In Remote Canada, a College Becomes a Magnet for Indian Students
On a college campus in northern Canada, eight hours by car from Toronto, most of the students who fill the classrooms are from a country half a world away: India. The young men and women stretching on mats in the gymnasium are more likely to be from Punjab or Gujarat, two Indian states, rather than rural Ontario. In the surrounding city of Timmins, the waiters at two new Indian restaurants do not ask customers how spicy they want their dishes. A shuttered bar named Gibby’s has been reopened as a Sikh temple, or gurdwara, where students from the school, Northern College, gathered on a recent evening. “We feel like we are in India,” said Mehardeep Singh, 20, a general arts and science major, who led a prayer.
Source:The North Africa Journal
December 23, 2023 19:01 UTC
VFS Global renews Visa and Residence Permit services contract for Norway globally including India
The Royal Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has awarded VFS Global the global tender to provide visa and residence permit services in 52 countries across the globe. IANSNew Delhi, Dec 23 (IANSlife) The Royal Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has awarded VFS Global the global tender to provide visa and residence permit services in 52 countries across the globe. VFS Global has worked with the Government of Norway since 2014 and has successfully handled nearly 1.5 million applications on their behalf. The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said: “We look forward to a continued smooth and professional cooperation with VFS Global on provision of visa and residence permit services. Additionally, VFS Global has secured the prestigious global biometric collection service mandate with Australia and successfully renewed the global visa service contract with Sweden.
Source:The North Africa Journal
December 23, 2023 18:57 UTC
Killer of Kenyan lesbian sentenced to 30 years
LGBTQ+ activists decry prison sentence as too lenientBy Daniel ItaiConfessed murderer Billington Wambui Mwathi on Dec. 22 was sentenced by a Kenyan court to 30 years’ imprisonment for the murder of Sheila Lumumba in April 2022. Some LGBTQ+ rights activists decried the sentence by the Nyeri High Court as too lenient. Some local LGBTQ+ organizations calling for justice for Lumumba said that, although they welcomed the verdict, the 30-year sentence was not enough. We urge judicial systems and broader society to recognize and uphold the rights of all citizens, including those of the LGBTIQ+ community. Although the Kenyan Supreme Court in September upheld its decision for the registration of LGBTQ+ organizations in the country and freedom of association, several LGBTQ+ organizations and rights activists have suffered a series of attacks from various civic organizations.
Source:The North Africa Journal
December 23, 2023 18:08 UTC
Sahel countries: Ministerial Coordination Meeting discusses royal initiative to enhance access to Atlantic Ocean – The North Africa Post
The coordination meeting, organized by Morocco’s Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita, focuses on the royal initiative of regional and international scope which aims to promote the access of Sahel countries to the Atlantic Ocean. The royal initiative is part of the continued efforts made by Morocco, under the leadership of King Mohammed VI, for a prosperous Africa. The Royal Initiative aims to enable landlocked Sahel countries to utilize the Kingdom’s road and port infrastructure. Another example of the Kingdom’s active solidarity with African countries is translated in the King’s decision in 2000 to cancel the debt of the least-developed African countries, and exempt their products from customs duties when they enter the Moroccan market. Executive training at Moroccan universities and technical and professional institutes is also high on Morocco’s cooperation with Sahel countries.
Source:The North Africa Journal
December 23, 2023 17:10 UTC
North Gwinnett Wins Gwinnett County Wrestling Championship
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Source:The North Africa Journal
December 23, 2023 15:38 UTC
Looking Toward 2028, Salty Soil and Resilience in Agriculture at COP28
It turns out that the 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai was looking forward in new ways from previous conferences. Sunday 10 December, 2023 was the Food, Water and Agriculture thematic day at COP28, linking organizations and governments working on future-focused ways of feeding people. A future-focused side event at the Food Systems Pavilion (next to the Water4Climate Pavilion) held a panel discussion on promoting the declaration of 2028 as the “Year of Saline Agriculture” for climate-resilient agriculture in sustainable Production Systems and healthy ecosystems in salt-affected areas. The International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA), based in Dubai, is quite simply working on growing water-efficient crops in increasingly saltier soil. ICBA highlighted its sustainable Millet Demo Farm with a comprehensive focus on the entire millet value chain from seeds to consumption.
Source:The North Africa Journal
December 23, 2023 12:52 UTC
Remote Patient Monitoring: Drawbacks and Its Importance in Africa
The adoption and development of remote patient monitoring (RPM) has been influenced by several significant global health trends. Patient awareness – with the RPM tools, the patient is able to track their healing process. RPM involves the collection and transmission of sensitive patient health data, which must be protected to maintain patient confidentiality and prevent data breaches. Beyond investments in infrastructure and capacity, the development of remote patient monitoring (RPM) tools should also ensure interoperability of data and adherence to data standards. In conclusion, to ensure successful implementation of remote patient monitoring (RPM) in Africa, a collaborative and bottom-up approach is needed.
Source:The North Africa Journal
December 23, 2023 12:27 UTC
Morocco heading for a sixth year of drought - Minister
Morocco, where agriculture is a crucial sector, is heading for its sixth consecutive year of drought due to a drop in rainfall in recent months linked to climate change, Morocco's Minister of Equipment and Water, Nizar Baraka, said on Thursday. "We have entered a critical phase after five consecutive years of drought that our country has never experienced before," said Mr. Baraka at a press conference. In Morocco, agriculture employs a third of the working-age population and accounts for 14% of the country's exports. Water stress in Morocco has been exacerbated by rising temperatures, which have increased water evaporation from dams. By the end of 2027, Morocco plans to build seven desalination plants with a total capacity of 143 million cubic meters per year.
Source:The North Africa Journal
December 23, 2023 11:49 UTC
Cloud is accelerating adoption of ERP in Africa – Intelligent CIO Africa
Primarily is cost-effectiveness, as cloud ERP significantly reduces initial investments, including lower equipment and total cost of ownership, TCO. Increased productivity is another driver, as cloud ERP integrates information and processes across multiple departments, allowing employees to complete tasks more efficiently. Enhanced decision-making is a critical advantage of cloud ERP, enabling decision-makers to access up-to-date information and analyse trends more effectively. Cloud ERP represents the future of enterprise, and organisations should approach its adoption with careful consideration. Partnering with experts for cloud implementations, support, maintenance is advisable due to the complexity of cloud technology.
Source:The North Africa Journal
December 23, 2023 11:31 UTC
Time for Africa to finance its energy transition – Intelligent CIO Africa
Long a destination for donor funding from developed nations, African financial institutions are beginning an initiative to create their own energy transition, survival game plan, writes NJ Ayuk from the African Energy Chamber. The creation of the African Energy Bank is one such initiative taking place in 2024. African Energy BankIn May 2022, the African Export-Import Bank, Afreximbank signed an agreement with the African Petroleum Producers Organisation, APPO on the joint establishment of a special multi-lateral financial institution, the African Energy Bank, to provide support for the shift away from fossil fuels. The African Energy Bank will be able to reach more countries than either APPO or Afreximbank could do on its own, as their rosters are not identical. Professor Benedict Oramah, President of Afreximbank, explained it as, “For us at Afreximbank, supporting the emergence of African Energy Bank will enable a more efficient and predictable capital allocation between fossil fuels and renewables.
Source:The North Africa Journal
December 23, 2023 10:55 UTC
African contact centres still struggling with personalisation – Intelligent CIO Africa
According to exclusive online research on customer service quality conducted by Infobip, a majority of survey participants, 51.3% give a brand two chances. The research reveals that the biggest challenge faced by customer service agents is time, particularly, the speed with which inquiries can be resolved. It is also clear that contact centres still struggle with personalisation, with customers wanting to feel that a particular brand knows them and their needs and preferences when they engage with an organisation. Brands can improve their customer experience by ensuring that they can be reached on multiple channels in order to resolve complaints or queries in a timely manner. The nature of the interaction also plays a major role in customer service.
Source:The North Africa Journal
December 23, 2023 10:17 UTC
North Marion boys basketball chasing conference title
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Source:The North Africa Journal
December 23, 2023 08:45 UTC
What can African IT enterprises expect in 2024? – Intelligent CIO Africa
By taking stock of emerging trends, however, business leaders may be better able to ride the waves of change and steer their companies through turbulent waters. In 2024, business leaders will look beyond the hype and seek AI solutions that deliver real-life use cases and benefits. This will require extensive innovation in data and analytics to provide business leaders with end-to-end visibility over their environmental impact across the broader supply chain. In 2024, expect a surge in supply chain technology investments as organisations seek greater visibility, agility and risk resilience. Business leaders must lead the charge by ensuring AI is integrated with every layer of the supply chain network to achieve measurable business outcomes.
Source:The North Africa Journal
December 23, 2023 06:19 UTC