Author: Vardiafrica

Gilead Sciences has unveiled plans to make affordable versions of its groundbreaking HIV prevention drug, lenacapavir, available in 120 low and middle-income countries. Lenacapavir, which is administered as a twice-yearly injection, has shown promising results in clinical trials, significantly reducing HIV infection rates among both women and men. In trials conducted in South Africa and Uganda, lenacapavir effectively prevented HIV infections among girls and women. A subsequent trial involving men across several countries, including Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Peru, South Africa, Thailand, and the US, indicated nearly complete protection. In a statement, Gilead announced that it has entered into non-exclusive, royalty-free…

Meta CEO, Mark Zuckerberg has surpassed retailer Amazon’s Jeff Bezos as the world’s second richest person. Zuckerberg’s net worth rose to $206 billion on Friday, a new record for him, behind electric car manufacturer Tesla CEO Elon Musk ($256 billion), according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. Jeff Bezos came third at $205 billion with a $2.6 billion decline on the day. Meta shares have risen 23% since reporting better-than-expected sales in the second quarter and touting its push into the type of large language models that power AI chatbots. The stock closed Thursday at an all-time high of $582.77. Meta…

The Rivers State Police Command has said it will enforce court orders as regarding the local government elections billed to be held on Saturday in the state. This was made known in a statement by the Command’s spokesperson, SP Grace Iringe-Koko titled ‘Proposed October 5th, 2024 Local Government Chairman Election.In the statement, the police confirmed being in receipt of a restraining order preventing them from providing security during the LGA elections. The command also said it is aware of the 30th September 2024 Court judgement from the Federal High Court Abuja which bars the Force from participating in the election.…

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), on Thursday, introduced the Electronic Foreign Exchange Matching System (EFEMS) to check forex market distortions, eliminate speculative activities and instill transparency. In a circular signed by Omolara Duke, director of Financial Markets Department, the bank said with this system, authorised dealers will conduct all forex transactions in the inter-bank market on the EFEMS system approved by the CBN, where transactions will be reflected immediately. The statement said the policy will be implemented not later than December 1, 2024, noting that there will be a two-week test run in November. “The new system is expected to…

Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has said that he remains the greatest loser in the forthcoming local government election since the Peoples Democratic Party won’t be participating in the poll in the state. He, however, said his administration was determined to support the cause of developing a sustainable democracy, stressing that he wouldn’t tolerate any misguided group or individual attempting to create confusion or any form of instability in the state. The governor also urged every registered voter and leader of political groups to ensure they are at their polling units on October 5, 2024, to participate in the process that…

Justice Maryanne Anenih of a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory has issued a public summons against the immediate past Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello to attend court and answer to a fresh 16-count pending allegations against him. By the summons, the former Governor is to attend court on October 24 in response to the summons and for his arraignment along with two other defendants. Justice Anenih issued the order for public summons in a ruling following an application by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). Justice Anenih ordered the EFCC to publish the public summons in…

President Bola Tinubu has submitted four tax reform bills to the National Assembly for consideration. In a letter read during their respective plenary sessions by the President of Senate Godswill Akpabio and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, on Thursday, the President explained that the bills were crafted to align with his administration’s goals. The proposed bills include the Nigeria Tax Bill 2024, which aims to establish a comprehensive fiscal framework for tax regulation. The Tax Administration Bill seeks to provide a clear and concise legal structure for managing taxes in Nigeria to reduce disputes and enhance efficiency.…

Justice Evelyn Maha of the Federal High Court in Abuja has issued an order barring the Directorate of Road Traffic Services, also called the Vehicle Inspection Office (VIO), from further stopping vehicles on the road, impounding or confiscating vehicles, and imposing fines on motorists. In a judgement on Thursday, Justice Maha issued the order on a fundamental rights enforcement suit filed by a human rights activist and public interest attorney, Abubakar Marshal. Also affected by the order are the Director of Road Transport; the Area Commander, Jabi, and the team leader, Jabi, and the Minister of the FCT, also listed…

Mohamed Salah has etched his name in the history books, becoming Africa’s all-time leading scorer in the UEFA Champions League. The Egyptian forward, who has been a consistent force for Liverpool, netted his 45th Champions League goal, surpassing the previous record held by Ivory Coast legend Didier Drogba, who scored 44 goals in Europe’s most prestigious club competition. Salah’s landmark goal came in style, as he helped Liverpool secure a vital victory in their latest group stage match. His pace, skill, and clinical finishing have made him one of the most feared forwards in world football, and his performances on…

The Bank of Industry (BOI) says it has launched a mobile app to check live food prices across 8 states in the country. The states are Borno, Plateau, Rivers, Oyo, FCT, Lagos, Enugu and Kano. According to BOI, the web version, Pricesense.ng helps users check the wholesale and retail prices of food items such as rice, beans, tomato, maize and others in different states across the country. The app also provides for analytics of food prices across brand type, quantity and at different dates of the year. Food prices have been on the upward trend in the past one year…