Author: News Room

The first volunteer has received a dose in a first-in-human trial of Oxford’s Lassa vaccine, marking a major milestone in the fight against the deadly virus. This was disclosed on Thursday by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations on its website. CEPI is an innovative partnership between public, private, philanthropic, and civil organisations. Its mission is to accelerate the development of vaccines and other biologic countermeasures against epidemic and pandemic threats so they can be accessible to all people in need. The trial, conducted by the Oxford Vaccine Group and funded by CEPI, will assess the safety and immune response…

Nigeria winger Moses Simon is hurt by the absence of his academy product, Benjamin Fredrick, from the Super Eagles squad as preparations intensify for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, which will be played from December 21, 2025 to January 18, 2026 in Morocco, PUNCH Sports Extra reports. Fredrick, who broke into the national team in May, was ruled out by an unfortunate knee injury he sustained weeks before the tournament. Regarded as one of Nigeria’s most promising defensive talents, he had been strongly tipped to make the AFCON squad after stringing together a number of impressive performances. He was…

A confrontation between FCT Minister Nyesom Wike and Navy Lieutenant A.M. Yerima over a disputed Abuja property has gone viral, prompting nationwide debate over the limits of civilian authority and military discipline, NATHANIEL SHAIBU reports The confrontation between the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and Lieutenant A.M. Yerima of the Nigerian Navy on Tuesday has sparked intense debate among legal and security experts, highlighting the delicate balance between civilian authority and military discipline in Nigeria’s democracy. Lieutenant Yerima, a young naval officer, had been deployed to secure a plot of land reportedly belonging to Awwal Zubairu Gambo,…

Rapid advances in AI and robotics are set to become both powerful tools for police and potent weapons for criminals, a 48-page report from pan-European police agency Europol argues. Earlier this month, Europol’s Innovation Lab published “The Unmanned Future(s): The impact of robotics and unmanned systems on law enforcement.” The document is framed as more of a “foresight” exercise than a hard prediction. It sketches the near future of 2035, where intelligent machines are everywhere, from homes, hospitals, and factories to police stations, shops, and schools.Researchers from The Hague-based organization, effectively an EU-version of the global police agency Interpol, imagine…

Key takeawaysRMJDT is a ringgit stablecoin pitched for payments and cross-border trade.Its treasury and validator setup is designed to make onchain settlement function like reliable infrastructure.Across Asia, stablecoins are being brought under licensing and reserve and redemption rules.Tokenized assets are increasing demand for tokenized settlement in local currencies, not just USD.RMJDT is being pitched as a ringgit-pegged token tied to Johor’s Crown Prince. It was launched by his company, Bullish Aim, and issued on Zetrix, a network connected to Malaysia’s national blockchain infrastructure.The token is intended for payments and cross-border trade settlement, with the project also announcing a 500 million…

Brooks Nader is kissing and telling all about her romance with ex Gleb Savchenko. The model and reality star and Savchenko, 42, began “being intimate day one” after being paired up together on Dancing With the Stars, she said during a Thursday, December 18, appearance on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen. Nader’s confession shocked both host Andy Cohen and fellow guest Erika Jayne, who had several follow-up questions for the Love Thy Nader star. “Like, rehearsal?” Jayne, 54, asked. Related: Gleb Savchenko and Brooks Nader’s Relationship Timeline Dancing With the Stars season 33 pair Gleb Savchenko and Brooks…

President Bola Tinubu has transmitted fresh Appropriation (Repeal and Re-Enactment) Bills for 2024 and 2025 to the House of Representatives, seeking to repeal the existing budgets and replace them with revised expenditure frameworks aligned with current fiscal realities. The request was announced on Friday during plenary by the Speaker of the House, Abbas Tajudeen, while reading a letter from the president titled, “Transmission of the Appropriation (Repeal and Re-Enactment) Bills, 2024 and 2025.” In the letter, Mr Tinubu informed the House that the bills were submitted in line with the constitutional and legislative appropriation process. He explained that the proposals…

Odia Ofeimun Odia Ofeimun is formidably learned and insightful. His poetry and journalism are distinguished by their eloquence and dazzling intelligence. Deriving strength and confidence in stubborn hope, he fights relentlessly for social justice, economic equity and political fairness. As a young man, Odia was obstinate, irreverent, self-respecting and sassy. He never bowed to penury. He never bowed to bullies. Conscious of the significance of the Esan name he bears with pride, he has continued to be honest, courageous and consistent. At sixteen, he had read and re-read many great writers all across the globe who then made him an…

China has announced that it will start taxing contraceptives for the first time in over 30 years as it tries to encourage families to have more children. From January 1, 2026, contraceptive products such as condoms and birth control drugs will now be part of China’s 13 per cent value-added tax. The move comes as the country’s birth rate continues to fall. In 2024, China recorded 9.5 million births, a big drop from the 14.7 million babies born in 2019, according to official figures. Reports also show that deaths now exceed births in the country. China once strictly controlled family…

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has provided the reason for its decision to invite the two warring factions of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for discussions. DAILY POST reported earlier that the Commission waded into the crisis rocking the party by bringing the two sides together at its national headquarters in Abuja on Friday. INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, said the electoral umpire decided to invite all the parties, especially after it received conflicting correspondences from the parties involved in the conflict. “We felt that by rubbing minds together, it’ll be a good opportunity for us to forge the…