Author: damazah@gmail.com

Dearest World,Britain, that small yet once highly influential nation that once proudly ruled over much of you, that “gifted” you the English language as well as William Shakespeare and Mark Morrison, that kindly bestowed upon you industrialisation as well as industrialised slavery, the proud nation that won two world wars and created football … I’m afraid to reveal, is not what it used to be.First, we lost “our” empire, then we lost Queen Elizabeth II, then we lost our sense of identity. And now, it would appear, a good number of us have lost our minds. Little crystallises this more…

Funmi Ogundare A Professor of Community Medicine at Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Kayode Thadius Ijadunola, yesterday warned that Nigeria’s worsening health workforce crisis now poses a serious threat to the country’s health security and sustainable development, calling for sweeping reforms to avert a collapse of the healthcare system. Ijadunola gave the warning while delivering the fifth Oladipo Akinkugbe distinguished lecture of the University of Medical Sciences (UNIMED), Ondo State, titled: ‘Reimagining the Nigerian Healthcare System: Leadership, Research and Innovation for the Future’. He identified the mass migration of healthcare professionals and the retirement of experienced personnel as a double…

The police have arrested an 18-year-old student after allegedly recovering a mini revolver from him at an Islamic school in Jalingo, the Taraba State capital. The police state command’s spokesperson, Victor Mshelizah, said in a statement on Thursday that Usman Usman was arrested following a report received on 14 July from the management of Sheikh Abdullahi Bala Lau Institute for Koranic Memorisation over a disagreement between two students. Mr Mshelizah said preliminary investigations showed that Master Usman, a native of Sansani in Gassol Local Government Area, was allegedly found in possession of the firearm during the altercation. “Preliminary investigation revealed…

Key eventsI hope you are planning to stick with the blog all day, but in case you’re not here are the key timings:ShareWilliam FotheringhamWilliam Fotheringham’s stage guideNevers/Magny Cours to Chalon-sur-Saône, 179.1kmThe penultimate sprint stage, with nearly half the race left. Today may have a little twist in it however; the three ranked ascents are fourth category, but team managers with sprinters who can climb a bit will look closely at the lumpy roads between 141 and 162km. The obvious tactic would be to pile on the pressure at this point and see if Merlier, Pedersen and Philipsen can be dislodged…

Eric Stonestreet praised Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce for creating a sense of “normalcy” at their wedding despite its huge scale. In a new interview with People, the Modern Family actor discussed being invited to the famous couple’s recent nuptials at Madison Square Garden. “It was awesome,” Stonestreet said. “I mean, I think you’ve read everything that there is to be said about it.” The actor attended with his wife Lindsay Schweitzer and noted, “We were just very conscious of being respectful to the couple. I didn’t want to peep before. I didn’t want to peep after. And then once…

Dangote Petroleum Refinery & Petrochemicals Industries has continued to cushion Nigeria’s fuel market from global price volatility by keeping domestic petrol prices stable despite rising international gasoline prices, higher freight rates, and tightening global supply, according to S&P Global Commodity Insights. The market intelligence firm said the refinery’s pricing strategy has helped shield consumers from mounting import costs that are putting upward pressure on fuel prices across West Africa. According to its latest market intelligence, S&P noted that importers supplying the Nigerian market are becoming increasingly concerned over the sharp rise in international gasoline prices, with traders attributing the pressure…

Key eventsZelenskyy thanks Starmer, UK for supporting UkraineUkraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he and Starmer “paid tribute to the fallen Ukrainian warriors” as part of the UK prime minister’s final foreign trip, and thanked him and the UK for their support throughout the war. “I thank Keir and the United Kingdom for their unwavering respect for our warriors, for all those who made the ultimate sacrifice to defend Ukraine and all of Europe. It is important to always remember the heroism of all our people who stood up for Ukraine. Eternal gratitude to every man and woman who defended Ukraine against…

This article is an on-site version of the Free Lunch newsletter. Premium subscribers can sign up here to get the newsletter delivered every Thursday and Sunday. Standard subscribers can upgrade to Premium here, or explore all FT newslettersOver the past month, the EU’s digital finance ecosystem has quietly taken several important steps into the future. In late June, the European parliament’s economics committee voted through a proposal to establish a retail central bank digital currency (CBDC) for the euro area. Last week, the full legislature authorised negotiations over such a digital euro with the Council of the EU (where member…

A former member of Morocco’s domestic intelligence service has helped to provide an unprecedented insight into how the north African state used hacking software – including Pegasus spyware – to target journalists, human rights defenders, French politicians and Spanish cabinet ministers and police officers.Pegasus, which is manufactured by the Israel-based NSO Group, allows its operator to access everything on a target’s mobile phone, including emails, text messages and photographs. It can also activate the phone’s recorder and camera, turning it into a listening device.Although NSO Group says Pegasus is sold only to governments to help them track criminals and terrorists,…

A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Kenneth Okonkwo, has defended the choice of former Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, as the party’s vice-presidential candidate, saying the decision showed that the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, harbours no prejudice against the Igbo. Okonkwo spoke on Channels Television’s Morning Brief on Thursday while responding to questions about Amaechi’s delayed public acknowledgement of his nomination and his own earlier reservations over the vice-presidential slot not going to the Southeast. He said the ADC was addressing concerns raised by some party members through internal dialogue. “The ADC has announced Rotimi Amaechi as…