Israeli lawyer Eitay Mack fears surveillance gadget exports threaten press freedom
“Many countries are using these technologies to put people in jail,” Israeli lawyer Eitay Mack told Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) in a recent video interview. Mack was describing how advanced surveillance capabilities such as those that CPJ has documented are being used to target journalists like Omar Radi and...
Opec Secretary General confirms he will attend African Energy Week in South Africa
Opec General Secretary Mohammed Barkindo and three oil ministers from three African countries have confirmed they will attend African Energy Chamber’s conference in Cape Town, South Africa, in November. The confirmations come against a backdrop of criticism of a similar event set for Dubai, United Arab Emirates, which some oil...
Mobile phone app Truecaller announces launch of ‘smart’ SMS feature in Africa
Truecaller, the world’s most trusted and accurate caller ID and telephone search engine, is rolling out a new feature to further augment the user experience in Africa. The new feature, Smart SMS, has been introduced based on user feedback and is designed to cater to the evolving needs of consumers,...
Egypt gets €83m AfDB loan for electricity sector to spur economic recovery
The African Development Bank (AfDB) has approved an €83 million loan to finance the second phase of Egypt’s Electricity and Green Growth Support Programme. The funding is part of the bank’s budget support to the Egyptian government to strengthen its electricity infrastructure to bolster the private sector and accelerate recovery...
Equatorial Guinea petroleum minister pulls out of Africa Oil Week in Dubai in protest
Equatorial Guinea Minister for Mines and Hydrocarbons Gabriel M. Obiang Lima has announced that his country will not participate in this year’s edition of Africa Oil Week that is scheduled to be held in Dubai. Mr Obiang Lima made the announcement on Tuesday June 15 in the capital Malabo in...
Rattled by thinning sign-ups, WhatsApp goes on charm offensive to regain users
Government attacks on WhatsApp’s end-to-end encryption are akin to demands that an Orwellian telescreen be installed in every living room, the app’s head has said as it launches a major advertising campaign in defence of privacy. Will Cathcart told the Guardian in an interview that the abstract nature of digital...
Africa energy industry defies Covid threat, sets November conference in Cape Town
The African Energy Chamber is set to host the first-ever African Energy Week (AEW) in Cape Town from November 9-12, 2021. Themed ‘Replacing Africa Oil Week’, the four-day interactive conference seeks to unite industry stakeholders, international speakers and movers and shakers from the African oil and gas sector. The conference...
Former South Sudan petroleum minister opposes decision to move African Energy Week to Dubai
Former South Sudan Petroleum Minister Ezekiel Lol Gatkuoth has expressed his disappointment at the decision by London-based Hyve Group to move Africa Oil Week to Dubai. “I think it will be unacceptable to move the Russian Energy Week from Moscow or ADIPEC from Abu Dhabi to Juba, South Sudan Africa...
Google will stop treating EU antitrust remedy as a ‘promotional opportunity’
Google and the European Union have been fighting for several years over Android’s default search engine. Just like when the EU took issue with Microsoft bundling Internet Explorer with Windows, the EU Antitrust enforcers don’t want Google using its Android operating system monopoly to prop up Google Search and Google...
Sea transport experiencing boom in ships that fly ‘fake’ flags, pollute environment
Ships transport 90 per cent of the world’s traded cargo, so are crucial to the global economy. But when tankers and other large vessels are demolished, they generate huge amounts of marine pollution, particularly if it happens in countries where environmental regulations for ship-breaking yards are lax. Research now shows...
