When and where to watch FC Barcelona v Almería
Last game in 2023 at Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys. FC Barcelona welcome Almería for the LaLiga matchday 18 fixture with three points a must. Xavi Hernández' side will want to end the year with a victory in front of the fans. If you are unable to watch for whatever reason, or if you wish to complement your viewing with second screen info, don’t forget that we have full coverage of the game, including the build-up live from the stadium and post-match reactions in our Match Center right here on the official website. That does not depend on us, and you should check their own websites for details.
Source:The North Africa Journal
December 19, 2023 11:26 UTC
Beyond Gaza: focus on regional and global players
The fourth episode of ECFR’s WOMENP mini-series, recorded during the 2023 Doha Forum, looks at the regional reverberations of the war in Gaza, particularly from the perspective of key Arab Gulf monarchies such as Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. The podcast unpacks how these countries have reacted to the 7 October attacks and the subsequent war in Gaza, the prospects of ongoing normalisation deals and negotiations between Arab Gulf monarchies and Israel, domestic dynamics in these countries, and potential future scenarios. How is Qatar managing the new cycle of violence in Israel and Palestine, and what role has it played? How have different Gulf countries positioned themselves on the war in Gaza? This podcast was recorded on 11 December 2023.
Source:The North Africa Journal
December 19, 2023 10:31 UTC
Leader of Australia's Northern Territory resigns over shares scandal
Canberra, Dec 19 (IANS) Leader of Australia's Northern Territory (NT), Natasha Fyles on Tuesday resigned after failing to disclose shareholdings in a mining company.Fyles announced her intention to stand down as Chief Minister of the NT on Thursday following a series of integrity scandals, reports Xinhua news agency. Tuesday's announcement came just a day after it was revealed that Fyles owned undisclosed shares in South32, a mining and metals company that possesses a manganese mine on Groote Eylandt off the NT's north-east coast. For this reason, I feel the honorable action is to resign as Chief Minister," Fyles told reporters. A former school teacher, Fyles became the Chief Minister of the NT in May 2022. Fyles also stood down from her role as the NT's Minister for Health but said she would not quit politics.
Source:The North Africa Journal
December 19, 2023 10:04 UTC
Egyptian e-health startup Chefaa raises $5.25m to accelerate growth, expansion in Saudi
Egyptian startup Chefaa, a patient-centric pharmacy benefits platform, has raised US$5.25 million in funding to accelerate its growth and fuel expansion in Saudi Arabia. It follows Chefaa’s successful launch in Saudi Arabia, where it is now operating in eight cities, and will support its efforts to scale in the country. This has resulted in designing new services and features with our eyes on our mission and vision. We are thrilled that our investors share our passion and believe in our vision and mission,” said Doaa Aref, CEO of Chefaa. “As we have seen a solid growth in this tough business climate since 2022, we truly believe that Chefaa is becoming the uppermost patient-centric service provider in the region.
Source:The North Africa Journal
December 19, 2023 09:53 UTC
Sahara : Morocco’s Foreign Minister meets US Deputy Assistant Secretary for North Africa
The Moroccan Minister of Foreign Affairs met, Monday, in Rabat with the United States Deputy Assistant Secretary for North Africa Joshua Harris. «The meeting focused on bilateral partnership and regional issues», wrote the Foreign Affairs Ministry on X (known as Twitter formerly). A press release that was republished by the Moroccan Ministry of Foreign Affairs on social media. The United States believes a negotiated political solution should be realized without further delay», reads the same statement. Joshua Harris met, on December 8 in Algiers, the Algerian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ahmed Attaf.
Source:The North Africa Journal
December 19, 2023 09:26 UTC
Si6 Metals adds more impressive results at Maibele North in Botswana
Si6 Metals has added further impetus to its highly-prospective Botswana precious and base metals play, with its latest drill program striking high-grade silver and copper and exciting visual nickel sulphides. The work included 3663m of reverse-circulation (RC) drilling and 2027m of diamond drilling across the company’s two high-grade copper-silver projects at Dibete and Airstrip, in addition to its promising Maibele North nickel-copper-platinum group elements (PGE) play. It will also undertake a review of potential open-pit mining options at Maibele North and nickel-copper-PGE sulphide production, while also developing a field campaign for next year to advance multiple targets within the broader project tenure. Si6’s Botswana project sits within a prolific nickel district and covers more than 2000 square kilometres within the highly-prospective Limpopo Belt in eastern Botswana. The Maibele North deposit is centrally located 50km from Premium Nickel Resources’ world-class Selebi-Phikwe nickel-copper-cobalt-PGE mine and 80km from Norilsk Nickel’s Tati nickel-copper mine.
Source:The North Africa Journal
December 19, 2023 08:32 UTC
NORTH AFRICA | Funding to MENA Startups Increased Over 390% MoM in November 2023 – Egypt Takes 3rd Position
In November 2023, startups in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region secured a significant funding milestone, raising $764 million across 42 funding rounds. Modus Capital emerged as the most prolific investor, contributing $2.8 million across eight startups incubated through its flagship venture builder program. Saudi Arabian investors secured the second position in terms of activity, engaging in 10 deals. Startups founded by males secured the majority of funds, amounting to $753 million across 29 deals, accounting for 98.5%. Female founders, on the other hand, received less than two percent of the capital, totaling $9 million.
Source:The North Africa Journal
December 19, 2023 07:31 UTC
Club World Cup: New format in 2025 with 4 African teams
Club World Cup: New format in 2025 with 4 African teamsFIFA has unveiled the new format for the Club World Cup, the first edition of which will be held in the USA in 2025. From now on, a tournament will be held every four years with 32 teams, starting in 2025. And for the first edition, to be held from June 15 to July 13 2025, the first participating teams have been unveiled by the governing body. 12 European teams will be joined by 4 African nations, 4 Asians, 4 North Americans, 6 South Americans and Auckland City (New Zealand), which will have the Oceania ticket. The teams will be divided into eight groups of four.The top two teams in each group will qualify for the knockout phase.
Source:The North Africa Journal
December 19, 2023 07:28 UTC
Global chemical companies brace for continued weakness in 2024: Fitch Ratings
New Delhi [India], December 19 (ANI): In a forecast that underscores challenges for the global chemical industry, Fitch Ratings predicts that weak demand and surplus supply will persist, keeping volumes and margins subdued for chemical producers in 2024. Despite overall anticipation of soft demand in North America, Fitch emphasizes that issuers' end-market exposures will play a pivotal role in influencing earnings. European chemical producers face challenges due to higher regional energy costs, despite some moderation since 2022. Fitch expects a mild recovery in China's demand as destocking concludes, but the recovery is hampered by slowing economic growth. As chemical companies navigate these challenges, the industry faces a complex landscape with regional nuances and global economic dynamics influencing their trajectory in 2024.
Source:The North Africa Journal
December 19, 2023 07:22 UTC
True Hires Head of Advisory for MENA & APAC to Help Clients Build High Calibre Leadership Teams
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates--(BUSINESS WIRE)--True, the only tech and data-first global talent platform, announced today that Debu Mishra has joined True Search as head of advisory, MENA & APAC and partner in the CEO/BOD Practice, EMEA. Based in Dubai, Debu is responsible for developing and executing leadership advisory and assessment services for clients across the Middle East, North Africa and India. He will work closely with CEOs, boards and other executives to help them build high-calibre leadership teams. “Debu is a student and teacher of leadership who offers clients more than just high calibre executive search,” said Sam McGrath, GM, EMEA & APAC. True also backs promising companies through its investment brands True Equity and Vera Equity.
Source:The North Africa Journal
December 19, 2023 06:51 UTC
BP pauses all Red Sea shipments after rebel attacks
He said the industry would also face knock-on effects such as higher insurance premiums, but he said that it was in a much better position to deal with an unfolding crisis than it was when the huge Ever Given ship blocked the Suez Canal in 2021, with Covid-related supply chain issues having eased up.
Source:The North Africa Journal
December 18, 2023 23:47 UTC
Kenya’s BlackRhino VR launches AR content creation, publication platform
Kenya’s BlackRhino VR, an extended reality (XR) tech company, has launched an augmented reality (AR) platform designed to empower content creators within the creative economy to rapidly build and publish AR content. BlackRhino is leverages XR knowledge to expand opportunities for significant socio-economic and cultural growth among the youth that will help create jobs, reduce poverty, and contribute to overcoming Africa’s development challenges. Its new platform, MediAR, is a user-friendly, AR cloud editor and publishing platform that uses drag and drop technology, lessening the challenging learning curve associated with coding while producing AR solutions and content. BlackRhino VR CEO Brian Afande said it was a response to the need to unlock Africa’s creative sector through AR. BlackRhino VR is urging content creators across Africa to leverage the platform to perpetuate the development of an internet economy that will in turn create jobs, reduce poverty, and contribute to the continent’s development.
Source:The North Africa Journal
December 18, 2023 19:58 UTC
Good demand for lychees from South Africa and cherries from Chile
Lychees have long ceased to be a niche product, according to Helmut Bienek, Managing Director of Bienek Fruchthandels. We are also seeing good, stable demand for cherries." The demand for cherries was high this year, which Bienek attributed to the relatively low cherry harvest. There were not many good cherries, which is why demand was high. We are currently offering Chilean cherries, which are again of very good quality.
Source:The North Africa Journal
December 18, 2023 19:07 UTC
Africa smartphone market shrugs-off Q3 challenges
Analyst house Canalys reported smartphone shipments across Africa increased 12 per cent year-on-year in Q3 despite a raft of obstacles in several markets including import restrictions, volatile currencies and general economic issues. Shipments for the quarter were 17.9 million across the continent with Tecno Mobile parent Transsion holding a 48 per cent market share. Pravinkumar noted Africa’s market leader had boosted sales by use of device financing, while also advocating for a higher average selling price. “Africa’s smartphone market narrative unfolds as a compelling story of overcoming challenges with resilience and capitalising on opportunities through strategic partnerships, channel dynamics, and a transforming consumer landscape,” he added. “As the market evolves, vendors must navigate these complexities with agility and foresight to secure a pivotal position in this burgeoning market.”
Source:The North Africa Journal
December 18, 2023 17:02 UTC
Oman Arab Bank and First Carbon Investments Partner to Expedite Adoption of Clean Technologies
Oman Arab Bank (OAB) and First Carbon Investments (FCI) have formalized a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at expediting the introduction of innovative clean technologies across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Expressing enthusiasm about the collaboration, Sulaiman Al Harthi, CEO of OAB, highlighted the partnership’s significance in steering sustainable energy system transitions. He emphasized the joint effort’s potential to catalyze positive impacts on the energy sector, global communities, and specifically, the populace of Oman. The MoU between OAB and FCI signifies a pivotal step forward for Oman’s clean energy and sustainability sector. Leveraging their expertise and resources, both entities are positioned to significantly accelerate the implementation of new clean technologies, poised to replace fossil fuels.
Source:The North Africa Journal
December 18, 2023 16:59 UTC