U.S. President Joe Biden has authorized $571.3 million in defense assistance for Taiwan, the White House announced on Friday. The move comes as Biden prepares to leave office ahead of Donald Trump’s inauguration in January and amid escalating military and political pressure on Taiwan from China. While the United States does not officially recognize Taiwan…
France has initiated the withdrawal of its military presence from Chad, marking the end of a long-standing defense agreement with the Sahel nation. On Friday, a contingent of 120 French soldiers departed from N’Djamena, the capital, aboard an Airbus A330 Phoenix MRTT, the French Ministry of Defence announced. This move comes ten days after French…
Former Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Prof. Chidi Odinkalu, has criticized senior members of Nigeria’s legal profession for their role in what he described as the deterioration of the country’s justice system. Odinkalu aired his views during an appearance on Inside Sources with Laolu Akande, a socio-political program on Channels Television on…
The World Health Organization (WHO) has officially declared Rwanda free of the Marburg virus outbreak. The announcement on Friday marks the end of a health crisis that began on September 27, resulting in 66 recorded cases and 15 fatalities, many of whom were health workers. The declaration follows 42 days since the last patient tested…
By Ayomide Otitoju Nigeria has taken delivery of its first batch of Mpox vaccines—11,200 doses donated by the United States and facilitated by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. Gavi’s CEO, Dr. Sania Nishtar, confirmed the arrival of the vaccines in Abuja on Friday, marking a critical step in combating the Mpox outbreak across Africa. The doses,…
By Ayomide Otitoju The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has raised alarm over a severe hunger crisis affecting over 40 million people across West and Central Africa during the 2024 post-harvest season. The number of those battling hunger is projected to rise to 52.7 million by mid-2025, with 3.4 million facing emergency levels of…
Russian missiles struck central Kyiv at sunrise on Friday, killing at least one person and injuring 13 others. The attack, described by European leaders as barbaric, caused damage to embassies, a university, and several districts of the Ukrainian capital. Ukraine’s Air Force reported intercepting all five Iskander missiles launched by Russia, but debris from the…
Human rights lawyer Dele Farotimi has been granted bail in the sum of ₦30 million by an Ekiti State Magistrate Court. The court also mandated Farotimi to provide three sureties with landed property within the court’s jurisdiction. Farotimi, who had been remanded at a correctional facility in Ado Ekiti for over two weeks, arrived at…
By Ayomide Otitoju Polaris Bank has added another accolade to its achievements, securing recognition at the 18th edition of the Sustainability, Enterprise, and Responsibility Awards (SERAS), Africa’s leading platform for Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). The award ceremony, held at the Oriental Hotel in Lekki, Lagos, celebrated the bank’s impactful community interventions and unwavering…
