Author: damazah@gmail.com

The recent protest by some automobile spare parts retailers of Auto Spare Parts and Machinery Dealers Association of Nigeria (ASPAMDA) at Lagos International Trade Fair Complex, revealed varying demands between Nigerian retailers and Chinese businesses operating in the market. On Tuesday, some ASPAMDA traders at the Lagos International Trade Fair Complex protested against the alleged involvement of some Chinese nationals in retail trading. The protesters had called for Chinese businesses to leave the market, accusing them of selling directly to customers and competing with local retailers. The protesting traders held placards, some of which read, “Chinese must go” and “They…

Age changes the way languages are learned, but adults remain capable of learning new languages throughout life. Adults and kids bring different strengths to the task. Children tend to have advantages with pronunciation and some aspects of grammar, while adults bring larger vocabularies and better-developed strategies for learning. Research involving older adults suggests that learning a language can produce cognitive benefits, although the findings are mixed. The potential benefit may come less from achieving fluency than from the process of learning itself. Language learning is a sustained challenge that keeps people learning, practicing, and adapting. There are social benefits, too.…

101 East meets innovators across East Asia using digital technology to transform how we grieve those we love.East Asia is facing a demographic reckoning, with societies in Japan, South Korea and Taiwan ageing rapidly.With a drastic shortage of burial space, a lucrative new market is emerging.From AI avatars to DNA gems, technology is bringing loved ones back to life – in digital forms – raising questions about whether it will help heal or hinder the grieving process.101 East investigates how new technology is transforming the way we bid farewell to those we love.Published On 19 Sep 202619 Sep 2026Share East…

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has confirmed 48 deaths and 182 cases of severe illness following the reported consumption of locally prepared alcoholic and herbal concoctions in parts of Ondo State. The agency, in a statement dated on Friday and signed by its Director-General and Chief Executive Officer, Mojisola Adeyeye, a professor, said the affected communities are mainly in Odigbo Local Government Area, including New Town, Odole, Okele, Orita Odigbo, Araromi-Obu and Oniparaga. According to the agency, Odigbo town and Araromi-Obu recorded the highest impact, while cases have also been reported in Irele Local…

US President Donald Trump, on Friday, said he has struck a deal with Denmark which gives the US “permanent control” over Greenland’s security. The deal reportedly gives the US permanent access, basing and overflight rights in Greenland and the ability to establish additional military installations as needed. It also bars Russia and China from setting up bases anywhere in the Arctic territory. Mr Trump, in a post on his Truth Social platform, described the deal as “historic,” “special,” and a “dream come true for the US.” PREMIUM TIMES reports that Mr Trump, earlier in the year, threatened to annex the…

Millions in Cuba were left without power on Friday as the country was plunged into yet another major blackout.The country’s entire electricity grid suffered “total disconnection” that triggered a nationwide outage, Cuba’s energy ministry said.Power was restored to some priority areas by late evening, including those near hospitals and water pumping stations in the capital Havana, grid operator UNE said.It is at least the sixth partial or total blackout to hit Cuba this year, where ageing electricity infrastructure and chronic fuel shortages have been placed under further strain by a US blockade on oil shipments to the communist-run nation.UNE said…

Mathematician Tristan Buckmaster believes OpenAI used his work to rush ahead and beat him to solving a legendary math problem with a $1 million bounty.But that’s not been enough for him to stop using the company’s models—and he’s not the only mathematician that feels that way.“Even if you don’t agree with any of this, you’re kind of stuck. With AI being so useful, it’s hard to completely prevent oneself from using it,” Buckmaster tells WIRED. “These companies have a monopoly, and there is not much choice,” he adds.In the week and half since the New York University professor accused OpenAI…

Sunday Ehigiator Ijebu-Ode and Odogbolu towns in Ogun State stood still on Wednesday as the campaign train of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the 2027 governorship election arrived in the cities. Even before the convoys of the PDP gubernatorial candidate, Ladi Adebutu and his running mate, Yemi Sowunmi-Kolapo arrived Ijebu-Ode, a large crowd of party supporters had mobilised themselves for a rousing welcome for the candidates at Lagos Garage area of the town. The rally soon turned into a full-blown carnival as thousands of indigenes, market men and women, okada riders, farmers, youths and other party faithful poured into…

About 17,000 missing-person cases remain under active tracing in Nigeria, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has said. Aliyu Dawobe, spokesperson for the ICRC in Nigeria, disclosed this during a two-day training for journalists on humanitarian reporting in Lagos. The organisation previously had about 24,000 cases on its tracing register. Mr Dawobe said the reduction does not mean that about 7,000 missing people have been found or reunited with their families. Some cases are no longer classified as active because the ICRC has lost contact with relatives who initially reported the missing persons. According to the organisation, some…

A rare catch-and-kill order has been issued for a great white shark off the coast of Western Australia, after a man was killed while on a morning swim at a popular beach on Friday. His body has still not been found.Authorities have said that beaches along the state’s coast, including in the capital Perth, will remain closed until at least Sunday as the search for the shark continues.It is the second shark attack in Western Australia (WA) this week, and the third fatal attack in the state this year.The incident, at Sorrento Beach in Perth’s north, has reignited debate about…