Digital divide prevalent in SA
from DION HENRICK in Cape TownWestern Cape BureauCAPE TOWN, (CAJ News) – THE rural and urban digital divide still poses a challenge in South Africa. In this analysis, it explored the substantial disparities in the mobile experience of our smartphone users between South Africa’s urban, suburban and rural areas. The rural-urban gap slightly narrowed compared to 2022, where average download speeds in rural areas were 15,9 percent slower than in the cities. Meanwhile, rural users in the Northern Cape observe the highest proportion of time with no signal, at 5,6 percent. Western Cape is the only province in South Africa where the proportion of mobile-only rural users is below 10 percent.
Source:The North Africa Journal
December 18, 2023 12:30 UTC
FIFA anounces inaugural expanded Club World Cup in 2025
The FIFA organization declared on Sunday the initiation of a new edition of the Club World Cup in June 2025, which will feature renowned football clubs such as Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester City, and Real Madrid. Scheduled to take place in the United States from June 15 to July 13, 2025— a year before the World Cup partially hosted in the USA—the tournament will bring together 32 teams organized into eight groups for the group stage. Following the group phase, a knockout stage will commence with the round of sixteen. For Europe, four slots were allocated to the winners of the 2021 (Chelsea), 2022 (Real Madrid), 2023 (Manchester City), and 2024 UEFA Champions League editions. In addition to these, eight other teams secured their participation through the UEFA rankings, including PSG, Bayern Munich, Inter Milan, Porto, and Benfica.
Source:The North Africa Journal
December 18, 2023 12:11 UTC
EHang Expands in UAE with a Strategic Partnership and Sales Agreement with Wings Logistics Hub, the Passenger eVTOLs and Logistics Tech Subsidiary of Technology Holding Company, the Technology Arm of
- A long-term strategic partnership has been established between EHang and Wings Logistics Hub to introduce EHang's autonomous electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing aircraft (“eVTOL”) to the UAE. - Wings Logistics Hub plans to purchase up to 100 units of EH216 series eVTOLs from EHang. Additionally, a long-term strategic partnership has been formed with Wings Logistics Hub, the passenger eVTOLs (smart mobility) and logistics tech subsidiary of Technology Holding Company (“THC”), being the technology arm of EIH Ethmar International Holding. Wings Logistics Hub will cater the passenger eVTOLs and logistic tech functions within EIH Ethmar International Holding. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about management’s beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements.
Source:The North Africa Journal
December 18, 2023 11:16 UTC
Climate Groups Sue the UK Over North Sea Oil Project
Two environmental groups have challenged in court the UK’s approval of a major new oil project in the North Sea, arguing that the field would be incompatible with the UK’s net-zero goal and that the government hasn’t factored in Scope 3 emissions when giving the green light to the plan. The approval for Rosebank had been delayed amid concerns about whether the development plan would meet requirements for electrification for net-zero emissions. These requirements are part of the so-called North Sea Transition Deal, an agreement between the UK government and the offshore industry to cut emissions from oil and gas development and production as much as possible. Total recoverable resources at the Rosebank field are estimated at around 300 million barrels of oil, with Phase 1 targeting an estimated 245 million barrels of oil, Equinor says. “If Rosebank goes ahead, the UK will blow its own plans to stay within safe climate limits,” Uplift’s executive director Tessa Khan said, as carried by the Financial Times.
Source:The North Africa Journal
December 18, 2023 11:03 UTC
Tebboune’s Algeria, four years of conspiracy theories – The North Africa Post
The civilian facet of the Algerian military regime, president Abdelmadjid Tebboune, has excessively deployed conspiracy theories, reflecting the state of an Algerian diplomacy, economy, and social peace in disarray. During his multiple interviews, Tebboune has evoked conspiracy theories to justify his country’s failure to meet the aspirations of the Algerian people to diplomatic aura and to social and economic development. In the latest episode of Algeria’s conspiracy drama, Algerian radio said Morocco and the UAE have joined forces to undermine Algeria’s image in Mali and Niger! The Algerian media, whose strings are pulled by men in uniform, has indulged in conspiracy theories that plagued sports analysts. As he prepares to run for the next elections without any tangible achievements to offer, Tebboune is expected to scale up his conspiracy theories, hitting new lows again in a country where the youth queues for milk and other basic foodstuff.
Source:The North Africa Journal
December 18, 2023 10:32 UTC
Remittance Flows Continue to Grow in 2023 Albeit at Slower Pace
By region, remittance inflows grew for Latin America and the Caribbean (8%), South Asia (7.2%), East Asia and the Pacific (3%), and Sub-Saharan Africa (1.9%). Remittance flows to Europe and Central Asia are estimated to have declined by 1.4% to $78 billion in 2023. Remittance flows to Latin America and the Caribbean are expected to increase by 8% to reach $156 billion in 2023. The strong labor market in the United States positively impacted remittance flows. In 2024, remittance flows are projected to recover to a 2.1% gain based on an expected turnaround in flows to Egypt.
Source:The North Africa Journal
December 18, 2023 10:26 UTC
DRC election woes: MONUSCO to the rescue?
Given the urgency of the situation, the government has requested additional support from the UN. The countdown clock on the façade of the DRC’s Independent National Electoral Commission — CENI in French — on Kinshasa’s Boulevard du 30-Juin is ticking: just days to go until the 20 December elections. There's more to this story Get unlimited access to our exclusive journalism and features today. Our award-winning team of correspondents and editors report from over 54 African countries, from Cape Town to Cairo, from Abidjan to Abuja to Addis Ababa. Subscribe Now cancel anytime Already a a subscriber Sign In
Source:The North Africa Journal
December 18, 2023 09:29 UTC
World Wide Technology and VAST Data appoint Omar Mir as Senior Advisor for VAST Data EMEA
World Wide Technology (WWT), one of the world’s largest privately held technology innovation companies and VAST Data, the data platform company for the AI era, have announced that Omar Mir, WWT President, has been appointed as Senior Advisor for VAST Data EMEA. “AI innovation will underline the human impact of the future, and we’re already seeing this in one of the most advanced AI markets, the UAE,” said Mir. VAST Data is enabling data driven organisations to accelerate time-to-insight for their workload-intensive applications, delivering immense value from their AIdeployments. As a result of its innovative solutions and flexible offerings, VAST is the fastest-selling data infrastructure company in history. At the end of FY’Q3 (Oct 31, 2023), VAST Data surpassed $1 billion in cumulative software bookings.
Source:The North Africa Journal
December 18, 2023 08:50 UTC
Queensland floods: Airport submerged and crocodiles seen after record rain
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Source:The North Africa Journal
December 18, 2023 08:36 UTC
Some Asian refiners mull non-Red Sea routes to bring in North African, Mediterranean crude
A few Mediterranean and North African crude grades that regularly feed several East Asian refiners could take the Cape of Good Hope shipping lane for delivery instead of the regular Suez Canal route, with Thai, Indonesian and South Korean refiners looking to avoid Red Sea shipping risks and safely bring CPC Blend, El Sharara, Saharan Blend and Azeri Light crude home. However, several Southeast Asian and South Korean refiners indicated that repeated attacks on ships sailing through Bab al-Mandeb chokepoint by Yemen's Houthi militants have raised alarm bells as they often buy small volumes of low sulfur crudes from Libya, Algeria, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan. Other supply optionsApart from looking for other shipping and logistics options to bring in Mediterranean and North African crude, Thai, Indonesian, South Korean refiners indicated that they have an option to simply slash light sweet Libyan, Kazakh, Algerian and Azerbaijan crude purchases. Meanwhile, China's independent refineries seldom import Mediterranean crude, though some CPC Blend cargoes arrive via the Red Sea route. China's private refining sector imported about 1 million mt of CPC blend crude in the first 11 months of the year, mostly purchased by ChemChina and Dongming Petrochemical.
Source:The North Africa Journal
December 18, 2023 07:55 UTC
Bulk electricity supply point project in Ghana
The project includes the construction of 1,400km of LV distribution lines, 400 new transformers and extending MV lines to reduce technical losses across Greater Accra. The $316 million project includes a geographic information system mapping distribution assets, an AC testing laboratory and rehabilitation and reinforcement of distribution systems to increase connections of new traders. An air-insulated switchgear bulk supply point (BSP) 330/33kV; a gas-insulated switchgear BSP 161/33kV with STATCOM; two primary substations equipped with 2x39MVA transformers each and 33/11kV switchgear; and a Meter Management System to control up to six million smart meters. Root Cause Analysis was used to identify the challenges while power system modelling software and process analysis tools were deployed to ensure the most effective designs inreducing power loss challenges after completion. The Pokuase BSP project is currently the largest BSP in Ghana and the most technologically advanced in Online Control and Monitoring.
Source:The North Africa Journal
December 18, 2023 07:05 UTC
61 migrants feared dead, 76 rescued in twin boat tragedies off Libyan coast
TRIPOLI / BEIRUT: In twin incidents of boat sinking in the Mediterranean Sea within a span of 24 hours, 61 migrants were missing and presumed dead while 76 others were rescued. In the first incident, at least 61 migrants went missing and apparently drowned after their boat sank off Libya’s coast, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said. The two leaders vowed to stop migrant boat landings on their countries’ shores and to step up efforts to combat people smugglers. Another boat sinkingMeanwhile, Lebanese security forces on Sunday rescued more than 50 people, mostly Syrians, from a sinking migrant boat, off the coast of Tripoli. He is suspected of having piloted a boat carrying around 60 migrants, including children, a charge he denies.
Source:The North Africa Journal
December 18, 2023 07:01 UTC
Sphinx Glass Partners with DFI in Egypt under Exclusive Distribution Agreement
Sphinx Glass, a leading float glass manufacturer headquartered in Cairo, Egypt, jointly announced with DFI today, the signing of an exclusive distribution agreement to introduce Diamon-Fusion® glass coating technology in Egypt and the Mediterranean North African region. Sphinx Glass was established in 2008 and is the only fully independent glass manufacturer in Egypt, with a sales network in over 40 countries, spanning across five (5) continents. We look forward to a long-lasting and fruitful partnership with Sphinx Glass”, added Guillermo Seta, Vice President of Global Business Development at DFI. DFI’s patented FuseCube™ glass coating machine applies Diamon-Fusion® through a proprietary chemical vapor deposition process, ensuring double-sided coverage, uniform application, and a higher-quality coating. For more information about Sphinx Glass or Diamon-Fusion International, please visit https://www.sphinxglass.com/ or http://www.dfisolutions.com/, respectively.
Source:The North Africa Journal
December 18, 2023 06:53 UTC
North Korea test fires ballistic missile with potential to reach entire US, Japan says
Seoul, South Korea CNN —North Korea launched a possible intercontinental ballistic missile on Monday morning in what analysts said indicated the growing reliability of the reclusive state’s illegal weapons program. “While North Korea, like every country, has missile tests fail, it’s clear that the overall reliability of North Korea’s missiles is quite respectable,” Lewis said. A Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missile is launched from an undisclosed location in North Korea in this image released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency on July 13, 2023. The Hwasong-17 was unveiled in 2022, when North Korea held its first long-range missile test in more than four years. Monday’s launch was North Korea’s second of a ballistic missile in less than 24 hours.
Source:The North Africa Journal
December 18, 2023 06:07 UTC
10 African startups that have closed during the “funding winter”, and some that are battling on
Venture capital funding globally almost halved in the first six months of 2023, according to PitchBook data, which highlighted a lack of investor enthusiasm as well as falling demand amid rising interest rates. The lack of liquidity in the market, and the sudden difficulties startups used to regularly raising capital are now facing in convincing investors, has hit a certain type of African startup hard. ZumiKenyan B2B e-commerce startup Zumi announced in March it had closed down after failing to secure the necessary funding to continue operations. MarketForce has struggled to raise more capital, announced a bunch of layoffs, and recently turned to crowdfunding to get some cash in the bank. The company announced last month it had reduced its operations outside of Africa, cutting its workforce in Europe and Dubai.
Source:The North Africa Journal
December 18, 2023 06:01 UTC