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☆ Jack Dorsey’s payments company, Block, is building its own bitcoin mining system
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-23 | by ( Mackenzie Sigalos | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Jack Dorsey says that his payments company, Block (formerly Square), is expanding its bitcoin mining ambitions from designing chips to developing a full bitcoin mining system. "Building on these insights and pursuant to our goal of supporting mining decentralization, we plan to offer both a standalone mining chip as well as a full mining system of our own design." "Mining isn't accessible to everyone," Dorsey wrote when Block first entered the business of building mining hardware in 2021. "Bitcoin mining should be as easy as plugging a rig into a power source. The company was light on the details in this latest announcement, but Dorsey posted in 2021 that the company was considering a "bitcoin mining system based on custom silicon."

Persons: Jack Dorsey, We've, Dorsey, Block, Thomas Templeton Organizations: Mining Locations: China, Kenya, Malawi, Zambia

☆ How a Jack Dorsey-backed bitcoin miner uses a volcano in Kenya to turn on the lights in rural homes
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-20 | by ( Mackenzie Sigalos | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

watch nowHELL'S GATE, Kenya — Two-and-a-half hours northwest of Nairobi by car, a small group of bitcoin miners set up shop at the site of an extinct volcano near Hell's Gate National Park. "That doesn't happen without the bitcoin miners and us being globally distributed." MacKenzie SigalosWherever the operation, bitcoin mining is a volatile business, because so much of the economics depends on the price of the cryptocurrency. Before getting into bitcoin mining, he and his two co-founders, Philip Walton and Janet Maingi, spent years building internet connectivity infrastructure in rural and urban Africa. Demand from bitcoin miners on these semi-stranded assets is making renewables in Africa economically viable.

Persons: Jack Dorsey's, MacKenzie Sigalos, Erik Hersman, Bitcoin, Gridless, Lake Naivasha, bitcoin, Adam Sullivan, Philip Walton, Janet Maingi, Michael Gottschalk, Nic Carter, Carter, Hersman, It's, it's Organizations: CNBC, Kenyan, Core, Deutsche Bank, Marathon, United Arab, Getty, Island Ventures, Miners, International Energy Agency Locations: Kenya, Nairobi, Lake Naivasha, Malawi, Zambia, Venezuela, Lebanon, Gate, Lake, U.S, Texas, Russia, China, America, Africa, Toronto, Argentina, Florida, United Arab Emirates, Paraguay, Hersman, Sudan, Iceland, El Salvador, Bhutan

☆ Drought Pushes Millions Into ‘Acute Hunger’ in Southern Africa
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-18 | by ( Somini Sengupta | Manuela Andreoni | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

An estimated 20 million people in southern Africa are facing what the United Nations calls “acute hunger” as one of the worst droughts in more than four decades shrivels crops, decimates livestock and, after years of rising food prices brought on by pandemic and war, spikes the price of corn, the region’s staple crop. Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe have all declared national emergencies. Its effects are all the more punishing because in the past few years the region had been hit by cyclones, unusually heavy rains and a widening outbreak of cholera. ‘Urgent help’ is neededThe rains this year began late and were lower than average. In February, when crops need it most, parts of Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Angola, Mozambique and Botswana received a fifth of the typical rainfall.

Organizations: United Nations Locations: Africa, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Angola, Mozambique, Botswana

☆ Southern Africa’s drought and floods could push tens of millions into hunger
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-04 | by ( Sarah Dean | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The country’s top priority “is securing food for all Zimbabweans,” the president told journalists at the state house in Harare. Kb Mpofu/ReutersIn Zambia, Malawi and Central Mozambique, extreme drought has damaged more than 2 million hectares of crops, Oxfam said. Zambia declared its drought a disaster on February 29. In Mozambique — a country accounting for only 0.2% of global emissions — 3 million people face hunger, according to Oxfam. The country’s capital, Maputo, experienced devastating floods in March, after Tropical Storm Filipo hit followed a few weeks later by further intense rainfall.

Persons: South Africa CNN —, Emmerson Mnangagwa, El Niño, Zimbabwe —, Filipo, ” Teresa Anderson, Machinda Marongwe, ” Marongwe Organizations: South Africa CNN, Oxfam, Reuters, Democratic, United Nations Office, Humanitarian Affairs, United States Agency, International, Systems Network Locations: Johannesburg, South Africa, Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Harare, “, Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo, Mozambique, Namibia, Pumula East, Bulawayo, Central Mozambique, ” Southern Africa, Maputo

☆ How to 3D-print a school in a war zone
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-25 | by ( Rebecca Cairns | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Project Hive will provide the school with four extra classrooms to help it accommodate additional students displaced by the war, said Bonis. But he continues undeterred: “(This) is also a way of taking technology to give back hope.”A model of the 3D-printed school showing the four new classrooms. Where 3D printing is really great is when you have special geometries and shapes, because you’re totally free. According to Lange, there are cheaper, faster alternatives to 3D printing, such as prefabricated and modular buildings. Team4UAReconstructing communitiesTeam4UA is not the only organization to see the potential of 3D-printed construction in disaster and conflict zones.

Persons: Jean, Christophe Bonis, “ I’m, ” Bonis, Team4UA, Olga Gavura, “, ”, DUS, Christian Lange, you’re, Hong Kong University Lange, Lange, Jack Oslan, Oslan, ‘, Andriy Zakaliuk, Bonis, “ It’s Organizations: CNN, Team4UA, United Nations ’ International Organization for Migration, ”, Balbek, Ars Longa, Dubai Future Foundation, Hong Kong University, Robotic, 7CI Group, Russian, Diamond, Kyiv School of Economics, Lviv City Council’s Locations: Lviv, Ukraine, Europe, Russia, —, Texas, Austin , Texas, Nacajuca, Mexico, Dubai, Malawi, Arizona, “, Kherson, Kyiv

PARK CITY, Utah (AP) — Chiwetel Ejiofor had read Jeff Hobbs’ “The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace” years before Antoine Fuqua asked if he might consider writing and directing an adaptation. Some of the narratives chalked it up to the fact that he went back to where he came from. “I thought it was very special and very powerful,” Ejiofor told The Associated Press in a recent interview. “I never felt that it was a story about somebody who was able to play a role in different places,” Ejiofor said. Ejiofor wants audiences to have a sense of hope in Rob’s story as well as to feel enriched by knowing him.

Persons: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Jeff Hobbs ’, Robert Peace ”, Antoine Fuqua, Peace’s, “, Peace, Ejiofor, Hobbs, ” Ejiofor, hadn’t, Fuqua, Rebecca, ” Antoine Fuqua, Rob Peace ”, ”, Alex Kurtzman, Rob, Jay Will, Jay, He’s, Maisel ”, Taylor Sheridan’s “, Mary J, Blige, Jackie, Camila Cabello, Naya, Skeet, he’d, Kurtzman marveled, —, ” Kurtzman, He’d, Ksenia Sereda, you’re Organizations: Yale, St, Benedict’s Preparatory School, Associated Press, Sundance, Taylor Sheridan’s “ Tulsa Locations: CITY , Utah, East Orange , New Jersey, Newark, Malawi

A South African company will make vaginal rings that protect against HIV, which AIDS experts say should eventually make them cheaper and more readily available. The Population Council announced Thursday that Kiara Health of Johannesburg will start making the silicone rings in the next few years, estimating that 1 million could be produced annually. The nonprofit council owns the rights to the rings, which are now made by a Swedish company. About 500,00 rings are currently available to women in Africa at no cost, purchased by donors. Last year, activists charged the stage in a protest during last year's biggest AIDS meeting, calling on donors to buy the silicone rings for African women.

Persons: Ben Phillips Organizations: Population, World Health Organization, WHO, Associated Press Health, Science Department, Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science, Educational Media Group, AP Locations: Johannesburg, Swedish, Africa, South Africa, Botswana, Malawi, Uganda, Zimbabwe

☆ Morocco win but other heavyweights humbled in World Cup qualifiers
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( Mark Gleeson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

CAPE TOWN, Nov 21 (Reuters) - Ghana and South Africa both suffered embarrassing defeats in World Cup qualification on Tuesday while top contenders Cameroon, Guinea, Senegal and Zambia also found it tough on the road as they all dropped points. On a busy day of 15 matches across the continent, there were also wins for Burkina Faso, the Cape Verde Islands, Morocco, Namibia, Tunisia and Uganda. But it was the Comoros, with a population of around a million, and Rwanda, ranked 140 in world football, who tore up the form book in beating Ghana and South Africa respectively. It was Rwanda’s first victory in their last 11 home matches and took them top of Group C, where they lead not only South Africa but also Nigeria and Zimbabwe. The next round of African qualifiers will be played in June, with the continent now turning its focus to January’s Cup of Nations finals in the Ivory Coast.

Persons: Moroni, Myziane Maolida, Innocent Nshuti, Gilbert Mugisha, Patson Daka, Hakim Ziyech, Bertrand Traore, Dango Ouattara, Tunisia’s, Youssef Msakni, Mark Gleeson, Toby Davis Organizations: Cameroon, Burkina, Ocean, African, Nations, Rogers Mato, Cape Verde Islands, Niger, Ethiopia, Malawi, Sao Tome, Thomson Locations: CAPE, Ghana, South Africa, Guinea, Senegal, Zambia, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde Islands, Morocco, Namibia, Tunisia, Uganda, Comoros, Rwanda, Cameroon, Africa, Butare, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Togo, Botswana, Somalia, Libya, Mauritius, Angola, Cape, Eswatini, Qatar, Tanzania, Dar, Lilongwe, Sao Tome e Principe, Ivory Coast, Cape Town

☆ UK says new science initiative to work on climate-resilient crops
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/6] British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak speaks during the opening session of the Global Food Security Summit at Lancaster House in London, Britian November 20, 2023. Dan Kitwood/Pool via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Nov 20 (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will announce a new science initiative to bring together work on developing climate-resilient crops as his government hosts a Global Food Security Summit in London on Monday. The summit, a joint initiative between Britain, Somalia, the UAE, the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, is due to be attended by representatives from more than 20 countries. "We must take action to address the underlying, and often unseen, causes of global food insecurity," Sunak said. ($1 = 0.8025 pounds)Reporting by Kylie MacLellan; Editing by David HolmesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Rishi Sunak, Dan Kitwood, Melinda Gates, Sunak, Kylie MacLellan, David Holmes Organizations: British, Global Food Security, Lancaster House, Britian, REUTERS Acquire, Food Security, Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, Melinda Gates Foundation, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, Somalia, UAE, Ukraine, British, Ethiopia, Sudan, South Sudan, Afghanistan, Malawi

☆ UK Says New Science Initiative to Work on Climate-Resilient Crops
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-19 | by ( Nov. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will announce a new science initiative to bring together work on developing climate-resilient crops as his government hosts a Global Food Security Summit in London on Monday. The summit, a joint initiative between Britain, Somalia, the UAE, the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, is due to be attended by representatives from more than 20 countries. "We must take action to address the underlying, and often unseen, causes of global food insecurity," Sunak said. Priorities will include mobilising international finance and harnessing innovation, Britain's Foreign Office said. ($1 = 0.8025 pounds)(Reporting by Kylie MacLellan; Editing by David Holmes)

Persons: Rishi Sunak, Melinda Gates, Sunak, Kylie MacLellan, David Holmes Organizations: British, Food Security, Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, Melinda Gates Foundation Locations: London, Britain, Somalia, UAE, Ukraine, British, Ethiopia, Sudan, South Sudan, Afghanistan, Malawi

☆ IMF board approves $178 mln loan to Malawi
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Malawian Finance and Economic Affairs Minister Sosten Gwengwe speaks at the State Department in Washington, DC, U.S., September 28, 2022. Kevin Wolf/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBLANTYRE, Nov 15 (Reuters) - The International Monetary Fund's executive board has approved a loan of about $178 million for Malawi, with an immediate disbursement of about $35 million, the IMF said in a statement on Wednesday. "The decision is a big breather for us and our economy," Finance Minister Simplex Chithyola Banda said in a telephone interview with Reuters. The IMF programme will unlock more financial support from development partners, Malawian President Lazarus Chakwera said in a televised national address late on Wednesday. The World Bank could give Malawi $60 million for trade finance, a $217 million package linked to fiscal reforms and $250 million for agriculture, Chakwera said.

Persons: Sosten Gwengwe, Kevin Wolf, Banda, Lazarus Chakwera, Chakwera, Frank Phiri, Anait Miridzhanian, David Gregorio, Sandra Maler Organizations: Finance, Economic Affairs, State Department, Rights, Monetary Fund's, Malawian, Simplex, Reuters, IMF, Bank, Thomson Locations: Washington , DC, Rights BLANTYRE, Malawi

But none made her feel more beautiful or purposeful as the pageant for people with albinism that was held this month in Zimbabwe's capital, Harare. “I can be that inspiration for young girls, especially those with albinism, to feel comfortable and beautiful in their own skin," Muhitu said. I don't feel shamed, I feel empowered," she said, shaking hands with people eager to congratulate her. The Mr. Albinism Southern Africa title was claimed by Zimbabwean Ntandoyenkosi Mnkandla, 26, a trainee paralegal. Muhitu, who received $250 for winning the Miss Albinism prize, commended the growing number of events that celebrate people with albinism in Africa.

Persons: Andreia Solange Sicato Muhitu, Muhitu, ” Muhitu, Brenda Mudzimu, ”, Mudzimu, Mnkandla Organizations: Human Rights, AP Locations: HARARE, Zimbabwe, Southern Africa, Angolan, Zimbabwe's, Harare, “, Africa, Malawi, Tanzania, Angola's, Cubango, Saharan Africa, North America, Europe, South Africa, Zambia, Mozambique, Angola, africa

☆ Delali Ayivi is following in the footsteps of one of Togo’s first photographers
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( Flo Cornall | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Her own curiosity, creativity and interest in photography echo that of her great-great-grandfather, Alex Agbaglo Acolatse – one of the first Togolese photographers. Alex Agbaglo Acolatse/The Metropolitan Museum of ArtAcolatse retired in the mid 1950s, a few years before Togo’s independence in 1960. Alex Agbaglo Acolatse/The Metropolitan Museum of ArtHer great-great-grandfather remains one of Ayivi’s biggest influences, despite them coming from completely different contexts. “The intent that came behind that (Acolatse’s studio photography), it’s still a guiding principle for me today,” she added. But there was still a sense of pride that I found very inspiring.”A self portrait by Alex Agbaglo Acolatse.

Persons: Delali Ayivi, Aminata, Germany’s, shouldn’t, Ayivi, Alex Agbaglo Acolatse, Acolatse, Metropolitan Museum of Art Acolatse, ”, Acolatse’s, it’s, I’ve, Malaika Nabilah, they’ve, Togo Yeye, Mami Wata, she’s, Nabilah Organizations: CNN, Togolese, Vogue Germany, Metropolitan Museum of Art, University of the Arts London Locations: Togolese German, Togolese, Togo, Lomé, Germany, Lilongwe, Malawi, West, New York, London

☆ The best places — and best times — to take a safari
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-25 | by ( Harriet Akinyi | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

KenyaFor more than 25 years, professional safari guide Geoff Mayes has taken tourists to the best parks in Africa. Amboseli National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is known for its massive elephant population and spectacular views of Mount Kilimanjaro. In those three, one can track mountain gorillas in Mgahinga National Park and Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Another park to consider is the Kidepo Valley National Park, with its sweeping plains and valleys overshadowed by the brooding Mount Morungole. ZimbabweApart from the renowned Hwange National Park, I have also visited Matobo National Park, which has a wide diversity of fauna and plenty of white rhinos.

Persons: I've, revel, Harriet Akinyi, Geoff Mayes, Mara —, Masaai Mara, Mara, you'll, Barack Obama, It's, Luis Davilla, There's, Kruger, Addo, Nogaya, Jason Edwards, Dennis Kahungu, Christopher Kidd, Photodisc, Weaver, Clair, Nxai, Patrick J, Cecil Rhodes, Westend61 Organizations: Mara, Reserve, Kenya —, UNESCO, Heritage, Netflix, National Parks, Kruger, Park, Photodisc, Uganda Wildlife Authority, Queen Elizabeth, Lake, CNBC Travel, Getty, Nature, Kalahari Game Reserve, Kenya, Tourists Locations: Africa, Mugie Conservancy, Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa, Uganda, Mozambique, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Namibia, Rwanda, Nairobi, Mount Kilimanjaro, Solio Conservancy, Africa Kenya, Johannesburg, iMfolozi, Addo, Uganda Uganda, Kyambura, Lake Mburo, Mburo, Ihema, Inti St, Botswana Botswana, Okavango, Matobo

☆ Pakistan coach says ‘I’ve not seen so many grown men cry in all my life’ after first-ever World Cup qualifying round win
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-20 | by ( Ben Morse | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Stephen Constantine, the head coach of Pakistan’s men’s national football team, said he has “not seen so many grown men cry in all my life” after his side claimed its first-ever World Cup qualifying round win. Pakistan beat Cambodia 1-0 at Islamabad’s Jinnah Sports Stadium thanks to a 67th-minute goal from Harun Hamid. “It is an unbelievable atmosphere here, I’ve not seen so many grown men cry in all my life,” Constantine told the BBC. Pakistan is ranked 197th in the world and will now face matches against Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan and Jordan in the second round of qualifying, which begins in November. “We don’t have regular football; half of them have part-time jobs … and that makes the double result even more impressive.

Persons: Stephen Constantine, Pakistan’s, Harun Hamid, I’ve, ” Constantine, haven’t, “, I’m, Li shanze, Constantine, ” Organizations: CNN, football team, Pakistan, Islamabad’s Jinnah Sports, BBC, Saudi, Pakistan Football Federation, FIFA Locations: Cambodia, India, Nepal, Malawi, Sudan, Rwanda, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, Jordan

☆ African ambassador criticizes IMF, World Bank for not giving enough loans
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-16 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

John Wessels | Afp | Getty ImagesBEIJING — An ambassador of an African country to China has criticized the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank for restrictive lending policies. "The problem is that the ratings we are making for the African [countries] should be different," Ibrahima Sory Sylla, ambassador for the West African country of Senegal, said Thursday at an event at Peking University. The research claimed every 1% increase in Chinese loans resulted in an increase of 0.176% in African economic growth. Allan Joseph Chintedza, ambassador of Malawi to China, said the report should look also at the repayment period for Chinese loans. The East African country needs to provide a "sustainability letter" from the Chinese government in order to borrow more from the IMF, Chintedza added.

Persons: John Wessels, Sylla, Poor's, Senegal's Sylla, Fitch, Wu Peng, Jang Ping Thia, Thia, Vladimir Putin, Allan Joseph Chintedza, Chintedza Organizations: Afp, Getty, BEIJING —, International Monetary Fund, World Bank, West, Peking University, Fitch, IMF, Bank, United, Loans, Boston, Global, Policy Center, CNBC, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, Initiative, Peking University's Institute, New Locations: Senegal's, Dakar, BEIJING, China, Senegal, West Africa, Africa, Beijing, Malawi

REUTERS/Brian Snyder/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsOct 12 (Reuters) - High levels of inflation and increased costs of living are contributing to worldwide hunger, according to a survey of 16 countries commissioned by the humanitarian group World Vision International. It also found that 37% of parents said their children fail to receive proper nutrition each day and 21% said their children have gone hungry in the last month. The percentage of children going to bed hungry rises to 38% in low-income countries. Among respondents who said their children went to sleep hungry, 46% cited inflation and the cost of living as the main reason. Persistently high inflation was the biggest economic concern of economists this year, according to Reuters polls.

Persons: Brian Snyder, Andrew Morely, Ipsos, Daniel Trotta, Edwina Gibbs Organizations: La Colaborativa, REUTERS, World Vision, Democratic, Thomson Locations: Chelsea , Massachusetts, U.S, United States, Ukraine, Australia, Bangladesh, Brazil, Britain, Canada, Germany, Japan, Mexico, Peru, Philippines, South Korea, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iraq, Malawi

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Russia faces a tough fight to regain a seat in the U.N.’s premiere human rights body in Tuesday’s election in the General Assembly, which voted last year to suspend Moscow after its invasion of Ukraine. The 193-member assembly will be electing 15 members to the Geneva-based Human Rights Council, with candidates put forward by the U.N.’s five regional groups. Human Rights Watch said last week that Russia and China are unfit to serve on the Human Rights Council. The New York-based watchdog said China’s rights record should also disqualify it from the Human Rights Council. The Geneva-based Human Rights Council was created in 2006 to replace a commission discredited because of some members’ poor rights records.

Persons: ’, Moscow’s U.N, Vassily Nebenzia, ” Nebenzia, Felice Gaer, Jacob, Russia’s, Ferit Hoxha, Robert Wood, ”, Louis Charbonneau, U.N, Vladimir Putin Organizations: UNITED NATIONS, General Assembly, Rights, Albania, East European, Human Rights, Russia, Jacob Blaustein Institute, Advancement of Human, Human Rights Council, Security Council, United Nations, General, Rights Watch, Human Rights Watch, International, Court, The Locations: Russia, Moscow, Ukraine, Geneva, Bulgaria, United States, Russian, Ukrainian, U.S, America, Caribbean, Cuba, Brazil, Dominican Republic, Peru, China, Japan, Kuwait, Indonesia, Burundi, Malawi, Ghana, Ivory Coast, France, Netherlands, “, The New York, Xinjiang, North Korea, Iran, Venezuela, South Korea, Afghanistan, Vietnam, Sudan

HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — Zimbabwe has recorded 100 suspected deaths from cholera and more than 5,000 possible cases since late last month, prompting the government to impose restrictions to stop the spread of the disease, including limiting numbers at funerals and stopping some social gatherings in affected areas. The health ministry announced the death toll late Wednesday and said 30 of the deaths had been confirmed as from cholera through laboratory tests. Political Cartoons View All 1199 ImagesZimbabwe has often imposed restrictions during its repeated outbreaks of cholera. In southern Africa, Zimbabwe, Malawi, South Africa and Mozambique have all had recent cholera outbreaks. More than 4,000 people died in Zimbabwe's worst cholera outbreak in 2008.

Organizations: —, World Health Organization, ___ AP Locations: HARARE, Zimbabwe, — Zimbabwe, Masvingo, Harare, Africa, Malawi, South Africa, Mozambique, Malawi's, ___, africa

A nurse fills a syringe with malaria vaccine before administering it to an infant at the Lumumba Sub-County hospital in Kisumu, Kenya, July 1, 2022. REUTERS/Baz Ratner/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsGENEVA, Oct 2 (Reuters) - The World Health Organization (WHO) recommended on Monday the use of a second malaria vaccine to curb the life-threatening disease spread to humans by some mosquitoes. recommended the broad use of the world's first malaria vaccine called RTS,S," WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a briefing in Geneva. "Today, it gives me great pleasure to announce that WHO is recommending a second vaccine called R21/Matrix-M to prevent malaria in children at risk of the disease." "GSK has always recognised the need for a second malaria vaccine, but it is increasingly evident that RTS,S, the first ever malaria vaccine and the first ever vaccine against a human parasite, set a strong benchmark," GSK said in a statement.

Persons: Baz Ratner, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Tedros, Poonawalla, Takeda, Hanna Nohynek, Gabrielle Tétrault, Farber, Leroy Leo, Gareth Jones, Mark Potter Organizations: Lumumba, REUTERS, Rights, World Health Organization, WHO, Britain's University of Oxford, UNICEF, Serum Institute of India, Reuters, GSK plc, United Nations, GSK, Takeda Pharmaceuticals, Thomson Locations: Kisumu, Kenya, Geneva, Ghana, Malawi, Bengaluru

☆ Portraits of Fire Victims: Two Toddlers Named ‘Memory,’ and a Teacher About to Wed
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( Lynsey Chutel | More About Lynsey Chutel | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

As many as 600 people called the squalid five-story building at 80 Albert Street in downtown Johannesburg home. They were South Africans who had made their way to Johannesburg from rural provinces, and migrants from countries like Malawi and Tanzania, all trying to eke out a living in the big city. They labored to pay rent to the illegal building’s slum landlords. Jamila James, 3: She almost escapedImageThree-year-old Jamila James rarely set foot outside the building because the streets were not safe, said her uncle, Moris Anamwala. She spent her days in a makeshift day care center on the fourth floor while her mother, Phatuma Anamwala, a migrant from Malawi, sold fruit and vegetables on a Johannesburg sidewalk.

Persons: Jamila James, James, Moris, Phatuma Organizations: Albert Locations: Johannesburg, Malawi, Tanzania

The continent is rich in the commodities needed for the green energy transition and has abundant solar power, but many governments are also burdened with cripplingly high debts. "Eighty percent of the infrastructure Africa needs by 2050 has not yet been built," Gamboa said at the IMPACT conference. "They've come to a recognition that it is good development to leapfrog and go into the clean energy transition now." "We cannot and will not run away from doing fossil fuel-based investing because the development needs of the continent are so huge," the AFC's Gupta said. "The world still needs energy security, the world still needs energy source diversity.

Persons: John Muchucha, it's, Andrew Steer, Freddy, we've, Tom Mitchell, Sanjeev Gupta, Gupta, Cristina Gamboa, " Gamboa, ActionAid, Gloria Dickie, Jane Wardell, Sharon Singleton Organizations: REUTERS, Earth, Reuters IMPACT, International Institute for Environment, Development, London, African Finance Corporation, International Energy Agency, IMPACT, AFC, Thomson Locations: Africa, Nairobi, Kenya, London, Horn of Africa, Malawi, Mozambique, Madagascar, Sharm el, Sheikh, Lagos, Global South, Paris

CNN —Mary Achieng’s family is in the malaria ward at Nightingale Hospital in western Kenya almost every month. Mary Achieng and her child on the malaria wars at the Nightingale Hospital in western Kenya. Now with the introduction of the world’s first malaria vaccine, hailed as a breakthrough, there is talk of one day reaching eradication. So it’s a bitter irony that as Kenya celebrates hard-earned gains, new malaria species and cases are popping up in areas historically deemed low-risk. We are seeing [malaria] going to places where we didn’t expect,” she said.

Persons: Mary Achieng’s, she’s, ”, haven’t, Achieng, Mary Achieng, Fred Ooko, Steve Ngugi, Jackson Njehia, Gitahi Githinji, Richard Munang, Ruth Kavere, Faith, Yasuyoshi Chiba, Damaris, “, Muhia Organizations: CNN, Nightingale, Malaria, Kenya Medical Research Institute, International, of, Physiology, Reuters, Health Locations: Kenya, Kisumu, Africa, Nairobi, Health Africa, “, Saharan Africa, Mukuli, AFP, Ghana, Malawi

☆ Gorongosa National Park: How coffee is helping to restore an ecosystem
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( Kayla Smith | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Mozambique’s efforts to become a coffee powerhouse are thanks in part to the Gorongosa Coffee Project. Gorongosa coffee is exported mainly within Africa, with South Africa its biggest market. Gorongosa MediaJuliasse Sabao, supervisor of the Gorongosa Coffee Project, says that before coffee came to the national park, many people there were subsistence farmers growing just enough maize, beans, and peas to feed their family, with little surplus to sell. Vasco Galante, the national park’s director of communications, believes the revival of Gorongosa National Park is one of Africa’s greatest wildlife restoration success stories. Wana Chipoya, a Zambian agronomist working with coffee, recently visited the national park and was very impressed.

Persons: Juliasse Sabao, ” Sabao, Sabao, Sofia Molina, Molina, ”, ’, they’ll, “, Vasco Galante, Wana, “ I’ve Organizations: CNN, International Coffee Organization, Gorongosa Locations: Africa, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique, –, South Africa, ”, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambian

☆ Hundreds of millions pledged for African carbon credits at inaugural climate summit
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-04 | by ( Duncan Miriri | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Companies Climate FollowVitol SA FollowNAIROBI, Sept 4 (Reuters) - An initiative to boost Africa's carbon credit production 19-fold by 2030 drew hundreds of millions of dollars of pledges on Monday as Kenyan President William Ruto opened the continent's first climate summit. In one of the most anticipated deals, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) committed to buying $450 million of carbon credits from the Africa Carbon Markets Initiative (ACMI). "There hasn't been any success for an African country in attracting climate finance," said Bogolo Kenewendo, a United Nations climate adviser and former trade minister in Botswana. Many African campaigners have opposed the summit's approach to climate finance, and about 500 people marched in downtown Nairobi on Monday to protest. They say carbon credits are a pretext for continued pollution by wealthier countries and corporations, who should instead pay their "climate debt" through direct compensation and debt relief.

Persons: William Ruto, Ruto, Bogolo Kenewendo, Bogolo, Kevin Kariuki, Patricia Scotland, Esa Alexander, we've, Hassan Ghazali, Britain, Sultan Al Jaber, COP28, Duncan Miriri, Simon Jessop, Jefferson Kahinju, Aaron Ross, Hereward Holland, Angus MacSwan, Susan Fenton Organizations: United Arab Emirates, Africa Carbon Markets, United, African Development Bank, Reuters, International Monetary Fund, REUTERS, Climate Asset Management, HSBC Asset Management, Debt, Green, Thomson Locations: NAIROBI, UAE, Nairobi, Africa, United Nations, Botswana, Muloza, Mozambique, Blantyre, Malawi, Liberia, Tanzania, Germany, Kenya

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