Author: damazah@gmail.com

A former police officer allegedly developed an “infatuation and obsession” with one of his victims, and disguised himself as an Uber Eats rider before shooting two men, a court has heard.Beau Lamarre-Condon, 31, pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder and one charge of aggravated break and enter as his trial began in Sydney’s supreme court on Monday.He has been accused of fatally shooting Jesse Baird, 26, and Baird’s partner Luke Davies, 29, with his police service weapon at Baird’s Paddington home in February 2024.Appearing in the dock at the King Street courthouse, in a light grey suit, dark…

Ferrari’s two-seat sports cars might be the brand’s identity, but the Italian automaker has always catered to customers who want to bring more than one passenger along for the ride. It started building cars with back seats in the 1960s with the 250 GT 2+2; as the name suggests, the second row was more for occasional use, something that was true all the way through to the 612 in the early 2000s. Ferrari followed with its first true four-seater, the all-wheel drive FF, which adopted “Breadvan” styling. Its first hatchback was still a three-door, though, and slightly more practical for…

Victoria Starmer has taken part in a London fashion week show, in one of her first public appearances since her husband, Keir Starmer, stepped down as prime minister.Lady Starmer appeared at Sunday’s Edeline Lee show. The London-based, Canadian British designer’s clothes are a favourite of the Princess of Wales, and have also been worn by celebrities including singer Taylor Swift and actor and screenwriter Phoebe Waller-Bridge.Lee’s spring/summer 2027 show took place in the unusual setting of a north London school sports hall. Starmer wore a bright turquoise knitted midi dress with a high neckline, pleated detailing and short, sculptural sleeves,…

A longstanding mystery surrounding the Dead Sea Scrolls may have a new explanation. Researchers have debated for decades whether the Qumran sect actually followed its unusual 364-day calendar or whether the system existed mainly as a religious and theoretical ideal. A study from Tel Aviv University argues that both possibilities may be partly correct. According to the proposed reconstruction, the sect likely used the calendar during its early history, when disagreements over religious dates contributed to its separation from the Jerusalem establishment. Later, however, the system may have been abandoned because of a fundamental astronomical problem and changing political relations…

President Bola Tinubu has congratulated winners of the legislative by-elections held on Saturday across Gombe, Kano, Bauchi and Delta states. The All Progressives Congress (APC) won four of the five seats, while the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) secured the remaining seat in Bauchi State. The president’s congratulatory message is contained in a statement issued by Presidential Spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, on Sunday in Abuja. The successful APC candidates include Kallamu MaiJama’a, Gombe/Kwami/Funakaye Federal Constituency, Gombe; and Husseini Datti, Dawakin Kudu State Constituency, Kano. Others are Okolosi Ator, Udu State Constituency, Delta; and Yakubu Ali, Disina State Constituency, Bauchi. Adamu Yakubu of…

After it was announced that Sony was dropping Hideo Kojima’s Physint, and that instead the Metal Gear Solid creator’s latest title would be coming to Xbox, there were a flurry of rumors about the falling out. Bloomberg reported that the decision was driven by a number of factors, including missed deadlines, budget and profitability concerns, and its timed exclusivity.In an interview with IGN, Kojima said that, considering the broader state of the industry, which has seen a number of studios close, he was worried about the future of Kojima Productions:I know there’s a lot of news in the game industry…

Sir Ed Davey is calling on the government to immediately cut fuel duty by 10p a litre until Christmas as part of a package of policies aimed at cutting the cost of living.The Liberal Democrat leader is also urging the government to scrap a permanent increase in fuel duty which is set to take effect in January.Fuel duty was frozen under the Conservatives in March 2022 and Sir Keir Starmer’s government continued the freeze, deciding in May to push back a planned 3p increase in September until the end of this year.The Lib Dems claim cutting 10p from fuel duty…

The leaders of France and Canada have pledged closer ties to grapple with rising geopolitical tensions, climate change and the erosion of democratic values, after ⁠they met in a ⁠French territory off Canada’s Atlantic coast.The two leaders’ visit to Saint-Pierre ​and Miquelon – the first by a French president since 2014 and the first by a Canadian prime minister – came just weeks ⁠after Donald Trump posted an image showing the islands, as well as all of Canada and other countries in North America, covered by the US flag.Ottawa has been seeking closer ties with the ⁠EU amid an increasingly…

Vast troves of highly sensitive police data are lying on Microsoft cloud platforms which an official UK security assessment deemed to be vulnerable to “compromise” by foreign actors and the US government, a Guardian investigation can reveal.The files include criminal records, victim statements, internal emails and sensitive information held by more than 40 police forces across the UK.Some files exceed “official” classification, according to a police document seen by the Guardian, raising the possibility the information could be classed as “secret” or “top secret”.The cloud platform is Microsoft Azure, one of the main commercial offerings of the US tech company.…

CHARLES MERIBOLE condemns the surge in political violence and enjoins the electorate not to be intimidated A disturbing trend of rising political intolerance is emerging in Nigeria’s political landscape in the build-up to the 2027 general elections. This troubling phenomenon, which has escalated in recent weeks since the official lifting of the ban on political campaigns by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has manifested as incendiary remarks, outright threats, sponsored attacks and violence, hate speech, and unfortunately, killings in Nigeria’s political space. Sadly, Nigeria’s President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, set the tone for this dangerous political culture with his ‘’all…