DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Yellen leads new U.S.-Africa policy with trip to Senegal, Zambia, South Africa
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Andrea Shalal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

"We believe that Africa's growth will be a key driver of global growth over the coming decades," a senior Treasury official told reporters. But some African countries, including Zambia, have soured on Chinese lending and are looking for alternatives, experts say. Yellen has criticized Beijing - now the world's largest creditor - for not moving quickly to restructure the debt of poor countries in Africa. The topic will be a key issue when she visits Zambia, the Treasury official said. Biden in December proposed that the African Union be included in the Group of 20 major economies to give African countries a bigger seat at the table.

☆ The not-quite-redemption of South Africa's infamous ultra-marathon cheats
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( Ryan Brown | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +35 min

"A runner can always recognize another runner," Eugene tells me. Ryan Brown for insiderIn those days, they didn't run for South Africa, but for QwaQwa – one of ten "homelands" established for Black South Africans. Tiny, non-contiguous territories – supposedly, the original territory of different Black South African ethnic groups – dotted across the country. It didn't turn out like that, but it didn't turn out like that for most Black South Africans either. As I sat speaking to Sergio, South Africa's president, Cyril Ramaphosa, was fighting for his political life after revelations that wads of cash, potentially ill-gotten, had been stolen from inside his sofa.

☆ China operating over 100 police stations across the world with the help of some host nations, report claims
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-04 | by ( Nina Dos Santos | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Madrid-based human rights campaigner Safeguard Defenders says it found evidence China was operating 48 additional police stations abroad since the group first revealed the existence of 54 such stations in September. When approached by CNN last month about Safeguard Defenders’ original allegations, China’s foreign affairs ministry said the overseas stations were staffed by volunteers. However, the organization’s latest report claims one police network it examined had hired 135 people for its first 21 stations. The organization also sourced a three-year contract for a worker hired at an overseas station in Stockholm. The NGO determines Italy has hosted 11 Chinese police stations, including in Venice and in Prato, near Florence.

☆ DeSantis says Congress should act if Apple follows through on Elon Musk claims and bans Twitter from App Store
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Kimberly Leonard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Elon Musk has alleged that Apple has threatened to remove Twitter from its App store. Ron DeSantis of Florida said Tuesday that Congress should intervene if Apple boots Twitter from its App Store. On Monday, Musk accused Apple of considering retaliation against Twitter by threatening to remove the social media company from its App Store. When asked about Musk's political support, DeSantis has previously said he welcomes "support from African Americans." If Apple were to remove Twitter from its App Store, then current users couldn't download Twitter updates and new users wouldn't be able download the Twitter app onto their iPhones or iPads.

☆ Elon Musk said he would support Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for president in 2024
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-26 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Elon Musk said he would support Florida Gov. The Florida governor is emerging as a formidable political rival for Donald Trump. Musk, the billionaire Tesla CEO and Twitter owner, revealed his support for the governor while responding to a tweet on Friday. When asked whether he would support DeSantis in 2024, Musk replied with a simple "yes." The Florida governor is emerging as a formidable political rival for former President Donald Trump, who earlier this month announced his plans to run for president for the third time.

☆ Hearing loss: 1 billion people at risk from unsafe listening
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Madeline Holcombe | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Turning down the racket isn’t just for disgruntled parents — a new study has shown it could protect more than 1 billion people at risk for hearing loss. “We estimated that 0.67 to 1.35 billion individuals aged 12-34 years worldwide likely engage in unsafe listening practices,” and are therefore at risk for hearing loss, said lead study author Lauren Dillard via email. If that goes on for too long, they can become permanently damaged, resulting in hearing loss, tinnitus or both. Researchers conducted a meta-analysis of scientific articles regarding unsafe listening practices published between 2000 and 2021 across three databases, the study said. Primary prevention in early adults is critical to avoid earlier onset and accelerated age-related hearing loss.”

☆ Ethiopia combatants sign deal to start implementing truce
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-12 | by ( Ayenat Mersie | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The deal will be put into effect "immediately", mediator Olusegun Obasanjo told a news conference before the signing. Both sides said they were committed to the declaration, stressing it was the only way to restore peace and stability. One of TPLF's representatives, General Tadesse Werede, said the declaration on implementation had given them hope that the suffering of the people in Tigray would end. The two sides agreed to a permanent cessation of hostilities in an unexpected diplomatic breakthrough in South Africa on Nov. 2. Reporting by Ayenat Mersie, Writing by Duncan Miriri and Elias Biryabarema; Editing by Clelia OzielOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

The truce has raised hopes humanitarian aid can start moving back into a region where hundreds of thousands face famine. Representatives of Ethiopia's military and government and forces from Tigray are in the Kenyan capital Nairobi to discuss how to begin implementing the ceasefire, with the talks set to last three or four days. Getachew Reda, spokesman for the Tigray authorities, said the talks were to figure out implementation of the agreement. In a statement on Monday, the AU said it expected the outcomes of the talks to "include modalities for silencing the guns, humanitarian access and the restoration of services in the Tigray region". The ceasefire agreement says Ethiopia's army will safeguard the country against "foreign incursion" but analysts are worried about whether Eritrea - the TPLF's sworn enemy - will listen.

☆ Ethiopia: Warring parties agree to a truce in two-year civil war. Here's what to know
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( Eliza Mackintosh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +16 min

CNN —When Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2019, he was lauded as a regional peacemaker. A year later, he launched a conflict that spiraled into a brutal civil war, spawning one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world. In November 2020, Abiy ordered a military offensive in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region and promised that the clash would be resolved quickly. Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP/Getty ImagesThe Tigray conflict has its roots in tensions that go back generations in Ethiopia. For months at the start of the conflict, Abiy denied that civilians were being harmed or that soldiers from Eritrea had joined the fight.

☆ For survivors of Ethiopia's Tigray war, truce brings cautious hope
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

"I'm very happy - because this will put a hold on the suffering," said a Tigrayan man in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa who declined to be named out of fear of repercussions at his place of work. All sides fighting in the Tigray war committed violations that may amount to war crimes, according to a joint investigation by the United Nations and Ethiopia's state-appointed human rights commission. We haven't even gotten any voice messages from him," the Tigrayan man in Addis Ababa told Reuters. Human Rights Watch, citing witnesses, said 23 civilians were killed by Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) fighters in Kobo at that time. Just, literally everything," said Andom Gebreyesus, who ran a tour company in Tigray before the war.

☆ Ethiopian government and Tigray agree to end fighting after 2 years
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

Eritrea, which has fought alongside neighboring Ethiopia, was notably not part of the peace talks. Eritrean forces have been blamed for some of the conflict’s worst abuses, including gang-rapes, and witnesses have described killings and lootings by Eritrean forces even during the peace talks. Forces from Ethiopia’s neighboring Amhara region also have been fighting Tigray ones, but Amhara representatives are also not part of the peace talks. The conflict began in November 2020, less than a year after Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for making peace with Eritrea, which borders the Tigray region. In a speech Wednesday before the peace talks’ announcement, Ethiopia’s prime minster said that “we need to replicate the victory we got on the battlefield in peace efforts, too.

☆ Nigeria's Obasanjo clinches unlikely Ethiopia truce
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/2] Former Nigerian president and African Union envoy Olesegun Obasanjo arrives for the signing of the AU-led negotiations to resolve the conflict in northern Ethiopia, in Pretoria , South Africa, November 2, 2022. Summary Obasanjo stepped down as Nigeria's president in 2007Now aged 85, he took up peace-making in retirementMediated in crises from Ivory Coast to MozambiqueJOHANNESBURG, Nov 2 (Reuters) - Olusegun Obasanjo has had mixed results as a mediator of intractable conflicts across Africa since he stepped down as Nigeria's president in 2007, although he has never tired of trying. Obasanjo stepped down from Nigeria's presidency in 2007 and presided over elections that marked the first handover of power from one civilian head of state to another in Nigeria since it became independent from Britain in 1960. The test now is whether Ethiopia's conflict is on track for a permanent peace deal or just a temporary respite. After Abacha's death in 1998, Obasanjo was released and was elected as civilian president in 1999.

[1/3] A destroyed tank is seen in a field in the aftermath of fighting between the Ethiopian National Defence Force (ENDF) and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) forces in Kasagita town, in Afar region, Ethiopia, February 25, 2022. Earlier on Wednesday, the AU had invited media to what it described as a briefing by Obasanjo. It was only when the event began, about three hours behind schedule, that it became clear a truce was about to be signed. Implementation of the peace agreement signed today is critical for its success," said Obasanjo, adding that this would be supervised and monitored by a high-level AU panel. Neither Eritrea nor the regional forces participated in the talks in South Africa and there was no mention at Wednesday's ceremony of whether they would abide by the truce.

☆ Ethiopia, Tigray: Warring parties agree on 'permanent cessation of hostilities'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( Bethlehem Feleke | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Ethiopia’s Tigray rebels will eventually be disarmed and demobilized, according to the statement. “This is not the end of the peace process but the beginning of it,” Obasanjo said. ‘Horrific’ tollThe peace process has been fitful until now. Renewed peace talks began on October 24, marking the first time the two warring parties had met publicly since the conflict erupted. In a separate statement, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed also celebrated the conclusion of the talks saying, “our commitment to peace remains steadfast.

☆ A sex expo aims to break taboos in South Africa
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MMA fighter Aben Khoza gets his body painted at the Sex Expo, an adult-themed expo held in Pretoria, South Africa, October 13, 2022. REUTERS/Alet PretoriusPRETORIA, Oct 17 (Reuters) - More than 16,000 people attended a sex expo in South Africa's capital, Pretoria, this weekend, where visitors were invited to browse a wide array of sex toys, watch adult entertainment shows and attend talks by sex experts and therapists. South Africa is generally considered to be a sexually conservative country due to religious beliefs, cultural views and sexual education. Some visitors to the sex expo, an annual event, said they came because they were curious to learn more. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Catherine Schenck; Writing by Nellie Peyton; Editing by Lisa ShumakerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Elon Musk's famous family includes a model, several millionaire entrepreneurs, and secret twins. Here are the members of the Musk family tree.
▼ + stars: | 2022-07-14 | by ( Avery Hartmans | Sinéad Baker | Grace Kay | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Elon Musk has had a wild life, but he's not the only member of his family to launch businesses, make millions, or achieve fame. ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty ImagesHis family is chock-full of entrepreneurs and rebels, from his filmmaker sister, Tosca, to his actress ex-wife, Talulah Riley. And in November, he quietly had twins with one of his top executives, Shivon Zilis, according to documents obtained by Insider. The twins were born weeks before his second child with Grimes was born. Here's a closer look at the Musk family tree.

☆ Nou record mondial. O femeie din Africa de Sud a născut 10 bebeluși
▼ + stars: | 2021-06-08 | by ( Publika.Md - Aici Sunt Știrile | ) www.publika.md time to read: +1 min

Gosiame Thamara Sithole, o femeie în vâstă de 37 de ani, a născut luni seară, în cea de-a 29-a săptămână de sarcină, 10 bebeluși, cu doi mai mulţi decât preconizau iniţial medicii, într-un spital din Pretoria, potrivit Efe, citată de Agerpres. Potrivit AfricaNews, femeia a bătut recordul mondial stabilit în luna mai de o femeie care a născut nouă copii, în Mali, în luna mai. "Este o situaţie destul de unică. Riscul este faptul că nu există suficient spaţiu în burta mamei pentru bebeluşi care au tendinţa de a rămâne mici. Totul depinde de cât timp stau înăuntru”, a mai precizat Mawela.

Persons: Gosiame Thamara, Mama Organizations: Agerpres, RMN, Medicină, Universitatea de Locations: Pretoria, Mali, Sefako

☆ (video) Recomandări de la Mircea, fără spoilere: cinci filme cu suspans care îți vor tăia respirația
▼ + stars: | 2021-06-06 | by ( Onixmedia Srl | ) diez.md time to read: +8 min

(video) Recomandări de la Mircea, fără spoilere: cinci filme cu suspans care îți vor tăia respirațiaDacă ești fanul filmelor cu suspans, după vizionarea cărora te doare o coastă sau îți amorțește o mână pentru că ai uitat să te miști, atunci ai ajuns în locul potrivit. Pelicula nu vine cu nimic nou în genul de filme despre evadare, în schimb, scenele de suspans îți taie respirația. O muncă regizorală remarcabilă și o performanță actoricească îți vor gâdila nervii fără nicio clipă de răgaz. O călătorie hiperdigitală în lumea intimă a unei adolescente și a unui tată care absentează din viața ei în cel mai nepotrivit moment. Un thrilling fain și o vizionare cu suspans!

Persons: Mircea, Daniel Radcliffe, Daniel, Christopher Nolan, Neil, Andrei, Nolan, James Bond, Pattinson, Tom Hanks, C.S . Forestier, Ernie Krause, Gustav Moller, Jakob Cedergren, Aneesh, David Kim, John Cho, David Organizations: Congresului Național African, Amazon Prime, CIA, Amazon, HBO, Apple, Best, Google Locations: Pretoria, Mission, SUA, Atlantic, daneză

Search resuls for: "Pretoria"

18 mentions found