/cloudfront-us-east-2.images.arcpublishing.com/reuters/Y5RQURDME5K7FIR6D5I47N65BE.jpg)
Oscar Pistorius, track star turned murderer, granted parole
Oscar Pistorius sits in the dock at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria, South Africa for a bail hearing, December 8, 2015. In the first he was the "Blade Runner", the multiple Paralympic gold medallist with carbon-fibre prosthetic legs who also took on the best in the 2012 London Olympics. The Johannesburg-born athlete was first catapulted on to the world stage in the early 2000s, when he won Paralympic gold in the 200 metres at the Games in Athens. But the Supreme Court of Appeal in late 2015 found him guilty of the more serious charge of murder after an appeal by prosecutors. Her mother June said she did not believe Pistorius, who turned 37 this week, was rehabilitated in a statement at the parole hearing.
Source:The North Africa Journal
November 25, 2023 02:25 UTC
Germany, Italy to Partner on Hydrogen Pipeline to North Africa
Germany, Italy to Partner on Hydrogen Pipeline to North Africa11.24.2023 By Tank Terminals - NEWSNovember 24, 2023 [Renewables Now]- Germany and Italy have agreed to push ahead with the development of a hydrogen pipeline from North Africa to southern Germany to support long-term energy security and transformation. Under the plan, Germany and Italy will seek to advance the development of new gas and hydrogen pipelines connecting the two countries via Austria or Switzerland. Special attention is focused on the South Central Corridor linking southern Germany and Italy to North Africa which should expand cross-border infrastructure and help import 10 million tonnes of hydrogen by 2030. The pipeline will connect demand centres in Italy, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, thereby contributing to the establishment of a larger European hydrogen network. In pursuit of these goals, Germany and Italy will also actively promote the acceleration of renewable energy, gas, and hydrogen production in North Africa.
Source:The North Africa Journal
November 25, 2023 01:58 UTC
How Vegetable center promotes healthier diets
The World Vegetable Center has collected and stored 6,000 vegetable germplasm at its state-of-the-art facility in Arusha. The seeds comprise of more than 100 species of vegetables such as Egg plants and Solanum nigrum. Taking journalists on a tour of the World Vegetable Center, Eastern and Southern Africa, a scientist in charge with Traditional Vegetables Conservation and Utilizatuon at the centre, Dr Sognigbe N’Danikou underscored the facility’s role in supporting better income and healthier diets for Tanzanians. “This is a global key collection point of traditional African vegetable seeds where collection and conservation work is done in collaboration with national partners who maintain duplicate collections”, said the scientist. “Nearly half a ton of Vegetbale seeds is collected at the center every year which eventually leads to led to the release of hundreds of varieties”, he observed.
Source:The North Africa Journal
November 25, 2023 01:47 UTC
Laura Wolvaardt appointed South Africa's full-time all-formats skipper; reign to begin from Bangladesh series
JOHANNESBURG, NOVEMBER 24 (IANS): Opener Laura Wolvaardt has been appointed as South Africa's full-time captain for all formats, and her reign will start from the T20I series against Bangladesh happening next month, said Cricket South Africa (CSA). In the T20I series against Bangladesh happening from December 3-8, Laura will oversee a South Africa squad which has youngsters Ayanda Hlubi and Eliz-Mari Marx earning their maiden international call-ups in the shortest format of the game. "Having Laura Wolvaardt as the official captain, together with a blend of young and experienced players bodes well for our succession planning. South Africa's squad for the ODI series against Bangladesh will be announced ahead of the 50-over encounters which are being held in East London, Potchefstroom and Benoni between December 16 - 23. South Africa T20I Squad: Anneke Bosch, Tazmin Brits, Annerie Dercksen, Mieke de Ridder, Lara Goodall Ayanda Hlubi, Sinalo Jafta, Masabata Klaas, Suné Luus, Eliz-Mari Marx, Nonkululeko Mlaba, Tumi Sekhukhune, Nondumiso Shangase, Delmi Tucker and Laura Wolvaardt (captain)
Source:The North Africa Journal
November 25, 2023 01:01 UTC
Egypt, Bahrain sign multiple agreements to boost cooperation – The North Africa Post
Egypt and Bahrain Thursday inked 13 memorandum of understanding for bilateral cooperation and agreed on 15 initiatives, in many areas, as part of moves to boost cooperation between the two countries. The deals signing took place during the first meeting of the Egyptian-Bahraini governmental committee for trade, economic, scientific, and technological cooperation, headed by Egyptian and Bahraini Ministers of Finance Mohamed Maait and Salman bin Khalifa Al Khalifa. For the agreements to be effective, both countries also adopted a list of its working order in a way that ensures their achievement. The deals also provide for offering investment opportunities in industrial sectors to private sector companies in the two countries. The two sides also discussed the establishment of an Egyptian trade center in Bahrain.
Source:The North Africa Journal
November 25, 2023 00:52 UTC
High Impact Well Drilling Places Africa as the Next Frontier for IOCs
Africa represents the next frontier for upstream drilling owing largely to the continent’s pipeline of high impact wells. In 2023, approximately 132 exploration wells were drilled while in 2024 and 2025, 120 wells and 123 wells are expected to be drilled, respectively. Offshore Drilling Advances in West AfricaDuring September 2023, Shell spudded an eagerly anticipated exploration well targeting a one-billion-barrels prospect in the Panna Cotta-1 exploration well in Block C10, offshore Mauritania. Meanwhile, in Guinea-Bissau, drilling activities at the Formosa prospect are expected to advance the MSGBC region’s oil and gas boom. East African Drilling Picks-upIn East Africa, Eni started drilling its Raia-1 well, situated in Block A5-A in the Angoche Basin, offshore Mozambique, in April.
Source:The North Africa Journal
November 25, 2023 00:44 UTC
Niger: ban of pro-Bazoum protest slated for Nov. 25 – The North Africa Post
The protest, organized by Le Front pour une Citoyenneté Responsable, was to take place at “la place de la concertation”, in capital Niamey. Niamey authorities banned the demonstration on the ground of security issues, infiltration, and public order risks. Bazoum, in power since 2021, was removed on July 26 and placed along his family under house arrest. On August 13, security forces dispersed a protest in favor of the deposed president. Early October the Court of Niamey ordered the immediate release of Salem Mohamed, son of Bazoum, arguing that Salem is a victim of “assault” and “manifestly unlawful disturbance”.
Source:The North Africa Journal
November 25, 2023 00:36 UTC
Analysis-Binance CEO Teng braced for uphill battle in post-Zhao era
"Teng is seen as steady hands," said Carol Alexander, professor of finance at the University of Sussex, who has tracked Binance for years. HIRED BY ZHAOHired by Zhao as Binance's Singapore chief in 2021, Teng has been CEO of Abu Dhabi Global Market from 2015 to 2021. For years it dominated the crypto market, but this year has rapidly lost market share. Other exchanges, such as Seychelles-registered OKX, have gained market share this year, according to CCData. OKX is the second-largest exchange after Binance by market share.
Source:The North Africa Journal
November 25, 2023 00:19 UTC
Aduna Capital Unveils New $20 Million Fund for Early-Stage Investment
ShareAduna Capital, a venture capital firm based in Africa, has recently launched a $20 million fund focused on the Northern Nigerian startup ecosystem. By shifting its focus from the more traditional investment hotspots, Aduna Capital aims to revolutionize the investment landscape. Aduna Capital is set to invest in over 50 early-stage companies, concentrating on pre-seed and seed-stage startups. Aduna Capital is also exploring innovative approaches like profit-sharing agreements to align with the preferences of local investors who may be hesitant about the traditional venture capital model. Aduna Capital aims to drive economic development, foster inclusivity, and spur innovation both in Nigeria and internationally, significantly impacting Africa.
Source:The North Africa Journal
November 24, 2023 21:07 UTC
Arabic: France’s New Second Language
A newly released study shows, for the first time in French history, that the second most widely spoken language in the country is dialectal Arabic, with an estimated population of between three and four million speakers. The resulting population ratio in favour of people mainly of North African origin is fraught with consequences. These include dialectal Arabic, which, according to Le Figaro, is ahead of the Creole languages spoken in the French overseas territories, Berber, Alsatian, Occitan, and Breton. In France, there is also dialectal Arabic of Lebanese, Egyptian, or Syrian origin, but this is in a minority. Depending on their country of origin, speakers of this dialectal Arabic do not necessarily understand each other, as there are so many variants.
Source:The North Africa Journal
November 24, 2023 20:20 UTC
Oscar Pistorius: South African 'Blade Runner' turned murder convict
Oscar Pistorius sits in the dock at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria, South Africa for a bail hearing, December 8, 2015. SPORTS CAREERRunning on carbon fibre prosthetic blades, earning him the nickname "Blade Runner", Pistorius became a Paralympic gold medallist over 200 metres in Athens in 2004. He also carried the flag for South Africa at the opening ceremony of the London Paralympic Games and won two gold medals. But the Supreme Court of Appeal in December 2015 overturned the earlier ruling and found Pistorius guilty of murder. The Supreme Court eventually more than doubled his sentence to 13 years and 5 months in Nov. 2017, accepting state prosecutors' argument that the original jail term was "shockingly lenient".
Source:The North Africa Journal
November 24, 2023 20:06 UTC
South African Olympic runner Oscar Pistorius granted parole, will be released from prison on January 5
Pistorius' parole will come with other conditions, Department of Corrections spokesman Singabakho Nxumalo said outside of the prison where Pistorius has been incarcerated in the South African capital, Pretoria, for killing Reeva Steenkamp. Pistorius won't wear a monitoring bracelet as that is not part of South African parole procedure, Nxumalo said. Pistorius was at the height of his fame and one of the world’s most admired athletes when he killed Steenkamp. Pistorius' parole hearing was his second in the space of eight months. Pistorius killed Steenkamp just months after he had become the first double-amputee to compete at the Olympics.
Source:The North Africa Journal
November 24, 2023 19:15 UTC
With All Eyes on Gaza, Israel Tightens Its Grip on the West Bank
Israel holds the main West Bank highways and most of the subsidiary roads connecting Palestinian towns and villages. What does daily life look like for West Bank Palestinians at present? Normal commerce has come to a halt, and nothing that the West Bank imports through Israel is getting through. A major concern for many West Bank Palestinians is conditions inside Israeli prisons, as some 7,000 Palestinians are currently held there. The West Bank was relatively quiet since, back in July, Israel launched what would be its largest military operation in the West Bank in two decades to root out the Jenin Brigades.
Source:The North Africa Journal
November 24, 2023 17:03 UTC
The Hydrogen Stream: Germany, Italy plan hydrogen pipeline to North Africa
Germany and Italy have agreed to expand their energy ties with a hydrogen pipeline across the Alps to transporting gases, mainly hydrogen, from North Africa to Northern Europe. The Danish Energy Agency has rejected Plug Power’s bid for the first Power-to-X tender in Danish history due to the US company's failure to meet contractual obligations to provide a bank guarantee. “This means that Plug Power is no longer among the winners of the PtX tender,” said the Danish Energy Agency. Popular contentMasdar has partnered with Emirates Steel Arkan to develop a green hydrogen project to decarbonize the steel sector in the United Arab Emirates. Airbus said it will monitor the composition of the hydrogen contrails of the modified glider to investigate the environmental impact of hydrogen aviation.
Source:The North Africa Journal
November 24, 2023 15:01 UTC
Cameroonian e-health startup Waspito raises $2.5m seed extension round
Cameroonian e-health startup Waspito has raised US$2.5 million in funding, extending its seed round to US$5.2 million in order to expand in existing markets and launch in new ones. Founded by Jean Lobe Lobe in 2020, Waspito connects users with medical doctors via instant video consultations from their smartphones. It also provides mobile laboratory services, with a lab technician collecting samples from a user’s home and results received digitally. Waspito will be funding its growth plans via its oversubscribed US$2.5 million seed extension round secured from DP World via Newtown Partners, Saviu Ventures, AAIC Investment, Axian ventures and Health54. This follows a US$2.7 million seed round raised in March 2022.
Source:The North Africa Journal
November 24, 2023 15:00 UTC