By Deji Abdulwahab

The International Press Institute (IPI) has described the appointment of the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Malam Mohammed Idris, as a testament to his exceptional dedication and hard work.

The institute also said that his appointment indicated that President Bola Tinubu had trust and confidence in his abilities.

The Executive Director of IPI, Mr Frane Maroević, gave the commendation

in a congratulatory letter he personally signed and addressed to the new Minister in Abuja on Thursday.

Maroević said, “On behalf of the International Press Institute, it is with great pleasure that I extend my warmest congratulations to you on your recent appointment as the Minister of Information for the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“Your elevation to this important role is not only a testament to your exceptional dedication and hard work but also a reflection of the trust and confidence that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has in your abilities.

“We at the International Press Institute are especially proud to have you as our esteemed member,” IPI chief said.

He added that, “your extensive experience and profound understanding of the media sector in Nigeria, intricacies of communication and information technologies make you an excellent choice for this crucial position.

“As a highly respected expert and dedicated IPI member, we look to your leadership in bringing forth positive changes and innovative strategies that will strengthen independent media and enhance the dissemination of accurate and timely information to the citizens of Nigeria.

“Wishing you all the best in your endeavours. I would like to offer IPI’s support and assistance in any way possible as you embark on this new and exciting chapter of your public service career.

“May your mandate be filled with accomplishments, inspiration, and fulfilment of your vision for Nigeria.” (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

By Taiye Olayemi

The Afro Asian Community Development (AACD) in Nigeria has extolled the victory recorded by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for successfully landing the Chandrayaan-3 on the lunar surface of the Moon on Wednesday.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that with this development, India has become the first country to reach the unexplored larger south pole of the Moon.

Also, India has become the fourth country to master the technology of soft-landing on the lunar surface after the United States of America, China and the erstwhile Soviet Union.

The unmanned Chandrayaan-3, which means “Mooncraft” in Sanskrit, touched down at 6:04 pm India time (1234 GMT).

Mr Sanjay Srivastava, President, (AACD) in a statement on Thursday said it was indeed a new dawn for Indians as said by the Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi.

Srivastava is also the Head of People of Indian Origin Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PIOCCI) India-Nigeria Business Forum.

He said the gradual landing of the spacecraft was witnessed on the social media and ISRO’s channel by countless Indians and well wishers of India around the world.

Srivastava said that the event was also broadcast in various locations across Nigeria, including the CGI office, Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) and numerous schools.

“We extend our congratulations to all Indians for this achievement, and we are confident that India’s significant progress on the moon will hold great potential for the betterment of humanity in the future.

“India is committed to providing efficient, precise, and cost-effective assistance to all its allied nations in their space endeavors.

“We are also embarking on missions to explore the Sun and other planets in the near future,” he said. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Bashir Rabe Mani

The U.S. has approved a 500-million dollar potential sale of weapons to Taiwan to help boost the island’s airspace defence capability.

The U.S. Defence Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said in a Wednesday statement that the sale would include F-16 Infrared Search and Track (IRST) systems and related equipment.

“The proposed sale will improve the recipient’s capability to meet current and future threats by contributing to the recipient’s abilities to defend its airspace.

“It will provide regional security and increase interoperability with the U.S. through its F-16 programme,” the DSCA said in the statement.

The U.S. agency said the proposed sale of this equipment and support would not alter the basic military balance in the region.

In Taipei, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defence expressed gratitude for the approval, adding that the deal was expected to take effect one month after U.S. Congress is notified.

“These systems will be put to good use in maintaining regional stability,” the ministry said in a post on social media platform X, formerly Twitter.

China’s routinely sends military aircraft and drones into Taiwan’s air defence identification zone, posing a serious military threat to the island, the ministry in Taipei said in a statement.

The office of Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen said the package was the 11th U.S. arms sale to Taiwan since President Joe Biden took office in 2021.

The deal is likely to draw ire from Beijing, which rejects any official exchange between the U.S. and Taiwan.

The leadership in Beijing regards Taiwan as part of the People’s Republic of China, in spite of the island having its own independent government since 1949.

The U.S. is legally bound to support Taiwan’s defence capabilities due to the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act. (dpa/NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has released a loan tranche of $7.5 billion for Argentina, in a deal that took four months to negotiate.

The IMF Executive Board announced the deal in Washington on Wednesday.

“The IMF Executive Board completed today the fifth and six reviews of Argentina’s 30-month Extended Fund Facility (EFF).

“The Board’s decision enables an immediate disbursement of around 7.5 billion dollars,’’ the IMF said in a statement published on Wednesday.

Due to an extreme drought and political mistakes, Argentina had failed to make the agreed budget adjustments, the fund said.

However, it was possible to agree on new goals such as increasing the reserves of the central bank and more fiscal discipline.

The Ministry of Economy in Buenos Aires has to pass on more than half of the newly disbursed funds to other creditors, the newspaper “La Nación’’ reported.

In order to meet its interest obligations to the fund, Argentina had recently taken out several bridging loans in Qatar, China and from the Latin American development bank CAF.

The second largest economy in South America is mired in a severe economic and financial crisis.

Argentina suffered from a bloated state apparatus, low productivity in industry and a large shadow economy that deprived the state of much tax revenue.

The national currency, the peso, continued to depreciate against the U.S. dollar, and the mountain of debt was constantly growing.

The inflation rate is soaring at 115 per cent. (dpa/NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

By Sarafina Christopher

China has called on journalists to always integrate both conventional and new media in order to enhance their professional practice and effective reach out to audiences.

Mr Luo Chunlei, Assistant to the President, Jilin Radio and TV-Station, gave the advice on Tuesday in Changchun, Jilin Province, China, during a field visit by foreign journalists to the station.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that journalists from Bolivia, South Sudan, Burundi, Cameroon, Nigeria, Togo, Kiribati, Laos, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Tajikistan are currently undergoing a two-week international media training in China.

Addressing the journalists, Luo said broadcast stations should embrace both conventional and new media practice to succeed in achieving their desired goals and not see the new media as a competitor.

According to him, integrating both conventional and new media in their practice will advance effective audience participation in media programmes.

“With the emergence and advancement of technology, as well as quicken the growth of social media, Jilin Radio and TV have integrated to keep up with trends, while maintaining their audiences.

“We developed applications that allow users to subscribe and get news about what is happening at their own convenience, to ensure consistency and access to every piece of information.

“New media is much more interactive and highly data-driven, which makes it more accessible for the station to keep tabs of subscribers and users and to get feedback through the comments sections, as well as to better improve on news content and range of coverage,” Luo said.

He defined media integration as the process of accepting, integrating, and using new as well as advanced technology in all aspects of news reporting.

Speaking to NAN on the sidelines of the visit, Prof. Li Yu, Director of International Communication Planning Bureau, China Media Group, said the new media had become an important source of information.

He added that the new media had become well accepted within the practice of mainstream media and that news attributes and content had increased significantly also.

“The global mobile phone subscribers are about 5.48 billion, accounting for about 68.3 per cent.

“Global network users are about 5.18 billion, accounting for about 64.6 per cent.

“The global social media user identities, which are 4.8 billion, account for 59.9 per cent, with internet users spending about 6 hours 35 minutes, and TV about 3 hours 12-minutes.

“The traditional Pay TV industry is consistently decreasing with steady growth in online video services, which is why it is of great importance for both the conventional and new media to be integrated because they complement one another with each playing a vital role,” Li said.

He noted that while traditional media subscribers watch television and listen the to radio, online users also use their phones to watch and listen to news, entertainment, tourism, and educational materials, amongst others.

“New Media” refers to the use of computers, the Internet, and smartphones, as opposed to the more conventional forms of traditional media, like the print, film, television, and radio. (NAN)

(Edited by Mark Longyen/Emmanuel Yashim)

Russia has carried out a drone attack on a port in southern Ukraine using `kamikaze’ drones, a Ukrainian regional official said on Wednesday.

The strike hit production and transshipment facilities, causing a fire, according to a Telegram post by the Odessa regional governor, Oleh Kiper.

He said that the fire covered about 700 square metres, adding that images showed destroyed warehouses with grain.

The sites were near the Danube port of Izmail on the Romanian border, according to local media reports.

Russia had attacked the same area in early August.

No information was provided as to whether there were civilian casualties.

Russian forces fired 20 combat drones into Ukraine during the night, Kiev’s air force said.

The embattled nation’s air defence intercepted 11 of the unmanned aerial vehicles.

With Russia blockading Ukraine’s Black Sea ports, the three Ukrainian Danube ports of Izmail, Reni and Ust-Dunaysk have become crucial for the import and export of goods, particularly grain.

Russia has repeatedly attacked port facilities and grain silos. (dpa/NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Cecilia Odey/Chioma Ugboma

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a 45 million U.S. dollar loan to help strengthen quality health care in 16 districts across 10 provinces in Laos.

The Manila-based bank said that Improving the Quality of Health Care Project would help the Lao Ministry of Health design and implement quality of care policies.

“It would also upgrade provincial and district hospitals, and improve hospital management in the involved provinces.

“High-quality health care that meets the needs and expectations of patients, especially women and children, is key to Laos achieving universal health coverage by 2025,” said ADB Country Director for Laos Sonomi Tanaka.

The ADB said the project would benefit about 1.6 million people annually.

Patients include the poor, women, the elderly, those with disabilities, and ethnic groups living in underserved and remote rural areas.

In recent years, the ADB said Laos has made progress in expanding access to health care and insurance.

The national health insurance scheme introduced in 2015 covers 94 per cent of the population.

Most of the population has access to health facilities within a reasonable travel distance.

However, the ADB said Laos lags behind neighbouring countries in health sector development, and inadequate care often discourages people from seeking health services, particularly at the district and community levels.

The project would help the Lao Ministry of Health implement the country’s “Five Goods and One Satisfaction” quality of health care framework.

It would also help set up the country’s first health facility accreditation system, with an initial target of 10 facilities accredited by 2026. (Xinhua/NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Ummul Idris/Tayo Ikujun

Amb. Yusuf Tuggar

By Lizzy Okoji

Newly appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Yusuf Tuggar, has pledged to unveil Nigeria’s new foreign policy that would reposition the country at the pinnacle of visionary and global decision making.

Tuggar said this in Abuja on Monday when he assumed office as foreign affairs minister following his inauguration along with 44 others by President Bola Tinubu.

According to Tuggar, the new “Four Ds” Foreign Policy for the country would be centered on; Development, Democracy, Demography, and Diaspora geared towards bringing modern solutions to address some complex challenges.

Tuggar said that the Foreign Ministry is at the forefront of promoting Nigeria’s interest and protecting citizens abroad, pledging his commitment to serving the country and Nigerians.

“It is the highest honor to be asked to serve as Minister of Foreign Affairs by his Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

“As a historically important Ministry, Foreign Affairs has long represented the highest standard of excellence. It is therefore our job to ensure those standards will never fail.

“These are turbulence times. From the unfolding political crises in Niger Republic, to the regional insecurity and economic insecurity, we have a lot of work to do.

“In due time, we will also be unveiling a new vision for Nigeria’s foreign policy, four D’s diplomacy.

“Through this doctrine centered on development, democracy, demography and diaspora, we hope to find modern solutions in other to address complex modern problems.

“I will be counting on your cooperation and partnership. And by the special grace of God and with your support, I am sure that we can place Nigeria where she belongs, at the pinnacle of visional and global decision making,” Tuggar said.

Amb. Adamu Lamuwa, Permanent Secretary of the ministry, pledged the support of all staff to the minister to implement Nigeria’s foreign policy.

“We are here to work for you and the government to articulate and implement Nigeria’s Foreign policy.

“We are happy to have a leader who is not new to the field and who understand everything about diplomacy and foreign policy.

“We should thank Allah and President Bola Tinubu for bringing him to us because we have been praying for a minister who would hit the ground running.

“We are here pledging our determination and support to moving Nigeria’s foreign policy forward,” Lamuwa said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Tuggar was appointed to serve as Nigeria’s Ambassador to Germany from 2017, and recently in 2023, concluded his second tour as Ambassador.

As Ambassador, Tuggar initiated the repatriation of lost Benin artefacts from the German government leading to the return of 22 Benin Bronze looted artefacts valued at over 100 million pounds. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Sadiya Hamza