Author: damazah@gmail.com

Fifa has been forced to U-turn on plans to sell off a slice of the World Cup after fierce opposition, with threats of future boycotts and calls for the governing body’s president, Gianni Infantino, to quit.But why were a group of tech investors interested in the World Cup in the first place, and are similar proposals in the future inevitable? In a world in which AI could upend human recreation and pastimes, executives at Thrive Eternal, a spin-off of venture capital firm Thrive Capital, saw an opportunity to lead a group of investors to place cash in the biggest sporting…

Former Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, the Wales Office and the Ministry of Defence (MoD) used misleading figures about how much the country would spend on defence, a watchdog has said.In March Sir Keir told MPs that ministers were increasing defence spending by £270bn. The two other departments later repeated similar claims in June.But the UK Statistics Authority say that is wrong, as the figure is the proposed overall amount the government plans to spend between 2025 and 2029. The Wales Office deleted a post on X that had contained the claim.A UK government spokesperson said: “We have previously acknowledged…

Typhoon Dolphin has cut power to at least 44,000 buildings and injured at least five people after hitting Japan’s Okinawa island on Saturday.Flights to and from Okinawa’s main airport – Naha International Airport – were cancelled as it closed on Friday as the storm arrived.The storm had maximum wind speeds of 162km/h (101mph) on Saturday and has been categorised as a “very strong” typhoon by the Japan Meteorological Agency, which warned of high waves, storm surges and lightning strikes.Dolphin is expected to make landfall on China’s eastern coast late on Sunday or early on Monday. Authorities there have shut ports…

Former West Ham United co-chairman David Sullivan has attended their Carabao Cup match against Portsmouth despite being advised he should stay away from home games at London Stadium.Sullivan resigned from his position as co-chair of West Ham in June after seven women accused him of sexually exploitative and predatory behaviour, allegations he categorically denies.West Ham are in the opening round of the EFL Cup for the first time in 15 years following last season’s relegation from the Premier League.The match against Portsmouth is the first the club have played since the allegations against Sullivan were reported.A joint investigation by BBC…

Monica Bellucci’s sneer is a thing of wonder, so why have so few directors used it properly? When allowed full rein to her sense of irony, as given her by Giovanni Tortorici in “Ketticè,” Bellucci has few equals in her ability to project self-aware drama queen with just the right dose of camp icon. Hers is a supporting role, as the quasi-caricatured bourgeois mother of a far more authentically drawn teenager, but the young writer-director deliberately sets genuine adolescent nihilism off against the stereotyped adult world, rejuvenating a time-tested formula with the story of an aimless rich kid that feels…

Tosin Clegg In today’s Nigeria, the display of extravagant wealth on social media has become almost routine. Luxury cars worth hundreds of millions of naira line the entrances of exclusive nightclubs, while expensive champagne, cognac and limited-edition whiskies are ordered by the crate, often with little public curiosity about how such fortunes were made. While legitimate wealth has grown through technology, entertainment, entrepreneurship and the digital economy, the scale of conspicuous consumption has also fuelled difficult conversations about the country’s growing fascination with quick money. Increasingly, many Nigerians are asking whether society has become too comfortable celebrating wealth without questioning…

President Bola Tinubu has congratulated former Kaduna State Governor and ex-National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, on his 70th birthday, describing him as a statesman whose public service was defined by integrity and exemplary leadership. Tinubu, in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, on Friday, described Makarfi as a “quintessential public servant and statesman” and a “perfect gentleman” whose contributions to governance and national development had earned him respect across political divides. Makarfi, who clocked 70 on Saturday, August 8, served as Kaduna State Commissioner for Finance before becoming…

Scammers in New York have been using gold bars to steal money from victims, primarily seniors, and made off with more than $100m over the past two years, the state’s attorney general announced on Friday.The scheme starts with victims receiving a fake pop-up message that states their computer or financial account has been compromised, the press release stated. The message includes a phone number to call, and when they do, the scammers convince the victims to provide remote access to their computers, which allows them to access their financial information or online bank accounts.The victims are then directed to someone…

The Super Falcons of Nigeria will battle Cameroon in a high-stakes 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) quarter-final in Casablanca on Sunday, with a place at the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil on the line. The defending champions will face their familiar rivals at Stade Larbi Zaouli, knowing that victory would secure Nigeria a place at next year’s global tournament and keep their title defence alive. Read Also: Super Falcons crush Egypt 6–2 to book WAFCON quarter-Final clash with Cameroon Falcons renew World Cup rivalry The quarter-final will rekindle memories of the teams’ last meeting at this…

Hi, friends! Welcome to Installer No. 139, your guide to the best and Verge-iest stuff in the world. (If you’re new here, welcome, barbecue sauce, and also you can read all the old editions at the Installer homepage.)This week, I’ve been reading about Johnny Knoxville and Google Zero and the history of the bicycle, @all-ing everyone in all my WhatsApp chats just because I can now, rereading There Will Come Soft Rains because this week is when it happens, seeing if Sabbath can help fix my screentime problems, once again moving everything around in my home office, eating altogether too…