Author: damazah@gmail.com

The mayor of Bordeaux has said he is bracing for “all eventualities”, as one of many wildfires raging in France is now 15km (nine miles) from the south-western city.”We are preparing to accommodate a large number of people should further evacuations be ordered,” said Thomas Cazenave. Firefighters in the Gironde region were facing an “unprecedented” situation battling a fire that “has a life of its own”, said Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez.Some 220,000 people have been evacuated in France and more than 100,000 in Spain, where fires are burning “uncontrolled” west of Madrid.Another intense heatwave on Tuesday could further hamper firefighting…

Leeds United are close to agreeing a club-record deal with Manchester City for goalkeeper James Trafford. Sky Sports News understands that the proposed transfer for the England international is understood to be worth at least £40m plus add-ons, which is a record for an English goalkeeper. Leeds’ previous record-signing was Georginio Rutter from Hoffenheim for around £35.5m in January 2023. Finding a new first-choice goalkeeper is a priority for Leeds this summer after Karl Darlow’s exit and an unconvincing debut season for Lucas Perri.Perri, who was dropped by boss Daniel Farke last season, and third-choice Alex Cairns are the only…

Emily Wilson, the classicist whose 2017 translation of Homer’s Odyssey was cited by Christopher Nolan in early publicity for his hugely successful adaptation of the poem, has roundly criticised the film, saying “it has nothing convincing to say” and that its “lacks psychological, emotional, political and ethical depth”.In a scathing essay for the London Review of Books, Wilson writes: “I had hoped that Nolan’s affinity with these Homeric themes might push him to new creative heights, and enable him to conjure more believable characters. But The Odyssey features his usual combination of grandiosity and superficiality … the film’s vision is…

The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Obongemem Ekperikpe Ekpo, on Saturday commended the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) for demonstrating that Local Content Policy could be a force for transforming lives and creating socio-economic value through community-focused interventions. Speaking at the commissioning of a state-of-the-art Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Centre at Ika Comprehensive High School, Ikot Akpan Anwa, Akwa Ibom State, the Minister said such a strategic investment in the area, with vast possibilities for research and online learning through diverse educational platforms, would bolster human capital development, digital literacy and sustainable community development. The…

Team Nigeria’s remarkable run at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow continued on Monday as Rafiatu Folashade Lawal won the country’s sixth gold medal with a commanding, record-breaking performance in the women’s 58kg weightlifting event. The reigning Commonwealth champion successfully defended her title, producing a flawless performance that saw her rewrite both the Commonwealth Games and Commonwealth records. Lawal lifted 103kg in the snatch to set new Games and Commonwealth records before raising 126kg in the clean and jerk for another double record. Her combined lift of 229kg also established new Commonwealth Games and Commonwealth records, sealing a dominant victory.…

Parents, pupils and other stakeholders, including the management and staff of Mountain Top Schools, a model Christian school for basic education in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), have celebrated its 2nd year anniversary. The graduation, award-giving and End-of-Session Party to mark the 2nd year anniversary was held at the Gwarimpa premises of the school on Thursday in Abuja. Speaking on the theme: “Child Education and National Development,” Mrs Rosemary Onoja, chairperson of the occasion, congratulated the students, management and staff of the school, adding that every great achievement in society has its roots in education. According to her,”whenever we invest…

US President Donald Trump during an announcement in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Friday, July 24, 2026. Bonnie Cash | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesPresident Donald Trump on Monday voiced support for Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh while insisting that the U.S. should have the lowest interest rates in the world.While backing his choice to lead the central bank, Trump questioned the motives of other members of the Fed’s Board of Governors for not wanting to ease monetary policy.”Kevin’s fantastic, but he’s got a board, and the board members are very political, I would…

Amazon filed an application with the Federal Communications Commission for a license to operate a new network of 5,105 satellites that would provide service to mobile phones, with plans to start launching them in 2028. The move comes several months after Amazon acquired the satellite operations of Globalstar, which provides emergency connectivity to Apple iPhones and internet-of-Things devices. The filing revealed the company’s plans to leverage Globalstar’s radio spectrum to expand these offerings and integrate them with Leo, Amazon’s broadband internet satellite network. That sets up more competition with SpaceX, which has dominated both the satellite internet and satellite-to-mobile services…

Reform UK say they are reporting Green Party leader Zack Polanski to the police after he shared a post to his Instagram which included a photo of a man wearing a top featuring the name “Nigel” alongside an image of a guillotine.Polanski accepted a request to collaborate with another account and shared a series of pictures of a Green Party event on Sunday with his 713,000 followers.One of the images showed a man wearing a T-shirt which said: “We’re only making plans for Nigel”.A Green Party spokesperson said: “Once this image was brought to [Zack’s] attention he immediately unshared the…

Amnesty International on Monday condemned the killing of 30 persons during an attack in Naridon village in Kamaru Ward, Kauru Local Government Area of Kaduna State. The attack occurred on Sunday night. “Dozens of people who tried to escape the attackers were pursued into the bush and slaughtered,” the organisation stated via its X official handle. It noted that the exact number of persons dead and missing is yet to be ascertained. PUNCH reported the attack, noting that suspected terrorists killed at least 30 people, including eight children, at Naridon Village. Amnesty International said the community is still discovering dead…