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☆ Zimbabweans hit by rising prices as local currency plummets
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Nyasha Chingono | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

HARARE, June 14 (Reuters) - Zimbabwean businesses and households are fearing a repeat of the hyperinflation seen more than a decade ago as prices of basic commodities spike after a sharp weakening in the local currency, despite government efforts to boost it. "I went into the supermarket to buy bread and other groceries items but I was shocked to see that prices had gone up. While some retailers have hiked local currency prices, others are trading exclusively in U.S. dollars to cushion themselves from the weakening Zimdollar. "It is not possible for the retailer to procure goods with U.S. dollar and sell them in local currency," Confederation of Zimbabwe Retailers president Denford Mutashu said. As panic over the weakening Zimdollar spreads, there have been calls for Zimbabwe to again fully dollarise the economy.

Persons: Denford Mutashu, Gift Mugano, John Mangudya, Mangudya, Nyasha, Olivia Kumwenda, Mark Potter Organizations: U.S ., of Zimbabwe Retailers, Reuters, Thomson Locations: HARARE, Zimbabwe, Reuters Zimbabwe

☆ Taylor and Conners to try and make it Canada Day at national championship
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-11 | by ( Steve Keating | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Jun 10, 2023; Toronto, ON, CAN; Nick Taylor hits his tee shot at the 17th hole during the third round of the RBC Canadian Open golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY SportsTORONTO, June 10 (Reuters) - Perhaps no sporting event in Canada goes out of its way to tug at the heritage heartstrings more than the Canadian Open. But entering Sunday's final round there is plenty of Canadian content on the leaderboard with Nick Taylor and Corey Conners in position to make history. Six will start Sunday's final round two off the pace including Taylor, who rocketed into contention with a course record nine-under 63. "I would love to win the Canadian Open for the third time.

Persons: Nick Taylor, Dan Hamilton, Caesar, Bloody Mary, Pat Fletcher, Corey Conners, Taiwan's, Pan, Rory McIlroy, Taylor, Northern Ireland's McIlroy, LIV, McIlroy, I've, Steve Keating, Andrea Ricci Organizations: RBC Canadian, Sports TORONTO, Canadian, Oakdale Country, PGA, Thomson Locations: Toronto, Canada, Muskoka, Australia, Zimbabwe, Canadian, Saudi

☆ Ukraine’s cross-border tactics are aimed at destabilizing Russia. Judging by the response, they’re working
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Sam Kiley | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

The operations of Russian citizens, carrying Ukrainian military ID, wearing Ukrainian uniforms and attacking from Ukraine, remain officially opaque. Back then, “Little Green Men” in peculiar two-tone sport-hunting uniforms – and Russian military fatigues – appeared in Crimea. The Russian Volunteer Corps and the Freedom for Russia Legion – which fall under Ukraine’s Defence Intelligence structure – have been conducting short cross-border raids into Russia. Russia rattledIn Ukraine, it suits Kyiv to have Russians invade Russia on its behalf. Previous days with all the shelling - there was almost no response, no (Russian) military.

Persons: coy, what’s, “, fatigues –, Vladimir Putin, Moscow, Sergey Bobok, for Russia Legion –, –, Putin, it’s, ”, ” Putin, Prigozhin, Wagner, “ Wagner, Yulia Morozova, you’ve, ” Dmitry Medvedev, Medvedev, Vyacheslav Gladkov, Shebekino Organizations: CNN, Fighters, Russian Volunteer Corps, of Russia Legion, Getty, for Russia Legion, Ukraine’s Defence Intelligence, Frontline, Kremlin, Russian, Russian Federation, “ Wagner PMC, Russia, Kyiv, Reuters, Russian Telegram Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Crimea, Simferopol, Soviet, AFP, South, Angola, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Pretoria, destabilization, Belgorod –, Moscow, Kursk, Smelensk, Russian, St Petersburg, Soviet Union, Belgorod, Shebekino, “

☆ A ‘Dirty’ Job That Few Want: Mining Companies Struggle to Hire for the Energy Transition
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Yusuf Khan | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +10 min

Despite their part in the energy transition, mining companies face a perception of being in a “dirty” industry thanks to a legacy of mining disasters and accusations of worker exploitation and sexual assault. Canada’s mining and mineral-engineering enrollment was down 10% in 2020 compared with 2016, according to Canada’s Mining Industry Human Resources Council. SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS What message should mining companies deliver to young workers to attract them to the industry? Mining companies also face accusations of exploitation of local workforces. She hopes that younger workers will help mining companies evolve, taking on more social responsibility and improving their mining practices.

Persons: Lily Dickson, Mawson, ”, Alex Gorman, Peel Hunt, Rohitesh Dhawan, Alex Gorman “, Gorman, “, Haydon Mort, Stacy Hope, Cole Burston, Hope, Codelco, Centamin, Martin Horgan, Mort, Geologize, Jamie Kelsey Fry, Dickson, Yusuf Khan Organizations: University of Leeds, Leeds, Rio Tinto, McKinsey, U.S . National Center for Education Statistics, Canada’s Mining, Resources Council, Peel, International Council, Mining, Metals, Tinto, of Labor Statistics, Australian Bureau, Statistics, Geologize Ltd, BHP, . Workers, Bloomberg, Codelco, Chilean, Walmart, Recruiting, Centamin, Sustainable Business, “ Locations: Finland, Vancouver, Europe, U.S, Australia, Rio, South Africa, Lily Dickson Canada, Botswana, “, Saharan Africa, Ontario, Canada, Chile, Africa, Congo, Ghana, Zimbabwe, yusuf.khan

☆ In Zimbabwe, female rugby team seeks to keep girls off the streets
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( Nyasha Chingono | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Shingi Chigegede, a member of the Zimbiru Rugby Academy Club, an all-female rugby team, makes a try during a legue match against Old Georgians sports club in the capital Harare, in Zimbabwe, April 29, 2023. REUTERS/Philimon BulawayoDOMBOSHAVA, Zimbabwe, May 30 (Reuters) - Bridget Magasu is the first to arrive for the training session, clutching a rugby ball while she waits for other members of her all-female rugby team to arrive. Domboshava, a hub for transporting farm produce, has become a hotspot for sex work. "We wanted the girls to stay away from the streets," team coach Takudzwa Ngirazi, 25, a former club rugby player said. Jobs are scarce, pushing teenage girls into sex work - sometimes for as little as U.S. $2.

☆ The Venice Architecture Biennale puts Africa center stage
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( Marianna Cerini | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Venice, Italy CNN —Until recently, the Venice Architecture Biennale — arguably the world’s largest architecture exhibition — has drawn crowds for its (mainly Western) star appeal. In a May 20 Facebook post titled “Venice Biennale Blues,” Zaha Hadid Architects’ principal, Patrik Schumacher, wrote that “the ‘Architecture’ Biennale is mislabeled and should stop laying claim to the title of architecture. The German pavilion, which is displaying construction waste produced by 2022’s Venice Art Biennale is a case in point. The German Pavilion at the 18th Architecture Biennale is displaying and repurposing constuction waste from the city's Art Biennale last year. The British Pavilion curators Meneesha Kellay, Joseph Henry, Jayden Ali and Sumitra Upham, with commissioner Sevra Davis, photographed in London.

☆ Reaction: Biden, McCarthy debt ceiling deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

WASHINGTON, May 27 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden and top congressional Republican Kevin McCarthy have reached a tentative deal to raise the federal government's $31.4 trillion debt ceiling, ending a months-long stalemate. DEMOCRATIC REPRESENTATIVE TED LIU"Tonight, I have been informed that there is an agreement in principle between the White House and House Republicans. This was a House Republican manufactured crisis. REPUBLICAN REPRESENTATIVE BOB GOOD "I am hearing the 'deal' is for a $4 trillion increase in the debt limit. "If we didn't reach a deal … the average American person would clearly see a hit ... we had to reach some kind of conclusion here."

☆ Cholera outbreak claims ten more lives in South Africa
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

JOHANNESBURG, May 21 (Reuters) - The provincial health department in the South African province of Gauteng on Sunday announced 19 new cases of Cholera in Hammanskraal, including 10 deaths. South Africa reported its first cholera death in February, after the virus arrived in the country from Malawi. It was unclear how many cholera cases there was nationally as of Sunday, but the most populous province of Gauteng, where Johannesburg and Pretoria are situated, has been hardest hit. Cholera can cause acute diarrhoea, vomiting and weakness and is mainly spread by contaminated food or water. The last outbreak in South Africa was in 2008/2009 when about 12,000 cases were reported following an outbreak in neighbouring Zimbabwe, which led to a surge of imported cases and subsequent local transmission.

Climate change drove heat in the city to a record-breaking 48C (118F) in 2016. While traditional insurance can take months to pay, with so-called "parametric" insurance there is no need to prove losses. At annual climate talks in Egypt last year, nonprofits urged richer nations to help finance parametric insurance as a way of compensating victims of worsening weather extremes. At the moment, insurance schemes in the developing world are largely subsidized by nonprofit groups, national governments, or wealthy countries. Insurance payouts allow them to buy things like gloves to protect their hands from scorching hot metal tools, or fans to stay cool and avoid heat exhaustion.

☆ Hannah Jadagu Turns Small Moments Into Big Pop Songs
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Jon Pareles | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Those melodies turn out to be equally effective whether they’re leaping across distorted guitar chords, suave keyboards or abstract soundscapes. “She’s got an encyclopedic knowledge of all the different ways that music can go,” Kline said in an interview. Jadagu turned away from the church when she was in high school. “Everyone is looking for an explanation/Put your faith and hope in something,” Jadagu sings as the album begins. Then she starts to wonder: “How do you know?”In high school, Jadagu studied classical percussion and joined the school’s drum line.

☆ Argentina raises interest rate to 97% as it struggles to tackle inflation
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Stefano Pozzebon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —The Central Bank of Argentina raised its key interest rate Monday by six percentage points to 97% in an effort to tackle soaring inflation that has reached 30-year highs. Central banks across the globe are struggling to rein in inflation, but it’s a particular problem in Argentina, where the annual inflation rate soared above 100% last month. (By comparison, inflation hovers below 5% in the US, where the central bank has raised key interest rates by five percentage points over 14 months.) Argentina’s central bank is also hoping the rate hike will incentivize investments in the country’s currency, according to the central bank’s statement released Monday. “When a central bank raises the interest rate, the effects are felt some two or three months afterward, and that timescale is not effective in Argentina’s situation.”— Elisabeth Buchwald contributed reporting.

☆ African Devt Bank proposes 'fast track' compensation for Zimbabwe white ex-farmers
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Nyasha Chingono | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

HARARE, May 15 (Reuters) - The African Development Bank (AFDB) has developed financial instruments to "fast track and front load" $3.5 billion in compensation to white farmers whose land was taken from them by Zimbabwe's government, the bank's president said on Monday. Zimbabwe agreed in 2020 to compensate local white farmers whose land was taken by the government from 2000 onwards to resettle Black families, in one of the most divisive policies of the Robert Mugabe era, while foreign white farmers were allowed to apply to get seized land back. Adesina said the new proposal to former white farmers would "help leverage the capital markets to fund the compensation without adding debt to Zimbabwe," without providing further details. Adesina said that 91% of Zimbabwe's multilateral debt and 61% of its bilateral debt is in arrears. "The government takes full ownership of the debt process and the implementation of reforms," Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube told the press conference.

☆ Invictus Energy confirms oil, gas and helium find in Zimbabwe
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Companies Invictus Energy Ltd FollowHARARE, May 8 (Reuters) - Australia-listed Invictus Energy (IVZ.AX) on Monday confirmed the presence of light oil, gas condensate and helium at its Cabora Bassa project in Zimbabwe, sending its shares up 8.7%. “Analysis shows the presence of light oil and rich natural gas condensate, with condensate gas ratios estimated at between 30 and 135 barrels per million cubic feet," it said. The analysis also confirmed the presence of helium gas in commercial concentrations comparable with global helium producing fields, the company added. Helium is a key component in the manufacture of semiconductors, liquid crystal display (LCD) panels and fibre optic wire. “Success at Mukuyu-2 and confirmation of a significant discovery will further unlock the value of our material portfolio," said Invictus Energy Managing Director Scott MacMillan.

CNN —Growing up, Sindile Mavundla would cycle to school every day on a red BMX bicycle – then a rarity in Khayelitsha, a township in Cape Town, South Africa. In Africa, in addition to Mavundla, there is a bicycle mayor in Botswana, Kenya, and Zimbabwe, and two in Nigeria. As bicycle mayor of Cape Town, Mavundla is on a mission to create a more diverse and accessible cycling culture in South Africa. He has also worked with mobility non-profit Qhubeka to donate 1,220 bikes to Thembelihle High School, in Cape Town. “If you look at the poorer people in South Africa, a lot of their money goes in public transport.

[1/2] Mourners hold a poster during the state funeral of Zimbabwe's longtime ruler Robert Mugabe at a national sports stadium in Harare, Zimbabwe, September 14, 2019. Still, some farmers say they will reject the government's $3.5 billion compensation package for being inadequate financially and for paying scant regard to land restitution or restoring property rights. Farmers say the plan was agreed by the Commercial Farmers Union in July 2020 and subsequently revised without adequate consultation. "The offer of bonds represents a very significant reduction in value with a prolonged redemption period," Gilpin, 67, told Reuters. The government was continuing discussions with farmers over appropriate payment methods and time frames, Ncube said.

The country nationalised its copper sector in 1971, provoking international outrage, particularly in the United States. President Gabriel Boric's lithium "nationalisation" is a more benign version, using an even earlier copper model. THE COPPER MODEL - GOOD AND BADIf President Boric's lithium policy is an echo of past copper policy, the comparison is with the "Chileanisation" programme of the Eduardo Frei Montalva administration in the late 1960s. Even the neo-liberals of the Augusto Pinochet regime kept the national jewel in the crown as they opened the rest of the country's' copper sector up to the private sector. It is now Codelco that is tasked with taking control of the country's lithium sector.

☆ Factbox: Chile lithium move latest in global resource nationalism trend
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Matthew Chye | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

April 21 (Reuters) - Chile's President Gabriel Boric announced on Thursday he would nationalise the country's vast lithium industry to boost the economy and protect the environment. Chile is the world's second largest producer of lithium, a key component in batteries used in electric vehicles. Myanmar accounted for 77% of China's tin ore imports last year, Chinese customs data showed. INDONESIA* A resource powerhouse, Indonesia is tightening controls over various materials in a push to develop local downstream operations and extract greater value. More export bans will also be announced in the coming years in order to develop resource processing industry onshore, he said, speaking at an economic forum.

☆ ‘Black Panther’ and the New Blueprint for Female Warriors Onscreen
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Nancy Coleman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

There’s something courageous in her; she’s not going to walk into a space unprepared. There was a tender day on set [for “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” filmed after Chadwick Boseman, the franchise’s original star, died in 2020] when we connected deeply. ], I was distraught about how terribly African women were portrayed in the West, if they ever were. The joy for me is to see Black women from around the world getting our stories told: Letitia [Wright, another “Black Panther” actor] is Guyanese British, and she had to learn a ton of Shona when she was the lead in my play at the Young Vic [“The Convert,” 2018-19, in London]. To have her doing our accents and intonations beautifully was like seeing the diaspora embracing itself.

☆ Ballance retires from all forms of game
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

April 19 (Reuters) - Former England batter Gary Ballance announced his retirement from cricket on Wednesday, four months after leaving Yorkshire following the racism scandal involving Azeem Rafiq. Yorkshire released Ballance from his contract in December after the 33-year-old Zimbabwe-born player spent a year on the sidelines to deal with mental health issues. Ballance admitted in 2021 to using racist language against former team mate Rafiq, whose allegations of institutional racism at Yorkshire rocked English cricket. Ballance signed a two-year deal to play for Zimbabwe last year. "After much thought, I have decided to retire from all forms of professional cricket with immediate effect," Ballance said in a statement released by the Professional Cricketers' Association.

☆ A tour guide recalls the terrifying moment he was swallowed by a hippo and had his arm crushed
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Paul Templer barely survived a hippo attack after a pod capsized his group's canoe when he was 28. He found himself inside a hippo's mouth three times and was swallowed up to his waist twice. "It was as if I had suddenly gone blind and deaf," Templer told The Guardian in 2013. Templer survived being in the hippo's mouth three timesA hippo is shown in Botswana. A third time, Templer found himself inside the hippo's mouth, this time with arms and legs dangling either side of its mouth.

☆ Hippo attacks: How to avoid one of Africa's most dangerous animals
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Forrest Brown | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +22 min

“Hippos attack not to eat people, but to get them the hell away from them,” Lewison said. Larger vessels can offer more protection from a sudden hippo attack. photocech/Adobe StockGet to know the signs of disturbed hippos, Muruthi advised, in case you wander too closely. … If you slap the water, the percussion 99.9 times out of 100 will turn the hippo,” Templer said. Remember to suck in air if on the surface.”Another hippo attack survivor in this National Geographic video also was able to conserve her breath.

☆ Lawmakers meet with Apple, Disney CEOs as part of talks on competition with China
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-07 | by ( Lauren Feiner | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

High-profile tech and media executives shared their experiences of working in and competing with China with lawmakers who visited California this week. Over the three-day trip that kicked off on Wednesday, lawmakers were scheduled to meet with Disney CEO Bob Iger and Apple CEO Tim Cook, as well as high-level executives from Google , Microsoft , Palantir and Scale AI. The trip highlights the key role tech and media industries play in America's increasingly complex relationship with China. In Hollywood, the group of lawmakers from the select committee learned about a range of topics related to competition with China. The group was also slated to meet with venture capitalists on Thursday, including Andreessen Horowitz, Khosla Ventures and SV Angel.

☆ Uganda’s anti-gay bill is the latest and worst to target LGBTQ Africans
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Aditi Bhandari | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +14 min

Same-sex activity in Africa is punishable by … Map of the 32 African countries where same-sex activity is illegal. Same-sex activity in Africa … Map of the 22 African countries where same-sex activity is legal. In 1993, Guinea-Bissau became the first African country to legalise LGBTQ activity when it adopted a new Penal Code that didn’t include any laws criminalising it. Country Constitutional protection Broad protections Employment Hate crime Incitement Marriage or civil union Adoption Angola No Yes Yes Yes Yes No No Botswana No No Yes No No No No Cape Verde No No Yes Yes No No No Gabon No No No No No No No Guinea-Bissau No No No No No No No Lesotho No No No No No No No Mozambique No No Yes No No No No Sao Tome and Principe No No Yes Yes No No No Seychelles No No Yes No No No No South Africa Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes YesNote: Broad protections include laws protecting against discrimination in at least 3 of 4 categories: the provision of goods and services, housing, healthcare and education. Namibia and Mauritius criminalise same-sex activity, but around 35% of respondents said they would dislike having a gay neighbour.

☆ South Africa move to brink of World Cup qualification
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-02 | by ( Mark Gleeson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

JOHANNESBURG, April 2 (Reuters) - Aiden Markram scored a superb century and Sisanda Magala claimed five wickets to lead South Africa to a 146-run win over the Netherlands in a one-day international on Sunday and move them to the brink of World Cup qualification. Markram plundered 175 runs off 126 balls as South Africa, put into bat, scored 370-8 off their 50 overs before Magala took his first five-wicket haul to help dismiss the Dutch for 224. The win lifted South Africa into eighth place in the World Cup Super League standings, from where they can now automatically qualify for the World Cup in October. The Netherlands bowling attack started brightly, dismissing South Africa’s openers cheaply but then came in for a peppering, eventually going at a rate of 7.4 per over. Already qualified for the tournament from Oct. 5-Nov. 19 are Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, New Zealand, Pakistan and hosts India.

☆ South Africa's grannies kick out stereotypes on the soccer field
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( Siyabonga Sishi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Player compete during the Grannies International Football Tournament (GIFT) 2023 at the Nkowankowa Stadium in Tzaneen, South Africa March 26, 2023.REUTERS/Alet PretoriusTZANEEN, South Africa, March 28 (Reuters) - Wearing blue tracksuits and waving their national flag, South Africa's Vakhegula Vakhegula soccer team jogged into the stadium to cheers ahead of their first match against team USA. Vakhegula means "grandmothers" in the Tsonga language spoken in South Africa. When not practicing with the team she likes watching soccer on TV with her husband, and spending time with her five grandsons. The tournament, nicknamed the Grannies Soccer World Cup, is the first of its kind hosted by Vakhegula Vakhegula. The four-day tournament will see at least 15 teams compete, from South Africa and other countries including Zambia, Zimbabwe and Mozambique.

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