Author: damazah@gmail.com

Few automotive companies are as dependent on breakout hits as Ford. It’s almost as though it’s baked into the company’s DNA: From the Model T and the Taurus to the F-150 and the Explorer, Ford has lurched from one success to another. Recently, though, the automaker has been coming up empty handed. While its U.S. vehicle sales rose 6% year-over-year to 2.08 million in 2025, they’re today less than half their peak of 4.48 million in 2000. Of the new vehicles that Ford has introduced in recent years, none have become a sensation. Ford CEO Jim Farley is betting its…

The rise in children and young people with mental health problems makes this week’s announcement of a new network of community clinics in England particularly welcome. A&E departments have recorded an increase in difficult-to-manage symptoms including aggression and hallucinations. New specialist walk-in mental health services should take some of the pressure off. The bringing forward of a deadline for ending out-of-area acute placements, and a pledge to reduce waiting times for children, are also positive.Declining mental health was among the key themes of Alan Milburn’s interim report on young people and work. It is a big factor behind the rise…

The Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday remanded a retired officer of the State Security Service (SSS), Nwaogu Ezeakolam, at the Kuje Correctional Centre in Abuja over alleged support for the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). Mr Ezeakolam was arraigned before Judge Muhammed Umar on four charges including being a member of IPOB and supporting the activities of the proscribed organisation through social media. He was also charged with publishing messages allegedly intended to persuade members of the public to join the group. The SSS alleged that the offences are contrary to and punishable under Sections 13, 25…

Brazil winger Vinicius Jr has agreed a new six-year contract with Real Madrid that will keep him at the Bernabeu until 2032.The 26-year-old had entered the final 12 months of his contract and attracted interest from Arsenal in recent weeks.However, sources have told BBC Sport he has now agreed improved terms with the Spanish side.Real Madrid are set to announce the deal by the end of the week.More to follow.

A judge has granted Donald Trump’s request to delay handing over financial records to the BBC as part of his $10bn (£7.4bn) lawsuit against the broadcaster.The US president is suing the BBC over an episode of Panorama that edited together two different sections of a speech he gave before the 2021 Capitol riots.The BBC has asked for some of Trump’s financial records in relation to his argument that the documentary damaged the president’s business interests.A judge granted that request in July and the first documents were due to be filed on Thursday, but another judge has now agreed to an…

Former Nigerian police chiefs have raised concerns about the country’s proposed state police framework and submitted recommendations to strengthen the model before it is finalised, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Olatunji Disu, has revealed. Mr Disu stated this while delivering his opening remarks at a workshop organised by the National Institute of Police Studies in Abuja on Thursday. In his remarks, livestreamed by the police spokesperson for new media, Ali Giwa, the IGP said the retired police chiefs had reviewed the draft framework and offered inputs that would be incorporated into the final document. “Retired Inspectors-General of Police have…

Trump says he is ‘extremely happy’ with Hegseth performance, despite reports of clashes over munition shortagesOn Truth Social, Donald Trump insisted that he was “extremely happy” with Pete Hegseth’s job performance as defense secretary.“Everything has been extraordinary,” the president said, listing the capture of the now-deposed Venzuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and the ongoing war in Iran which has seen the price of gas steadily increase over the last six months, inflation reach a three-year high and a reported shortage in critical munitions.“Pete is highly respected within the Military, and has made tremendous improvements, including getting rid of DEI, and increasing…

Donald Trump has lashed out at reports that the US is running short of key munitions in its war with Iran, threatening long prison sentences for officials who leak information about the military’s weapons stocks.The US president claimed on Thursday that the US had “massive amounts” of ammunition and said more was being manufactured and shipped to the region, as his frustration over the conflict spilled into a public attack on the media.“Defense companies are building the largest number of plants and factories in our country’s history,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, without providing evidence or details about…

L-R: Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Cornerstone Insurance Plc, Mr. Stephen Alangbo; (3rd) Deputy Commissioner for Insurance Technical, National Insurance Commission (NAICOM), Dr. Usman Jankara Jimada; (4th) Commissioner for Insurance, NAICOM, Olusegun Ayo Omosehin; (5th) Deputy Commissioner for Insurance (Finance & Administration) NAICOM, Mr. Ekerete Ola Gam-Ikon, at the presentation of new licence certificates to insurance companies that successfully met the Commission’s new minimum capital requirements in Abuja on Tuesday. By Rosemary Iwunze Cornerstone Insurance Plc and its subsidiary, FIN Insurance Company Limited, have been recognised by the National Insurance Commission, NAICOM, among insurance companies that have fulfilled the recapitalisation…

Suno announced plans to implement a new watermarking technology and download policy to limit the spread of spammy AI tracks and increase transparency. In a lengthy blog post, CEO and co-founder Mikey Shulman laid out the company’s principles and the next steps for the company as it seeks legitimacy.The company is rolling out new transparency tools, along with new watermarking and fingerprinting tech. Shulman says it aligns with “emerging industry standards” that will make it easier to identify Suno-generated content. He also says the company is aiming to partner with “distribution platforms on combatting fraud and misuse.”Last year, the company…