The Alliance for Sahel States (AES) – Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger have announced they will immediately withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC), labelling it an “instrument of neo-colonialist repression”. The three military-led countries issued a joint statement, saying they would not recognise the authority of the UN-backed court, based in The Hague. What does this withdrawal mean for the Sahel states? Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, all governed by military-led administrations, have jointly declared their immediate withdrawal from the International Criminal Court (ICC), describing the court as an “instrument of neo-colonialist repression.” In a coordinated statement, the three…
Author: Abdallah el-Kurebe
The Open Forum on Agricultural Biotechnology (OFAB) has announced that its flagship OFAB Media Awards (OMAs) are now open to journalists across all African countries. Launched in 2017, the OMAs celebrate accurate, ethical, and impactful journalism that enhances public understanding of agricultural biotechnology — a vital tool in tackling challenges such as climate change, pests, and crop diseases. Recognising shifts in the media landscape, OFAB has also introduced a new category for digital and online media, allowing digital journalists to compete alongside their peers in print, radio, and television. Until now, the OMAs were limited to journalists from OFAB member…
TUC President Festus Osifo has dismissed claims that Nigeria’s state-owned refineries never worked, insisting they were functional but grossly inefficient. Speaking on Politics Today on Tuesday, Osifo said the plants operated, but at a loss. “I’m an engineer of over 20 years. I know a system that works and one that doesn’t. The refineries worked — but not efficiently,” he stated. He explained that the facilities were shut because they were unprofitable.“When you feed crude worth $10 million into a refinery and get products of $9.5 million, you are running at a loss. That was the issue, not inactivity,” Osifo…
Billionaire businessman, Femi Otedola, has waded into the dispute between the Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPPMAN) and the Dangote Refinery, urging marketers to restructure and consider acquiring the Port Harcourt Refinery rather than “resisting progress.” In a statement on Monday, Otedola threw his weight behind the Dangote Petroleum Refinery, warning that the old business model of fuel importation and depot operations was obsolete. “What is DAPPMAN fighting for today? To preserve a model built on fuel imports, subsidy exploitation, and outdated infrastructure? That era is fast disappearing,” he said. Otedola said depot operations were originally structured…
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has pushed back against remarks made on Monday by U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington, where he suggested that paracetamol use in pregnancy and vaccines could cause autism. WHO spokesperson Tarik Jasarevic said while a few observational studies had raised concerns, many others found no such link, and overall, the evidence remains inconsistent. “If there were a strong connection, it would have been seen consistently across multiple studies,” Jasarevic explained in a statement on Tuesday. He stressed that medicines in pregnancy should always be used with caution and under medical supervision, especially in the first…
The Namibian Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and Tourism has confirmed the drowning of more than 80 buffaloes in the Chobe River after a stampede triggered by lions. According to ministry spokesperson Ndeshipanda Hamunyela, the incident occurred in the Serondela area when lions chased a herd of buffalo from Botswana into Namibia. The animals fell from a steep cliff into the river, with many tumbling over one another. “The ministry and other law enforcement officials are on site to maintain law and order. The meat will be distributed to nearby communities with the involvement of relevant stakeholders,” Hamunyela said. A similar…
African Heads of State and Government have renewed their call for stronger, sustainable health financing to strengthen Africa’s health sovereignty. The leaders, who met virtually on Tuesday during an Extraordinary Session of the Committee of Heads of State and Government (CHSG) of the Africa CDC, commended the agency’s reforms and progress in tackling health threats across the continent. The session held on the sidelines of the 80th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). In a communiqué, the leaders reaffirmed Africa CDC’s mandate to provide strategic direction, scale up local manufacturing, pooled procurement, and regulatory harmonisation through the African Medicines Agency (AMA).…
Laptop prices in Nigeria have surged by about 70% in the last two years, pushing computers further out of reach for many households and students. A basic Intel Core i3 laptop that sold for ₦300,000 in 2023 now costs over ₦520,000, while fairly used systems that once went for ₦100,000–₦150,000 now sell between ₦200,000–₦350,000. Traders blame the spike on the naira’s sharp fall, with the exchange rate rising from ₦500/$ in early 2023 to around ₦1,500/$ today. Since most laptop parts are imported, the weak currency has made both new and used systems significantly more expensive. The price hike is…
A personalized mRNA vaccine has demonstrated significant potential to provide durable immune protection against pancreatic cancer, one of the most lethal cancer types. In a recently published phase 1 clinical trial in the journal Nature, researchers at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) tested autogene cevumeran, an individualized mRNA vaccine developed by BioNTech and Genentech. The vaccine is tailored specifically to each patient’s tumor mutations, training the immune system to recognize and attack cancer cells. The trial included 16 patients who received the vaccine alongside immunotherapy and chemotherapy. Half of the participants mounted a strong tumor-specific T cell response, which…
After 25 years of research, Brazilian scientists have introduced polylaminin, the world’s first drug that claims to regenerate spinal cord injuries, offering hope for millions living with paralysis. Developed by Tatiana Coelho de Sampaio and her team at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, polylaminin is derived from the placental laminin protein and is injected directly into the spine. Early experimental trials involving patients with paraplegia and quadriplegia due to spinal cord ruptures have shown remarkable results. Several patients reportedly experienced full recovery, regaining mobility without lasting side effects. The drug has demonstrated the ability to regrow nerve fibers…