Battery manufacturer denies role in Samsung smartphone fire hazard

The Chinese manufacturer of batteries used in Samsung’s recalled Galaxy Note 7 smartphones says its battery is not the cause of the phone’s explosive tendency.
“Test results show that the fire is not directly connected to the battery produced by our company,” parts manufacturer, Amperex Technology Limited, said.
Meanwhile, Samsung had previously said initial investigations showed faulty batteries as the cause of the fire hazard.

U.S. considers pre-approving self-driving car technology

The Obama administration said Monday it was considering seeking the power to review and approve technology for self-driving cars before they hit the road and said U.S. states should not set separate rules.
The U.S. Transportation Department, in its most comprehensive statement yet on autonomous vehicles, also issued voluntary guidelines and urged automakers to certify that their highly automated vehicles were ready for public roads.
“If a self-driving car isn’t safe, we have the authority to pull it off the road. We won’t hesitate to protect the American public’s safety,” President Barack Obama wrote in a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette op-ed published Monday. “We have to get it right.”
Automakers and technology companies are racing to develop vehicles that can drive themselves at least part of the time. They have complained that state and federal safety rules impede the process.

NITDA want research findings uploaded for global access

The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), has called on tertiary institutions and research institutes to always use internet facilities to upload research works for global view.
This is contained in a statement issued by Mrs Hadiza Umar, the Head, Corporate Affairs of NITDA in Abuja on Monday.
The statement said Dr Vincent Olatunji, the Acting Director-General of NITDA made the call while unveiling the virtual e-library infrastructure donated by the agency to Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti on Friday.
Olatunji said that the facility would enable the university improve on its teaching and research on Nigeria’s development.
“One of the ways to contribute to the economy is by using Information Communication and Technology (ICT) to upload research works so that others can have access to them and read, not

Telcos seek removal of row barriers for telecom growth

Nigerian telecommunications operators have called for the removal of all bottlenecks in the way of securing right of way (RoW) and permits among others in order to provide better access, achieve the desired national broadband objectives of 30 per cent penetration by 2018 and provide affordable services across the country.
The operators who spoke at the quarterly seminar organised by the Nigerian Information and Communications Technology Reporters Association (NITRA) at the weekend in Lagos said although the NCC is the statutory authority charged with the regulation of telecoms services in Nigeria, today, the telecoms sector has witnessed incursions into the regulatory space by other agencies including state and local governments.
They said these agencies impose levies and fees on service providers for location towers, right of way, and make other laws that govern infrastructure in their domains. The acts of these agencies have sometimes led to indiscriminate shut down of base stations and operator sites, leading to disruption of services.

Samsung says sold off shares in four technology firms

Samsung Electronics said Sunday it had sold shares it held in four technology companies including US chipmaker Rambus and Japan’s Sharp to free up money and focus on its main business.
The South Korean tech giant also sold shares in Dutch semiconductor equipment maker ASLM and US hard drive maker Seagate, it said in a statement.
Samsung — the world’s top smartphone maker which also manufactures memory chips, TVs and home appliances — has for years bought shares in other tech firms in semi-conductor or display panel industries.
“It was aimed at focusing on our core business by efficiently managing the investments made in the past in line with changes in business environments,” Samsung said.

Nigeria’s CPC issues 7-day ultimatum to Samsung on Galaxy Note 7

Following reports of explosion of dozens of Samsung Galaxy Note 7 while charging, the Consumer Protection Council (CPC) has issued a seven-day ultimatum to Samsung Electronics West Africa Limited to provide information on the full status of its compliance with the global directive of Samsung on the recall of the Samsung Galaxy Note 7.
The CPC’s ultimatum, which came on the heels of recent global recall of the product following its defective battery, also demanded Samsung Electronics West Africa Limited to furnish it with other measures the company may have taken to safeguard the safety and interest of Nigerian consumers.
The Council, in a letter to the company dated September 14, 2016, signed by its Director General, Dupe Atoki, said “the attention of the Council has been drawn to media reports indicating that the lithium-ion batteries for Samsung Galaxy Note 7 are prone to catching fire.”
The agency’s letter stated further that “the said faulty batteries have reportedly caused the phone to explode in 35 separate incidents, sometimes bursting into flames, damaging property and

DiCaprio unveils free technology to spy on global fishing

American movie star Leonardo DiCaprio unveiled Thursday a free technology that allows users to spy on global fishing practices, in a bid to curb illegal activity in the oceans and rebuild imperiled fish stocks.
The technology, known as Global Fishing Watch, was officially released to the public during the Our Oceans Conference hosted by US Secretary of State John Kerry in Washington on Thursday and Friday.
“Today, this unprecedented technology is available to everyone in the world. I encourage everyone to go check it out,” DiCaprio told the conference.
“This platform will empower citizens across the globe to become powerful advocates for our oceans.”
Available at GlobaFishingWatch.org, the technology aims to offer a crowd sourced solution to the

Economic diversification: FG urged to strengthen science, technology

The Federal Government has been urged to accord priority attention to the development of science and technology to lead its economic diversification drive in the bid to revamp the economy.
Chief Damian Inyamah, the immediate past President, Igbo Delegates Assembly, for the 19 Northern States and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) gave the advice on Friday in Lokoja.
Inyamah, who spoke on the state of the economy in an interview with newsmen, said science and technology were not given the deserved attention by successive governments in the past.
The elder statesman said that the country had ample opportunities to diversify the economy through science and technology but had neglected the call and was now paying for it.
He attributed the present economic quagmire to mismanagement, bad leadership and corruption and commended President Muhammadu Buhari for his stance on corruption.
He advised that in adding to agriculture being widely speculated as the way out of the present economic recession, the Federal Government should think seriously of developing the science and technology sector.
The former Igbo Delegate Assembly president said that with adequate focus and attention on