On Tuesday, a UK regulator said it proposed to fine three of England’s biggest water suppliers a combined £168 million ($214 million) for failure over sewage management. Ofwat said that Thames Water, Britain’s biggest supplier, was struggling to stay afloat financially and could be fined the largest amount at £104 million. The regulator’s decision comes as Britain’s water industry faces huge scrutiny, including from the new Labour government and environmentalists, over the pollution of rivers and other waterways. “Ofwat has today proposed that three water companies will be fined a total of £168 million for failing to…
Author: Omolemi Eboisetale
In a bid to bolster financial inclusion in Jigawa State, Nigerian fintech company Fintava and Kano-based agent network Bizipay have joined forces to launch a transformative initiative. This partnership aims to provide banking services to more than 100,000 unbanked individuals across the state, leveraging Bizipay’s extensive agent network. The initiative comes as part of efforts to bridge the financial gap in underserved communities, aligning with the Jigawa State Government’s push towards establishing cashless palliative shops. These efforts were recently inaugurated by Vice President Kashim Shettima to enhance accessibility to essential goods and services. Fintava will play a role…
Lagos State University (LASU) is set to resume academic and other activities on Tuesday, August 6, 2024, following a temporary suspension due to prevailing national circumstances. The decision was communicated in a statement released by Mrs Oluwayemisi Thomas-Onashile, Coordinator of the Centre for Information and Public Relations at LASU. The university had initially suspended all activities on its campuses on July 31st and August 1st, 2024. However, after reviewing the situation, LASU’s management has lifted the suspension, allowing staff and students to return to their academic routines. In her statement, Mrs Oluwayemisi Thomas-Onashile stated the importance of vigilance…
Google has violated US antitrust law with its search business, a federal judge ruled Monday, handing the tech giant a staggering court defeat with the potential to reshape how millions of Americans get information online and to upend decades of dominance. According to CNN, the decision by the US District Court for the District of Columbia is a stunning rebuke of Google’s oldest and most important business. The company has spent tens of billions of dollars on exclusive contracts to secure a dominant position as the world’s default search provider on smartphones and web browsers. Those contracts…
Venezuelan opposition leaders, Edmundo Urrutia and Maria Machado, on Monday asked the military and police officers to “take the side of the people” after the disputed re-election of Nicolas Maduro. “We appeal to the conscience of soldiers and police officers to take the side of the people and their own families,” they said in a statement in which they offered “guarantees to those who fulfill their constitutional duty” in a possible “new governmen. AFP
The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPC) has initiated exports of a new crude oil blend named Utapate to the international market. Utapate, extracted from Oil Mining Lease 13 off the coast of Akwa Ibom State, debuted with its first shipment to Spain in July. According to NNPC’s Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Olufemi Soneye, Utapate currently yields 28,000 barrels per day, with plans to potentially escalate production to 50,000 barrels per day. Notably, this new blend boasts a low sulphur content of 0.0655%, making it comparable to highly sought-after varieties like Amenam crude. Spanish oil giant Repsol…
The European Union on Sunday said Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s contested re-election last month “cannot be recognised”, as the country’s electoral authority has failed to produce the official voting records. The results published by Venezuela’s National Electoral Council on August 2 “cannot be recognised. Any attempt to delay the full publication of the official voting records will only cast further doubt” on their credibility”, the EU Council said in a statement. Unlike the United States and several other countries, the EU has refrained from recognising opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia as president-elect. “Copies of…
Bangladesh’s army chief Waker-Uz-Zaman said Monday he will form an interim government following the resignation of Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, who had fled the capital in the face of overwhelming protests. “We will form an interim government,” Waker said in a broadcast to the nation on state television. Details later… AFP
Kamala Harris will name her running mate as soon as Monday, as she prepares for a tour of US battleground states aimed at turning excitement over her presidential bid into durable support that can power her to victory. All paths to the White House run through a handful of swing states, and Harris will kick off her five-day run Tuesday in the largest — Pennsylvania — as she builds momentum for her showdown with Republican Donald Trump on November 5. “At this moment, we face a choice between two visions for our nation: one focused on the future and…
BUA Foods Plc has reported a remarkable 38% increase in profit after tax, reaching N130 billion for the half-year ending June 2024, up from N95.18 billion in the same period last year. This growth comes despite ongoing macroeconomic challenges, as detailed in the company’s recent financial results filed with the Nigerian Exchange Limited. The company’s revenue surged by 110% to N672.3 billion, a notable rise from N320.9 billion in H1 2023. This revenue growth was largely driven by substantial performance improvements in its sugar, flour, and pasta divisions. Sugar sales rose by 88% to N369.7 billion, flour sales jumped…
Two people were killed on Sunday and two others wounded in a stabbing attack near Tel Aviv, Israeli medics said, with police reporting a Palestinian suspect was “neutralised” and later died in hospital. The Magen David Adom emergency service said in a statement that the “terrorist attack” took place in several locations in Holon, a southern suburb of Israel’s commercial hub, Tel Aviv. It comes at a moment of heightened tension in Israel and the wider Middle East, nearly 10 months into the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip. The stabbing suspect, from the Israeli-occupied West Bank, was “neutralised” by…
The World Health Organisation’s chief said on Sunday that he is considering convening an expert committee to advise on whether the growing mpox outbreak in Africa should be declared an international emergency. Since last September, cases have surged in the Democratic Republic of Congo due to a strain of the virus which has recently been detected in nearby African countries. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the UN health agency, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, local governments, and partners were increasing their response to the outbreak. “But more funding and support for a comprehensive…