Author: Fatimah Idera

Sir Geoff Palmer, a trailblazing scientist, human rights advocate, and Scotland’s first Black professor, has died at the age of 85. Sir Geoff was a long-standing figure at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, where he served as professor emeritus and, more recently, as chancellor. He was widely respected both for his scientific contributions and for his tireless advocacy for racial equality and historical justice. Geoff Palmer’s background Born in Jamaica in 1940, Sir Geoff moved to London at the age of 14 as part of the Windrush generation. He relocated to Edinburgh in the 1960s, where he completed a PhD in…

The Scottish Conservatives have pledged £650 million in tax cuts, funded by a major shake-up of Scotland’s public sector, under plans to be unveiled at the party’s conference in Edinburgh. In his first keynote speech as leader, Russell Findlay will propose a Taxpayer Savings Act aimed at slashing waste and bureaucracy. The plan includes cutting quangos by 25%, reducing the number of ministers and advisers, and creating a new Scottish Agency of Value and Efficiency led by business experts. The savings would be used to simplify Scotland’s income tax system by replacing the current 20% and 21% tax bands with…

Global financial markets fell sharply on Friday after Israel launched a large-scale military strike on Iran, targeting what it said were nuclear facilities, missile factories, and key military figures. The attack triggered a dramatic response in global markets, with investors fleeing risk assets in favor of traditional safe havens like gold, the U.S. dollar, and the Swiss franc. Oil prices surged amid fears of prolonged instability in the Middle East, a region central to global energy supply. Crude briefly spiked by as much as 14% to nearly $79 per barrel, before easing slightly to around $74—still up over 5% for…

Meta has taken a bold step to reshape its artificial intelligence ambitions by acquiring a 49% stake in Scale AI, valuing the data-labeling startup at $29 billion. As part of the deal, Scale’s 28-year-old co-founder and CEO, Alexandr Wang, will join Meta to spearhead its new superintelligence initiative. While Meta did not disclose financial terms in its official statement, two sources familiar with the matter confirmed the $14.3 billion cash investment. The primary motivation behind the deal, according to insiders, was to bring Wang into Meta’s leadership fold to reinvigorate its AI strategy. “We will deepen the work we do…

A United States of America Appeal Court on Thursday granted President Donald Trump order to maintain his deployment of national guard troops in Los Angeles, temporarily pausing a lower court order that blocked the mobilization amid growing protests over intensified immigration enforcement. The decision by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeal does not resolve the legal challenge but allows Trump to retain control over the Guard, at least for now. The panel comprising two Trump-appointed judges and one appointed by President Joe Biden said it would hear arguments on the matter next Tuesday. Earlier the same day, U.S. District…

China on Thursday confirmed its commitment to a recently announced trade agreement with the United States, underscoring the importance of mutual adherence to the deal’s terms.

The Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment to improving maternal and child health in Nigeria, with a targeted goal of reducing the maternal mortality rate by 20% and the under-five mortality rate by 15% by the year 2027. This was disclosed by the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Iziaq Salako, during a ceremony in Enugu State where 10,000 professional kits were distributed to midwives. The event, held at the International Conference Centre, Enugu, was part of an ongoing initiative spearheaded by the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu. Dr. Salako emphasised that the distribution of professional kits…

More than 100 people lost their lives on Thursday when an Air India flight bound for London crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad, in western India, making it one of the country’s deadliest aviation disasters in recent history. According to authorities, the aircraft carrying 242 people, including 217 adults, 11 children, and two infants plunged into a residential area minutes after departing from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner was headed to Gatwick Airport, south of London. Police confirmed that over 100 charred bodies had been taken to a government hospital for autopsies. The plane reportedly crashed…

Meta has announced the launch of the Llama Impact Accelerator, an eight-month artificial intelligence (AI) programme designed to support Nigerian startups leveraging AI to address local challenges. The initiative is being rolled out in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy (FMCIDE), the National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (NCAIR), and the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA). According to Meta, the programme is aimed at early-stage startups building AI-powered tools using its open-source Llama models. The focus will be on four key sectors: agriculture, healthcare, security and safety, and a wildcard category for other…

The American multinational tyre manufacturer Goodyear has announced plans to close its manufacturing operations in Nelson Mandela Bay, South Africa, marking the end of a facility that has been in operation since 1947. According to a report by BusinessTech South Africa, Goodyear will maintain its presence in the country through sales and distribution channels, including its Hi-Q Retail network, but will cease all local manufacturing activities. The Nelson Mandela Bay plant currently employs around 900 people directly, with many more jobs supported across its value chain, including in logistics, security, catering, and maintenance. The closure is part of a broader…