Nigerian Academic Excellence Magazine (NAEM)

By Associated Press This image from UGC video posted on social media on Dec. 26, 2024, reportedly shows travelers rushing in panic out of Sanaa International Airport after it was hit by an Israeli strike. (UGC via AFP) A new round of Israeli airstrikes in Yemen on Thursday targeted the Houthi rebel-held capital of Sanaa and multiple ports, while the World Health Organization's director-general said the bombardment occurred nearby as he prepared to board a flight in Sanaa, with a crew member injured. "The air traffic control tower, the departure lounge — just a few meters from where we were — and the runway were damaged," Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on the social media platform X. He added that he and United Nations colleagues were safe. "We will need to wait for the damage to the airport to be repaired before we can leave," he said, without mentioning the source of the bombardment. The Israeli strikes followed several days of Houthi launches setting off sire...

 By Myles Illidge In 2024, digital fraud incidents grew at an alarming rate in South Africa, with phishing, online shopping scams, and mobile malware being some of the biggest online threats to consumers and businesses in the country. Incidents of banking app and SIM swap fraud have also risen significantly. According to data from TransUnion, nearly 5% of all attempted digital transactions originating in South Africa in 2024’s first half were suspected to be fraudulent. It also cites a survey in which six in 10 respondents said they were recently targeted by fraud, with many attacks arising from the telecommunications, financial, and online communities. For reference, online communities include forums and online dating platforms. TransUnion’s data shows that digital fraud attempts within the telecommunications sector where the most prevalent. While it doesn’t specify the most common methods of committing fraud in the telecommunications sector, a potential contributor is a substanti...

 By Margherita Bassi A bed bug. © Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Sixty years ago, we nearly wiped out bed bugs—but they’ve been making a steady comeback, and they’re stronger than ever. By the 1960s, widespread pesticide use had nearly wiped out bed bug populations. In the past two decades, however, the blood-suckers have staged a nasty resurgence. Now, scientists have uncovered genetic factors that are helping to explain this unwelcome resurgence. A team of researchers led by Hidemasa Bono of Hiroshima University has sequenced the most complete insecticide-resistant bed bug genome to date and compared it to the genome of an insecticide-susceptible (non-resistant) bed bug. Their findings, detailed in a study published in the journal Insects in September, provide an unprecedented look into the genetic mutations driving insecticide resistance in bed bugs, which could help shape future pest control strategies. Bed bugs can be a royal pain in the ass. Even though they’re no...

  A degree (B.A., M.Sc. or Ph.D.) awarded by a university or other organisation, with adequate authority, is a university degree, not a title like Mudali or Duchess of Kent. These latter titles are awarded by a king/queen or a government and may be revoked; degrees awarded by universities cannot be revoked unless there was malfeasance in the award of the degree. The learned physician who identified a Ph.D. degree as a title (The Island, 13/12/24) was wrong. The cardiologist had missed the heart of the matter. What is the heart of the matter? The degree comes from Latin gradus meaning a step; a step in the progress of a university student. Why a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)? Because, in Latin it is doctor philosophiae and that is why Oxford University awards a D.Phil. degree. Most other universities use the form of Ph.D. But why Latin? Because where universities were founded, the language of learning (and much else) was Latin. The term university comes from universitas vestra, (You ...

 By Saharareporters  The countries’ military regimes announced withdrawal from the regional bloc in a joint statement read out on Niger national television. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on Sunday approved the withdrawal of Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso as member states from January 29, 2025. Recall that in January, the military regimes in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger announced their immediate withdrawal from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). The countries’ military regimes announced withdrawal from the regional bloc in a joint statement read out on Niger national television. The leaders of the three Sahel nations had issued a joint statement saying it was a "sovereign decision" to leave the Economic Community of West African States "without delay". "After 49 years, the valiant peoples of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger regretfully and with great disappointment observe that the (ECOWAS) organization has drifted from ...

 By THISDAY  The leader of the United Kingdom Conservative Party, Kemi Badenoch, has again taken a dig at Nigeria’s Vice President, Kashim Shettima, in her recent interview, saying she is a Yoruba and has nothing in common with the northern part of the country.  This is as the spokesman for the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 election, Atiku Abubakar, Phrank Shaibu, asked those criticising Badenoch, to embark on a moment of introspection. Vice President Shettima, recently, slammed her for denigrating Nigeria in her recent interviews with British media, especially her views on immigration and corruption by the Nigerian public officials, and urged her to drop her Nigerian name.  While her spokesperson has responded to the criticism from Shettima, Badenoch sparked fresh identity controversy while speaking with British media, The Spectator, recently.  According to her, Northern Nigeria is a haven for Islamism and Boko Haram. ...