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.
Author: Fatimah Idera
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…
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) is set to revive enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), a decades-old law banning bribery of foreign officials by companies operating in the U.S., though with a more focused and less burdensome approach for businesses. This shift was outlined in a memo from Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche and further explained by top DOJ official Matthew Galeotti during an anti-corruption conference in New York on Tuesday. Under the revised strategy, DOJ enforcement will prioritise cases that directly impact U.S. interests, such as those that disadvantage American companies in global competition, involve critical…
Hundreds of U.S. Marines have arrived in Los Angeles under orders from President Donald Trump, escalating a federal response to recent protests sparked by sweeping immigration raids. Despite largely peaceful demonstrations on Monday, Trump authorized the deployment of roughly 700 Marines and activated 4,000 National Guard troops, drawing sharp criticism from California Governor Gavin Newsom and other local leaders. According to a U.S. official, around half of the Marines arrived late Monday, with the rest expected on Tuesday. The Department of Defense has yet to comment publicly. U.S. Northern Command said the Marines, alongside National Guard forces, will help protect…
Britain is set to invest more than £6 billion ($8.13 billion) to expand its submarine-building capabilities, with major support directed towards defence giant BAE Systems and engineering firm Rolls-Royce. The announcement was made on Tuesday by Finance Minister Rachel Reeves. The investment is part of a broader push by Prime Minister Keir Starmer to significantly ramp up the UK’s defence capabilities, responding in part to U.S. President Donald Trump’s calls for Europe to shoulder more responsibility for its own security. Starmer has committed to the largest sustained increase in British defence spending since the Cold War. As part of this…
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Merck’s new preventive antibody treatment, Enflonsia (clesrovimab), to protect infants up to 12 months old from respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) during their first RSV season, Merck announced on Monday. Enflonsia is a monoclonal antibody designed to offer protection against mild to severe RSV infections. It can be administered as a single dose to healthy pre-term, full-term, and at-risk infants, regardless of their birth weight. Until now, the only RSV preventive antibody available for infants and toddlers in the U.S. has been Beyfortus, developed by Sanofi and AstraZeneca. However, limited supply of…
Australian reporter was struck by a rubber bullet while covering protests against the U.S. immigration enforcement in Los Angeles (L.A), with the incident captured live on camera. Lauren Tomasi, the U.S. correspondent for Nine News, was reporting from the scene on Sunday when law enforcement authorities, including the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) and National Guard troops clashed with demonstrators protesting former President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown. Just moments before she was shot, Tomasi was broadcasting live, describing an escalation in the situation: “After hours of standing off, this situation has now rapidly deteriorated, the LAPD moving in on horseback,…
