Author: damazah@gmail.com

After a weekend on which pretty much every potential challenger to Arsenal had demonstrated their flaws, there was a sense, perhaps even a need, for Chelsea to emerge as a serious contender – if only to prevent the title race becoming a procession. And while they were far from flawless, there were at least some indications that they could mount some kind of challenge.They looked extremely dangerous in the final third, and Cole Palmer was involved in all three Chelsea goals, perhaps benefiting from a first summer off in three years. But they were rather less impressive through midfield or…

A new documentary called “NAZA” from the same directors as the Oscar-winning Israeli-Palestinian production “No Other Land” will premiere at the Venice Film Festival next month, organisers said on Monday. The film, which will be in competition for the Golden Lion award, is about “the systems behind Israel’s calculated mass killing of Palestinian civilians in Gaza,” according to a synopsis published on the film festival website. The film is directed by Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, two of the four co-directors of “No Other Land”, which tells the story of Palestinian activists trying to protect a cluster of villages in the…

Retired Professor of Sociology and former Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) National Commissioner, Lai Olurode, has predicted a landslide victory for President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election. Mr Olurode made the prediction in a statement shared with PREMIUM TIMES titled, “My Arguments for President Tinubu’s Re-election Bid.” He argued that Mr Tinubu’s chances of securing re-election had improved because of a more favourable political environment, improved security and the administration’s willingness to take difficult decisions. According to him, the president demonstrated political courage by retaining the Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket in the 2023 election despite opposition to the arrangement.…

The Edo State House of Assembly on Monday rejected the purported resignation of former Speaker Blessing Agbebaku. The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the House instead converted the resignation to impeachment during plenary in Benin. Moving the motion for Agbebaku’s impeachment, the Majority Leader, Sunday Ojezele, said the House did not receive the alleged resignation letter. Ojezele, who represents Esan South-East State Constituency, said the verbal resignation process “was unknown to parliamentary practices and did not conform to parliamentary procedures”. He urged members to support the impeachment of the ex-speaker. A majority of the members supported the motion for…

As Africa’s young population continues to grow, the need for skilled and adaptable leaders has never been more urgent. Through its Graduate Management Accelerator Programme (GMAP), the United Bank for Africa is investing in young African professionals by building the excellence, enterprise and execution needed to thrive in a changing business environment and shape the continent’s future. Chiemelie Ezeobi reports  “Excellence, enterprise and execution are the three things I am taking back home to Zambia to implement — putting the customers first. Being here in Nigeria has been a great experience and being at GMAP is prestigious. It took a lot of…

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.From fast fashion to flat fashion: Shein’s $27bn valuation in an upcoming Hong Kong public offering is a big blow to a company investors appraised at $100bn back in 2022. View Shein as an ultra-speedy clothing merchant plagued by counterfeiting issues and the price cut is deserved. But consider it as something else — a gamified doomscrolling app — and it’s a different story.Investors like are growth and profitability, and at Shein, both are going in the wrong direction. Revenue expanded by just…

Lenovo is aware that some Legion Go devices may experience a blank screen during installation of BIOS version V42. BIOS V42 was not distributed through Windows Update or Legion Space, and Lenovo has removed the update from its support website while we continue our validation work. Users who have successfully completed the V42 update should not need to take further action at this time.If a device encounters a blank screen during V42 installation, users may try pressing and holding the power button for approximately 10 seconds, waiting approximately one minute, and then powering the device on again. If the device…

By Bayo Wahab The All Progressives Congress (APC) has unveiled its Presidential Campaign Council for the 2027 general election, but the composition of the body has already generated discussion, with several prominent politicians and experienced campaign strategists absent from the list. The council was announced on Saturday by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy and Coordinating Director of Media and Strategic Communication of the campaign. President Bola Tinubu will serve as chairman of the council, while Vice President Kashim Shettima and APC National Chairman, Nentawe Yilwatda, will serve as vice chairmen. Former Zamfara State Governor…

A new daily pill that treats diabetes and helps with weight loss will be available in UK pharmacies from Monday.Pharmacists said the move would be welcome for people who cannot use weight-loss jabs, but also issued a warning over the growing problem of fake, unlicensed or counterfeit versions of GLP-1 tablets.Orforglipron, known as Foundayo and made by the US pharmaceutical firm Eli Lilly, was authorised by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) earlier this month. The UK is the first country in Europe to approve it, after approving another weight-loss pill in June.“The UK is the first country…

Several ex-footballers, including Premier League winners Emmanuel Petit and Mikael Silvestre, have called for “change” in FIFA’s leadership following the failed plan to open the World Cup to private investors. “Change is necessary. Power has blurred the current leadership’s ability to distinguish between its own interests and what is best for football,” Frenchmen Silvestre, Petit and Olivier Dacourt said in social media posts. The ex-players did not directly mention FIFA president Gianni Infantino, who earlier in the day was backed by former Barcelona star Samuel Eto’o, but they criticised his leadership. “We share exactly the same concerns as millions of…