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Stock Futures Rise, Focus On Data

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13 years ago

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Stock futures pointed to a higher opening on Wall Street on Tuesday, tracking gains in Europe on Monday when the U.S. market was closed for the Labor Day holiday. Futures for the S&P 500, the Dow Jones and the Nasdaq 100 rose 0.2 to 0.4 percent.

The Institute for Supply Management releases its August manufacturing index at 10:00 a.m. EDT. Economists expect a reading of 50.0, versus 49.8 in July.

Xerox Corp and a wholly-owned unit that contracted with the U.S. state of Texas to process dental claim forms are being investigated to see if they helped allow dentists to submit higher-than-required bills under the state’s Medicaid system, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Markit Economics Limited releases the U.S. final Markit Manufacturing PMI for August at 1258 GMT. The index read 51.9 in a preliminary estimate.

Heckmann said it would buy privately-held environmental services firm Power Fuels for about $380.5 million in cash and shares, to expand the waste water management group’s footprint in the Bakken Shale basin, an unconventional oil shale.

The Commerce Department releases July construction spending numbers at 1400 GMT. Economists forecast a rise of 0.4 percent, a repeat of the June increase.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has pledged to take a strong message to Beijing this week on the need to calm regional tensions over maritime disputes that have raised broader fears of military friction between the two major Pacific powers.

European shares fell 0.3 percent on Tuesday, with caution from investors ahead of a European Central Bank meeting later this week limiting traders’ appetite to buy riskier assets such as equities.

Moody’s Investors Service has changed its outlook on the Aaa rating of the European Union to negative, warning it might downgrade the bloc if it decides to cut the ratings on the EU’s four biggest budget backers: Germany, France, UK and Netherlands.

U.S. stocks rose on Friday after Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, expressing “grave concern” for the stagnating U.S. job market, said the central bank was prepared to take further steps to strengthen the economy if necessary.

The Dow Jones industrial average was up 90.13 points, or 0.69 percent, at 13,090.84. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index was up 7.10 points, or 0.51 percent, at 1,406.58. The Nasdaq Composite Index was up 18.25 points, or 0.60 percent, at 3,066.96.

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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4 days ago

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September 22, 2025

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Kenya made it a clean sweep at the Berlin Marathon with Sabastian Sawe winning the men’s race and Rosemary Wanjiru triumphing in the women’s.

Sawe finished in two hours, two minutes and 16 seconds to make it three wins in his first three marathons.

The 30-year-old, who was victorious at this year’s London Marathon, set a sizzling pace as he left the field behind and ran much of the race surrounded only by his pacesetters.

Japan’s Akasaki Akira came second after a powerful latter half of the race, finishing almost four minutes behind Sawe, while Ethiopia’s Chimdessa Debele followed in third.

“I did my best and I am happy for this performance,” said Sawe.

“I am so happy for this year. I felt well but you cannot change the weather. Next year will be better.”

Sawe had Kelvin Kiptum’s 2023 world record of 2:00:35 in his sights when he reached halfway in 1:00:12, but faded towards the end.

In the women’s race, Wanjiru sped away from the lead pack after 25 kilometers before finishing in 2:21:05.

Ethiopia’s Dera Dida followed three seconds behind Wanjiru, with Azmera Gebru, also of Ethiopia, coming third in 2:21:29.

Wanjiru’s time was 12 minutes slower than compatriot Ruth Chepng’etich’s world record of 2:09:56, which she set in Chicago in 2024.

 

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NIS Ends Decentralised Passport Production After 62 Years

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September 22, 2025

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The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has officially ended passport production at multiple centres, transitioning to a single, centralised system for the first time in 62 years.
Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, made the disclosure during an inspection of the Nigeria’s new Centralised Passport Personalisation Centre at the NIS Headquarters in Abuja, last Thursday.
He stated that since the establishment of NIS in 1963, Nigeria had never operated a central passport production centre, until now, marking a major reform milestone.
“The project is 100 per cent ready. Nigeria can now be more productive and efficient in delivering passport services,” Tunji-Ojo said.
He explained that old machines could only produce 250 to 300 passports daily, but the new system had a capacity of 4,500 to 5,000 passports every day.
“With this, NIS can now meet daily demands within just four to five hours of operation,” he added, describing it as a game-changer for passport processing in Nigeria.
“We promised two-week delivery, and we’re now pushing for one week.
“Automation and optimisation are crucial for keeping this promise to Nigerians,” the minister said.
He noted that centralisation, in line with global standards, would improve uniformity and enhance the overall integrity of Nigerian travel documents worldwide.
Tunji-Ojo described the development as a step toward bringing services closer to Nigerians while driving a culture of efficiency and total passport system reform.
According to him, the centralised production system aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s reform agenda, boosting NIS capacity and changing the narrative for improved service delivery.
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FG To Roll Out Digital Public Infrastructure, Data Exchange, Next Year 

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4 days ago

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September 22, 2025

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The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has announced plans to roll out Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and the Nigerian Data Exchange (NGDX) platforms across key sectors of the economy, starting in early 2026.
Director of E-Government and Digital Economy at NITDA, Dr. Salisu Kaka, made the disclosure in Abuja during a stakeholder review session of the DPI and NGDX drafts at the Digital Public Infrastructure Live Event.
The forum, themed “Advancing Nigeria’s Digital Public Infrastructure through Standards, Data Exchange and e-Government Transformation,” brought together regulators, state governments, and private sector stakeholders to harmonise inputs for building inclusive, secure, and interoperable systems for governance and service delivery.
According to Kaka, Nigeria already has several foundational elements in place, including national identity systems and digital payment platforms.
What remains is the establishment of the data exchange framework, which he said would be finalised by the end of 2025.
“Before the end of this year and by next year we will be fully ready with the foundational element, and we start dropping the use cases across sectors,” Kaka explained.
He stressed that the federal government recognises the autonomy of states urging them to align with national standards.
“If the states can model and reflect what happens at the national level, then we can have a 360-degree view of the whole data exchange across the country and drive all-of-government processes,” he added.
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