Author: damazah@gmail.com

Imagine a cute, young, gay Jim Carrey with a withering line in put-downs: that is Andrew Rannells. Or rather, it was, back when he starred in Lena Dunham’s HBO series Girls as Elijah, the formerly closeted ex of her character, Hannah. Dunham had seen Rannells playing Elder Price, the zealous missionary spreading the good word in the original 2011 Broadway production of the bad-taste musical The Book of Mormon, for which he received a Tony nomination. Girls, in turn, spread the good word about him. To this day, fans still shout “Your dad is gay!” at him in the street,…

1Price or shower? (3) 1 down. Price or shower? 3 letters.2Merciful (7) 2 down. Merciful. 7 letters.3So-so (4) 3 down. So-so. 4 letters.4Dubious (6) 4 down. Dubious. 6 letters.5Non-mainstream (film) (3-5) 5 down. Non-mainstream (film). 3-5 letters.6Dopy (5) 6 down. Dopy. 5 letters.7Spring blossom (9) 7 down. Spring blossom. 9 letters.10Strap, squash or junction (9) 10 down. Strap, squash or junction. 9 letters.12Don’t get carried away! (6,2) 12 down. Don’t get carried away! 6 letters and 2 letters.15Gangster (7) 15 down. Gangster. 7 letters.16Tempting vegetable? (6) 16 down. Tempting vegetable? 6 letters.18Coffee that won’t keep you up (5) 18 down.…

Brazil has not yet decided whether it will proceed with retaliatory measures, but has committed to defending its position.Published On 14 Aug 202614 Aug 2026Brazil has opened consultations into potential retaliatory measures against the United States following the imposition of 25 percent tariffs on a range of Brazilian exports.The new US tariffs are “unjustified and arbitrary”, and Brazil will “continue to defend its position in all appropriate forums”, the Brazilian government said in a statement on Thursday.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of listThe step is the beginning of the reciprocity process that could eventually see Brazil introduce retaliatory measures,…

At least four people died in eastern Japan after “unprecedented” heavy rain that left nearly 7,000 stranded at Tokyo’s Narita airport, and forced thousands to take refuge in government buildings.The torrential rains hit Chiba prefecture, east of Tokyo, on Thursday night, triggering landslide warnings and power outages. Evacuation orders were issued for more than 400,000 people in Chiba and other areas, and about 45,000 homes lost power, as 115mm of rain fell hourly, approximately the same amount usually recorded for the whole month of August.It was the first time the Japan Meteorological Agency has issued the highest level 5 warning…

Nigerian delegates, alongside their counterparts from other African countries under the African Group of Negotiators, will push for the establishment of a legally binding instrument on drought management and increased financing to address desertification and land degradation across the continent at the forthcoming 17th session of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD COP17) in Mongolia. The Director of the Desertification, Land Degradation and Drought Management Department of the Federal Ministry of Environment, Etim William, disclosed this in an exclusive interview with PREMIUM TIMES ahead of the conference. “Nigeria, alongside other African countries, wants to push for a legally…

In a new filing in its long-running legal dispute with Epic Games, Apple has proposed a structure that would allow it to collect fees on digital purchases made via external links that don’t use the company’s in-app purchase system. Epic has already responded, saying that Apple’s request is “far outside of the bounds” of the court’s guidance.Right now, Apple cannot take a commission on external purchases after California district court judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers ruled in April 2025 that found the company “willfully” didn’t comply with her 2021 Epic Games v. Apple injunction. However, a Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals…

Events in Osun State ahead of tomorrow’s election have put critical state institutions in a tough spot; getting out of it demands that they deliver on the promises of democracy. Vincent Obia writes  Since August 5, when Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) announced the freezing of Osun State’s federal statutory allocation account, there has been a chorus of reaction, some condemning and others commending the action. But the bottom-line appears to be that the adventure does not serve the political interests of President Bola Tinubu’s All Progressives Congress (APC), both in the state, where it is in the opposition,…

The Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) has led a group of strategic investors in the recently completed $2.5 billion private placement by Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals FZE (DPRP). In a statement issued on Thursday, AFC said the latest investment reflects its model of providing early-stage risk capital and recycling funding into the next generation of transformative projects once assets reach stable and cash-generative operations. DPRP owns the approximately $20 billion integrated refining and petrochemical complex located on a 2,500-hectare site in Lagos. The refinery has a nameplate capacity of 650,000 barrels of crude oil per day and processes crude petroleum…

Innes Senior scored twice as Leigh Leopards inflicted a first home defeat of the season on Betfred Super League leaders Leeds Rhinos by winning 20-16 at Headingley.Wing Senior went over twice in the first half after team-mate Josh Charnley’s effort had cancelled out Ryan Hall’s opener for Leeds, for whom Brodie Croft also touched down before the break. In balmy, energy-sapping conditions after the hottest day in the UK this year, Leigh scored a fourth try through centre Umyla Hanley early in the second period and then withstood heavy pressure to seal a deserved win. Ryan Hall thought his late…

The ideal way to approach Mine, Adam Ouston’s second novel, might be to read it out loud in one exhausting sitting, to let its cadences roll and accumulate. This is a novel that consists of one long sentence, and thousands of clauses, digressions, conjunctions, modifications and clarifications. There is nowhere for the reader to rest.To read Mine out loud would leave one short of breath, parched, uncomfortable, delirious – and thus in sync with its central character, a poet, activist and teacher who has tumbled to the bottom of an abandoned mine shaft in western Tasmania, and now lies in…