Author: damazah@gmail.com

Iran launched a wave of attacks against US allies in the Middle East, as the renewal of US strikes on Iran entered a second week and fighting escalated over the strait of Hormuz.Kuwait has accused Iran of targeting civilian sites and vital infrastructure in the country, such as a power and water desalination plant. Kuwait, which is extremely arid, relies on desalinated water for about 90% of its drinking water.The country was forced to briefly close its airspace as it intercepted Iranian missiles and drones, and said several Kuwaiti firefighters and a worker were injured while battling blazes sparked by…

Sylvester Idowu in Warri  Businessman, Chief Sunny Onuesoke, has faulted the growing trend of newly elected politicians and candidates organising lavish thanksgiving ceremonies immediately after winning elections. He cited concerns over ostentatious displays of wealth amid economic hardship, the politicisation of religious pulpits, and the insensitivity of celebrating political victories while citizens struggle for survival. Onuesoke, who made the observation while addressing journalists in Warri yesterday, pointed out that public office is a call to service and not an occasion for self-congratulation. “You were elected to serve the people, not to celebrate as though you have finally secured personal wealth,” he…

The AI trade dominated the market once again this week, upstaging an impressive start to the second-quarter earnings season. Cooler-than-expected June reports on consumer and producer prices offered encouraging signs that inflation continued to ease, while earnings from the nation’s largest banks reinforced the strength of capital markets. At the same time, investors kept one eye on the Middle East as the U.S. and Iran traded airstrikes again, adding to uncertainty around the Strait of Hormuz. West Texas Intermediate crude spiked 15.5% last week to above $82 per barrel, while international benchmark Brent crude jumped nearly 16% to just above…

Soccer fans looking to watch the 2026 World Cup on US television have been presented with two very different options this tournament.The first is Fox Sports, a cousin of Fox News owned by the same parent company and the sole network airing matches in English in the US. Audiences tuning in to Fox, which acquired the exclusive English broadcast rights in 2015, are met with coverage that reflects the network’s “America first” aesthetic, with promos for pro-Donald Trump talkshows, advertising breaks during games and the frequent, grating presence of host Alexi Lalas.The second option is Telemundo, available through a subscription…

Andy Burnham risks his first confrontation with Labour MPs if he announces new oil and gas drilling licences when he becomes prime minister, insiders have warned.Speculation is rife that Burnham will announce some new plans for drilling in the North Sea after he is installed in Downing Street on Monday.In the party’s 2024 manifesto, it pledged to honour existing exploration licences but not issue new ones.Burnham’s team have not confirmed the details of any proposals and whether they would involve new exploration licences or so-called “tiebacks” – where offshore oil and gasfields are connected to already approved production facilities via…

Consider a thought experiment. Two graduate students have written identical dissertations: the same experiments, the same data, the same robust findings. One is written as a standard, cautious text that flatters the subfield whose intuitions drove the design and to whom the findings will feel familiar. The other reframes the study for a different, but equally relevant, audience—one holding different suppositions and therefore open to being surprised into shifting its position. The latter approach is more valuable for good reasons: the scientific community and the world will learn more.

This year’s trade deadline is Monday, Aug. 3, which means it is only two weeks and two days away. Now that the amateur draft is in the rear-view mirror, front offices have shifted their focus to the deadline. Expect the trades to start soon. Until then, here are Saturday’s deadline rumors. Yankees have shown interest in Goodman The Yankees have shown interest in Rockies All-Star catcher Hunter Goodman in the past, reports ESPN. The two teams have not spoken recently, however. New York’s catchers have been simply dreadful this season. They rank 29th in batting average (.175) and on-base percentage (.250),…

SATURDAY UPDATE: Not sunny weather, nor World Cup is hindering Universal‘s The Odyssey which as of this morning is on its way to becoming Christopher Nolan‘s best global opening ever with $257.8M, which puts away his previous highs of The Dark Knight Rises ($249M WW debut in like-for-likes), The Dark Knight ($198M WW) and Oppenheimer ($180M WW). As far as the top global openings year-to-date, it’s the best for a live-action movie quite easily, but it’s third overall behind Universal/Illumination/Nintendo’s The Super Mario Galaxy Movie ($372.5M WW) and Disney/Pixar’s Toy Story 5 ($312M WW). With domestic at $120.5M, the best live-action debut…

The CBSE released the results for Second Board examinations today, July 18, 2026. The question now arises, did the new two-board system actually help students? We try to decode the logic and the result behind this initiative, aimed at aligning the hitherto education framework to a more NEP 2020-aligned system.The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) declared the results of the Class 10 of the Second Board Examinations today, July 18, 2026. The results were released for the students who took the improvement examinations for class 10, a new initiative started by the Board in order to align the framework…

Governor Umar Namadi of Jigawa State on Friday suspended a N1.3 billion hospital renovation project after publicly querying the quality of work. He cited the use of low-quality materials and non-compliance with project specifications. The project is for the renovation and remodelling of the Gumel General Hospital. ​Governor Namadi had conducted an unscheduled night inspection of the facility in Gumel Local Government Area. ​The contract was awarded to Yasmeen Automobile Nigeria Limited last December, with an eight-month completion timeline. “The work is very poor; that is the truth. What we asked to be done in Gumel is the total renovation…