Resident doctors at University College Hospital, Ibadan, on Friday, staged a peaceful protest to demand for the immediate release of their colleague, Dr Ganiyat Popoola and her nephew, Abdul-Mugniy Folaranmi. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Popoola, a Senior Registrar in the Department of Opthalmology, National Eye Centre, Kaduna, was abducted on Dec. 27, 2023 alongside her husband and nephew. While her husband was released in March, Ganiyat and her nephew have since remained in captivity. NAN also reports that National Association of Resident Doctors had threatened to embark on nationwide strike if their abducted colleague was not…
Author: Omolemi Eboisetale
Senator JD Vance (R-Ohio) and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (D) have confirmed a vice-presidential debate scheduled for October 1, 2024, hosted by CBS News. This debate will be the first of at least one televised face-off between the Republican and Democratic vice-presidential candidates before the general election in November. At a campaign event in New Kensington, Pennsylvania, Vance expressed his enthusiasm for the debate, stating, “I think we ought to do as many debates as we possibly can.” He also revealed that CNN had extended an invitation for a mid-September debate, which he accepted. CBS News proposed four potential dates…
A prominent Russian physicist has urged President Vladimir Putin to consider deploying nuclear weapons in Ukraine to expedite the ongoing war. In a letter obtained by independent Russian outlet Novaya Gazeta, Anatoly Volyntsev, a professor at Perm State University, proposed using “small hydrogen bombs” to strike key supply routes, including the Beskydy Tunnel in the Lviv region, which is believed to be a crucial pathway for Western military aid to Ukraine. Volyntsev argued that conventional weapons have been insufficient in achieving a decisive victory, describing the conflict as “bogged down” and lacking “major breakthrough military actions.” He suggested that a…
In a move toward Korean Peninsula unification, South Korean President Yoon Seok-yeol has unveiled a new plan centered on freedom and democracy. Announced during Liberation Day celebrations, which commemorate the end of Japanese rule over Korea in 1945, President Yoon’s proposal calls for initiating official dialogue with North Korea. “The freedom we enjoy should be extended to the North, where people are deprived of freedom and suffer from poverty and hunger,” President Yoon declared in his speech, as reported by Yonhap News Agency. He emphasized that true liberation would only be achieved when the entire Korean Peninsula is united under…
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, has called on South Sudan’s transitional government to prioritize free and fair elections, protect civilians, and address humanitarian challenges during a UN Security Council briefing on South Sudan. In her remarks, Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield cmmmended the efforts of UNMISS (United Nations Mission in South Sudan) and regional partners, particularly the Kenyan-led Tumaini Initiative, for advancing dialogue and promoting transparency in the electoral process. She emphasized that South Sudan’s leaders must engage in urgent dialogue to bring the long transitional period, which began in 2011, to a peaceful conclusion through legitimate elections. However, she…
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris announced on Thursday that the United States has successfully negotiated Medicare drug price cuts for 10 top-selling prescription drugs, with reductions as steep as 79%. This move, enabled by Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, marks the first time Medicare has been allowed to negotiate prices for some of the most expensive drugs covered by the program, which serves 66 million Americans. The new prices, aimed at easing public frustration over high healthcare costs, are expected to save the government $6 billion in the first year and will take effect in 2026.…
The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have vowed to enhance their collaboration to protect Nigerian consumers from exploitation and unfair market practices. This was made public on Thursday via the FCCPC’s official X (formerly Twitter) handle. During a recent courtesy visit to the EFCC headquarters, FCCPC’s Executive Vice Chairman, Mr. Tunji Bello, highlighted the rising concern over arbitrary price hikes affecting Nigerian consumers. He stressed the urgent need for a unified approach to tackle this growing issue. “We need to work together to address the issue of arbitrary price hikes,…
The Enugu State Government has issued a 90-day ultimatum for all churches and mosques in the state to remove their outdoor loudspeakers and implement soundproofing measures within their worship centres. This was announced on Thursday during a stakeholders’ meeting organized by the Enugu Capital Territory Development Authority (ECTDA) to address the growing concern of noise pollution in the state. The meeting, attended by Christian and Muslim leaders, government officials, and media practitioners, was part of the implementation of the Enugu State Anti-Noise Pollution Policy. The Chairman of ECTDA, Uche Anya, emphasized the need for urgent action to curb noise pollution,…
The Sokoto State Government has announced plans to offer rice to residents at a discount price in order to alleviate the rising cost of foodstuff. The state’s Commissioner for Local Government, Ibrahim Adare, disclosed this after the State Executive Council meeting on Wednesday, stating that the government will procure 300 truckloads of rice to be sold at subsidized rates. Adare emphasized that the government, under the leadership of Dr. Ahmed Aliyu Sokoto, is deeply concerned about the economic challenges facing the people of Sokoto. To address this, the state has approved the purchase of rice to be distributed across the…
The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has announced an increase in the number of Nigerians enrolled in health insurance schemes across the country. According to a statement released on Wednesday by the NHIA’s Director General, Dr. Kelechi Ohiri, the total enrollment has surged by 11% over the past year, bringing the current figure to approximately 18.7 million. This follows a recent announcement by the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Pate, who revealed that an additional 750,000 Nigerians had joined the health insurance program earlier this year. The minister shared this update during the third edition of…
Tunisian rapper Karim Gharbi, better known as K2Rhym, was sentenced to four years in prison in absentia Wednesday for allegedly buying voter signatures to qualify for upcoming presidential elections, a judicial spokesperson said. A court in Jendouba also fined Gharbi 5,000 dinars (around $1,600) and stripped him of the right to vote, spokesman Alaedine Aouadi told AFP. The court also sentenced the president of the commune of Jendouba to one year in jail and a fine of 1,000 dinars, and a colleague of the rapper to four years in prison and a fine of 5,000 dinars. Gharbi, who lives abroad…
Six more bodies, including those of two children, were recovered on Wednesday from the site of a massive garbage landslide in the Ugandan capital, Kampala, bringing the death toll so far to 30, police said. Several dozen people are also still missing, police said, after the collapse at the landfill in the northern district of Kiteezi on Saturday that buried people, homes, and livestock in mountains of fetid waste. “Today, the team retrieved six dead bodies by 1730 hours (1430 GMT). This makes a total of 30 bodies so far recovered,” the Uganda Police Force said on X, formerly Twitter.…