Author: damazah@gmail.com

As Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prepares to meet US President Donald Trump, there is good reason to expect that he will use the meeting to discourage any move towards ending hostilities in the Gulf. This expectation is grounded in a historical record spanning more than five decades.Declassified intelligence, memoirs by senior American officials, investigative reporting, and academic scholarship further reinforce this assessment. Taken together, these sources point to a recurring pattern: successive Israeli governments, often with the support of elements within the country’s security establishment, have repeatedly sought to obstruct efforts to end regional conflicts or attempts to manage…

By Monday afternoon, the price of Brent stood at $90.60 a barrel, down more than 6% for the day.Susannah Streeter, chief investment strategist at Wealth Club, said markets were remaining “cautious given the twists and turns during this conflict”.Despite the sharp fall in crude, “there is still significant uncertainty baked into these prices and a reticence about whether negotiations will lead to a lasting breakthrough,” she added.The conflict between the US and Iran – and its impact on oil – has pushed up the cost of fuel such as petrol and diesel in many countries.This often has knock-on effects on…

Nvidia on Monday said it is joining forces with Microsoft, SpaceX, IBM, and other tech companies to build and share open-source AI security tools.The new Open Secure AI Alliance said open tools are required to effectively defend against attacks from frontier models. The initiative is a direct response to mounting concerns over the safety of advanced AI systems after a rogue OpenAI model escaped containment and attacked another company during testing. That company, Hugging Face, said it was forced to use a Chinese open-weight model to defend itself due to the strict safety guardrails limiting the usefulness of top US…

Oborevwori’s administration is focused on developmental issues, argues DANIEL OSARO By all objective standards, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege’s latest attack on Governor Sheriff Oborevwori over the declaration of the Udu State Constituency seat as vacant was misplaced. Omo-Agege appears determined to stir controversies where none exists. Unfortunately, his latest intervention exposes more political frustration than constitutional understanding. The facts are simple. The Delta State House of Assembly declared the seat of Hon. Collins Egbetamah vacant following his defection from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), to Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC). Whether one agrees with the decision or not, it remains a…

Mr Kine was shot dead by unidentified gunmen along Polytechnic Road, Bori, in Khana, at approximately 6 p.m. on Sunday. Blessing Agabe, the command’s spokesperson, confirmed the incident to journalists in Port Harcourt on Monday. Ms Agabe, an Assistant Superintendent of Police, stated that the assailants had fled the scene before security operatives arrived. The victim’s body has been deposited in a mortuary, where it will be preserved pending an autopsy as police investigations into the circumstances of the killing continue. “The Rivers State Police Command has launched a full investigation to identify and bring the perpetrators to justice,” she…

Chelsea have held positive initial talks with Brighton about a deal for Danny Welbeck. With a year remaining on his contract, Brighton do not want to stand in the striker’s way as long as they get a fair price for his sale. Welbeck has continued to be a reliable goalscorer in the Premier League at 35 years old. Last season he scored 13 times, after scoring 10 in the previous campaign. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Check out all 13 of Danny Welbeck’s goals for Brighton in the 2025/26 Premier League season! His potential arrival…

Jamie Parker, played Harry PotterMy initial response when I was asked if I was interested in the role was confusion – I felt a bit long in the tooth to play a teenager. I had read the first Harry Potter book and seen a few of the movies, but was just past the right age when it was all kicking off. I didn’t know that there was the coda in the final book that places the action 19 years later, and that’s where the play would be picking up from.I’m happy to admit now that I thought the show was…

Fresh concerns have emerged among telecom subscribers over the possibility of another disruption to airtime and data lending services as the legal battle between the Wireless Application Service Providers Association of Nigeria (WASPAN) and the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) shifts to the Court of Appeal. The fears follow WASPAN’s warning that continued enforcement of the FCCPC’s Digital, Electronic, Online or Non-Traditional Consumer Lending Regulations, 2025 (DEON Regulations), pending the determination of its appeal, could affect telecom-based credit services relied upon by millions of Nigerians. An Abeokuta resident, Seun Sofoluwe, said another interruption would be difficult for many…

Months after the United Nations Security Council backed a comprehensive framework to end Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, Israel’s security cabinet has approved a highly constrained pilot project to allow foreign security forces into a narrow pocket of the devastated territory.Israeli media reported on Sunday that the so-called International Stabilization Force (ISF), part of United States President Donald Trump’s 20-point “peace plan”, will include 200 members from countries such as Morocco and Uganda deploying to a designated “test” zone in the southern city of Rafah.While international officials have welcomed the move, analysts describe the limited deployment as a calculated diplomatic gesture…

Mathew Ogelenya Ogwezhi After more than two decades in Nigeria’s insurance industry, I have seen first-hand the persistent challenge we face: despite a population of over 200 million and a vibrant economy, insurance penetration remains stubbornly low. Many Nigerians distrust the industry, find current products unaffordable, or do not see their value. This reality demands decisive action from those of us who understand both the roots and opportunities of our market. It is this context that shapes how I interpret the Nigerian Insurance Industry Reform Act (NIIRA) 2025 This legislation is the most comprehensive reform I have witnessed in my…