Author: damazah@gmail.com

The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Yemi Cardoso, says Nigeria’s foreign exchange reserves has presently risen to 52.52 billion dollars. Cardoso said this on Tuesday in Abuja, while presenting a communique issued at the end of the 306th meeting of the apex bank’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC). He had earlier announced the decision of the MPC to retain the Monetary Policy Rate (MPR) at 26.5 per cent. The committee also retained the Standing Facilities Corridor around the MPR at +50/-450 basis points. Cash Reserve Requirement (CRR) for Deposit Money Banks was retained at 45.00 per cent, Merchant…

It took me a while to realise what the man sitting next to me on the train was doing. He was flicking through pictures of a little girl on his phone; zooming in on some, cropping the images. Hardly unusual, of course, except that on closer inspection the pictures were very clearly of the toddler sitting opposite us, playing with her parents. On a crowded train of people mostly staring obliviously at our own phones, a stranger had been covertly photographing that little girl over and over again. And if it hadn’t been for that very visible phone screen giving…

Bamako, Mali – The ambush that killed at least 50 Malian soldiers and struck a joint convoy of the Malian Armed Forces (FAMa) and Russia’s Africa Corps, which replaced the Wagner Group as Moscow’s military presence in Mali, near the northern town of Anefis on July 18 was more than another battlefield setback.It underscored how Mali’s armed groups are becoming increasingly coordinated, exposing the limits of the military government’s security strategy, despite growing Russian military support.The Malian military confirmed the assault and said it had launched counter-operations, while Africa Corps later released footage it said showed drone strikes targeting fighters…

By Ayobami Okerinde Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter has criticised the 2026 FIFA World Cup, saying the month-long tournament “lost its credibility”, urging football stakeholders to reclaim the game from political influence. In a post on his X account on Tuesday, Blatter said Spain deserved to win the 2026 World Cup but insisted that politics must not be allowed to overshadow the game. “The longest World Cup has come to an end – with the right champions. But on the way to the final whistle, the tournament had lost its credibility,” Blatter wrote. “Politics must not be allowed to overshadow…

Dixon Q. Dern, the longtime entertainment attorney who worked at CBS, Desilu and United Artists TV; who represented clients such as Desi Arnaz and the Television Academy; who often served as an arbitrator for labor disputes; who helped incorporate CAA and who was a pioneer in syndicated sales and pre-financing for TV, died on July 19. That, according to an obituary posted by Forest Lawn, Hollywood Hills. He was 97. Dern began his career as an in-house counsel for United Artists Television, Desilu and CBS before founding his own firm where he represented Desi Arnaz, the Television Academy, Village Roadshow,…

World Absolute Towers in Mississauga, affectionately nicknamed the “Marilyn Monroe” towers. Photo credit: Ehi Braimah For Nigerians, Mississauga presents more than an enjoyable travel destination. It offers practical lessons in ethical leadership, good governance, multicultural coexistence, urban planning, public infrastructure, environmental stewardship, and inclusive economic growth. Here, people of different races, religions and cultures work, study and live together while maintaining their unique identities. There is a calm confidence about Mississauga – a city that does not compete loudly for attention, and it doesn’t need to. Since I started visiting Canada from Nigeria, every return journey tells a different story.…

Super Eagles sriker Rafiu Durosinmi is set to become Genk’s most expensive signing after the Belgian club agreed a €10.5m (about N16.6bn) deal with Pisa for the Nigerian striker, PUNCH Sports Extra reports. According to Italian transfer expert Gianluca Di Marzio, the deal includes performance-related bonuses, while Pisa will also retain a 10 per cent sell-on clause. The transfer will eclipse Genk’s previous record of €7m, paid to Celta Vigo for Theo Bongonda in 2019. Durosinmi, 23, only joined Pisa from Czech side Viktoria Plzen in January for a fee believed to be around €9m. However, he struggled to make…

Exceptional performance is the bridge between where you are today and where you deserve to be tomorrow. Opportunity does not always arrive as a promotion. Sometimes it arrives disguised as extra responsibility. When the Operations Manager of a fast-growing manufacturing company proceeded on his annual leave, the office suddenly became unusually busy. The manager’s desk was filled with unfinished projects, pending approvals, customer complaints, supplier meetings and operational deadlines. Management considered recalling him from leave because there seemed to be no one ready to handle the workload. During a management meeting, David, one of the middle-level supervisors, quietly spoke up.…

A worker inspects a toilet unit at a Toto Ltd. plant in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan, on Thursday, May 28, 2026.Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesAt a time when investor attention has been on the semiconductor industry, some hidden gems with businesses quite dissimilar to high tech have turned out to be market winners, riding the AI boom.Toto is best known for high-end toilets, Nittobo makes textiles and glass fiber, and Ajinomoto makes MSG seasoning. Their shares have gained 78%, 63% and 61%, respectively, this year, as they make use of their core technologies to benefit from the AI supply…

A collection of speeches and writings by Pope Leo XIV has been certified as human-authored less than two months after Leo declared artificial intelligence the greatest threat to humanity.Proudly Human, the Australian company spearheaded by Australia’s former chief scientist, Dr Alan Finkel, undertook a review of a collection of writings and speeches by the pope, in collaboration with the publisher, the Australian Catholic University and cardinals in the Vatican.Maps of Hope was published in the same week in May that Leo’s first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, warned of the dangers of artificial intelligence and the risks of the power of the…