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BBC presenter Emma Barnett has revealed she had a hysterectomy and surgery for endometriosis days before a documentary she made about the condition was broadcast.Barnett, 41, returned to Radio 4’s Today programme on Wednesday morning, explaining she had been absent in recent weeks because she was in hospital “in a case of life imitating work”.She told listeners: “I made a programme on endometriosis on BBC Two and ended up being in hospital for endometriosis.”So yes, I’ve been recuperating, shall we say, from surgery for endometriosis and a hysterectomy to boot. So that’s been less fun than the Today programme, but…

President Paul Biya has returned to Cameroon after spending two months in Switzerland, his longest recorded stay outside the country since taking power four decades ago. Mr Biya arrived at the international airport in the capital, Yaoundé, on Thursday aboard a flight from Geneva, Switzerland. He left the country on 7 June. His office had described the trip as a “brief private stay in Europe,” but he did not return until after 10 weeks. Mr Biya’s prolonged absence intensified concerns about the 93-year-old leader’s health and the possibility of a power vacuum in the Central African nation. Speculation over the…

Note: Map shows the area with a shake intensity of 3 or greater, which U.S.G.S. defines as “weak,” though the earthquake may be felt outside the areas shown.  All times on the map are Peru time. The New York Times A strong, 6.7-magnitude earthquake struck in Peru on Thursday, according to the United States Geological Survey.The temblor happened at 1 p.m. Peru time about 19 miles northwest of Aniso, Peru, data from the agency shows.The head of Peru’s Geophysical Institute said people ran into the streets when the quake struck, but that there were no initial signs of major damage.…

Chinedu Eze In an effort to streamline the operations of taxis at the Abuja, Lagos and other airports under its management, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has temporarily banned Uber and Bolt e-hailing platforms, until talks are concluded among the parties. A lawyer who has been engaging with the taxi operators at the Lagos airport, Williams Ikem, told THISDAY that FAAN reorganised the activities of taxis at the nation’s two major airports, but would do everything possible to have full control of their activities and to determine the kind of services the taxis offer to air travellers who…

By Peter Egwuatu The Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) has projected Nigeria’s inflation to remain elevated during the remainder of 2026, averaging 15.5 percent in the second half 2026, H2’26, and for the entire year. This projection is premised on persistent challenges including widespread insecurity in major farming communities, climate-related disruptions particularly flooding and high transportation costs arising from logistics challenges. In its outlook for 2026, the NESG added that election-related spending, seasonal demand associated with the festive period, and relatively high energy costs could generate temporary cost-push inflationary pressures during H2-2026. “Howevaer, these pressures could be partly offset by…

Cinemas across the UK are considering banning customers from wearing Meta’s smart glasses amid fears they could be used to pirate films.The UK Cinema Association (UKCA) trade body said that a number of local chains could end up introducing policies that restrict camera-enabled smart glasses at the big screen, adding to a growing list of venues concerned about covert use.The £359 specs, nicknamed “pervert glasses” and “spyware” by critics, are facing a growing backlash, leading to bans at restaurants, theatres, pubs and courtrooms.The UKCA said it was not aware of any bans by members to date, but bosses would have…

 Osun governorship election holds lesson for Nigeria, writes BASIL AGBOARUMI For a very long time, nothing has brought joy and hope to Nigerians quite like the just-concluded Osun State governorship election. It was a moment that reminded us that the voice of the people remains the voice of God – and that when citizens rise with courage, even Goliaths must flee. The election was like the case of David and Goliath. We saw the Goliaths gathering, and as they did, they announced their assemblage while they despised “David” in the State of the Living Spring – as seen in the…

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has confirmed the closure of poliovirus type 2 outbreaks in five African countries following assessments that found transmission had been interrupted. The countries are Burundi, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, the Republic of Congo and Uganda, the WHO Regional Office for Africa said in a statement on Wednesday. “Teams from the Independent Outbreak Response Assessment (OBRA) conducted separate assessments between January and June 2026, reviewing disease surveillance, laboratory and epidemiological data,” WHO noted. WHO explained that the transmission was interrupted through targeted vaccination campaigns, epidemiological investigations and expanded environmental surveillance. How countries stopped the outbreaks In Burundi, where…

Paper introductions and discussions show more signs of AI use than results sections. Credit: Laurence Dutton/GettyThe use of artificial intelligence to write scientific papers could be much more prevalent than was previously thought. That’s the upshot of a study that estimates that almost nine out of ten papers published in December 2025 in a major biomedical-article database showed signs of AI-assisted writing. The study, which was posted on the arXiv preprint site on 12 August1 and has not yet been peer reviewed, puts the rate of usage of AI large language models (LLMs) at 77% for papers archived in the…

Brazilian football legend Ronaldinho is set to make a sensational return to professional football at the age of 46 after agreeing to join Italian Serie C side Ravenna FC. The former Barcelona and AC Milan star has not played a competitive professional match since 2015, when he featured for Brazilian club Fluminense. Ronaldinho’s return comes 11 years after his last professional appearance and marks a surprise second spell in Italian football, following his time with AC Milan between 2008 and 2011. The 2002 World Cup winner has also become part of the ownership group at Ravenna as the club embarks…