Democratic Republic of Congo's army on Tuesday said it had taken back the eastern town of Kalembe a day after it was seized by M23 rebels. Kalembe, a small town in Walikale territory in militia-plagued North Kivu, came under M23 control on Sunday morning when rebels seized it from Congolese armed forces and the Wazalendo alliance of pro-government armed groups. Congo army spokesman Sylvain Ekenge said Kalembe had been taken back on Monday. He said via telephone on Tuesday that fighting between the Wazalendo and the M23 took place in areas that were not under army control. An official from Walikale territory, Kabaki Alimasi, confirmed the army had taken the town back but said fighting continued nearby.

Nigerian startup Sproutly, a financial services platform for educational institutions, has announced the launch of its version two, as well as several strategic partnerships designed to enhance benefits for its users. Educational administrators benefit from various payment methods, simplified access, and dedicated support, allowing them to focus on teaching while easing financial burdens for families. Originally designed for K-12 schools, Sproutly’s first version highlighted areas for improvement, leading to the 14-month development of version two, which has just been released. After measuring the impact, we found that prioritising financial services over digital banking was a better product-market fit. “Previously, only government or white-collar workers could access student credits to ease tuition payments.

The UN’s envoy to Western Sahara, Staffan de Mistura, has proposed partitioning Western Sahara as a potential solution to the decades-long conflict between Morocco and the pro-independence Polisario Front. His suggestion, presented to the UN Security Council, involves dividing the territory, allowing for both Moroccan sovereignty in the north and an independent state in the south. Although some countries involved in the issue expressed interest, both Morocco and Polisario have shown no willingness to explore the option. The Polisario insists on a referendum for self-determination, while Morocco refuses to negotiate on its sovereignty over the region. The UN has been mediating the dispute since the 1970s and helped negotiate a ceasefire agreement in 1991 with the eventual goal of holding a referendum.

Egypt has downscaled its renewable energy target for 2040 – from 58% to 40%, underscoring that natural gas will remain a key part of the country’s energy mix for years. Green hydrogen: Egypt secures grant to develop major projectFocus on green hydrogen hubEgypt also seeks to become a global green hydrogen centre, with the Suez Canal Economic Zone already securing about $431 million contract to export green fuel to Europe. At the Singapore International Energy Week on Monday (21 October) Dr Ahmed Mohina, Egypt’s First Undersecretary of Strategic Planning, Ministry of Electricity and Renewable Energy, said the country is making strides in its green hydrogen ambitions. Gas projects’ growth in Africa in a changing energy landscapeMultiple renewable energy projects launchedMeanwhile, the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) has launched 23 renewable energy projects in Egypt, valued at $58m, aimed at promoting energy efficiency and green initiatives. The projects focus on renewable energy, wastewater treatment and desalination, with the Egyptian government keen on boosting local manufacturing and attracting foreign investments in these sectors.

More than 1,000 rural institutions have been connected in the Midlands Province of Zimbabwe, covering schools, clinics, business centres, villages, farms and chiefs’ homesteads. This is according to the Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Midlands, Owen Ncube. Ncube was at the launch of Gweru Provincial Hospital LED Retrofit Project by the Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority (ZERA), in Gatawa Clinic, Lower Gweru. The programme focuses on energy efficiency and alternative energy technologies in remote areas of Zimbabwe. Solar mini-grid empowers rural lives in ZimbabwePursuing rural industrialisation, modernisation and quality health service delivery in ZimbabweThe Gatawa Clinic switch-on ceremony that took place on Friday, 18 October.

CAF Beach Soccer Africa Cup of Nations hosts, Egypt have marched onto the knockout stages of the competition in style following an overhaul of points in their Group A matches. The Egyptians faced fellow tournament favourites, Morocco in a highly entertaining North African duel on Tuesday, 22 October in Hurghada to decide who finishes top of the group. The closely contested tie concluded with the hosts edging Morocco, 3-2 to seal a successful group stage campaign that sees them finish top of the group. Morocco who won against Tanzania and Ghana to secure a spot in the knockout stages finishes second behind the hosts with 6 points. The CAF Beach Soccer Africa Cup of Nations Egypt 2024 continues in Hurghada with the final scheduled for 26 October.

About 1,500 North Korean soldiers, including those from the special forces, have already arrived in Russia , according to Seoul's spy agency. South Korea has summoned the Russian ambassador, seeking the "immediate withdrawal" of North Korean troops which it says are being trained to fight in Ukraine. Some South Korean media reports have suggested as many as12,000 North Korean soldiers are expected to be deployed. But others believe the Russian military units will have difficulties incorporating North Korean troops into their frontlines. Apart from the language barrier, the North Korean army has no recent combat experiences, they said.

"Our orders have surged significantly this year, especially from countries like Singapore, Brazil, New Zealand and Finland," said Wang Hui, the company's business director. China's foreign trade grew 5.3 percent year-on-year to 32.33 trillion yuan in the first three quarters, with exports up 6.2 percent, said the General Administration of Customs. This growth is driven by several factors, including the diversification of China's export markets, increasing business and consumer demand in emerging regions, and changing global trade dynamics. China's foreign trade value with over 160 countries and regions continued to grow during the January-September period. For example, China saw its foreign trade value with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations soar 9.4 percent year-on-year to 5.09 trillion yuan between January and September, Customs data show.

“There is no financial model to assist the municipality to understand the impact of different trends on the sustainability of the electricity trading service,” warned Mkhize. “We need to unbundle and restructure the electricity trading services. Nersa auditing municipalities in South AfricaThe regulator is auditing the financial and technical health of a sample of three municipalities, which will increase as pending becomes available. “The regulator has been quite lenient with municipalities till now, in that many municipalities have not had a system to measure performances. Municipalities, renewable energy and wheeling“We are encouraging municipalities to enter into that space by bringing in the IPPs and buying from them.

Morocco’s 2025 budget has allocated 340 billion dirhams ($34.5 bln) to public investments, up 1.5% from last year. The investments would focus on key sectors such as renewable energies, telecommunications, housing, farming, electricity, water, phosphates, roads, and transports, according to the draft budget. The 2025 assumes a 4.6% growth rate in 2025, up from 3.3% this year, inflation at 2% and a budget deficit at 3.5%. The new development model aims at increasing the share of private investments to two-thirds instead of one third currently and to double the GDP per capita by 2035. To that end Morocco has enacted an investment charter that offers incentives to the private sector and launched the Mohammed VI investment fund to spur private investments.

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The "Project Insight - Global Rail Construction Projects (Q2 2024)" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The report provides analysis based on the analyst's construction projects showing total project values and analysis by stage and funding for all regions. The top 20 projects per region are listed giving country, stage, value of projects. The analyst is currently tracking railway construction projects globally, from the early pre-planning stages (announcement and study) through to execution, with a combined value of $5.9 trillion. Assess all major projects by value, start date, scope and stage of development globally, for the regions to support business development activities.

The HealthTech Hub Africa officially announces the 2024 Investor Summit, which will be held at the Kigali Serena Hotel and Norrsken East Africa, Rwanda, between October 30th and October 31st, 2024. The HealthTech Hub Africa Investor Summit 2024 is a premier two-day event that brings together startups, investors, and industry leaders to foster collaboration and unlock funding opportunities within Africa’s healthtech investment ecosystem. For the first time, the Summit will join forces with Africa CDC to be featured at the Africa HealthTech Summit 2024, significantly enhancing its impact and reach. Africa CDC, through the Africa HealthTech Summit platform, is a crucial strategic partner catalysing the implementation of the event. For more information regarding the Investor Summit 2024 and the work that the Healthtech Hub Africa is doing, check out them out here : https://thehealthtech.org/ summits/investor-summit-2024/

India dairy alternatives market highlights The India dairy alternatives market generated a revenue of USD 692.4 million in 2022 and is expected to reach USD 2,054.2 million by 2030. The India market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 14.6% from 2023 to 2030. In Asia Pacific, China dairy alternatives market is projected to lead the regional market in terms of revenue in 2030. India is the fastest growing regional market in Asia Pacific and is projected to reach USD 2,054.2 million by 2030. Horizon Databook has segmented the India dairy alternatives market based on soy, almond, coconut, rice, oats covering the revenue growth of each sub-segment from 2017 to 2030.

The databook focuses on market statistics denoted in the form of revenue and y-o-y growth and CAGR across the globe and regions. A detailed competitive and opportunity analyses related to hospital linen supply and management services market will help companies and investors design strategic landscapes. Bed sheet & pillow covers was the largest segment with a revenue share of 46.26% in 2023. Horizon Databook has segmented the South Africa hospital linen supply and management services market based on bed sheet & pillow covers, blanket, bed covers, bathing & cleaning accessories, patient repositioner covering the revenue growth of each sub-segment from 2018 to 2030. These companies offer gowns, apparel, bedsheets, pillow covers, and other linen clothing for healthcare settings.

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The "Project Insight - Global Airport Construction Projects (Q2 2024)" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The global airport projects pipeline, as tracked by the analyst in Q2 2024, is worth $616.2 billion - more than the $580.4 billion pipeline recorded in Q1 2024. The report provides analysis based on the construction projects showing total project values and analysis by stage and funding for all regions. The top 20 projects per region are listed giving country, stage, value of projects. Assess all major projects by value, start date, scope and stage of development globally, for the regions to support business development activities.