Author: damazah@gmail.com

Can you do anything with vanilla pods once you’ve scraped out the seeds? They’re so expensive.Jo, by email“I put them in my knicker drawer,” says Sarah Lemanski, owner of Nova Bakehouse in Leeds. “They scent it nicely, that’s for sure.” But, culinarily speaking, and beyond custards and the like, Lemanski often uses them in vanilla syrup: “Chop the pod quite small, then dry-toast it with some of the sugar for the syrup – I use a 2:1 sugar-to-water ratio – to give it body.” The Guardian’s own Benjamina Ebuehi is very much in agreement, and keeps a stash of said…

Linus Aleke in Abuja The Nigeria Police Trust Fund (NPTF), the Nigeria Police Force and the Police Officers’ Wives Association (POWA) have flagged off the Maiden Skills Acquisition and Empowerment Programme for Wives of Junior Police Officers nationwide. The initiative, launched at the MD Abubakar Police Barracks, Dei-Dei, Abuja, is designed to equip beneficiaries with vocational skills and start-up packs to promote economic self-reliance and improve household livelihoods. The event, hosted by the Minister of Police Affairs, Senator Ibrahim Gaidam, was attended by the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Disu; the Executive Secretary of the NPTF, Mr Mohammed Sheidu; the…

The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) has announced that 196 companies have qualified for the commercial bid stage of the 2025 oil licensing round, whilst 13 of the 50 oil blocks initially offered failed to attract bids and will be returned to the government’s licensing basket. The NUPRC Chief Executive, Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, disclosed this whilst delivering her opening remarks at the Commercial Bid Conference in Abuja on Tuesday. She stated that only 37 of the 50 blocks attracted bids during the technical evaluation stage, with 140 companies submitting 196 bids. “At the end of the exercise, we had 50…

Busha Business, the B2B infrastructure arm of Busha, has collaborated with Tether, the largest company in the digital asset industry and the issuer of USD₮, to expand access to licensed stablecoin infrastructure for African businesses.  The collaboration enables businesses to access globally connected stablecoin liquidity for faster cross-border payments, more efficient treasury management, and quicker settlement of international transactions, reducing many of the delays and costs associated with traditional banking channels.  This announcement comes as businesses across Africa increasingly seek faster and more reliable ways to move money internationally. Cross-border payments remain expensive and slow, treasury management has become more…

After becoming PM on Monday, Burnham appointed John Healey as chancellor, Ed Miliband as foreign secretary and Wes Streeting as defence secretary

Summer so far has been exceptionally hot and dry across much of the UK, with three widespread heatwaves and the longest run of dry days in central England since 1995. England, Wales and eastern Scotland have been the driest areas over recent weeks, and this follows a very dry spring in similar regions. England has received only 3% of its long-term average July rainfall with the south and east of England seeing no rain at all. Wisley in Surrey has seen 33 consecutive dry days.Rainfall so far this summer has been below average across the UK as a whole, but…

In July, Dave Richard, Jamey Eisenberg, and I are all releasing our Fantasy Football Tiers for quarterback, running back, wide receiver, and tight end. To try to make mine a little bit different, my tiers are based almost exclusively on my 2026 projections. I say almost, because at running back, once you get to the backup running backs, their value becomes less about their projection and more about their upside if the guy in front of them suffers an injury. There are a couple of other tweaks, but for the most part I will tell you below where these guys project and…

Nigerian singer Habeeb Okikiola, popularly known as Portable, has challenged veteran artiste Terry G to a boxing match, saying the bout would revive Terry G’s career. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Portable made the challenge on Sunday during an appearance on Channels Television’s ”Rubbin Minds”. “If I fight Terry G, people will remember him. I prefer facing fellow entertainers. I have no interest in fighting social media personalities, including VeryDarkMan and Carter Efe,” he said. The singer described himself as the pioneer of celebrity boxing in Nigeria, claiming that he had earned millions of naira from previous…

Funmi Ogundare  The i-Scholar Initiative (iSI) recently welcomed a new cohort of 100 scholarship beneficiaries into its global network of scholars, mentors, partners and volunteers, reaffirming its commitment to equipping talented Nigerians with the support needed to pursue postgraduate education at leading institutions around the world. Speaking at the 2026 iSI scholars onboarding programme held virtually, the organisation explained that it was designed to prepare the new scholars for the opportunities and responsibilities that come with joining the initiative. The onboarding event focused on providing beneficiaries with the right mindset, mentorship and practical guidance to maximise the opportunities available through…

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission has dismissed reports that the Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, Femi Gbajabiamila, was arrested in connection with the ongoing investigation into the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council scandal. In a statement issued on Tuesday, ICPC spokesperson Demola Bakare said Gbajabiamila voluntarily honoured an invitation from investigators and was allowed to leave after responding to questions. According to the commission, the former Speaker of the House of Representatives arrived at its headquarters in Abuja on Tuesday afternoon, spent some time with investigators and departed shortly afterwards. “The Commission confirms that…