Author: Opalim Lifted

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has unveiled an Accelerated Readiness Plan to strengthen Nigeria’s preparedness against a seasonal rise in Lassa fever. NCDC Director-General, Dr Jide Idris, announced the plan on Wednesday in Abuja during a briefing on Lassa fever prevention and preparedness for the 2026/2027 season. Although Lassa fever occurs throughout the year, Idris said infections typically increase during the dry season, particularly between November and April. He said the period before the seasonal peak offered an opportunity to strengthen prevention, detection, diagnosis and treatment systems before pressure on the health system increases. The plan…

Around 30 robots took to the streets of Warsaw on Monday, waving flags, broadcasting slogans and marching in circles as they staged an unusual protest calling for stronger regulation of artificial intelligence. The demonstration, organised by Democratism, took place in front of Poland’s Ministry of Digital Affairs. The initiative says it seeks to encourage debate about how AI and robotisation could affect the labour market. Among the protesters were bipedal humanoid robots and dog-like quadrupeds. “The robots present here are meant to show that this technology is already a reality,” Agibot A3, an AI-powered humanoid robot, told AFP. Loudspeakers played…

South Korea has recorded its largest-ever divorce asset award after a Seoul court ordered video game tycoon Kwon Hyuk-bin to pay more than 2 trillion won ($1.5 billion) to his former wife. The Seoul Family Court granted Kwon’s divorce from his ex-wife, surnamed Lee, and ordered him to transfer a 35% stake in Smilegate worth about 2.5 trillion won, along with 65 billion won in cash, the court said on Wednesday. The settlement surpasses the previous record of 944 billion won, awarded in the divorce case involving SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won and his former wife, Roh Soh-yeong. Kwon founded…

Stakeholders under the Association of Mobile Communication Device Technicians of Nigeria (AMCODET) have called for a phased rollout of the Nigerian Communications Commission’s (NCC) Device Management System (DMS), saying the current timeline is impractical. The NCC is introducing the DMS to register SIM-enabled devices in Nigeria as part of efforts to tackle phone theft, counterfeiting and other forms of device-related crime. The commission had engaged Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), importers, dealers and vendors to sensitise them about the system and facilitate the onboarding of International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) numbers for devices already in stock. The initial deadline for the…

Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), has visited Tunji Disu, the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), as part of efforts to prevent recurring clashes between lawyers and police officers in the country. Badejo-Okusanya, accompanied by members of the NBA executive committee, visited Disu at the Force Headquarters in Abuja on Tuesday. Speaking during the visit, the NBA president said stronger collaboration between the legal profession and the police is necessary to improve justice delivery and promote better professional relationships. She said lawyers and police officers have complementary responsibilities within the justice system and should work together rather than…

Protesters in The Gambia clashed with police after gathering overnight in several locations to denounce prolonged electricity blackouts, with some chanting, “Barrow must go!” Police fired tear gas to disperse demonstrators near President Adama Barrow’s official residence and other areas around the capital, Banjul, residents and a Reuters witness said. Protesters reportedly burned tyres and erected barricades on roads as smoke filled the streets. The demonstrations come amid growing anger over electricity shortages, with some residents reporting blackouts lasting as long as 48 hours. The unrest also comes ahead of the presidential election expected in December, in which Barrow is…

US President Donald Trump has sparked outrage after sharing a map that appeared to depict Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Mexico and the Caribbean as part of the United States. The map, posted on Trump’s Truth Social platform on Monday, showed the US flag covering the territories, while the entire landmass was labelled “United States of America”. No explanation accompanied the image. Iceland reacted strongly to the post on Tuesday, saying it had summoned the US ambassador to make clear that the map was “wholly inappropriate”. The controversial post was the latest in a series of unusual territorial images shared by Trump,…

The World Health Organization (WHO) says it needs 5,000 additional health workers to help contain a rapidly spreading Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The outbreak, officially detected on May 15, has spread to six provinces across the country’s conflict-affected east and northeast. According to the WHO, citing official Congolese figures, more than 6,600 people have been confirmed infected, with 3,175 deaths recorded since the outbreak began. Health facilities in affected areas are struggling with shortages of personnel and resources as the number of Ebola patients continues to rise. Ebola spreads through contact with bodily fluids and…

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has linked the indiscriminate consumption of alcohol in Nigeria to rising social problems, including banditry. NAFDAC Director-General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, made the claim during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Wednesday. Adeyeye said excessive alcohol consumption could contribute to harmful behaviour while posing serious health risks, particularly to vital organs such as the liver and kidneys. She also defended NAFDAC’s restriction on the sale of alcoholic drinks in sachets and PET bottles below 200ml, saying the measure was introduced to protect Nigerians, especially young people. According to…

Mojisola Adeyeye, director-general of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), has criticised what she described as an “aversion” to public service among some Nigerians. Adeyeye spoke on Monday at a press conference in Lagos while responding to calls for her removal over the circulation of counterfeit products in Nigeria. Asked whether she would bow to pressure and resign, the NAFDAC boss said she returned to Nigeria after a 30-year teaching career in the United States because she wanted to serve the country. “I lived in the U.S. for 37 years. I was a professor for…