Nigeria and France have entered into a strategic partnership to bolster critical infrastructure and ensure food security through the signing of two key letters of intent.  President Bola Tinubu’s spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga in a statement on Friday said the collaboration was formalised during the President’s state visit to Paris, where he met with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Palais des Elysée. The agreements, signed by top government officials and…

President Bola Tinubu has congratulated Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala on her unanimous re-election as the Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO).  The Nigerian economist, known for her expertise in global finance and development, will begin her second four-year term on September 1, 2025, following the expiration of her first term on August 31, 2025. Okonjo-Iweala, who made history in 2021 as the first African and the first woman to lead the…

Chad has ended an agreement with France aimed at strengthening cooperation in security and defence between the two nations.“The Government of the Republic of Chad informs national and international opinion of its decision to terminate the defence cooperation agreement signed with the French Republic,” a statement issued by the Foreign Ministry on Thursday said.The statement, signed by Foreign Minister Abderaman Koulamallah, said that after decades of independence, it is time…

The Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Adm. Emmanuel Ogalla, has expressed optimism that the Gulf of Guinea (GoG) nations are ready to work together to tackle insecurity in the region.Ogalla disclosed this at the end of the 8th edition of the Symposium of Heads of Navies and Coastguards in the GoG, on maritime environment in Abuja.The symposium with the theme “Maritime Security and Sustainable Development in the Gulf of…

Ukraine on Friday said Russia launched over a hundred drones overnight, wounding at least eight people in the latest in an intensifying string of attacks on the war-torn country.The wave of attacks comes a day after Russia launched around 90 missiles on Ukraine, cutting power to over a million people.Ukraine’s air force said in a statement that Russia fired 132 drones, out of which “88 drones were shot down” and…

Jurors in New Mexico have awarded a man more than $412 million in a medical malpractice case that involved a men’s health clinic that operates in several states. The man’s attorneys celebrated Monday’s verdict, saying they are hopeful it will prevent other men from falling victim to a scheme that involved fraud and what they described as dangerous penile injections. They said the punitive and compensatory damages total the largest…

– A social media ban for children under 16 passed the Australian Senate Thursday and will soon become a world-first law. The law will make platforms including TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, Reddit, X and Instagram liable for fines of up to 50 million Australian dollars ($33 million) for systemic failures to prevent children younger than 16 from holding accounts. The Senate passed the bill 34 votes to 19. The House of…

Alabama A&M has retracted their announcement of the death of football player, Medrick Burnett Jr. and said the redshirt freshman is in stable condition. Burnett, a linebacker, sustained a head injury in an October game against Alabama State. He has been hospitalized at UAB Hospital ever since. The school’s athletic department said that on Tuesday evening, they were informed of Burnett’s reported death by “an immediate family member,” and “acted…

Russia is selecting targets in Ukraine that could include “decision-making centres” in Kyiv in response to Ukrainian long-range strikes on Russian territory with Western weapons, Vladimir Putin has said.Attacks launched by Moscow have not so far struck government buildings in the Ukrainian capital, which is heavily protected by air defences.Putin says Russia’s Oreshnik hypersonic missile, which it fired for the first time at a Ukrainian city last week, is incapable…

The theft of 62 billion Ugandan shillings ($17 million) from the Bank of Uganda has sparked widespread controversy and raised questions about responsibility for the breach. Reports from New Vision suggest that hackers, allegedly from a Southeast Asian group called “Waste,” breached the central bank’s systems. The stolen funds were reportedly transferred to accounts in Japan and the UK earlier in the week. However, Daily Monitor provides a slightly different…

Celebrity bishop of The Potter’s House, a megachurch in the United States, TD Jakes, has broken his silence after suffering a health scare during a sermon. The 67-year-old cleric sat on a stool and was about to finish a prayer when he lowered the microphone and began shaking during a live-streamed sermon on Sunday. The live stream was abruptly cut off, leaving thousands of viewers concerned about Jakes’ well-being. In…

VFS Global has announced the opening of Africa’s biggest UK visa application centre (VAC) in Lagos. The centre commenced operations on November 19 according to a statement.VFS said Nigerians travelling to the UK can now book appointments to submit their visa applications through VACs located in Abuja and Lagos (Ikeja and Victoria Island).Marc Owen, director of visa, status and information services at UKVI, said “the opening of our new VAC…