The World Health Organization (WHO) has updated its Model Lists of Essential Medicines (EML) and Essential Medicines for Children (EMLc), adding new treatments for cancer, diabetes, obesity, cystic fibrosis, psoriasis, haemophilia and other blood disorders. The revisions, covering the 24th edition of the EML and the 10th of the EMLc, bring the total to 523 essential medicines for adults and 374 for children. The lists are used by more than 150 countries to guide procurement, insurance coverage and access to medicines. Among the cancer medicines added are pembrolizumab for metastatic cervical, colorectal and non-small cell lung cancers, with atezolizumab and…
Author: Abdallah el-Kurebe
Health authorities in Adamawa State have reported an outbreak of a rare, flesh-eating disease that has infected 28 people, mainly in Malabu community, Fufore Local Government Area. The condition, which begins as a painful boil before spreading to destroy flesh and bone, has left victims with severe wounds and unbearable pain. Some patients said they had spent large sums on treatment without relief. According to Dr. Suleiman Bashir, Chairman of the Adamawa State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, eight patients are currently receiving treatment at Modibbo Adama University Teaching Hospital, Yola, while samples have been sent to the Nigeria Centre for…
Wildfires around the world have been identified as a major driver of worsening air pollution in 2025, according to the World Meteorological Organization’s latest Air Quality and Climate Bulletin. The report shows that the Amazon basin experienced some of the sharpest increases in fine particulate matter (PM₂.₅), largely due to record wildfires and prolonged drought. Similar wildfire-linked pollution spikes were recorded in Canada, Siberia, central Africa, and parts of India. In contrast, some regions, including China, recorded declines in PM₂.₅ levels, reflecting progress in local pollution control measures. The bulletin warns that climate change is intensifying wildfires by driving hotter,…
The National Association of Shea Products of Nigeria (NASPAN) has appealed to the Federal Government to grant a 90-day grace period following its recent ban on the export of raw shea nuts. ASHENEWS recalls that the Nigerian government, on August 26, 2025, issued a directive for a temporary ban on the export of raw Shea Nuts, effective immediately. It said the decision aimed to regulate the current export activities and possibly enhance local processing and value addition within the country. The temporary ban is seen as part of broader efforts to boost local industries, safeguard critical agricultural resources, and promote…
A recent study led by Chinese scientists, published in Nature Genetics, identified a key susceptibility gene called GSL5 linked to clubroot disease, often described as the “cancer” of cruciferous crops. The research, conducted by the Oil Crops Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, shows that GSL5 is hijacked by the pathogen Plasmodiophora brassicae, which causes the disease. This hijacking suppresses immune responses in the plants, enabling the disease to proliferate. The researchers used genome editing to knock out the GSL5 gene in cruciferous plants, which resulted in broad-spectrum and high-level resistance to various pathotypes of the pathogen…
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has begun the automation of excise administration with the launch of its Automated Excise Register System (ERS). A statement by the National Public Relations Officer, Abdullahi Maiwada, said the Service concluded a pilot phase after carrying out user acceptance testing, system validation, and training for Customs officers and factory staff. The ERS has now gone live at three pilot factories—British American Tobacco Nigeria (BATN) Plc in Oyo State, International Tobacco Company (ITC) Limited in Kwara State, and Leaf Tobacco & Commodities Nigeria Ltd in Kaduna State. Conducted between July and August 2025, the pilot phase…
The Africa Food Systems Forum (AFSF) 2025 opened on a high note with heads of state, policymakers, and global leaders in attendance. Yet amid the celebration, AGRA President Alice Ruhweza delivered a sobering message at the opening plenary, urging Africa to move beyond rhetoric and translate commitments into tangible progress. “We still have millions of people going around hungry, we still have malnutrition,” Ruhweza lamented, stressing that Africa continues to undermine its own potential by importing over $75 billion worth of food annually. While acknowledging these challenges, she highlighted a promising shift — the growing involvement of young Africans in…
President Bola Tinubu is set to inaugurate a new 6,000-metric-ton lithium processing plant built by Chinese investors in Nasarawa State, Governor Abdullahi Sule has announced. Sule disclosed this after a closed-door meeting with the President on Wednesday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. The facility, located in Nasarawa Local Government Area, is the second lithium plant in the state and is twice the size of the 3,000MT plant commissioned in 2023. Although no specific date was given, the governor said the inauguration would take place after President Tinubu’s return from his official trip to France. “The Chinese investors have just concluded…
UN Climate Change Executive Secretary, Simon Stiell, has raised concerns that 37 countries have yet to submit one or more mandatory Paris agreement reports under the transparency framework. Speaking at the Global Transparency Forum in Songdo, Republic of Korea, on Wednesday, Stiell described the Enhanced Transparency Framework (ETF) as “a vital enabling tool” for stronger climate action, not just technical reporting. Transparency drives action According to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the ETF helps governments attract investment, design more ambitious climate policies, and accelerate progress on clean energy. So far, over 100 countries have submitted their first…
Google has been ordered to pay $425 million in damages after a U.S. federal jury ruled that the company violated user privacy by collecting data from people who had opted out of certain tracking settings. The class-action lawsuit, which began in 2020, accused Google of continuing to gather information between 2012 and 2020 from users who had disabled the “Web & App Activity” feature. According to the complaint, the company still harvested data through third-party applications and services, despite users believing they had stopped such tracking. Lawyers for the plaintiffs argued that the breach affected millions, covering an estimated 98…