Emergency crews expected to find more victims as they worked their way through the building. Example video title will go here for this videoJOHANNESBURG, South Africa — A nighttime fire ripped through a rundown five-story building in Johannesburg that was occupied by homeless people and squatters, killing at least 73 people early Thursday, emergency services in South Africa's biggest city said. Seven of the victims were children, the youngest a 1-year-old, according to an emergency services spokesperson. Emergency crews expected to find more victims as they worked their way through the building, a process slowed by the conditions inside. Mulaudzi said the death toll was likely to increase and more bodies were likely trapped inside the building.

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Retail pasta prices rose about 12% this year in Europe and 8% in the United States, according to market research firm Nielsen. CANADA DRYWhen the Prairies turned dry this summer, Canadian farmer Darold Niwa saw hopes of a bumper durum harvest dashed. Durum, the hardest wheat, produces pasta with the prized "al dente" firm texture, unlike soft wheat. In the meantime, Vincenzo Martinelli, president of the durum section of Italian millers association Italmopa, nervously awaits the outcome of the Canadian harvest. "Without Canada, prices will only go up," he said.

Editor’s Take: The art of pre-election positioningEven politicians are supposed to go on holiday in August. Meanwhile, EPP leader Manfred Weber has also been setting out his stall, making a two-day visit to Tunisia this week. EPP officials say that Weber wants the EU to rethink its neighbourhood strategy in terms of relations with the South Mediterranean. European Parliament’s first report on mental health wants more direct funding. EU Agriculture ministers will meet from 3 to 5 September, while EU Development ministers will meet from 4 to 5.

Redefine Properties, a leading South African Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT), has issued another green bond as it leverages its sustainability journey. Redefine will use the money raised to refinance eligible green assets (across its property portfolio) that align with the group’s overarching, long-term climate-resilient framework. Redefine’s third green bond was oversubscribed 1.9 times with R1.9 billion received in bids at an auction on 21 August and resulted in an upsized allocation to ZAR1.0 billion across three, five and seven years. The green bond aligns with Redefine’s sustainability goal to further transform its properties into environmentally sustainable and resource-efficient assets. The green bond also aligns with the International Capital Market Association Green Bond Principles.

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TPV Technology Gulf DMCC, manufacturers of Philips and AOC displays, have announced a new partnership with Geekay Distribution appointing them as their official distributor for gaming solutions across the Middle East. Philips Monitors also announced the launch of new range of monitors under the brand name “Evnia”. Kishan Deepak Palija, CEO of Geekay Group said “We are thrilled to bring Philips Evnia’s cutting-edge gaming monitors to a wider audience. Philips Evnia monitors are every gamer’s dream come true, the range’s stylish design will match any décor & aesthetic, while still delivering incredible performance. The 34M2C8600 combines OLED and quantum dot technology through its QD OLED panel, guaranteeing high contrast, higher peak brightness, and vibrant colours.

The United States is concerned that arms negotiations between Russia and North Korea are advancing actively, the White House said on Wednesday (30 August). Earlier this month the United States imposed sanctions on three entities it accused of being tied to arms deals between North Korea and Russia. Kirby said North Korea delivered infantry rockets and missiles into Russia last year and Moscow has been seeking to acquire additional munitions since then. “We urge the DPRK to cease its arms negotiations with Russia and abide by the public commitments that Pyongyang has made to not provide or sell arms to Russia,” Kirby said. Japan will intercept North Korea’s missiles if they fly over Japan’s territory, Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said.

Vodacom and Eskom signed a Virtual Wheeling agreement today, aiming to alleviate South Africa’s energy crisis. “Vodacom’s partnership with Eskom is transformational in that our virtual wheeling solution will enable South Africa’s private sector to participate in resolving the energy crisis which continues to impact the country’s economy. The virtual wheeling solution has the potential to be fast-tracked, depending on the available licensed capacity of IPPs.”Traditional methods faced limitations due to Vodacom’s complex operational landscape. The virtual wheeling solution, following a successful pilot, is now accessible, aiding grid stability and emissions reduction. The future of virtual wheeling is looking bright, with a number of parties from across industries already showing commercial interest in the solution enabled by the Vodacom subsidiary, Mezzanine.

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South African insurtech startup LeaseSurance has raised ZAR3 million (US$161,0000 in seed funding to expand its team and further develop cutting-edge technology solutions for the real estate industry. LeaseSurance uses financial technology to optimise assets in rental real estate by replacing security deposits with lease insurance. Traditionally, landlords have relied on cash deposits for protection against tenants defaulting as a result of these pressures. LeaseSurance’s B2B, tech-driven lease insurance addresses these concerns for landlords by reducing the administrative burden, replacing cash deposits with affordable monthly fees, and lowering bad debts. “LeaseSurance has created the foundation for an end-to-end enterprise insurtech property platform which resonates with Fedgroup’s 30+ years’ experience in the property industry.

Despite a widening budget deficit and a high debt-to-GDP ratio, Morocco’s economic outlook seems reassuring given the government’s commitment to structural reforms, Capital Economics said. “On the face of it, Morocco’s public finances are starting to look alarming,” the London-based think tank said in a briefing released on Wednesday. “The composition of Morocco’s public debt suggests that fiscal risks are smaller than they appear at first sight,” Capital Economics said. The think tank expects the public debt-to-GDP ratio to fall to 67% by 2027 if the Moroccan government adopts a fiscal squeeze of only 1.5% over the next few years. “Putting all of this together, we think that the recent increase in Morocco’s government debt-to-GDP ratio and the budget deficit will turn the corner,” Capital Economics concluded.

The domain of cybercrime, encompassing activities such as phishing, smishing, email scams, dating scams, fraud, and hacking, has reached unprecedented levels of prevalence and sophistication. “If one possesses the knowledge to discern, most fraudulent websites can be identified and sidestepped,” he elucidates. These resources facilitate secure browsing and real-time protection against diverse threats, spanning malware, online scams, bogus websites, and phishing emails. “Norton and akin security tools are purpose-built to unearth anomalies that may elude users grappling with fatigue or stress,” Campbell-Young underscores. “They can pinpoint suspicious domain names, verify whether a domain commences with HTTP or HTTPS, and generate alerts for malware-infested websites.

MEST Africa has announced the opening of applications for the fifth edition of the MEST Africa Challenge, the winner of which will secure US$50,000 in equity funding. Founded in Ghana in 2008 by serial entrepreneur Jorn Lyseggen, MEST is a pan-African software and entrepreneurship training programme, seed fund, and incubator helping to launch technology startups across the continent. The MEST Africa Challenge is open to pre-seed to seed-stage technology startups in Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, Kenya and South Africa, where regional competitions will be held in October. Two finalists will be selected from each country to participate in the final in Accra, competing for the ultimate prize of US$50,000 in equity. Applications are open here until October 9.