Author: damazah@gmail.com

The high cost of weight-loss medication is a “regressive tax on being thin” because the outlay outweighs any saving on food costs for all but the highest earners.Someone needs to have discretionary income of nearly £100,000 a year to actually save money after covering the £1,200 annual cost of GLP-1 medication, according to an analysis by the consultancy Baringa.“Our analysis shows that GLP-1s risk becoming a driver of inequality,” said Paddy Winters, a partner at Baringa. “Only very high earners will benefit from savings to their groceries whilst taking the GLP-1 pill.”A regressive tax is one that takes a larger…

In his defence, the court heard Bear was not aware of the restrictions at the time and is now clear about what the requirements demand.Deputy district judge Claire Pithie told him the sentence takes immediate effect, adding: “You need to work on your strategies. Otherwise you will keep ending up finding yourself in difficult situations.”You have a baby on the way.”Bear was jailed for 21 months in 2023 for sharing the private video of himself and Harrison on OnlyFans and WhatsApp without her knowledge.After serving half his original sentence, Bear was released from prison, but between 1 March 2025 and…

As he approaches three years in office as Special Adviser to Governor Ahmed Aliyu  of Sokoto State  on Security Matters, retired military officer, Col. Ahmed Usman, says community-based intelligence has become a critical tool in the fight against rural insecurity in Sokoto State. In this interview, Usman highlights the administration’s security interventions, the importance of stronger collaboration with local communities and the need for sustained efforts to tackle banditry and other criminal activities. Onuminya Innocent brings the excerpts: You have now spent almost three years in office as Special Adviser on Security Matters. Looking back, what achievements would you say…

Linus Aleke in Abuja Troops of 162 Amphibious Battalion, operating under the Joint Task Force North-East, Operation Hadin Kai, successfully thwarted an attempted attack by ISWAP terrorists on their location at Forward Operating Base Mandaragirau, Biu Local Government Area of Borno State, and inflicted heavy casualties on the extremist fighters, the military has said. The military said the terrorists launched a simultaneous assault on the location from two fronts at about 0200 hours on 15 August 2026. In a statement on Saturday, the Acting Military Information Officer of the Joint Task Force North-East, Operation Hadin Kai, Captain Mohammed Goni, said…

Five people have been injured, one critically, in a shooting at Virginia State University which involved multiple suspects, the university has said.Officers responded to the incident outside a residence halls at about 01:28 local time (05:28 GMT) on Saturday.Five individuals, who were all found with gunshot wounds, were taken to local hospitals. Four had injuries which were not deemed to be life-threatening, the university said.It was not immediately clear if any suspects have been arrested. The BBC has approached local police for comment.A temporary lockdown on the campus has since been lifted but a “significant” law enforcement presence is still…

The company runs a betting exchange in the UK and also operates in Ireland, Malta, Sweden and in Indiana, United States.Courtesy: SmarketsSmarkets, a UK-based betting exchange, is making its way into the U.S. by pursuing two separate avenues.The company, which was founded in 2008, filed for a license with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission in March. The platform — which has over $60 billion in lifetime trading volume — also has pending applications to operate as a sportsbook in Illinois, Iowa and Michigan, according to Smarkets founder Jason Trost. “The reason we’re doing the dual track is because the legal situation…

Launch costs disparity SpaceX has also made significant gains in controlling costs compared to other nations. A decade ago, the United States and Europe had similar launch costs. Today, according to publicly available data, launch costs in Europe are now three times higher than for comparable payloads in the United States. The researchers estimate that the average cost of sending a kilogram of payload to orbit in the United States is now $3,225, compared to higher costs elsewhere: Japan ($5,287), China ($5,809), Russia ($6,682), and Europe ($9,897). India is higher still at nearly $15,000 a kilogram. Average cost per kg…

Here’s a look back at previous by-elections in the east of England.The Mid Bedfordshire by-election in 2023, won by Labour, drew attention to the lack of infrastructure on new housing developments and the Corby by-election of 2012 put the future of Kettering Hospital into the spotlight.Was it any coincidence that after the Wellingborough by-election in 2024, which thrust the issue of “left-behind communities” into the spotlight, the town became one of the first places to receive Labour’s “Pride in Place” funding?When Clacton’s last by-election took place in 2014, it was triggered when the sitting MP Douglas Carswell quit the Conservatives…

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) on Friday began offering free hydrocele surgeries to affected residents across the six Area Councils. Teresa Nwachukwu, Director of the FCT Public Health Department, stated that the intervention would enable access to surgical care for those unable to afford treatment. Nwachukwu, represented by Ngozi Ebisike, Head of the Disease Control Division, spoke at the flag-off ceremony at Kubwa General Hospital. She said hydrocele, although medically treatable, could affect mobility, productivity, family life, self-esteem, and social participation. According to her, some patients live with the condition for years, enduring pain, discomfort, stigma, and embarrassment, while…

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) officials arrived at 78 per cent of the 300 polling units being observed by Yiaga Africa in the Osun State governorship election by 8:30 a.m. on Saturday. Yiaga, through its Watching the Vote (WTV) Working Group, said its observers reported the arrival of INEC officials at 251 of the 300 polling units being monitored for the Osun State governorship election. “By 8:30 a.m., INEC officials had arrived at 78% of the 300 polling units where our #WatchingTheVote observers are reporting from,” the organisation said in a statement shared on Saturday. The organisation said the…