Moving to make the state Nigeria’s rice powerhouse, the Niger State Government has signed a $1.2 billion strategic partnership with AfricaRice, an international agricultural research institution headquartered in Bouaké, Côte d’Ivoire. The ambitious pact, facilitated through the state’s investment vehicle, Niger Foods Ltd., aims to dramatically scale up annual paddy rice production in the state from 1.5 million metric tons to an impressive 10 million metric tons by 2030. Under the agreement, a 5,000-hectare seed production farm will be established to produce 25,000 tons of top-grade breeder, foundation, and certified rice seeds. These seeds will support cultivation on over 500,000…
Author: Abdallah el-Kurebe
The Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has criticized the United States’ decision to reject recently adopted amendments to the International Health Regulations (IHR), describing it as being based on “inaccuracies.” The amendments, agreed upon by consensus during the 2024 World Health Assembly — and with active participation from the U.S. — aim to enhance the global response to public health emergencies, drawing lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic. “We regret the US decision to reject the amendments adopted by consensus by the World Health Assembly in 2024 – including by the US, as the US…
Moving to strengthen sustainable agriculture and food security, the Government of Togo has launched a comprehensive initiative to advance its National Soil Information System (NSIS). The project aims to build a modern, data-driven platform that will provide accurate, up-to-date, and accessible information on the country’s soil health and characteristics. The initiative is being implemented with the technical support of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) through the Global Soil Partnership (GSP), with funding from the European Union under the Capacity Building Programme for Agricultural Innovation in Africa (PIAFA). According to stakeholders, the enhanced NSIS will allow…
Last Thursday, in the historic university town of Oxford—some 48 miles northwest of London—the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies (OCIS) marked its 40th anniversary in grand style, with His Majesty King Charles III presiding over the celebration. By Danladi Bako The event featured a keynote address by the monarch and culminated in the Centre’s Annual General Meeting of its Board of Trustees, followed by a symbolic tree-planting ceremony in the Centre’s gardens. Among the global dignitaries in attendance was His Eminence, the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, who lauded the Centre and its leadership for four decades of…
A fast-spreading outbreak of chikungunya, a mosquito-borne viral disease, is triggering international concern as it expands from the Indian Ocean islands to Africa and parts of Asia, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Tuesday. Dr. Diana Rojas Alvarez, WHO’s lead expert on arboviruses, revealed during a press briefing in Geneva that nearly two-thirds of the population on the French overseas territory of Réunion Island has been infected in the past year. Major outbreaks have also been recorded on Mayotte and Mauritius. “This is reminiscent of the major global outbreak that began 20 years ago in the same region and…
The Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) has expressed deep concern over the continued failure of many state governments to access and utilize over N250 billion in federal intervention funds meant to revamp basic education across the country. Speaking in Abuja on Monday during a press briefing, the Executive Secretary of UBEC, Dr. Hamid Bobboyi, lamented that despite the growing infrastructure and learning gaps in public primary and junior secondary schools, these funds remain idle due to states’ inability—or unwillingness—to meet the necessary counterpart funding requirements. “These are funds meant to provide classrooms, furniture, learning materials, and training for teachers. But…
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has issued a stark warning to the financial sector, cautioning that a wave of AI-driven fraud is on the horizon — and banks are dangerously unprepared. Speaking at a Federal Reserve conference in Washington, D.C., Altman highlighted the growing threat of artificial intelligence tools being used to commit financial fraud, especially through voice and video impersonation technologies. According to him, traditional security measures, such as voice-print authentication, are rapidly becoming obsolete in the face of advanced AI capabilities. “It’s crazy that any bank is still using voice authentication,” Altman said. “A major fraud crisis is coming,…
The Nigerian Senate on Tuesday, granted approval to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s request to borrow over $21 billion from external sources to finance the 2025 and 2026 fiscal years, paving the way for the full implementation of the 2025 Appropriation Act. The Senate’s greenlight covers a comprehensive loan package, including $21.19 billion in direct foreign borrowing, €4 billion, ¥15 billion, and a $65 million grant. Additionally, the borrowing plan includes domestic funding of about ₦757 billion through government bonds, and an option to raise up to $2 billion from the local market via a foreign currency-denominated instrument. The approval followed…
On July 20, 2025, a passenger ferry named KM Barcelona 5 caught fire near Talise Island in North Sulawesi, Indonesia. The vessel was carrying around 280 passengers traveling from the Talaud Islands to the city of Manado. Around midday, a fire broke out onboard, rapidly engulfing the ferry in flames. Videos widely circulated on social media and by news outlets showed panicked passengers jumping into the ocean in life jackets to escape the spreading blaze. Thick black smoke billowed from the ship as rescue teams nearby mobilized to assist. https://youtube.com/shorts/k-3WkGNs_vs?si=ruc9kuhpgUc2sVDR Indonesian authorities confirmed that at least five people died in…
A devastating landslide triggered by heavy rains has claimed the lives of five members of a single family in Komer Kebele, South Ari Woreda, Ari Zone, in South Ethiopia Regional State. According to Deputy Commander Ashenafi Haile, the Public Relations Director of the South Ethiopia Regional Police, the landslide struck on Sunday after intense rainfall, leading to the collapse of the family’s home. “A father, mother, and their three children were killed when their house was buried by the landslide,” he told state-affiliated media. The disaster has displaced over 200 residents and caused significant damage to local infrastructure, regional officials…