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Standards Organisation of Nigeria Conformity Assessment Program (SONCAP) has certified three Scientific Calculator models for students, produced by Casio Computer Co., Ltd., a renowned technology company based in Tokyo, Japan. The company received the certification on September 2024 marking a significant milestone.This certification underscores Casio’s commitment to providing high-quality, durable, and reliable educational tools for Nigerian students. The certified models include: FX-9910NGPLUS-2WDT, FX-991ESPLUS-2WDTV, and FX-82MS-2-W-DH-F. The SONCAP certification, introduced in 2005 by the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), aims to eliminate counterfeit and substandard imports. Casio pursued this certification recognising the critical role scientific calculators play in mathematics and science education across Nigeria. The certified models, stands out as an affordable and high-performing calculator, designed to meet the rigorous demands of school curricula. Notably, it has already been endorsed by the Curriculum Service of Lagos State, with an official recommendation sticker affixed to its packaging. The SONCAP-certified calculators guarantee international quality standards, ensuring accuracy and precision in mathematical problem-solving—an essential requirement for science and engineering studies. Furthermore, affordability is a key advantage of the fx-9910NGPLUS model, making advanced mathematical tools accessible to students from various economic backgrounds. This reduces financial barriers and allows a wider range of students to benefit from reliable scientific calculators. Durability is another hallmark of these certified models. As stated in a press release made available to media, it’s designed to withstand frequent use, they minimise the need for constant replacements, providing long-term value for students throughout secondary and tertiary education. The certification marks Casio’s first-ever SONCAP approval, highlighting its dedication to supporting Nigeria’s educational sector with trusted tools. For students, educators, and stakeholders in Nigeria’s academic community, this certification serves as assurance that Casio calculators meet the highest standards of performance, reliability, and affordability.
ZURICH — Saudi Arabia was officially confirmed Wednesday by FIFA as host of the 2034 World Cup in men's soccer, giving the oil-rich kingdom its biggest prize yet for massive spending on global sports driven by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The Saudi bid was the only candidate and was acclaimed by the applause of more than 200 FIFA member federations. They took part remotely in an online meeting hosted in Zurich by the soccer body's president Gianni Infantino. "The vote of the congress is loud and clear," said Infantino, who had asked officials on a bank of screens to clap their hands at head level to show their support. The decision was combined with approving the only candidate to host the 2030 World Cup. Spain, Portugal and Morocco will co-host in a six-nation project, with Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay each getting one of the 104 games. The South American connection will mark the centenary of Uruguay hosting the first World Cup in 1930. The decisions complete a mostly opaque 15-month bid process which Infantino helped steer toward Saudi Arabia without a rival candidate, without taking questions, and which human rights groups warn will put the lives of migrant workers at risk. "We look forward to hosting an exceptional and unprecedented edition of the FIFA World Cup by harnessing our strengths and capabilities to bring joy to football fans around the world," Prince Mohammed said in a statement. FIFA and Saudi officials have said hosting the 2034 tournament can accelerate change, including more freedoms and rights for women, with Infantino on Wednesday calling the World Cup a "unique catalyst for positive social change and unity." "I fully trust our hosts to address all open points in this process, and deliver a World Cup that meets the world's expectations," the FIFA president said. An international collective of rights groups said FIFA made a "reckless decision" to approve Saudi Arabia without getting public assurances, and the Football Supporters Europe group said it was "the day football truly lost its mind." A fast-track path to victory was cleared last year by FIFA accepting the three-continent hosting plan for the 2030 World Cup. It meant only soccer federations in Asia and Oceania were eligible for the 2034 contest, and FIFA gave countries less than four weeks to declare a bid. Only Saudi Arabia did. The win will kick off a decade of scrutiny on Saudi labor laws and treatment of workers mostly from South Asia needed to help build and upgrade 15 stadiums, plus hotels and transport networks ahead of the 104-game tournament. Amnesty International said awarding the tournament to Saudi Arabia represents "a moment of great danger" for human rights. "FIFA's reckless decision to award the 2034 World Cup to Saudi Arabia without ensuring adequate human rights protections are in place will put many lives at risk," said Steve Cockburn, Amnesty International's Head of Labor Rights and Sport." One of the stadiums is planned to be 350 meters (yards) above the ground in Neom — a futuristic city that does not yet exist — and another named for the crown prince is designed to be atop a 200-meter cliff near Riyadh. During the bid campaign, FIFA has accepted limited scrutiny of Saudi Arabia's human rights record that was widely criticized this year at the United Nations. Saudi and international rights groups and activists warned FIFA it has not learned the lessons of Qatar's much-criticized preparations to host the 2022 World Cup. "At every stage of this bidding process, FIFA has shown its commitment to human rights to be a sham," Cockburn said. The kingdom plans to spend tens of billion of dollars on projects related to the World Cup as part of the crown prince's sweeping Vision 2030 project that aims to modernize Saudi society and economy. At its core is spending on sports by the $900 billion sovereign wealth operation, the Public Investment Fund, which he oversees. "It's amazing. The infrastructure, the stadiums, the conditions for the fans and everything. After what I see, I'm more convinced that 2034 will be the best World Cup ever," Cristiano Ronaldo said in a recorded package posted on X. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner has been part of Saudi Arabia's lavish spending on soccer — stunning the sport when agreeing to sign for Al Nassr in 2022 for a record-breaking salary reportedly worth up to $200 million a year. Critics have accused Saudi Arabia of "sportswashing" the kingdom's reputation. The prince, known as MBS, has built close working ties to Infantino since 2017 — aligning with the organizer of sport's most-watched event rather than directly confronting the established system as it did with the disruptive LIV Golf project. The result for Saudi Arabia and FIFA has been smooth progress toward the win Wednesday with limited pushback from soccer officials, though some from women international players. The steady flow of Saudi cash into international soccer is set to increase. FIFA created a new and higher World Cup sponsor category for state oil firm Aramco, and Saudi funding is set to underwrite the 2025 Club World Cup in the United States that is a pet project for Infantino. North American soccer body CONCACAF signed a multi-year deal with PIF, Saudi stadiums host Super Cup games for Italy and Spain, and nearly 50 FIFA member federations have signed working agreements with Saudi counterparts. Lavish spending by PIF-owned Saudi clubs in the past two years buying and paying players – including Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, Karim Benzema and Sadio Mané – put hundreds of millions of dollars into European soccer. That influence could be key in talks to agree which months to play the 2034 World Cup. The November-December slot taken by Qatar in 2022 to avoid extreme midsummer heat is complicated in 2034 by the holy month of Ramadan through mid-December and Riyadh hosting the multi-sport Asian Games. Still, January 2034 could be an option — and likely better for European clubs and leagues —after the International Olympic Committee said it saw few issues in clashing with the Salt Lake Winter Games opening Feb. 10, 2034. The IOC also has a major commercial deal with Saudi Arabia, to host the new Esports Olympics. Get local news delivered to your inbox!The American Athletic Conference is the only Football Bowl Subdivision league whose championship game matchup is set: Army vs. Tulane. The final week of the regular season will determine pairings for the other eight conferences. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.Target has one of the best Black Friday Sales so far , with the lowest prices on Nintendo Switch consoles and video games, the Meta Quest VR headset, Ray-Ban Meta Wayfarer smart glasses, and now the Apple iPad Air . Right now, you can pick up the iPad Air M1 tablet for only $359.99 after a $240 off Target Circle coupon. That's $140 cheaper than the current best price on a 6th gen M2 model. The Target Circle membership is free to join, so everyone can partake in this deal. The iPad Air is a pretty massive upgrade over the standard iPad and is the closest in performance to the iPad Pro. Apple iPad Air 5th Gen 10.9" 64GB WiFi Even though this iPad Air is a previous gen 2022 model, it's still a very relevant tablet in 2024 and a great value at its Black Friday price point. It's equipped with the Apple M1 chip, which is more powerful than the A14 Bionic chip found in the current generation iPad and the A17 Pro found in the current generation iPad Mini. The 10.9" 2360x1640 Retina display with both True Tone and P3 wide color is better quality than the one found on the iPad, and the iPad Air is a smidge thinner and lighter as well. This model is new enough to adopt the universal USB Type-C connector. We chose the iPad Air as our best iPad of 2024 because it’s the ideal tablet for both casual and professional use, from watching videos, listening to music, drawing with the Apple Pencil to getting some work done with the Apple Smart Keyboard Folio or Apple Magic Keyboard . This is the most versatile iPad you can get. More Apple iPad Deals for Black Friday Besides this iPad Air deal, the best Black Friday iPad deals right now are the 10th generation Apple iPad for $249.99, the 6th gen Apple iPad Mini for $299.99, and the current generation iPad Pro models starting at $850. If you're If you're looking for other Apple devices, check out our Apple Black Friday hub with deals on AirPods, Watches, and more. Should I Wait for Better Prices on Black Friday? Black Friday is the best opportunity to score some great deals on electronics, and Apple products are no exception. You might be wondering just how low these prices can go. Although we have no direct feedback from Apple, we have years of our own historical price trends to back up our predictions. At this point, Black Friday is close enough that there's certainly no harm in waiting. The iPads I don't think will drop in price anymore are the iPad 10th Gen, iPad Pro (M4), iPad Mini (6th Gen), and iPad Air (M1). The iPads I think may drop in price are the iPad Mini (A17 Pro) and the iPad Air (M2) . If Amazon isn't your preferred vendor (or if it run sout of stock), I expect these deals to be available at Best Buy and Walmart as well. The Apple Store is also hosting its own Black Friday Sale, although these deals won't be nearly as good as the third-party retailers. Looking for More iPad Resources? If you're not sure which iPad is best for you, we have an iPad guide which details which iPad is ideal for which use case. If you intend want to get an iPad for schoolwork, we have an iPad guide for students as well. If you're looking for options outside of iOS, check out the best Android tablets of 2024. Eric Song is the IGN commerce manager in charge of finding the best gaming and tech deals every day. When Eric isn't hunting for deals for other people at work, he's hunting for deals for himself during his free time.