Author: Akintayo Adams

In order to lower the number of foreign students admitted to the nation, the Canadian government plans to implement a nationwide cap. In an interview with CTV’s Question Period on Sunday, Canada’s immigration minister, Marc Miller, stated that a meeting between the federal government and provincial governments is necessary “to ensure that the provinces that have not been doing their jobs actually rein in those numbers on a pure volume basis.” Miller remarked, “That volume is disconcerting,” in relation to the quantity of foreign students enrolled in Canadian universities. “In actuality, the system has gotten out of hand.” Prior to…

The Lagos State Government under Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has closed the Oke-Afa, Isolo, and Katangua markets in Abule Egba due to serious environmental breaches including waste disposal violations and several unsanitary behaviors around the markets. The decision was confirmed by Mr. Tokunbo Wahab, Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, who stated that the action was taken to address growing concerns about environmental health. He emphasized that the government’s zero tolerance for waste effort, which was launched in the previous year, was still on track and promised to sanction any market or establishment that disposed of waste carelessly. Wahab claims,…

The N800 billion budget that the Edison Ehie-led faction of the Rivers State House of Assembly passed and Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara signed into law has been declared void by Justice James of the Federal High Court Abuja. The court also upheld the lawsuit that Fubara was sued in by the Assembly and Speaker Martin Amaewhule. The lawsuit sought, among other things, an injunction prohibiting the governor from impeding the Assembly while he was speaker. Fubara presented the N800 billion 2024 budget plan to five members of the State Assembly, chaired by Edison Ehie, on December 13, 2023, amid…

Norway is intensifying efforts in oil and gas exploration, banking on the sustained growth of its energy resources. The country witnessed an uptick in natural gas production over the last year, signaling its commitment to the sector’s ongoing development. Despite encountering some setbacks in 2023, such as unexpected and prolonged maintenance shutdowns at various fields, Norway’s overall oil and gas production remained resilient. Investments for 2023 and 2024 are surpassing initial expectations, propelled by heightened activity levels, a devalued Norwegian currency, and escalating costs. Oil and gas companies are gearing up to enhance exploration activities and offshore spending in Norway,…

The British Pound is on track for a positive weekly performance against both the Euro and the Dollar, driven by encouraging news of the UK economy’s recovery in November. According to data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the UK economy exhibited a month-on-month growth of 0.3% in November, rebounding from the previous month’s -0.3% contraction and surpassing consensus estimates of 0.2%. While the monthly figures provided a boost, there were concerns as well. Year-on-year growth for November stood at 0.2%, recovering from a revised -0.1% in October. On a rolling three-month basis, the economy contracted by 0.2%, slightly…

The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has given the green light for the first spot bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs), marking a pivotal moment in the crypto space and anticipated to attract a wave of new retail and institutional investors. The approval encompasses 11 ETFs, with sponsors ranging from established players like Fidelity and Invesco to digital-focused newcomers such as Grayscale and Ark Invest. These ETFs, which trade on exchanges like stocks and receive special tax treatment in the US, are slated to commence trading soon, with BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust expected to lead the way. This regulatory breakthrough follows…

CES 2024 has been bustling with the anticipated array of new television releases, but amidst the excitement, LG and Samsung have made striking announcements in the realm of TV technology. While our TV/AV editor, Tom Parsons, has lauded TCL’s colossal 115-inch QM891G mini LED, the real spotlight for me came through LG and Samsung’s unveiling of new “transparent” TV displays. Samsung’s revelation, a proof-of-concept transparent micro LED TV, might not be intended for household use, aligning with the ongoing trend where most micro LED TVs carry exorbitant price tags. Yet, the sheer audacity and innovation behind these products deserve commendation.…

Samsung is gearing up to unveil its latest offering, the Galaxy S24 series, in a mere fortnight, and it appears that the price tags will remain consistent with their predecessors. Recent revelations shed light not just on the devices’ retail costs but also on repair and hardware replacement expenses, specifically within the European Union. Insights from a Slovenian repair center, Mobistekla, which previously shared spare part images, hint at unchanged repair rates. While the official prices haven’t been confirmed owing to the phones’ unreleased status, these quotes notably encompass genuine components. This suggests that fixing a shattered screen on the…

The latest spending report from Barclays paints an optimistic picture for the travel industry, indicating a steady rebound in travel-related transactions. According to the report covering the period between January 1 and November 25, 2023, comparisons with the same timeframe in 2022 show promising growth in various sectors. Transactions with travel agents saw a significant 11.8% increase year-on-year, while airline transactions surged by an impressive 28.7%. These figures signify a clear inclination among consumers to engage more actively in travel-related activities compared to the previous year. Moreover, non-essential spending demonstrated a notable uptick of 4.2% year-on-year during the same period,…

LG has unveiled its flagship TVs for 2024 just before CES, and they come with some substantial upgrades. The 2024 QNED range offers various sizes, from a massive 98-inch model to more moderately sized versions at 43, 50, 55, 65, 75, and 86 inches. The standout improvement is the introduction of the a8 AI processor. LG claims this processor delivers a significant boost in AI performance, a remarkable enhancement in graphics capabilities, and processing speeds that are 1.6 times faster. This empowers advanced image processing, enabling features like face, object, and background recognition, dynamic tone mapping, and Personalized Picture Mapping,…