Author: damazah@gmail.com

It’s finally here, and judging by initial reactions, it’s going to be a monster hit. Sony and Marvel’s Spider-Man: Brand New Day held its glitzy, star-packed world premiere at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood on Monday night, and not long after the screening ended, the first reactions began to flood social media. Destin Daniel Cretton‘s Brand New Day is the fourth standalone Spider-Man film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe — as well as the 38th film overall in the MCU — and picks up the action after 2021’s near $2 billion-grossing Spider-Man: No Way Home. The films once again are…

The Security and Defence Partnership (SDP) Dialogue between Nigerian and the United Kingdom, held recently in Abuja, undoubtedly underscored the growing breadth of cooperation between both countries in addressing increasingly complex security challenges. Chiemelie Ezeobi writes that beyond the traditional military collaboration, the dialogue produced commitments spanning counter-terrorism, maritime security, cyber resilience, human rights, illicit finance and regional stability, reflecting a shared recognition that today’s security threats require coordinated, multi-sectoral responses Undoubtedly, the security relationship between Nigeria and the United Kingdom has evolved far beyond conventional military cooperation. Why is that you may wonder?  Over the years, what began as a defence partnership…

• Pledges support for widows and spouses of frontline troops Linus Aleke in Abuja The federal government has announced plans for a new pay rise for military personnel as part of ongoing efforts to improve their welfare, boost morale, and strengthen the country’s security architecture. The government said the anticipated salary adjustment was intended to recognise the sacrifices and dedication of members of the armed forces while enhancing their motivation and overall well-being. Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (rtd), disclosed the plan while delivering the keynote address at a one-day training and financial empowerment workshop for widows and wives…

The BBC’s Orla Guerin goes on patrol with Ecuador’s police, who are grappling with a huge surge in drug crime.Drugs have been pouring into Ecuador from neighbouring Colombia and Peru – the two biggest producers in the world. Powerful home-grown gangs, with links to Mexican cartels and Albanian mafia groups, are then helping to smuggle the cocaine onwards. Last year, Ecuador’s murder rate was one of the highest in the world, with more than 9,200 people killed, according to the country’s interior ministry.

Workers producing garments at a textile factory that supplies clothes to fast fashion e-commerce company Shein in Guangzhou in southern China’s Guangdong province. (Photo by Jade GAO / AFP via Getty Images)AFP via Getty ImagesShein has spent the better part of three years chasing a stock market listing, first in New York, then in London and now, finally, in Hong Kong. But the numbers it revealed to prospective investors this week suggest that the pitch has gotten considerably tougher.The fast-fashion giant swung to a $99 million loss in the first quarter of 2026, a stark reversal from the same period…

Apple has released iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS 26.6. Apart from potential security hotfixes, these are likely the last updates before the arrival of iOS 27, macOS 27, and so on. All of today’s releases include minor bug fixes, and there are numerous security updates: more than 150 for macOS 26.6. Apple also rolled out macOS 14.8.8 and macOS 15.7.8 for older devices, also focused on security fixes. In terms of new features, you won’t find many in these releases, as they mainly pave the way for the next major OS update, likely to hit sometime in September. Most…

David-Chyddy Eleke takes a look at debates over the recent controversy of the non-listing of Anambra State as beneficiary of the $27million World Bank’s HOPE Governance programme. Recently, the administration of Governor Chukwuma Soludo in Anambra State came under attack after the release of list of states that will benefit in the World Bank-supported Human Capital Opportunities for Prosperity and Equity–Governance (HOPE-GOV) Programme, which runs into $27million incentives for states that were rated to be high in performance in the Zero Disbursement-Linked Results (DLRs). The programme domiciled in the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, is a collaboration between…

On a chilly day in December 1945, Bernard Lovell, a physicist at the University of Manchester, struck out for the Cheshire countryside to study cosmic rays, the streams of high-energy particles that crisscross the universe. Peering at the signals from his army surplus radar, he made an unexpected discovery: radio reflections from the ionised trails of shooting stars.The work marked the birth of radio astronomy at Jodrell Bank. A year later, engineers at the site mounted a radar on the base of a searchlight, providing sweeping access to speeding meteors. When Sputnik launched in 1957, they had just completed the…

Bill BarnwellJul 27, 2026, 06:25 AM ETCloseBill Barnwell is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com. He analyzes football on and off the field like no one else on the planet, writing about in-season X’s and O’s, offseason transactions and so much more.He is the host of the Bill Barnwell Show podcast, with episodes released weekly. Barnwell joined ESPN in 2011 as a staff writer at Grantland.Multiple AuthorsFor decades, identifying the best defensive draft class in NFL history has been easy. The vaunted Class of 1981 sent six players to the Hall of Fame, with legendary second overall pick Lawrence Taylor…

Famous, or infamous, people make for good subjects of movies, whether documentaries, essay films or fiction features. Just look at the lineup of this year’s Locarno Film Festival, whose 79th edition, running Aug. 5-15, features all sorts of screen stories about bold or recognizable names. From a German entertainment figure and an Italian film and series creator to a U.S. prisoner sentenced for an “unintended crime,” the program of the Swiss festival allows you to learn more about people who have been in the headlines. Plus, there is also a cinematic letter to a documentarian of modern Lebanese history and a fiction…