becoming one of this season’s “Gambits,” saying the opportunity guarantees her a place among the finalists, regardless of whether she walks away with the ₦160 million grand prize. While speaking during her diary session with Big Brother on Wednesday, Kamsy admitted she was initially disappointed after learning that the Gambit role comes with immunity until the finale but automatically disqualifies the selected housemates from winning the cash prize. “At first, I was happy. But when I learnt that it does not come with the prize…