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☆ BBC soccer commentator Lineker returns after suspension for criticising government
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, March 18 (Reuters) - Former England football captain Gary Lineker returned to host the BBC's flagship soccer show on Saturday, a week after his suspension for criticising government immigration policy caused a row over the broadcaster's impartiality rules. loadingBBC managers reversed their decision to suspend Lineker, the broadcaster's highest-paid presenter, after his colleagues refused to work in solidarity last weekend, forcing it to air soccer matches without normal commentary. So it's good to get back to some sort of normality and be talking about football again," Shearer said. After reinstating Lineker, the BBC said it would review how its impartiality guidelines applied to freelance presenters' use of social media. Interior minister Suella Braverman has described these arrivals as an "invasion" and is seeking to deport thousands of migrants to Rwanda.

☆ UK interior minister visits Rwanda to discuss deportation plan
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Philbert Girinema | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

KIGALI, March 18 (Reuters) - British interior minister Suella Braverman visited Rwanda on Saturday to discuss a deal under which the east African country will accept migrants who arrive in Britain without permission, if British courts confirm that the proposals are legal. Britain's government wants to send tens of thousands of migrants more than 4,000 miles away (6,400 km) to Rwanda as part of a 120 million pound ($146 million) deal agreed with Rwanda last year. British Home Secretary Suella Braverman walks at Downing Street in London, Britain March 15, 2023. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said that finding a solution is one of his top priorities for 2023. Britain spends more than 2 billion pounds a year to accommodate migrants and has tendered a $95 million contract to transport them to countries like Rwanda instead.

☆ FIFA Triples Women’s World Cup Prize Money for 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( Rachel Bachman | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

U.S. women’s players celebrate after winning the 2019 Women’s World Cup. FIFA is increasing the prize money for the 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand to $110 million, more than triple what it was in 2019, and says it could award equal prize money with the Men’s World Cup by 2027 if broadcasters increase their bids for the women’s event. FIFA president Gianni Infantino , speaking at the organization’s Congress in Kigali, Rwanda, said the international soccer federation was “embarking on a historic journey for women’s football and for equality. And this will lead us to a path to equal pay.”

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailZipline releases new drone designed for rapid home deliveriesZipline's new delivery drone is designed for rapid, at-home deliveries within a 10 mile radius. The company gained success with its initial model, first used to deliver blood to hospitals and clinics in Rwanda. Now, Zipline is trying to gain a greater foothold in the U.S., delivering food and medicine straight to customer's doorsteps. While companies like DroneUp, Wing, and Amazon Prime Air are also working in this space, Zipline hopes to be the first to scale drone delivery in the U.S.

To deliver cargo to a customer's door, the P2 Zip hovers around 300 feet above ground level and dispatches a kind of mini-aircraft and container called the "droid." Setting up one of these docks takes about as much work as installing an electric vehicle charger, Rinaudo Cliffton said. Before developing the P2 Zip, Zipline had established logistics networks in Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana, Japan, Kenya, Nigeria and Rwanda already. It is operating some drone delivery networks in the US, in North Carolina, Arkansas and Utah -- but the P2 will help it expand that network. The droid component of the P2 Zip is designed to enter distribution centers through a small portal, where it's loaded up with goods for delivery.

☆ Exodus of healthcare workers from poor countries worsening, WHO says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Emma Farge | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Baz RatnerGENEVA, March 14 (Reuters) - Poorer countries are increasingly losing healthcare workers to wealthier ones as the latter seek to shore up their own staff losses from the COVID-19 pandemic, sometimes through active recruitment, the World Health Organization said on Tuesday. "Health workers are the backbone of every health system, and yet 55 countries with some of the world's most fragile health systems do not have enough and many are losing their health workers to international migration," said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO director-general. He was referring to a new WHO list of vulnerable countries which has added eight extra states since it was last published in 2020. Some 115,000 healthcare workers died from COVID around the world during the pandemic but many more left their professions due to burnout and depression, he said. Asked which countries were attracting more workers, he said wealthy OECD countries and Gulf states but added that competition between African countries had also intensified.

☆ FIFA says 2026 World Cup will have record 104 matches
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"The FIFA Council unanimously approved the proposed amendment to the FIFA World Cup 2026 competition format" FIFA said. The 32-team World Cup in Qatar last year had a total of 64 matches completed in 29 days. Confederation champions from 2021-2024 will be eligible to play in the Club World Cup, which means Chelsea and Real Madrid have already qualified. The current version of the FIFA Club World Cup -- an annual competition with seven teams -- will be discontinued after 2023, with a new yearly club competition approved from 2024. "With 56 days, the total combined number of rest, release and tournament days remain identical to the 2010, 2014 and 2018 FIFA World Cup editions," FIFA added.

☆ Britain's BBC battles mutiny in its sports department after social media clash
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( Hannah Ward-Glenton | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Gary Lineker's tweets and the BBC's response caused public backlash and a weekend of disrupted sports programing as fellow presenters walked out in protest. LONDON — The BBC, Britain's public service broadcaster, is trying to navigate itself out of crisis mode following a mutiny within its sports department regarding social media usage. The BBC suspended Lineker, who is employed by the broadcaster on a freelance basis, on Friday. "We consider [Lineker's] recent social media activity to be a breach of our guidelines," a BBC statement read. The BBC's response led to walkouts among Lineker's colleagues, which disrupted sports programing across Saturday and Sunday.

☆ Britain denies plan to expel asylum seekers breaks law
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Andrew Macaskill | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"We are confident that we are complying with the law, domestic and international," she told the BBC. Under the government's plans, almost all asylum seekers who reach Britain in small boats will be detained without bail before they are deported to their home country or, if this is not safe, another destination such as Rwanda. They will also lose the right to challenge their deportation while in Britain, and once deported will be automatically banned from returning. Last year, a record 45,000 people came to Britain in small boats across the Channel, mainly from France. If everyone who arrived in small boats last year were detained, this would be equal to about half of Britain's total prison population.

☆ Threats towards women deter political involvement - UN
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Dina Kartit | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

March 8 (Reuters) - Violence and threats towards women still act as a deterrent to their involvement in politics, the U.N. gender equality organisation said, despite more women holding office. Data showed that the number of women in political leadership posts, both in government and in parliament, has improved overall, though, some regions such as the Middle East and North Africa lagged far behind. "Full democracy needs the equal participation of women in all its processes," the U.N. body added in its report on Tuesday, ahead of International Women's Day. The organisation's data also showed the global average number of women in national parliaments had inched up to 26.5% as of Jan 1., from 25.5% a year ago. The region grouping the Middle East and North Africa remained at the bottom of the regional ranking with fewer than 18% of female members of parliament, the U.N. Women's data showed.

☆ Britain to publish plan for asylum ban on Channel migrants
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Andrew Macaskill | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/2] Migrants leave a French maritime protection vessel, as the boat they were travelling in with 60 other migrants began to take water in the English Channel, in an attempt to reach Britain, in Boulogne-sur-Mer, France, November 29, 2022. The new legislation will mean that anyone who arrives on small boats will be prevented from claiming asylum and deported to so-called safe third countries, according to government officials, who asked not to be named. The court subsequently ruled it lawful in December, but opponents are seeking to appeal that verdict. It is expected the legal battle will end up in the UK Supreme Court and may not be resolved for months. Once the small-boat crossings have ended, Britain would be prepared to create more legal routes for asylum seekers, Sunak said last year.

☆ Britain to stop those arriving illegally from staying
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, March 5 (Reuters) - Anyone arriving illegally in Britain will be prevented from staying, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said in an interview published on Sunday, ahead of new legislation which is expected to be set out next week. Under pressure from his own lawmakers to find a solution to the flow of migrants arriving in Britain across the channel from Europe, Sunak has made stopping small boats one of his five key priorities. "Make no mistake, if you come here illegally, you will not be able to stay," Sunak told the Mail on Sunday newspaper. Under current practice, asylum seekers who reach Britain are often able to remain in the country to have their case heard. Asked on Sky News whether those arriving in Britain illegally would be banned from claiming asylum, government minister Chris Heaton-Harris said: "I believe so, yes."

☆ UK to unveil new law to stop Channel migrants on Tuesday - paper
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The British government has been promising to step up action to tackle the issue after the numbers making the perilous crossing soared to more than 45,000 last year. The British people want this solved," Home Secretary (interior minister Suella Braverman told the paper. London's High Court subsequently ruled it lawful in December, but opponents are seeking to appeal that verdict. It is expected the legal battle will end up in the UK Supreme Court and so may not be resolved for months. The policy has been denounced by human rights groups and even reportedly by King Charles.

After Russia invaded Ukraine, the West formed what looked like an overwhelming global coalition: 141 countries supported a United Nations measure demanding that Russia unconditionally withdraw. South Korea Indonesia Israel Thailand Japan Saudi Arabia Philippines Afghanistan CambodiaBy contrast, Russia seemed isolated. Eritrea “Russian actions are being distorted” North Korea Russia Belarus Syria Eritrea “Russian actions are being distorted” North Korea Russia Belarus SyriaBut the West never won over as much of the world as it initially seemed. But like many other African countries, South Africa appears careful to balance its growing ties with Russia against maintaining a relationship with the West. Others that provided Ukraine with military support have declined to impose economic sanctions on Russia.

☆ East African regional leaders demand ceasefire in eastern Congo
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-04 | by ( Clement Manirabarusha | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BUJUMBURA, Feb 4 (Reuters) - East African regional leaders on Saturday renewed their call for an immediate ceasefire by all sides in the conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo that pits the country's military against a rebel group it has accused Rwanda of supporting. At a summit in Burundi's capital Bujumbura, the leaders of the regional East African Community (EAC) bloc called for an "immediate ceasefire by all parties," according to a communique issued at the end of the meeting. The conflict has inflamed regional tensions with Congo accusing neighbour Rwanda of backing and sponsoring the Tutsi-led rebellion. United Nations experts and Western powers have also accused Rwanda of backing the M23, although Rwanda has denied any involvement. Saturday's summit was attended by heads of state from Rwanda, Congo, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and Burundi and senior officials from the region.

Summary Pope received vibrant welcome in KinshasaAddressed DR Congo's struggles with war, exploitationNow heads to predominantly Christian South SudanArchbishop of Canterbury joins for South Sudan legKINSHASA, Feb 3 (Reuters) - Pope Francis wraps up an emotional visit to Democratic Republic of Congo on Friday and heads to neighbouring South Sudan, another nation struggling to overcome decades of conflict and grinding poverty. On Wednesday, he heard harrowing stories from victims of conflict in eastern Congo who had witnessed the killings of close relatives and been subjected to sexual slavery, amputation and forced cannibalism. The pope will be joined for the whole of his visit to South Sudan by Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, leader of the global Anglican Communion, and by the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, Iain Greenshields. It is the first joint foreign trip by the three Christian leaders, who have called it a "pilgrimage of peace". South Sudan broke away from Sudan to become independent in 2011 after decades of north-south conflict, but civil war erupted in 2013.

Congo has some of the world's richest mineral deposits, but its abundant resources have stoked conflict between ethnic groups, militias, government troops and foreign invaders. He led the stadium in an impromptu chant of "no to corruption" in French, Congo's lingua franca. "The pope is right," said Joel Muhemereri Amani, 21, an art student. The United Nations says African economies lose nearly $150 billion to corruption each year. The 86-year-old pope, who arrived in Congo on Tuesday, flies to neighbouring South Sudan on Friday.

"Hands off the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Stop choking Africa: it is not a mine to be stripped or a terrain to be plundered," Francis said. [1/9] Pope Francis sits next to Democratic Republic of Congo's President Felix Tshisekedi as he attends the welcoming ceremony at the Palais de la Nation on the first day of his apostolic journey, in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, January 31, 2023. The pope criticised rich countries for ignoring the tragedies unfolding in Congo and elsewhere in Africa. On Wednesday, Francis will celebrate Mass at a Kinshasa airport that is expected to draw more than a million people.

☆ Explainer: What is driving the violence in eastern Congo?
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Sonia Rolley | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

REUTERS/Djaffar SabitiGOMA, Democratic Republic of Congo, Jan. 31 (Reuters) - A focus of Pope Francis' visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo is a meeting on Wednesday with around 60 victims of the decades of violence in the east of the country who have made the cross-country journey to see him. Millions have been killed, and millions more have been displaced by the violence in the east since the 1990s. WHAT IS DRIVING THE VIOLENCE IN EASTERN CONGOThe conflict in Congo goes back decades, making it difficult to isolate a few causes, said Jason Stearns, director of the Congo Research Group. The name refers to the March 23 date of a 2009 accord that ended a previous Tutsi-led revolt in eastern Congo. Rwanda has accused Congo of using the FDLR a proxy, while Congo has accuse Rwanda of backing the M23.

☆ Israel's StoreDot partners with Circulor on supply chain tracking
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Circulor, a British start-up specialised in blockchain being used at the Gatumba mine, is pictured on a smartphone in Ngororero district, Western Rwanda October 17, 2018. REUTERS/Clement UwiringiyimanaFRANKFURT, Jan 31 (Reuters) - StoreDot, an Israeli start-up developing fast-charging batteries, said on Tuesday it has partnered with UK start-up Circulor, which uses blockchain technology to map supply chains for companies pursuing greener, more sustainable production. StoreDot has begun using Circulor's technology to track the origin and carbon emissions of the raw materials in its battery cells. Legislative pressure is rising on electric vehicle makers and battery producers to track the human rights and environmental impact of their supply chains. Reporting by Victoria Waldersee; editing by Jason NeelyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ A couple who moved from the US to Costa Rica and saves $1,500 a month thinks more Americans should move abroad
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Alcynna Lloyd | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Zach Gerth recently moved to Costa Rica, a small country in Central America with many English speakers. Zach Gerth and Anna Sosdian's Costa Rican home. Courtesy of Zach Gerth. Courtesy of Zach Gerth. Courtesy of Zach Gerth.

☆ I've worked remotely from 15 different countries. Here's what I've learned and what I'd never do again.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Jordan Pandy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

In addition to Italy, over the last five years, Cook has worked in Kenya, Thailand, and 12 other countries. At the time, startups were the only type of company I found that were open to fully remote work. When I started doing this in 2018, remote working like this wasn't as common as it is now. Now, since more people have access to this life because of remote work, a number of companies have cropped up for this exact kind of thing. Cook serving another participant in the Italy program during dinner.

☆ Rwanda shoots at Congolese military jet over alleged airspace violation
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A video shared widely on Congolese social media showed a projectile shooting towards an airborne military plane, before exploding in the air near the plane, which continued to fly. Congo denied Rwanda's accusation that the jet had been in Rwandan airspace - the latest dispute between the two countries whose relationship has been strained by a rebel insurgency. Earlier the Rwandan government said Rwandan forces had fired at the jet after it violated Rwandan airspace in Rubavu - the same area as previous alleged violations, "prompting the government to take defensive measures." Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi said last week that the rebels had not fully withdrawn from those areas. In December, Rwanda said another fighter jet from Congo had briefly violated its air space.

☆ Gabon's foreign minister dies of heart attack
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Gabonese Foreign Minister Michael Moussa Adamo poses for a picture during a Reuters interview at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Kigali, Rwanda June 24, 2022. REUTERS/Ayenat Mersie/File PhotoLIBREVILLE, Jan 20 (Reuters) - Gabon's Foreign Minister Michael Moussa Adamo died on Friday of a heart attack, President Ali Bongo said in a statement. Three government sources said that he was in a council of ministers meeting when he suffered the cardiac attack. He was rushed to the hospital and died shortly after midday despite specialist treatment, said a government statement. Reporting by Gerauds Wilfried Obangome Writing by Nellie Peyton Editing by Frances KerryOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Meta's chief product officer says the metaverse will one day be as 'important as the smartphone'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Sawdah Bhaimiya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Meta's chief product officer said the metaverse will one day become as important as the smartphone. Speaking at a Davos panel on Wednesday, Chris Cox discussed Meta's vision for the metaverse. Cox said Meta believes that "one day that computing platform will be as important as the smartphone has become in our lifetimes." It is the "only thing Mark wants to talk about," one director level employee told Insider in April. "It's basically fomenting disorganization and anxiety," an employee told Insider at the time.

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