Author: Solomon Alaka

Japan’s $1.8 Trillion Pension Fund Poised to Boost Domestic Private Equity Investments

Solomon AlakaLeave a Comment on Japan’s $1.8 Trillion Pension Fund Poised to Boost Domestic Private Equity Investments

Japan’s Government Pension Investment Fund (GPIF), the world’s largest public pension fund with assets totaling ¥258.7 trillion (approximately $1.8 trillion), is under increasing pressure to enhance its domestic private equity (PE) and venture capital (VC) investments. Currently, alternative assets, including PE, account for only about 1.6% of GPIF’s portfolio, well below its 5% allocation cap […]

Continue Reading

Schengen continues to bring benefits 40 years after its creation

Solomon AlakaLeave a Comment on Schengen continues to bring benefits 40 years after its creation

  As the EU gets ready to celebrate 40 years of Schengen, the Commission has published its annual State of Schengen report. The report reviews the achievements, challenges and developments in the Schengen area over the last year. The report shows that Schengen rules are being well applied and that intensified EU efforts have led […]

Continue Reading

Brooklyn Man Convicted in Violent Crime Spree Across NYC and New Jersey

Solomon AlakaLeave a Comment on Brooklyn Man Convicted in Violent Crime Spree Across NYC and New Jersey

Tony Clanton, also known as “Tone,” was convicted by a federal jury on all counts related to a series of violent robberies and attempted robberies across Brooklyn, Staten Island, and Edison, New Jersey. The charges included Hobbs Act robbery conspiracy, two counts of Hobbs Act robbery, attempted Hobbs Act robbery, and the use of firearms […]

Continue Reading

Largely eradicated diseases at risk of returning due to budget cuts

Solomon AlakaLeave a Comment on Largely eradicated diseases at risk of returning due to budget cuts

Cuts to global health funding are leading to a rise in outbreaks of diseases that vaccines had nearly wiped out, the UN health agency, WHO, is warning on Thursday. In Africa’s “meningitis belt”, which spans parts of sub-Saharan Africa, vaccination campaigns had successfully eliminated meningitis A. Similarly, improved routine immunization and emergency vaccine stockpiles drastically […]

Continue Reading

US Gateway Program in Newark, NJ and NY to Deliver $445 Billion Economic Boost, Says RPA

Solomon AlakaLeave a Comment on US Gateway Program in Newark, NJ and NY to Deliver $445 Billion Economic Boost, Says RPA

The Gateway Program, a massive infrastructure modernization effort targeting the Northeast Corridor (NEC) between Newark, NJ and New York City, is projected to generate $445 billion in economic benefits by 2060, according to a new analysis from the Regional Plan Association (RPA). The initiative encompasses 11 major infrastructure projects over a critical 10-mile segment of […]

Continue Reading

Roche Unveils $50B U.S. Manufacturing Expansion, Marking Largest-Ever Investment in U.S. Operations

Solomon AlakaLeave a Comment on Roche Unveils $50B U.S. Manufacturing Expansion, Marking Largest-Ever Investment in U.S. Operations

Swiss pharmaceutical leader Roche is making a historic bet on the U.S. life sciences sector, announcing a $50 billion investment over the next five years to dramatically expand its American manufacturing and research footprint. The move underscores a strategic pivot that could soon see the U.S. become a net exporter of Roche medicines, according to […]

Continue Reading

Health, education, opportunity at stake, amid stubborn digital gender divide

Solomon AlakaLeave a Comment on Health, education, opportunity at stake, amid stubborn digital gender divide

Closing this gap is not optional. There were189 million fewer women than men online in 2024.   The disparity is about more than access, it reflects deeper systemic barriers, according to ​Doreen Bogdan-Martin who heads the UN telecommunications agency, ITU. “That’s too many missed opportunities to learn, to earn and to shape our shared digital […]

Continue Reading

Musk’s $100M XPRIZE Awards Kickstart Global Carbon Removal Race — Houston’s Mati Carbon Takes $50M Grand Prize

Solomon AlakaLeave a Comment on Musk’s $100M XPRIZE Awards Kickstart Global Carbon Removal Race — Houston’s Mati Carbon Takes $50M Grand Prize

In a landmark push to accelerate climate innovation, the XPRIZE Carbon Removal competition, backed by Elon Musk and the Musk Foundation, has awarded $100 million to teams developing scalable technologies to extract carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The competition, launched in 2021, sought solutions capable of removing at least 1,000 tonnes of CO₂ annually, with […]

Continue Reading

Istanbul Experienced a Magnitude 6.2 Earthquake, with Over 150 Injured and Widespread Panic

Solomon AlakaLeave a Comment on Istanbul Experienced a Magnitude 6.2 Earthquake, with Over 150 Injured and Widespread Panic

ISTANBUL, April 23, 2025 — A magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck Istanbul and surrounding provinces on Wednesday afternoon, injuring more than 150 people and sending panicked residents into the streets, authorities confirmed. The tremor struck at 12:49 p.m. local time, coinciding with National Sovereignty and Children’s Day, a public holiday when many children were out of […]

Continue Reading

Tim Cook’s Behind-the-Scenes Diplomacy Helped Shape Trump’s Tariff Policy on iPhones

Solomon AlakaLeave a Comment on Tim Cook’s Behind-the-Scenes Diplomacy Helped Shape Trump’s Tariff Policy on iPhones

Apple CEO Tim Cook quietly met with top Trump administration officials to express concern over proposed tariffs on Chinese-made electronics—moves that could have significantly raised the price of iPhones for U.S. consumers. According to The Washington Post, Cook engaged directly with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and other senior figures during the tariff standoff, opting for […]

Continue Reading