Author: damazah@gmail.com

Nigeria has officially unveiled a 12-man roster for the upcoming FIBA Basketball World Cup African Qualifiers, with newly appointed head coach David Fizdale set to lead the D’Tigers into their first competitive assignment. The qualifiers will tip off on Thursday in Angola, where Nigeria will face Tunisia, Guinea, and Rwanda in a crucial bid to strengthen their qualification hopes for the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup. The squad blends experienced internationals with proven performers from leagues across Europe, North America and Africa, highlighting Nigeria’s determination to return to the global stage. Leading the team is former NBA forward Chimezie Metu,…

Ned Nwoko has publicly marked the birthdays of his two sons with Regina Daniels, Munir Neji Nwoko (Moon), who turned six and Khalifa Chimka Nwaorah Nwoko (Khalif), who turned  four, drawing renewed attention to an ongoing custody dispute in which Ms Daniels alleges she has been denied access to her children for months. As previously reported by PREMIUM TIMES, the custody dispute is still before an Abuja Family Court.  In an earlier ruling, the court granted temporary custody of the children to Mr Nwoko, senator representing Delta North, and ordered that Ms Daniels could only regain access to them after…

By Dickson Omobola West Africa’s largest airline, Air Peace, has attributed the flight disruptions experienced across its route network, Monday, to a power surge that affected a critical IT infrastructure server used for crew scheduling and flight planning. The airline said the incident resulted in delays on some of its flights as its technical teams, in collaboration with service providers, worked to restore the affected system. Air Peace, in a statement posted on its X handle, apologised to passengers for the inconvenience, assuring that every effort was being made to restore normal operations while maintaining the highest safety standards. The…

Iyke Bede A campaign by Lagos-based public relations firm Blanche Aigle Communications for the Gino World Jollof Festival has been shortlisted for the 2026 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity and named a finalist at the 2026 SABRE Awards EMEA. The campaign, developed for Gino in partnership with celebrity chef Hilda Baci, was shortlisted in the Brand Experience & Activation category after emerging among 158 shortlisted entries from 1,551 submissions worldwide. It was also named a finalist in the Diamond Geographic Category for Africa at the SABRE Awards EMEA. According to the agency, the campaign transformed Nigeria’s signature jollof rice…

Ebere Nwoji The National Insurance Commission (NAICOM), has  demonstrated  its commitment to leveraging digital innovation to deepen insurance penetration and expand Nigerians’ access to insurance through granting of  a Partnering Insurtech licence to  a new insurtech firm, NETAPPS. The commission also made a significant step towards deepening regional collaboration within the African insurance sector. Speaking at the event, the Commissioner for Insurance, Mr. Olusegun Ayo Omosehin highlighted NAICOM’s strategic priorities which include consumer protection, strengthened regulatory capacity, financial soundness, innovation and sustainability, and broader access to insurance services. He emphasised that insurtech firms play a critical role within the Commission’s…

Music streaming service TIDAL is the latest to take aim at AI-generated music with the introduction of a new policy that will prevent fully AI-generated music from making money on its platform. In addition, TIDAL will use automated tools to remove AI-generated music that attempts to impersonate an artist or a group, the company said. “We are committed to protecting and rewarding organic creativity to avoid compromising an artist’s ability to connect with and build their fandom from TIDAL subscribers. Many have told us they do not want to be exposed to — or prompted to listen to — wholly…

Former and current members of the Democratic Unionist party (DUP) knew of allegations about the former leader Jeffrey Donaldson but did not share them, the party has said.Information about Donaldson was not reported through “appropriate channels” and left the party unable to formally respond, the DUP leader, Gavin Robinson, said on Monday.The admission came as new claims about Donaldson’s conduct engulfed the party in crisis a week after he was convicted of sexual abuse against children in a case that shocked Northern Ireland.It is alleged that the former Lagan Valley MP sexually pestered women, visited a gay sauna while denouncing…

The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has issued a fresh 21-day ultimatum to the federal government and other employers to address longstanding welfare and professional concerns, warning that continued failure to meet its demands could trigger industrial unrest. The association announced the decision in a communiqué issued after an emergency virtual meeting of its Extraordinary National Executive Council (E-NEC), convened following the expiration of the 21-day window it had earlier granted the federal government at its May 2026 Ordinary General Meeting. NARD said it reviewed reports on engagements with relevant ministries, departments and agencies, assessed the implementation of previous…

A newly published study in Oncoscience explores a potential new approach to treating glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer that remains extremely difficult to treat. The paper is titled “Selective blood-brain barrier penetration and tumor targeting of nitrosylcobalamin in glioblastoma: Pharmacokinetics, tissue distribution, and synergistic activity with trail and temozolomide.” The research was led by first and corresponding author Joseph A. Bauer of Nitric Oxide Services, LLC and the Cleveland Clinic Foundation Taussig Cancer Center. The team investigated nitrosylcobalamin (NO-Cbl), a modified form of vitamin B12 that releases nitric oxide, to determine whether it could cross the blood-brain barrier…

Motor sports have skyrocketed in popularity over the last few years, which has brought mainstream sports fans to F1 betting and NASCAR betting through pop culture, including the Daytona 500. We’ll take a look at how sportsbooks operate when it comes to motor sports, how bettors can wager on racing events and go over some of the best strategies and tips when it comes to racing betting.Finding the best sportsbook promos for motor sports bettingHere’s a look at some of the promotions going on at top sportsbooks for fans interested in getting into motor sports betting.BrandPromoCBS promo codeDraftKingsSpend $5+, Get…