Business
Apple Disagrees With France, Says Iphone 12 Meets Radiation Standards

An American multinational technology company, Apple Inc, has on Wednesday said its iPhone 12 model was certified by multiple international bodies as compliant with global radiation standards, this comes after France ordered it to stop selling the phone on the grounds that it breaches European exposure limits.
The Agence Nationale des Fréquences radiation regulator told Apple on Tuesday, to stop the sales of iPhone 12 in France after tests which it said showed the phone’s Specific Absorption Rate (SAR), a measure of the rate of radiofrequency energy absorbed by the body from a piece of equipment, was higher than legally allowed.
The ANFR said it would send agents to Apple stores and other distributors to check the model was no longer being sold.
The agency, which manages France’s radio frequencies and periodically tests phones to check human exposure to electromagnetic waves, said it expected Apple “to deploy all available means to put an end to the non-compliance.”
A failure to act would result in the recall of iPhone 12s already sold to consumers, it added.
Apple however said it had provided ANFR with multiple Apple and independent third-party lab results proving its compliance with all applicable SAR regulations and standards in the world.
It said it was contesting the results of AFNR’s review and would continue to engage with the agency to show it is compliant.
The AFNR said accredited labs had found absorption of electromagnetic energy by the body at 5.74 watts per kilogram during tests simulating when the phone was being held in the hand or kept in a trouser pocket. The European standard is a specific absorption rate of 4.0 watts per kilogram.
ANFR added the tests showed the phone complied with so-called body-SAR standards when it was in a jacket pocket or bag.
France’s junior minister for the digital economy, Jean-Noel Barrot, said a software update would be sufficient to fix the radiation issues linked to the phone which the U.S. company has been selling since 2020.
He said in an interview on Tuesday “Apple is expected to respond within two weeks. If they fail to do so, I am prepared to order a recall of all iPhones 12 in circulation. The rule is the same for everyone, including the digital giants.”
Business
MTN Group says it’s under US investigation

South African mobile operator MTN Group said Monday it was under US investigation over its activities in Iran and Afghanistan, at a time of icy ties between Washington and Pretoria.
Africa’s biggest telecoms company is already facing court challenges in South Africa by Turkey’s Turkcell, which accuses it of winning the Iranian market through corruption.
In 2006, MTN was chosen over Turkcell to become the 49 percent minority shareholder in Iranian government-controlled mobile phone carrier Irancell.
MTN had been made aware of a US Department of Justice (DoJ) grand jury investigation relating to its former subsidiary in Afghanistan and Irancell, the company said in a statement.
“MTN is cooperating with the DoJ and voluntarily responding to requests for information,” said the statement accompanying the group’s financial results.
Grand juries typically decide whether or not to formally lay charges in a case and take it to trial.
The South African multinational is also facing a court case in the United States from US veterans wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as relatives of soldiers killed in action, the statement said.
“The plaintiffs’ complaints allege that MTN supported anti-American militias in Iraq and Afghanistan .
Business
UBA Secures N5bn BoI MSME fund for disbursement to key sectors
The facility provides a maximum loan amount of N5 million per obligor, with a three-month moratorium on principal repayments, ensuring businesses have ample time to stabilise before they begin to service the loans.

•GMD/CEO UBA), Oliver Alawuba.
United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, has secured a N5 billion loan facility from the Bank of Industry (BOI), to boost key sectors of the economy and support the growth of sustainable and viable businesses in the country, especially the micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) owned by women.
The facility disbursed through the Federal Government’s MSME Fund, is designed to stimulate key sectors of the economy, while offering affordable financing to support businesses, with a primary focus on Green Energy, Education, Healthcare, and Women-Owned Enterprises.
UBA’s Group Managing Director/CEO, Oliver Alawuba, who spoke about the facility emphasised the bank’s commitment to fostering economic growth by empowering MSMEs, which he described as the “livewire of any developing economy.
He said, “At UBA, we recognize the pivotal role MSMEs play in driving economic development, and how they make up a sizeable portion of what drives our economic growth.
It is in this vein that we have decided not to rest on our oars by facilitating initiatives dedicated to empowering businesses with the financial support they need to thrive.”
Alawuba maintained that, “by offering loans at a competitive 9% interest rate with a three-year tenor, we are removing the traditional barriers that hinder SME growth in Nigeria and Africa. And by this, our message to business owners is simple: Don’t let this once-in-a lifetime-opportunity elude you.
”The facility provides a maximum loan amount of N5 million per obligor, with a three-month moratorium on principal repayments, ensuring businesses have ample time to stabilise before they begin to service the loans.
Business
CPPE Proposes Policy Action to Reduce Food Prices
Dr Muda Yusuf, the Director/CEO of CPPE, noted that while progress has been made in moderating headline and core inflation, the persistence of food and month-on-month price increases highlights unresolved structural weaknesses.

The Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise (CPPE) says that a coordinated mix of monetary, fiscal, and structural interventions will be required by the Central Bank of Nigeria, and the Ministry of Finance to consolidate recent drops in inflation and steer the economy toward sustained stability.
CPPE suggested in reaction to the July 2025 inflation reported by the NBS
The headline inflation declined for the fourth consecutive month, easing from 22.22% in June to 21.88% in July, a deceleration of 0.34%Month-on-month food inflation also moderated, falling from 3.25% in June to 3.12% in July, while core inflation posted marginal declines year-on-year (-0.03%) and a sharp slowdown month-on-month, from 3.46% to 0.97%.
Dr Muda Yusuf, the Director/CEO of CPPE, noted that while progress has been made in moderating headline and core inflation, the persistence of food and month-on-month price increases highlights unresolved structural weaknesses.
“The July 2025 inflation figures present a mixed outlook for the Nigerian economy, with notable improvements in key indicators but lingering risks that demand policy attention,” he said.
These developments reflect a gradually stabilising macroeconomic environment, supported by exchange rate stability, improved investor confidence, and the lingering impact of import duty waivers on key staples such as rice, maize, and sorghum.
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