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Lego Sales Surged 21% During The Pandemic
New reports reveal that the sale of Lego sets surged last year as more children stayed home during global pandemic lockdowns. The privately-held Danish company said its net profit rose 19 percent to 9.9 billion kroner ($1.6bn) as sales jumped 21 percent. Its presence grew in its 12 largest markets during the pandemic as families…
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Report: The Future Of Electric Vehicles In Nigeria
Nigeria recently announced the launch of its first-ever, locally assembled electric vehicle, the Hyundai Kona. This to many might seem like Nigeria’s way of expressing her readiness to pick up the pace towards addressing the problems of climate change like the rest of the world. However, the reality is that this seeming giant stride leaves the…
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Italy To Produce Vaccines For Russia Amidst Political Tension
The Italian-Russian Chamber of Commerce announced on Tuesday a recent deal that allows Russia to produce its Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine in Italy – the first contract in the European Union. The agreement will need approval from Italian regulators before production can be launched. According to the Italian-Russian Chamber of Commerce, the deal would foster the…
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Israel Blocks Shipment of Sputnik V Vaccine to Gaza
The Palestinian Authority has accused Israel of preventing the transportation of 1,000 doses of Russian’s Sputnik V vaccine intended for medical workers to blockaded Gaza Strip. The Palestinian group Hamas which governs the Gaza Strip on Tuesday condemned Israel’s recent refusal to allow the passage of vaccine doses for Gaza health workers through its blockade…
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US Death Toll Drops Below 1,000 First Time in Months
The United States has recorded fewer than 1,000 deaths in a day from COVID-19, according to Johns Hopkins University. According to new data, in the last 24 hours, 749 people died from the coronavirus, far below the peak of 4,473 deaths recorded on January 12. The US is the country worst affected by the coronavirus…
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Antibodies From a Covid-19 Variant May Offer Cross-Protection
South African scientists are suggesting that the antibodies triggered by exposure to the country’s coronavirus variant might likely prevent infection by other variants of the virus. If the study is successfully peer-reviewed, it offers hope that COVID-19 vaccines based on the South African variant (501Y.V2) could protect against the multiple mutations circulating in different parts…
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Experts Warn Vaccinated Persons Must Still Wear Face Masks
Experts are saying transmission of the novel coronavirus is still possible as scientists do not know how long vaccine-induced immunity will last or transmission can occur within the window between doses. Despite the manufacturers of the COVID vaccine recommending a delay of no more than three weeks between the two required doses, the UK and…
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World Community Unable To Meet Global Literacy Target
According to UNESCO, world leaders might not be able to raise global education standards by 2030 as promised following poor turnout in current trends. UNESCO says current trends show that 30% of adults and 20% of young people will still be illiterate in poor countries in the next decade. The report which examined the progress…
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Hope For Increase In Box Office Sales As New York Reopens Cinemas
Authorities recently announced that New York City cinemas could reopen on March 5 after nearly a year owing to the global pandemic. The coronavirus pandemic drove down box office sales by more than 70% globally last year – and more than 80% in the US and Canada, historically the world’s biggest market. Unfortunately, dozens of…
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Facial Recognition Technology Soon To Become The Future of Banking
A Nigeria-based Access Bank has announced it is set to unveil a new contactless payment technology that leverages facial recognition and AI. The face recognition payment system allows the platform to identify and verify the user without inputting passwords. The recognition system matches the unique facial dimensions of the customer against the BVN image to authenticate the…