Daily Juice
Get ready! Future James Bond characters might no longer be men... or women.
Herconomy Updates
Enterprise Challenge extended till January
The Enterprise Challenge deadline has now been extended to January.
The finale will now be held later in January. Details will be made public soon.
Local Stories
Private sector fears job losses, firms’ closure over planned taxes, tariffs
The Organised Private Sector of Nigeria, comprising the Manufacturers’ Association of Nigeria and the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association, read more…
International Stories
Covid: Omicron spreading at unprecedented rate, WHO says
The new coronavirus variant Omicron is spreading across the globe at an unprecedented rate, the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned. Read more…
Omicron: 2 Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine doses offer 70% protection – Report
2 shots of the Pfizer vaccine offer up to 70% protection against the Omicron COVID-19 variant, compared to 93% for the Delta variant. Read more…
Covid pass starts in England despite biggest rebellion of Johnson era
Adults in England must now show a Covid pass to enter nightclubs, big sports matches and other large events - despite nearly 100 Conservative MPs voting against the government's plans. Read more…
Unvaccinated Google employees may lose their jobs in 2022
Employees at Google have been threatened with pay loss – and even termination of employment – if they fail to comply with the company’s Covid-19 vaccination policy, according to internal documents obtained by CNBC. Read more…
Tech Updates
WhatsApp will now hide your ‘last seen’ and ‘online’ status from strangers by default
WhatsApp is introducing a new privacy feature that hides your “last seen” and “Online” status from people you don’t know or people you haven’t communicated with within the app. The upcoming update will help users maintain their privacy by preventing third-party applications from tracking WhatsApp users. Read more…
Business Matters
Naira slides ahead of Yuletide, exchange for 570/dollar
The naira continued its downward trend as the dollar was sold for N570 in the parallel market on Tuesday. Read more…
Presidency spends N34bn on food, travels in six years
The Presidency’s budgetary allocations for food and travels hit N34bn in six years, according to data obtained from the appropriation bills of the Federal Government within the period under review. Read more…
FG confirms UAE’s slots for Air Peace, airline awaits letter
The Federal Ministry of Aviation on Tuesday confirmed that the United Arab Emirates had increased the flight slots allotted to Air Peace, Nigeria’s largest commercial airline, to operate into UAE. Read more…
Nigeria’s debt rises by N2.54tn in three months, hits N38tn, says DMO
The Debt Management Office on Tuesday disclosed that Nigeria’s public debt was N38.005tn as of the end of the third quarter of 2021. Read more…
CBN disbursed N370 billion under Targeted Credit Facility to households, SMEs
The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, has said that the bank has disbursed N370 billion under its Targeted Credit Facility. Read more…
$235bn investments lost over delay in Petroleum Industry Act – Sylva
The Federal Government on Tuesday said Nigeria lost an estimated $235bn worth of investments in the oil and gas sector for delaying the passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill by about two decades. Read more…
Shareholders call for extension of MTN’s public offer
Shareholder groups of MTN Nigeria have called on the management of the company and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to extend the telco giant’s Public Offer, which closed yesterday, December 14, 2021. Read more…
Metro
Ogun monarch’s son, woman found naked, dead inside car, police begin probe
A 37-year-old man, Azeez Ilias, identified as the son of a traditional ruler in the Ipokia Local Government Area of Ogun State, and a woman, identified only as Deborah, have been found dead in a car parked in front of a building in Ago Egun, Idiroko. Read more…
James Bond could identify as 'non-binary' in future - franchise producer
The new revelation comes amid ongoing conversations on which actor will become the next James Bond. Read more…
Filmmaker Onyeka Nwelue set to produce Wole Soyinka's Biafra documentary
The documentary titled 'The Last Night in Biafra' will detail Soyinka's visit to the eastern part of Nigeria during civil war agitation. Read more…
Quote of the Day
“Never take life seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway.” — Anonymous