President Bola Tinubu has reiterated Nigeria’s appeal for an immediate ceasefire and peaceful resolution to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine. Speaking at the Saudi-Africa Summit in Riyadh on Friday, Tinubu urged an end to the fighting that erupted after the Islamist group Hamas launched attacks in Israel in October, killing over 1,400 people. Israel retaliated with airstrikes and a ground offensive in Gaza that has left more than 10,500 dead, sparking international calls for a ceasefire. While Israel agreed to temporary four-hour pauses in northern Gaza, President Joe Biden ruled out a full ceasefire for now. At the…
Author: Editor Francis
The inaugural Saudi-Africa Summit 2023 commenced on Friday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with significant expectations. African leaders gathered for this summit, including Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki, Gabonese interim President Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani, Mauritius President Prithvirajsing Roopun, Malawian President Lazarus Chakwera, Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan, and Nigerien Prime Minister Ali Mahamane Lamine Zeine, among others. The leaders were warmly welcomed by Riyadh Deputy Gov. Prince Mohammed bin Abdulrahman upon their arrival at King Khalid International Airport. The primary objectives of the inaugural Saudi-Africa summit include enhancing political coordination, addressing regional…
The U.S. Department of State has officially launched its inaugural “Enterprise Artificial Intelligence Strategy FY 2024-2025: Empowering Diplomacy through Responsible AI” (EAIS). The strategy, signed by Secretary Blinken, signifies a landmark step towards a centralized vision for artificial intelligence (AI) innovation, infrastructure, policy, governance, and culture within the Department. At a pivotal moment, where the potential of an emerging AI ecosystem holds vast opportunities, the EAIS aims to guide the Department in responsibly and ethically harnessing AI capabilities. The strategy envisions breakthroughs in public diplomacy, language translation, management operations, information dissemination, task automation, and code generation. However, it underscores the…
In a joint statement, the G7 foreign ministers, representing Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States, along with the High Representative of the European Union, expressed unity in pursuing international peace, security, and prosperity. The ministers discussed their commitment to upholding a free and open international order based on the rule of law. The statement addressed the situation in Israel, condemning terror attacks by Hamas and others and emphasising Israel’s right to self-defense. The G7 urged the immediate release of hostages and called for urgent action to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. They pledged…
In a groundbreaking medical achievement, surgeons at NYU Langone Health have successfully performed the world’s first transplant of an entire human eye as part of a comprehensive face transplant. The recipient, Aaron James, had suffered severe facial and eye damage in an accident involving high-voltage power lines, leaving him with a devastated face and the loss of one eye. While it’s too early to determine if James will regain vision in his new left eye, the initial results are promising. The surgery, conducted last May, aimed to improve the cosmetic outcomes of James’s face by supporting the transplanted eye socket…
In a surprising turn of events, the Nigerian naira experienced a significant setback, closing trading on the Investor & Exporter forex window at N996.75/$, marking a 13.95% decline from the previous day’s close at N874.71/$. This represents a staggering 27.75% loss in value since the beginning of the week when it opened at N780.23/$, making the naira one of the worst-performing African currencies in 2023, according to FMDQ OTC Securities Exchange. Despite recent efforts by the Central Bank of Nigeria to stabilize the foreign exchange market, the naira’s decline has been relentless, affecting both official and parallel markets. In…
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has raised concerns about the potential impact of China’s declining growth on Nigeria’s economic prospects. Noting the deep economic ties developed between China and sub-Saharan African countries over the past two decades, the IMF predicts a potential average decrease of 0.5 percentage points in Nigeria’s growth due to China’s recent economic slowdown. China holds a pivotal role in the region as its largest single-country trading partner, accounting for one-fifth of sub-Saharan Africa’s exports, including metals, minerals, and fuel. Additionally, China supplies the majority of manufactured goods and machinery imported by the region. The IMF’s analysis,…
Pushed on his plan for Gaza’s future, he said the impoverished and blockaded territory must be “demilitarized, deradicalised and rebuilt.” “We’ll have to find a government, a civilian government that will be there,” he added, without detailing who might form such a government. And he said Israeli forces would have to remain ready to reenter Gaza and “kill the killers”. “That’s what will prevent the reemergence of a Hamas-like entity.” The October 7 attack and subsequent conflict came as Israel moved closer to a peace deal with Saudi Arabia, building on the so-called Abraham accords that normalised ties with several…
Google has introduced a new Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) that transforms and creates new opportunities for content to be discovered on its search engine. This was made known at a media roundtable in Lagos focusing on introducing its Search Labs and Search Generative Experience (SGE) to the Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) region. The General Manager, Google Search, Africa, Ms Wambui Kinya, said at the roundtable that the SGE was a new generative AI experience in Search to help one get even more from a single search. Kinya said that with the new generative AI capabilities in Search, Google was taking more…
Israel has agreed to daily four-hour pauses in northern Gaza to let civilians flee, the White House said Thursday, even as President Joe Biden said there was no chance of a full ceasefire. Biden has been pressing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for longer breaks in the fighting after more than a month of war sparked by the October 7 attacks by Hamas. Israeli troops and Hamas are now locked in heavy, close-quarters fighting in Gaza City in the north of the Gaza Strip. “Israel will begin to implement four-hour pauses in areas of northern Gaza each day, with an…
In preparation for Election in Imo State this Saturday,the Independent National Electoral Commission on Thursday distributed electoral materials to all 27 Local Government Areas of the State. Happening in Owerri at the Central Bank of Nigeria Branch, the INEC officials distributed Bimodal Voter Accreditation System machines, ballot papers and result sheets for the election to the 27 LGAs. Kenneth Ukeagu, the Southeast National Commissioner who addressed the journalist during the distribution said the team is ready for the Saturday poll in the state. Revealing that the election would take place as planned in all recognised local government areas in the…
The Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Limited (NLNG), says the company has not increase the price of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG). Mr Andy Odeh, General Manager, External Relations and Sustainable Development, NLNG, dismissed the alleged report of the increase in a statement issued in Port Harcourt on Wednesday. He said the company cannot be blamed for any current surge especially as NLNG has so far delivered over 380,000 metric tonnes of LPG to the domestic market. He said “NLNG has noted media reports insinuating that a price hike by the company is responsible for the surge in the domestic LPG, commonly…