How the Global South told the North to stop lecturing it on climate
Increasingly, voices from the Global South are pushing back against the “hypocrisy” of the Global North, which got rich in an industrialized world powered by fossil fuels and continues to profit from and drive their extraction. Of course, the Global South is a diverse place, and its positions reflect that. Still, Europe and North America continue to produce emissions that outstrip the share of their populations, while most Global South nations have a fraction of their climate footprints. Global South countries are paying five times more on debt payments than on addressing the climate crisis, according to a report by 35 aid organizations called The Debt–Fossil Fuel Trap. “The question is the right to development.”Most of the Global South, excluding China, is not as developed as the North, and its carbon footprint reflects that.
Source:The North Africa Journal
June 18, 2024 15:15 UTC
SA’s MobileGPT launches “chatbot-as-a-service” platform KaraboAI
South African startup MobileGPT has launched KaraboAI, a cutting-edge “chatbot-as-a-service” platform that enables users to quickly create intelligent chatbots with various features and functionalities. Launched last year by Bertha Khokong, MobileGPT a WhatsApp application that integrates the advanced capabilities of the GPT-4 engine to provide users with a personal AI assistant on the go. The company has now launched Karabo AI, an evolution of MobileGPT, offering a one-stop-shop for diverse chatbot services, including quote generation chatbots, appointment chatbots, WooCommerce sales chatbots, data collection bots, and data room. KaraboAI also features seamless integration with Google Calendar, WhatsApp, and WooCommerce, as well as a WordPress plugin for easy management. Now everyone can create their own MobileGPT, in a way, because our chatbots can also be launched on WhatsApp,” Kgokong said.
Source:The North Africa Journal
June 18, 2024 15:12 UTC
S Africa, Morocco have best offshore wind energy potential in Africa
South Africa and Morocco have been included in the Global Wind Energy Council’s (GWEC) Global Offshore Wind Report 2024 in its Markets to Watch category. Global Wind Day: Reshaping energy systems, but SA market faces hurdlesThe revised IRP 2019 further allocated 1,600MW of wind energy annually from 2021 to 2030. This means that South Africa’s offshore wind potential is equivalent to eight times the electricity needs of the nation. Morocco planning for offshore wind projectsRegarding Morocco, GWEC says that although there are no set targets for the development of offshore wind, the government is taking serious steps in considering the possibility of this technology in the region. See the Global Wind Energy Council’s (GWEC) Global Offshore Wind Report 2024.
Source:The North Africa Journal
June 18, 2024 13:55 UTC
About SAEEC Conference 2024
Date: 3-4 October 2024Venue: Modderfontein, GautengOur theme for the 19th Annual SAEEC Conference this year, ENERGY EFFICIENCY: The Road to Achieving Net-Zero Carbon in Energy and Water Management, clearly looks at the serious issues we are facing as a nation in Southern Africa. We are now almost at the end of the first quarter of the 21st century and seriously need to consider how we as South Africans can achieve Net-Zero Carbon and reach the United Nations Sustainability and Development Goals by 2050, in just 25 years’ time. Our Conference this year covers many relevant and important topics which highlight the journey we need to follow moving forward. Sou Africa’s engineers are dedicated to achieving this goal and we thank them for participating in our 2024 SAEEC Conference.
Source:The North Africa Journal
June 18, 2024 13:55 UTC
Russia President Vladimir Putin makes a rare visit to North Korea, an old ally
Putin was met at Pyongyang’s airport by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, according to the news agencies. In the North Korean capital of Pyongyang, the streets were decorated with portraits of Putin and Russian flags. Before heading to North Korea, Putin traveled to Yakutsk, a city in eastern Russia, where he met regional Gov. Observers said the shipment violated a U.N. resolution banning the supply of luxury items to North Korea. After North Korea, the Kremlin said Putin will also visit Vietnam for talks that are expected to be focused on trade.
Source:The North Africa Journal
June 18, 2024 13:33 UTC
JinkoSolar announces global partnership with Manchester City FC
JinkoSolar, the global leading PV and ESS supplier, today announced a new global partnership with Manchester City. Innovation in the renewable energy market in AfricaJinkoSolar to promote the use of renewable energy in ManchesterJinkoSolar will also support the club’s plans to make its training facility, City Football Academy, one of the largest producers of renewable energy in world football. Kaitlyn Beale, Vice-President of Global Partnerships Sales at City Football Group, said: “We are delighted to announce this new global partnership with JinkoSolar. Manchester City and JinkoSolar are two leading organisations that put an emphasis on innovation in our respective fields. “Together with Manchester City, we are dedicated to advancing sustainability and showcasing how renewable energy can lead to a healthier planet.
Source:The North Africa Journal
June 18, 2024 12:19 UTC
African agrifood startups invited to apply for $1m THRIVE Global Impact Challenge
African agrifood startups are invited to apply for the US$1m THRIVE Global Impact Challenge, which is aimed at supporting the transition to a net-zero future for agriculture. The THRIVE Global Impact Challenge is a global search for innovative startups advancing a more sustainable future for agriculture. Aligned with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, the Global Impact Challenge is focused on five key themes. Finalists from each theme will advance to the finals and pitch at the THRIVE Global Impact Summit, where the overall winner will be announced. The winning company receives the THRIVE Global Impact Challenge Award in addition to a place on THRIVE’s award-winning Global Accelerator Programme, investment of up to US$1 Million from SVG Ventures, and the the opportunity to pitch live at THRIVE Global Impact Summit in Silicon Valley.
Source:The North Africa Journal
June 18, 2024 11:43 UTC
SPE Capital hits first close for its $350 mn North Africa PE fund
SPE Capital hits first close for its $350 mn North Africa PE fundPremium Nabil Triki, managing partner and CEO, SPE CapitalSPE Capital, an Africa and Middle East-focused private equity firm managing a portfolio of over 15 companies, has hit the first close for its third fund. The sector-agnostic PE firm, which re-acquired a minority stake in Moroccan consumer products company Dislog, three years after exiting, has achieved its first close for SPE PEF III, ......
Source:The North Africa Journal
June 18, 2024 11:27 UTC
New report by IEA forecasts major market oversupply
Speaking at a press briefing, Dr Fatih Birol, IEA executive director, highlighted three major drivers of the slowdown:1. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Iraq are expected to lead a 1.4 mn bpd rise in OPEC+ oil capacity. Total supply capacity is forecast to rise by 6mn bpd to nearly 114mn bpd by 2030 – a staggering 8mn bpd above projected global demand, the report finds. According to the report, global refining capacity is on track to expand by 3.3mn bpd between 2023 and 2030, well below historical trends. This raises the prospect of refinery closures towards the end of the outlook period, as well as a slowdown in capacity growth in Asia after 2027.
Source:The North Africa Journal
June 18, 2024 11:04 UTC
South Korea Fires Warning Shots After North Korean Soldiers Cross Border Again Ahead Of Putin-Kim Summit
NEWS PEGThe border violations come at a time of heightened tensions between North and South Korea. Late last month, North Korea flew hundreds of balloons carrying trash and feces across the border into the South. Pyongyang said the trash balloons were in response to long-running efforts by South Korean activists and North Korean defectors to deliver propaganda material to their country with the use of balloons. North Korea has continued flying hundreds more trash balloons across the border this month—angering South Korean officials. Putin’s visit will further raise Washington and Seoul’s concerns about growing military cooperation between Russia and North Korea.
Source:The North Africa Journal
June 18, 2024 10:28 UTC
South Korean soldiers fire warning shots after North Korean troops cross border, apparently in error
SEOUL, South Korea — South Korean troops fired warning shots to repel North Korean soldiers who briefly crossed the rivals’ heavily fortified land border Tuesday for the second time this month, the South’s military said. The soldiers retreated after the South broadcasted warnings and fired warning shots, and the South’s military didn’t spot any suspicious activity after that, the joint chiefs said. Share this article ShareTroops from the South also fired warning shots on June 11 after another group of North Korean soldiers briefly crossed the border. The Joint Chiefs of Staff said that Tuesday’s incursion occurred in a different area along the central front-line region. The work has gone on uninterrupted despite several explosions caused by mines that killed or wounded an unspecified number of North Korean soldiers, said the South’s Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Source:The North Africa Journal
June 18, 2024 09:10 UTC
Redefining Fintech: Ukheshe Rebrands as EFT Corporation
In a bold step towards redefining the future of financial technology, Ukheshe has announced its official rebranding to EFT Corporation. The acquisitionThe rebranding of Ukheshe to EFT Corporation follows Ukheshe’s acquisition of EFT Corporation in January 2024, marking the first major milestone in both companies’ shared vision of transforming financial services across the continent. Ukheshe also enabled Telkom Pay’s digital payments wallet and developed Telkom mPOS, a mobile POS solution for small businesses. In 2020, Ukheshe strategically acquired Oltio, the developer behind Masterpass, to democratize digital payments for micro-merchants, rebranding to Scan to Pay in 2023. Expanding into Africa, Ukheshe offers an innovative BaaS platform in East Africa through its partnership with Diamond Trust Bank (DTB), empowering users to send money across Africa via MTN’s cross-border money transfer solution.
Source:The North Africa Journal
June 18, 2024 09:03 UTC
Russia’s Putin to visit North Korea for the first time in 24 years
Russian president to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during a state visit on Tuesday and Wednesday, the Kremlin says. Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to arrive in North Korea later on Tuesday, in his first visit in 24 years, underlining the deepening ties between the two nuclear-armed states. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un extended an invitation to Putin when Kim visited Russia’s east in September for the first talks between the two men since 2019. Any weapons trade with North Korea would be a breach of multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions on North Korea over its nuclear weapons programme, which Russia, a permanent member of the council, previously endorsed. Lankov added that while Russia could be reluctant to share its state-of-the-art military technologies with North Korea, it was eager to get munitions from Pyongyang.
Source:The North Africa Journal
June 18, 2024 08:05 UTC
Kidney cancer in the Middle East and North Africa region: a 30-year analysis (1990-2019).
Kidney cancer, a type of urogenital cancer, imposes a high burden on patients. Despite this, no recent research has evaluated the burden of this type of cancer in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. This study explored the burden of kidney cancer from 1990 to 2019 according to age, sex and socio-demographic index (SDI). The estimated age-standardised incidence, mortality, and DALY rates of kidney cancer in 2019 were 3.2 (2.8-3.6), 1.4 (1.2-1.6), and 37.2 (32.0-42.6) per 100,000, respectively. The increasing burden of kidney cancer highlights the urgent need for interventions aimed at improving early diagnosis and treatment in the region.
Source:The North Africa Journal
June 18, 2024 07:51 UTC