Author: damazah@gmail.com

Why go now?A thin peninsula just south of Rotterdam’s centre, Katendrecht was once at the heart of the world’s busiest port, home to continental Europe’s first Chinatown and a lively sailors’ quarter. Its later reputation as a red light district has been shrugged off – part of the city’s wider reinvention in the aftermath of extensive second world war bombing.Still Europe’s largest port, Rotterdam’s maritime history is very much evident today, with the former headquarters of the Holland-America Line now a hotel just a short hop across the Rijnhaven Bridge. The 2012 opening of this pedestrian and bicycle bridge finally…

Margaret Heggett, 95, does not remember a time when Port Talbot was ever quiet. Born and raised in the shadow of the steelworks, with a father, brother and husband who worked there, she never imagined what the town could look or sound like without its blast furnaces.“I’m not saying it was beautiful, but there were jobs. We did know the closure was coming and we have to move with the times but it’s affected the town a lot and it’s very sad,” she said.The south Wales town, one of the most deprived in the UK, is still grappling with the…

Paid paternity leave for police in England and Wales is to double, after the Guardian revealed last year that officers were “mocked and ostracised” for taking time off to spend with their babies.The home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, has increased the amount of paid parental and adoption leave for officers from one week to two across all forces, with fathers’ leave upped to be in line with mothers’.Before the change, only a quarter of forces offered two weeks’ full pay, with others offering one week on full pay and the second week on statutory pay. This resulted in only 40% of…

By Udeme Akpan The latest disagreement between President Donald Trump and Iran over the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz has pushed up oil prices by 5 per cent to $87 per barrel from $83 per barrel in the global market. This was even as Bank of America (BofA) warned that oil prices could continue to rise as the world heads into winter if the two parties fail to reach an agreement on reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Francisco Blanch, Bank of America’s head of commodities and derivatives research, told CNBC on Monday: “But if we don’t, we’re going to…

It’s a familiar experience: racing against masses of anonymous netizens online to get yourself on the list for an in-demand event.For Andrew Bird, from Melbourne, in Australia, it was a spot in an often over-booked pilates class – but his solution had unexpected consequences.He says he outsourced the “chore” to an AI agent – a tool that can carry out online tasks autonomously.It succeeded, but went further than he imagined by hacking the gym’s online systems, in what is being seen as the latest example of the way AI agents will go to any lengths to carry out the jobs…

Nature, Published online: 11 August 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-02374-yThree studies in non-human primates show that strategically designed vaccines could prime a population of B cells to produce effective antibodies against HIV.

Indiana Fever coach Stephanie White did not take questions during her media session ahead of her team’s 106-92 win over the New York Liberty on Tuesday. Instead, White delivered an impassioned statement in which she defended her relationship with her players, revised her opinion on DiJonai Carrington’s “egregious” flagrant foul on Sophie Cunningham and said that “the hate, the fear-mongering, the divisiveness, the stuff that’s trying to hijack our league will not win.”Carrington’s Flagrant 2 foul on Cunningham during Indiana’s win over the Chicago Sky on Saturday was the latest high-profile incident in what has been a tumultuous summer for…

Spy Next Door: The Anna Chapman Story9pm, Channel 4The tale of Anna Chapman (AKA Anya Kushchenko) is uncannily emblematic of recent relations between Russia and the west. Chapman was a shrewd spy who charmed her way into the higher echelons of society in London and New York. This fascinating two-part documentary explores her rise and fall, hearing from some of her entirely unwitting companions (who ranged from a Brighton techno DJ to a Mayfair financier) and agents who were involved in surveilling her. As Vladimir Putin briefly played at diplomacy with prime ministers and presidents, Chapman was among his foot…

Former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Dan Etete, has questioned claims that former military Head of State, Sani Abacha, died during a sexual encounter, describing the account as unsupported by evidence. Mr Etete, who served in the Abacha regime and said he was a close friend of the late military ruler, was reacting to claims by a former State Security Service (SSS) officer, Dennis Amachree, about Mr Abacha’s final hours. Mr Amachree made the claims in his memoir, DSS @40: My Journey Behind the Shield, excerpts of which were published in July. He said Mr Abacha suffered a coitus-induced cardiac arrest…

Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, has charged traditional rulers across the state to deploy their influence at the grassroots to mobilise their subjects for peaceful, responsible and informed participation in the 2027 general elections. Mr Abiodun made the call on Tuesday while inaugurating the Alake and Paramount Ruler of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Aremu Gbadebo, as the new Chairman of the Ogun State Council of Obas at the Obas’ Complex, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta. The governor urged the monarchs to educate their subjects on the importance of civic participation and encourage them to shun violence, thuggery, hatred and other acts capable of threatening…