Credit: LASEMAThe Lagos State Emergency Management Agency has urged residents and traders around the scene of the ongoing fire outbreak at the Great Nigeria Insurance House on Martins Street, Lagos Island, to evacuate the area immediately. The LASEMA Permanent Secretary, Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, made this known in a public safety alert issued after an assessment of the incident on Wednesday night. Oke-Osanyintolu had earlier stated that the number of casualties could not yet be ascertained as rescue operations were ongoing. He therefore urged residents and traders within the vicinity to evacuate to prevent casualties. “LASEMA reiterates its commitment to safeguarding lives and property and appeals for public cooperation as emergency operations continue,” Oke-Osanyintolu said.

Globally-renowned writer, Chimamanda Adichie, has refuted claims of being appointed a visiting professor at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. Adichie refuted the claims in a statement by her communications team on Wednesday, signed by Omawumi Ogbe. The statement reads, “It has come to our attention that several news outlets are reporting that Ms. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has been appointed as a ‘Visiting Professor’ at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN). Adichie has not received any such appointment, nor has she been in communication with the University regarding a professorship. The appointment was said to be a move aimed at repositioning the institution on the global academic stage.

Jake Paul's mum Pam has claimed she wants to punch Anthony Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn following her son's defeat last weekend. Pam Stepnick, the mother of YouTubers Jake and Logan Paul, praised Joshua's conduct in the aftermath of the fight. Pam, however, hit out at Joshua's promoter Hearn, who she had accused of looking 'smug' following the contest. It is not the first time Jake Paul's mother has been vocal around one of her son's fights. Paul and Joshua reportedly shared £140m from the fight last weekend.

Algeria’s parliament has unanimously passed a law declaring France’s colonisation of the country a crime, escalating tensions between the two nations and renewing demands for an official apology and reparations, The Guardian reported. The law formally lists what it describes as the “crimes of French colonisation”, including nuclear tests, extrajudicial killings, “physical and psychological torture” and the “systematic plundering of resources”. It also stated that “full and fair compensation for all material and moral damages caused by French colonisation is an inalienable right of the Algerian state and people”. Algeria says the conflict killed 1.5 million people, while French historians estimate a total death toll of about 500,000, including 400,000 Algerians. French President Emmanuel Macron has previously described the colonisation of Algeria as a “crime against humanity” but has stopped short of issuing a formal apology.

A Russian-backed court in occupied Ukraine on Wednesday sentenced a Colombian man to 19 years in prison for fighting for Kyiv’s army. Last week, the same court sentenced a British man to 13 years in prison, also for fighting for Ukraine. “We are currently transferring the horses at this stud farm to other stud farms in Ukraine,” director of the state-owned enterprise “Horse Breeding of Ukraine” Vitaliy Brovko told AFP. In the Zaporizhzhia stud farm, the evacuations continued, with over a dozen transports already carried out. “If the situation worsens, we will evacuate the entire stud farm,” Vitaliy Brovko said.

“We are currently transferring the horses at this stud farm to other stud farms in Ukraine,” director of the state-owned enterprise “Horse Breeding of Ukraine” Vitaliy Brovko told AFP. “There have been cases where horses had miscarriages from stress,” the horse farm worker Oleksandr Konyakhin told AFP. A month prior, seven horses were killed in the Kyiv region during a large-scale Russian attack which hit an equestrian club. In the Zaporizhzhia stud farm, the evacuations continued, with over a dozen transports already carried out. “If the situation worsens, we will evacuate the entire stud farm,” Vitaliy Brovko said.

Lagos State Government has said that it will take decisive steps in regulating and administering informal spaces across the state, in line with its physical planning mandate. The state’s Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Dr Oluyinka Olumide, disclosed this yesterday, while outlining the ministry’s strategic direction for the coming year. “The Law vests the ministry with the statutory responsibility for physical planning, land-use management, development coordination, and the regulation of spatial activities across the state, mandates that clearly encompass the administration of informal spaces,” he said. According to him, the planned assumption of full administrative control over informal spaces was aimed at strengthening land-use planning, achieving integrated urban development, and curbing unregulated activities in key corridors, gateways, and transitional zones across the state. He further said that effective control of informal spaces would contribute to improved mobility, safety, environmental quality, and the overall livability of Lagos State, while aligning with the state’s vision for a resilient, inclusive, and well-planned megacity.

Italian regulators ordered Meta on Wednesday to open its WhatsApp chat platform to rival AI chatbots as it and EU authorities pursue a probe that the US tech giant is abusing its dominant market position. Meta has integrated Meta AI across the company’s platforms, which include Facebook and Instagram, that serve billions of users globally. Meta AI is a generative AI chatbot that can interact with users. Locking WhatsApp’s more than three billion users into Meta AI could potentially give the company a commercial advantage over rival AI chatbots. Meta already faces the risk of heavy fines under the bloc’s Digital Services Act (DSA), which regulates content.

Let’s make nonalcoholic smoky citrus punch. But I wanted to make a nontraditional, nonalcoholic recipe this holiday season that feels like, well, it packs a bit of a punch. In a large glass jar, add 3 tea bags, pour in 3 cups of water, cover, and refrigerate for 8 to 12 hours. In a large punch or serving bowl, add the lemon and orange juice, citrus-sugar tea mixture, and the cold-brewed black tea. Ladle into individual punch glasses, and serve each with a lemon and orange slice.

Nigeria has recorded a major milestone in cancer treatment with the introduction of artificial- intelligence–driven focal therapy for prostate cancer by The Prostate Clinic (TPC), a technology that can eradicate cancer without surgery, pain or loss of sexual function. TPC was established by Ekwueme, a UK-trained robotic and laparoscopic surgeon pioneering advanced, minimally invasive prostate cancer and enlargement treatments in Nigeria. The HIFU system follows earlier introductions of robotic surgery and minimally invasive treatment for enlarged prostate this year by the hospital. Ekwueme said: “The high-intensity focused ultrasound scan delivers ultrasound energy into the prostate and kills prostate cancer specifically where it has been identified. This is my Christmas present to Nigeria.”And we are not done yet.”Unlike conventional surgery, he explained that the HIFU system does not require cutting or removal of the prostate.

The University of Nigeria, Nsukka has appointed globally-renowned writer Chimamanda Adichie, African Development Bank executive, Prof. Kevin Urama, and Prof. James Robinson of the University of Chicago as Visiting Professors, in a move aimed at repositioning the institution on the global academic stage. According to the university, the Visiting Professors are expected to engage in teaching, collaborative research, mentorship, and strategic academic interactions that will strengthen UNN’s global standing. Chimamanda Adichie, one of the world’s most influential literary voices, was appointed in recognition of her outstanding contributions to literature, creative writing, and global intellectual discourse. He explained that the Visiting Professorships are designed to promote knowledge exchange, strengthen international linkages, and bridge the gap between theory, policy, and practice. Egwu further disclosed that the latest appointments bring the number of Visiting Professors appointed by the Vice-Chancellor in December 2025 to four, describing the development as “a clear signal of UNN’s renewed drive for global excellence.”

There are growing concerns that criminal gangs have infiltrated maritime supply chains and are now operating ‘legitimate’ forwarding businesses that move significant amounts of illegal drugs via commercial vessels. World Customs Organisation study (WCO) findings revealed that 70 per cent of maritime drug seizures had a trusted insider link. The research body stated that smugglers continue to exploit surveillance gaps and compromised officers, while economic despair, particularly among youths, drives participation in the drug trade and consumption. The group stressed that only an integrated, proactive approach can stem the tide of illicit drug proliferation and its attendant socio-economic consequences. “The time has come for decisive reforms, community participation and technological modernisation in managing the war against drugs,” SEREC stated.

Former Senate Leader, Ali Ndume, has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to suspend the implementation of the disputed Tax Reform Acts scheduled to take effect in January, amid growing controversy over their passage. Ndume made the call in a statement issued on Wednesday in Abuja, following claims and counter-claims over alleged alterations to the tax laws after their passage by the National Assembly. Reacting, Ndume, who represents Borno South Senatorial District, urged Tinubu to set up an ad hoc committee to verify the authenticity of the laws and investigate the alleged alterations. The former Senate Chief Whip warned that implementing the laws without resolving the allegations would create legitimacy challenges and undermine public trust. That is to say, the tax law will not be implemented, because you can’t build on nothing.

The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the final forfeiture of two expansive parcels of land earmarked for the Goodluck Jonathan Legacy Model Housing Estate. In his ruling, Justice Umar directed the ICPC, on behalf of the Federal Government, to supervise the completion of the proposed 962 housing units on the forfeited land. The judge ordered the final forfeiture of Plot No. He also ordered the ICPC and FMBN to constitute a joint committee to oversee the completion and implementation of the housing project. The commission also told the court that the developer was allegedly making moves to sell off the land to unsuspecting members of the public, a development it said could frustrate recovery efforts.

Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho (left); Director General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr Dayo Mobereola and Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Dr Adegboyega Oyetola at a Citizens' Engagement Meeting on the activities of the Ministry in Abuja. The Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy has commenced engagements with financial institutions to provide single -digit interest loans for fishermen nationwide to boost productivity, empower operators and curb illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing. The Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Dr Adegboyega Oyetola, disclosed this during the Ministry’s Fourth Quarter 2025 Stakeholders and Citizens Engagement held recently in Abuja. “Adigitally enabled Ministry is a more responsive Ministry. According to her, the ECMS will enhance institutional memory, reduce bureaucracy, improve accountability, and align the Ministry with the Federal Civil Service’s broader digital transformation agenda.