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☆ From Wall Street to Chicago, why stock exchanges ring bells
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-16 | by ( Krystal Hur | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

New York CNN —The New York Stock Exchange opens every workday morning at 9:30 am ET with the fast-paced bang-clang of a gleaming brass bell. The stock exchange, the largest in the world by market capitalization, has opened with sonic fanfare for more than 150 years. From Wall Street to the Nasdaq Exchange in Times Square to the Chicago Board Options Exchange, loud, ringing bells bookend each trading session. Stock exchanges say that the bell ringing remains both a critical guide and a ceremony that celebrates the market’s resilience through devastating lows and exuberant highs. The stock exchange had been closed since two hijacked commercial airliners were deliberately crashed into the World Trade Center's twin towers on September 11.

Persons: there’s, ”, Peter Asch, Reagan, Ronald Reagan, Serena Williams, Nelson Mandela, Richard Grasso, Henny Ray Abrams, David Howson, Scott Olson, Howson, Mark McCooey, Morgan Stanley, ” McCooey, Karen Snow, Brendan McDermid, Barbie, Barbie ”, “, Chris Hondros, Trudi Wagner, Wagner, Ronald Moser, Wagner That’s, Goldman Sachs, ” Wagner Organizations: New, New York CNN, The New York Stock Exchange, Nasdaq Exchange, Exchange, New York Stock Exchange, Jersey Shore, NYSE, Former South African, Getty, Cboe, yanks, Nasdaq, Microsoft, UN, United Nations, Bell, Warner Bros, Warner Bros ., World Trade Center, Trade Center, United, New York Stock, Trade, Dow Jones Locations: New York, Chicago, Jersey, Asch, AFP, York, Chicago , Illinois, New York City, America, United States, New Jersey, Manhattan, Charleston , South Carolina

☆ Richard Branson and Oppenheimer's grandson urge action to stop AI and climate 'catastrophe'
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Richard Branson believes the environmental costs of space travel will "come down even further." Dozens of high-profile figures in business and politics are calling on world leaders to address the existential risks of artificial intelligence and the climate crisis. Virgin Group founder Richard Branson, along with former United Nations General Secretary Ban Ki-moon, and Charles Oppenheimer — the grandson of American physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer — signed an open letter urging action against the escalating dangers of the climate crisis, pandemics, nuclear weapons, and ungoverned AI. Signatories called for urgent multilateral action, including through financing the transition away from fossil fuels, signing an equitable pandemic treaty, restarting nuclear arms talks, and building global governance needed to make AI a force for good. The letter was released on Thursday by The Elders, a nongovernmental organization that was launched by former South African President Nelson Mandela and Branson to address global human rights issues and advocate for world peace.

Persons: Richard Branson, Ban, Charles Oppenheimer —, J, Robert Oppenheimer —, Nelson Mandela, Branson, MIT cosmologist Max Tegmark, Jaan Tallinn Organizations: Virgin Group, United Nations, Elders, South, Life Institute, MIT, Skype

☆ Céline Dion's eldest son attended the Grammys with her. Here's what you need to know about her 3 kids.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | by ( Olivia Singh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Dion's eldest son, René-Charles Angélil, is 23 and attended the 2024 Grammys with her. NEW LOOK Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. AdvertisementRené-Charles Angélil, 23, is the eldest childCéline Dion, Taylor Swift, and René-Charles Angelil at the 66th Grammy Awards. AdvertisementDion's fraternal twins, Nelson and Eddy, are 13 years oldDion gave birth to Nelson and Eddy via C-section in Florida on October 23, 2010. Dion gave Oprah Winfrey an inside look at her home life with her newborn twins a few months later.

Persons: Céline Dion, René, Dion's, Charles Angélil, Nelson, Eddy, —, Dion, René Angélil, Taylor Swift, Charles Angelil, Kevin Mazur, Charles, James Corden's, Instagram, Big Tip, Swift, Nelson Mandela, Eddy Marnay, Oprah Winfrey Organizations: Service, The Recording Academy, Montreal Gazette, South, Daily Mail Locations: Florida, René, French

☆ South African Government Seeks to Halt Auction of Mandela Items
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-18 | by ( Matt Stevens | More About Matt Stevens | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The South African Heritage Resources Agency is seeking to prevent an auction of dozens of Nelson Mandela’s personal belongings, saying on Thursday that it has filed court papers to appeal a ruling that had allowed the sale of the items to go forward. Guernsey’s auction house in New York said this week that it planned to auction about 70 of Mr. Mandela’s items on Feb. 22 as part of a fund-raising effort to support the establishment of a memorial garden near where Mr. Mandela, the former South African president, is buried. South African officials had blocked an earlier effort to sell the items on the grounds that some of them are objects of national heritage. But the organizers of the planned sale, led by Mr. Mandela’s oldest daughter, Dr. Makaziwe Mandela, won a court judgment last month. In its ruling, a three-judge panel of the High Court in Pretoria found that the government’s claim to the items as heritage objects was “overbroad.”

Persons: Nelson, Mandela, Mandela’s, Makaziwe Mandela, ” Organizations: African Heritage Resources Agency, South Locations: New York, Pretoria

☆ A decade after Mandela's death, his pro-Palestinian legacy lives on
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Former South African president Nelson Mandela (R) and Palestinian President Yasser Arafat (L) address the media after holding talks on the crisis in the Middle East May 3, 2001. It was a gesture as controversial then as South Africa's support for the Palestinian cause is today, but Mandela brushed off criticism. Last month, the ruling ANC backed a motion in South Africa's parliament to suspend diplomatic ties with Israel until it agreed to a ceasefire in Gaza. Israel has disputed the comparison with apartheid as a lie motivated by antisemitism, but many South Africans follow Mandela's lead. Some in South Africa's Jewish community criticise the ANC's stance, pointing out that Mandela himself eventually tried to build bridges with Israel.

Persons: Nelson Mandela, Yasser Arafat, Mandela, Arafat, S.Africa, Carien du Plessis, Mandla Mandela, Obed Bapela, Lebogang Mashile, David Saks, Ehud Barak, Ezer Weisman, Saks, Shafiek, Tim Cocks, Alex Richardson Organizations: South, Arafat ANC, ANC, Palestine Liberation Organisation, Hamas, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Israel, Gaza, Shafiek, JOHANNESBURG, Palestine, Johannesburg, South Africa's, South Africa, South

☆ Luyanda Mpahlwa’s pioneering architectural journey fuels social upliftment in South Africa
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Lauren Lee | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —As a young boy growing up in the 1960s in Mthatha, South Africa, Luyanda Mpahlwa loved to draw houses. Mpahlwa was among the first Black Africans permitted to study architecture in South Africa. “South Africa was in a state of emergency,” he said. There, he earned a master’s degree in architecture from the Technical University of Berlin in 1989 and began working for Pysall.Ruge, a design firm based in what is now the German capital. “The reality is the majority of people of South Africa live in conditions that are actually below what we should be defining as an urban environment,” he said.

Persons: Luyanda Mpahlwa, ”, Mpahlwa, Nelson Mandela, “, Curry, ” Mpahlwa, iThemba, “ We’ve Organizations: CNN, Town, Design Network, South, Radisson, Technical University of Berlin, Pysall.Ruge, Technikon Natal, Durban University of Technology, Embassy, African Institute of Architects, MMA, Department of Basic Education, Design, Lutheran Community Center Locations: Mthatha, South Africa, Robben, ”, Cape Town, “ South Africa, Berlin, Germany, Luyanda, Africa, “, Eastern, Cape Town’s, Kosovo, Philippi Township, Western Cape

☆ Olympian Oscar Pistorius Granted Parole 10 Years After Killing Girlfriend
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Alexandra Wexler | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Former South African Paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius will be released from jail in January 2024 after being granted parole on Friday. Pistorius was convicted of murdering his girlfriend in 2013. Photo: Siphiwe Sibeko/ReutersJOHANNESBURG—Former Olympic and Paralympic track star Oscar Pistorius, who was convicted of murdering his girlfriend, was granted parole on Friday after serving half of his 15-year sentence. Pistorius will be released from prison on Jan. 5, according to a statement from South Africa’s Department of Correctional Services, after a decision issued by the parole board at Atteridgeville Correctional Centre in Pretoria, where Pistorius has been incarcerated since 2016.

Persons: Oscar Pistorius, Pistorius, Siphiwe Organizations: South African Paralympic, Reuters, Olympic, South, South Africa’s Department of Correctional Services, Atteridgeville Correctional Locations: Reuters JOHANNESBURG, South Africa’s, Pretoria

☆ Oscar Pistorius will be released on parole in January
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Peter Wilkinson | Simon Cullen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Oscar Pistorius will be released on parole in January, prison authorities said Friday, nearly 11 years after the former South African Paralympic sprinter murdered his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. He was originally sentenced to 13 years and five months imprisonment. During the trial, Pistorius pleaded not guilty to one charge of murder and a firearms charge associated with Steenkamp’s killing. Pistorius was convicted of manslaughter in 2014 and sentenced to five years. Pistorius’ sentence was increased to 13 years and five months by South Africa’s Supreme Court of Appeal in 2017.

Persons: Oscar Pistorius, Reeva Steenkamp, –, Pistorius, Prosecutors, Nimi Princewill, Niamh Kennedy Organizations: CNN, South African Paralympic, South

☆ S. Africa look forward to future success despite semi-final loss
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Poor starts with the bat and ball cost the side in their tense three wicket defeat to old foes Australia on Thursday – the fifth time they have exited a World Cup in the semi-finals. South Africa will co-host the next 50-over finals with Namibia and Zimbabwe in 2027 and Walter believes there is much room for optimism they can improve further having arrived in India under the radar and with little expectation of success. The majority of the people that are going to be on the journey (to the next World Cup) are still in the changing room. Former South Africa fast bowler Dale Steyn, who lost in the semi-finals in 2015, also believes there is cause for optimism. "If you look at the stats overall, South Africa will walk away and say they ticked all the boxes they wanted to, but they just didn’t get over the line," he told CricInfo.

Persons: Rob Walter, Walter, We've, Quinton de Kock, David Miller, Rassie van der, Dale Steyn, Anrich Nortje, Nick Said, Robert Birsel Organizations: Former, Thomson Locations: KOLKATA, South Africa, India, Australia, Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Former South Africa

☆ South Africa's Zuma appears at prison, released under remission process
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Former South African president Jacob Zuma reacts as he addresses a news conference in Johannesburg, South Africa, October 22, 2022. REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko/File PhotoJOHANNESBURG, Aug 11 (Reuters) - South Africa's former president Jacob Zuma appeared at the Estcourt correctional facility on Friday morning and was released under a remission process, a senior prisons official said. Zuma's initial arrest two years ago led to violent protests across South Africa that saw over 300 people killed. He handed himself over to authorities in July 2021 but was released on medical parole due to ill health two months later. Reporting by Carien du Plessis Additional reporting by Bhargav Acharya Editing by Alexander WinningOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Jacob Zuma, Siphiwe, Zuma, Carien du Plessis, Bhargav, Alexander Winning Organizations: South, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Johannesburg, South Africa, JOHANNESBURG

☆ Delhi's Ishant rolls back the years in Gujarat upset
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

In reply, Gujarat captain Hardik Pandya made an unbeaten 59 off 53 balls but Delhi's lion-hearted bowlers restricted the champions to 125-6 to secure a shock five-run victory. "Okay, Ishant just bowled the best knuckle ball wicket I've ever seen," tweeted former South Africa fast bowler Dale Steyn. But Ishant bowled a nerveless final over, dismissing Tewatia and conceding only six runs to secure Delhi's third win in nine matches. His clever use of wide yorkers made it difficult to hit boundaries in the final over. "I was practising bowling wide yorkers in the nets with the new ball.

☆ South Africa's Pistorius seeks early release 10 years after killing girlfriend
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

JOHANNESBURG, March 31 (Reuters) - Former South Africa paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius, jailed in 2016 for murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, will ask a parole board on Friday to release him early from prison, lawyers and prison officials said. Pistorius, behind bars for almost seven years, became eligible for parole after serving half of his 13-year prison sentence. The closed-door parole board meeting is scheduled to start at 10 a.m. local time (0800 GMT) at the Atteridgeville prison near capital Pretoria. The independent parole board must determine, among other issues, whether Pistorius is at risk of committing similar crimes in the future, prison spokesperson Singabakho Nxumalo said. Pistorius' lawyer, Julian Knight, told Reuters he was not in a "position to comment until such time as the Parole Board has made a decision".

Summary Pistorius to appear at parole hearing next year - authoritiesMother of Reeva Steenkamp against release"Blade Runner" gained global fame for Paralympic titlesJOHANNESBURG, March 31 (Reuters) - Former South Africa Paralympic star Oscar Pistorius, jailed in 2016 for killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, has been denied parole, South Africa's prison authorities and a lawyer for the victim's family said on Friday. "Come August 2024, he would have reached the minimum detention period, then the (parole) board will make a decision," prison spokesperson Singabakho Nxumalo told a media briefing. [1/7] Olympic and Paralympic track star Oscar Pistorius leaves court after appearing for the 2013 killing of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria, South Africa, June 14, 2016. He was not available to comment after Pistorius was denied parole. The basis for his argument for Pistorius' parole consideration was that "there doesn't seem to be any negative factors precluding his being released on parole because he meets the requirements of the department in terms of their policies and procedures".

☆ 'Unpredictable' election in Africa's largest economy is set to resonate around the world
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

After 24 years of uninterrupted democracy since ending military dictatorship in 1999, Africa's most populous nation and largest economy is conducting its seventh election. Muhammadu Buhari, Nigeria's president, speaks during the U.S.-Africa Business Forum in New York. Leena Koni Hoffmann, associate fellow of the Africa Programme at Chatham House, told CNBC on Monday that the presidential election will be the "most unpredictable" since the transition to civilian rule. Alongside the Covid-19 pandemic and war in Ukraine, Koni Hoffmann noted "missed opportunities" and "self-inflicted crises" under Buhari's regime. Economists panned the decision, which Koni Hoffmann suggested rendered Nigeria and its neighbors more vulnerable to the damage of the pandemic.

As Africa struggles with economic headwinds caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine and, notably, Washington's own monetary policy, Africans are asking for proof the United States will stay the course this time. African countries have become collateral victims of this year's rate hikes by the U.S. Federal Reserve, aimed at curbing inflation at home. African countries are also finding it harder to access capital markets to meet their fiscal needs and refinance maturing debt. The United States, meanwhile, has largely failed to offer viable alternatives to cheap Chinese credit, officials said. One senior U.S. Treasury official said the United States had long been engaged in Africa, funding anti-HIV work and working on other health issues.

Jailed for graft in 2018 - the year right-wing former President Jair Bolsonaro was elected - Lula's convictions were overturned in 2019, allowing him to oust Bolsonaro in October's election. The more ideological Lula who emerged from jail in 2019 should not be a cause for concern, friends and allies said. Lula's spokesman Jose Chrispiniano said the president supported fiscal responsibility and believes that strengthening the economy is the best way to combat poverty. "Good morning, President Lula," his devotees would chant as the day began, followed by "Good night, President Lula," as he went to bed. From his 15-square-meter cell on the third floor of the Federal Police headquarters in Curitiba, Lula set about reorganizing the PT and managing his legal defense.

☆ Cyril Ramaphosa: South African president resists calls to resign
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( David Mckenzie | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Johannesburg, South Africa CNN —After days of speculation, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa looks set to fight calls for his resignation despite a damning report that found he could have covered up the theft of hundreds of thousands of dollars at his private game farm. Prior to the release of the report, Ramaphosa was widely expected to win a second term as ANC leader. And will never do so,” he said while addressing members of the ruling African National Congress (ANC) party in June this year. President Ramaphosa most likely did breach a number of Constitutional provisions and has a case to answer. Some allies of former president Zuma are now openly asking for Ramaphosa to step down.

☆ King Charles welcomes South Africa’s Ramaphosa for first state visit
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Story Reuters | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

King Charles hosted his first state visit since becoming British monarch on Tuesday, welcoming South African President Cyril Ramaphosa to Buckingham Palace. Charles, 74, rolled out the traditional pomp and ceremony for the first time as head of state, as Britain seeks to bolster its relations with its biggest trading partner in Africa. Ramaphosa is scheduled to visit Westminster Abbey to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior and see the memorial stone for former South African President Nelson Mandela. The Prince and Princess of Wales stand with South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa (C) at the Corinthia Hotel in London. The last state visit to Britain by a South African leader was that of President Jacob Zuma in 2010 when he was met by Charles and Camilla at the start of the trip.

☆ Walmart doubles down on Africa despite a decade of frustration
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-21 | by ( Nqobile Dludla | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

A shopper pushes a trolley as she leaves a Builders Warehouse store owned by Walmart-led Massmart Holdings in South Africa, at Gleneagles, in the south of Johannesburg, South Africa, October 20, 2022. Instead, Massmart's units outside South Africa struggled with foreign exchange risk, tricky regulatory environments and macroeconomic volatility. Earlier this year, an internal Amazon.com Inc (AMZN.O) memo detailing its expansion plans, including a maiden foray onto the continent via South Africa, leaked to media. The pending battle with its global rival looms over Walmart's e-commerce strategy for Massmart, several shareholders told Reuters. While Walmart can now firmly set the direction at its South African unit, its track record outside the United States is spotty.

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