Author: damazah@gmail.com

Tell people you’re testing air conditioning, and the truth soon comes out: far more people have aircon than you’d ever imagine. It’s a guilty secret, the home improvement equivalent of Botox or weight loss jabs – everyone notices the results, but nobody admits to the method. Most portable aircons are in bedrooms, hidden away from visitors, so they’re easy to keep secret. And while friends with aircon don’t suddenly look younger or slimmer, they do look suspiciously well rested during a heatwave, while you’ve spent the night tossing and turning.The Guardian’s journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if…

The Lagos State Printing Corporation has regularised the appointments of 18 project staff members into permanent positions, in a move aimed at strengthening its workforce and recognising their contributions to the corporation. The formal presentation and announcement were made at the Conference Room of the corporation in the presence of members of the management team. In a post obtained from Lagos State’s X handle on Thursday, speaking at the occasion, the General Manager of LSPC, Dr. Kolawole Peregrino, congratulated the 18 newly regularised staff and thanked the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, for approving the exercise. Peregrino described…

Mali is a former colony of France, and has been gripped by a security crisis fuelled by an Islamist insurgency since 2012. It was one of the reasons given for Goïta leading a coup in 2021 but attacks by jihadist groups have continued and even increased.At the time of the arrests last year, Mali’s Security Minister Gen Daoud Aly Mohammedine said “fringe elements of the Malian armed security forces” had been detained for seeking to “destabilise the institutions of the republic”.”These soldiers and civilians” were said to have obtained “the help of foreign states”, the minister said.Vezilier was said to…

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group has bought struggling department store chain Harvey Nichols through a pre-pack administration that will further the high street group’s luxury ambitions.The transaction, announced on Thursday, allows Frasers to buy a slimmed-down business shorn of some of its liabilities. The Sports Direct owner paid approximately £40mn, according to people with knowledge of the deal.Frasers will acquire six stores, including Harvey Nichols’ flagship in Knightsbridge, London, as well as its online and international franchise businesses.However, the retail group’s chief executive…

Imagine a trio of bumbling, English lads who fantasize about becoming megastars while knocking back a few pints in a grimy pub somewhere in London. Picture the guys chortling and trying to one-up each other’s idealized visions of the future with a series of increasingly glitzy fantasies in which their fame leads to access to groupies and lavish parties on luxurious boats. Imagine these men are actually characters in a film — one filled with hyperkinetic smash cuts to action sequences in which they’re fighting or running from armed goons. This movie might be the sort of feature you’d expect…

Section 21 “no-fault” evictions, where tenants can be evicted without giving a reason, are widely regarded as a key driver of homelessness, and were banned from May 2026.But Romesha said “Section 21 is not the problem”, adding: “My issue is the government allowing landlords to skyrocket rental prices, which are not in line with salaries.”It doesn’t add up.”The Labour government pledged to build 1.5 million new homes in England over the course of this Parliament, but is currently not on course to meet that target. “It is shameful that a record number of children are growing up without a home…

Edo State’s domestic debt has risen sharply under Governor Monday Okpebholo, climbing from N113 billion at the end of 2024 to N172.37 billion by March 2026 and moving the state from 12th to sixth among Nigeria’s most indebted states, according to the latest data from the Debt Management Office (DMO). The increase follows a period of declining debt in 2025, when Edo’s domestic debt fell from N113 billion in December 2024 to N76.13 billion by September 2025, before rising again to N91.18 billion at the end of the year. The latest DMO Domestic Debt Data for the 36 states of…

Jayden Daniels is taking issue with LSU’s decision to give his No. 5 jersey to cornerback DJ Pickett. An attorney representing the Washington Commanders quarterback sent LSU athletic director Verge Ausberry a cease-and-desist letter on Aug. 5, informing the school that it is no longer authorized to use Daniels’ name, image and likeness, according to a copy of the letter obtained by ESPN.CBS Sports reached out to Daniels’ attorney, Adam Kenner, for comment Thursday, but had not received a response.The letter, according to ESPN, cites Daniels’ LSU NIL agreement, which allowed the school to use his name, image and likeness for…

Ski Sunday presenter Chemmy Alcott says she suffered a collapsed lung after jumping into a lake while on holiday in France.The 44-year-old former GB Olympic skier posted a clip on Instagram, external that showed her jumping off a five metre platform into Lake Annecy, in the French Alps, before landing badly and ending up in hospital.”Most people badly time a front flip off a five-metre platform and get winded,” she said in the clip.”I apparently don’t do things by halves. Collapsed lung, chest drain and a very expensive lesson in rotation.”Alcott explained that she initially went back to jump again…

The overseas education boom among Indian students appears to be cooling, with departures falling sharply from their 2023 peak. Image: AI-generated We all remember that iconic moment in Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham when Shah Rukh Khan makes a dramatic entrance after landing in a black helicopter, as his mother, played by Jaya Bachchan, waits eagerly to welcome her son home. We have all swooned over that iconic scene. As children growing up in the 1990s and 2000s, many of us imagined that this was what it felt like to return home after living abroad. Bollywood had long romanticised foreign lands,…