Month: August 2022

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China Eases COVID Suspension for International Flights

BEIJING — China on Sunday shortened its suspension period for inbound international flights carrying COVID-positive passengers, signaling that Beijing could soon ease its strict border controls.

Incoming flights carrying five positive COVID-19 cases, or four percent of the total passengers, will now face a reduced one-week suspension, the Civil Aviation Administration (CAAC) said in a statement.

Previously, if a plane brought in five infected passengers, all flights operated by the responsible airline along the same route were suspended for two weeks.

Flights logging an eight percent passengers positivity rate will be barred for two weeks, CAAC said.

Source: Voice of America

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Hisense South Africa fait don d’un échographe HD60 au Peninsular Maternity Trust pour la maternité de Mowbray

LE CAP, Afrique du Sud, le 6 août 2022 /PRNewswire/ — À l’occasion d’une cérémonie de donation le 28 juillet, Hisense, fabricant et fournisseur d’appareils électroniques et médicaux à haute performance, a offert un appareil d’échographie haute résolution de pointe, l’échographe Hisense HD60, au Peninsula Maternity Trust pour la maternité de Mowbray pour annoncer sa collaboration et sa contribution à la maternité de Mowbray et au département de la santé du Cap-Occidental.

La maternité de Mowbray, située au Cap, est la plus grande maternité d’Afrique du Sud spécialisée dans les soins aux femmes présentant des grossesses à haut risque. Le professeur Ntusi, qui est président et médecin-chef à l’université du Cap (UCT) et au Groote Schuur Hospital, a gravi le Kilimandjaro en décembre dernier pour recueillir des fonds afin d’acheter un nouvel échographe pour le service d’anesthésie de l’hôpital.

Hisense South Africa a fait don d’un échographe HD60 en réponse aux efforts du Professeur Ntusi.  La réception de cet appareil d’échographie de pointe doté de capacités de diagnostic améliorées fonctionnant grâce à l’IA intégrée relèvera le niveau de soins de la maternité de Mowbray et offrira de meilleures chances aux femmes à risque tout en stimulant le moral du personnel.

« Nous sommes très fiers de pouvoir faire don de cette machine à la maternité de Mowbray et au département de la santé du Cap-Occidental ; nous espérons et souhaitons que cela changera la vie des communautés environnantes en améliorant les capacités technologiques et médicales de l’hôpital tout en offrant aux professionnels de santé une innovation technologique de qualité et un soutien qui facilitera un peu leur vie professionnelle », a déclaré Ronele Prince,  responsable des ventes médicales chez Hisense.

Hisense a conçu l’échographe HD60 pour offrir aux médecins une imagerie plus claire et à plus haute résolution affichée sur son écran de diagnostic 21,4″.  L’appareil est livré avec une variété de sondes échographiques, ce qui le rend bien adapté pour répondre à plusieurs besoins de l’hôpital en matière d’anesthésie, d’obstétrique, de gynécologie et d’interventions cardiovasculaires.

L’échographe Hisense HD60 a été utilisé dans plus de 30 hôpitaux à travers la Chine, aidant à diagnostiquer plus de 50 000 cas. Pour son échographe HD60, Hisense a obtenu le marquage CE pour les dispositifs médicaux en décembre 2021 et la licence SAHPRA en Afrique du Sud en janvier 2022.  En avril de cette année, Hisense a obtenu sa première commande de six échographes HD60 en Afrique du Sud, une étape importante pour devenir une marque de renommée internationale dans l’industrie de l’équipement médical.

Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1872546/image_5020023_41497144.jpg

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Blinken Heads to South Africa Amid New ‘Cold War’

JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrives in South Africa on Sunday, in what analysts say is an attempt to counter Chinese and Russian influence in the region.

Relations between the U.S. and South Africa became strained during President Donald Trump’s time in office. President Joe Biden has taken pains to repair them, but Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has proved contentious.

The secretary of state’s second trip to Africa, and his first to South Africa — the continent’s most developed economy and a key democratic ally — comes after a flurry of visits to the region by top Chinese and Russian officials.

Analysts say that after disregarding Africa for some time, the U.S. is now playing catch-up and trying to counter the growing influence of Beijing and Moscow in the region, in what some say has elements of a new “Cold War.”

Washington also wants to build support for Ukraine, as many African governments have been loath to condemn Russia’s invasion, in part due to the Soviet Union’s support for African liberation movements during the years when the continent threw off European colonial rule.

Steven Gruzd, head of the African governance and diplomacy program at the South African Institute for International Affairs, said he doubted South Africa would be pushed into criticizing Russia, its partner, along with China, in the BRICS group of countries.

“I think Secretary Blinken is not going to find a receptive audience for his message that South Africa must come down on the side of the West, and the U.S. in particular, on the Ukraine-Russian conflict,” Gruzd said.

Meanwhile, Bob Wekesa, director of the African Center for the Study of the United States at Witwatersrand University in Johannesburg, noted that China’s influence in Africa has grown considerably, and many African leaders look to Beijing for no-strings-attached infrastructure investments. Russia, too, to a far lesser extent, has made investments in the continent, and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov made a four-country visit to Africa last month.

“It’s actually true that there’s some form of Cold War, even if it’s not the kind of Cold War we saw from the end of the World War II, but it’s a form of geopolitical competition and the U.S. must, therefore, be prepared to be seen to be competing with other powers for influence in Africa,” Wekesa said.

Nontobeko Hlela, a researcher at the South African office of the Tricontinental Institute for Social Research, said negative comments about African and other developing countries by former U.S. president Donald Trump did nothing to improve relations.

“The U.S. will have to work hard to walk back some policy decisions and statements made by the former occupant of the White House,” Hlela said.

While in South Africa, Blinken will visit Johannesburg’s famous Soweto township, once home to liberation icon and first democratic president Nelson Mandela, as well as take part in South Africa’s Women’s Day celebrations.

On Monday, he will meet South African counterpart Naledi Pandor and launch the new U.S. Strategy for Sub-Saharan Africa. Climate change, trade, health and food insecurity will all be topics of discussion.

America’s top diplomat then heads to the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda, which are in the middle of a conflict.

Source: Voice of America

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US Announces Another $150 Million for Africa Food Crisis

ACCRA, GHANA — U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield on Friday announced a $150 million package for Africa to help address food and humanitarian crises.

Speaking before a gathering of over 500 participants at the University of Ghana in Accra, Thomas-Greenfield said the world is facing unprecedented food crises, requiring what she termed an “unprecedented global response.”

“For our part, the United States is committed to this work. … But more funding is needed to address food security and to address crises that compound food security, like refugees and internally displaced people,” she said. “I am proud to announce nearly $150 million in new, additional humanitarian funding and development assistance, pending Congressional approval, for Africa.”

She said the new package, if approved by Congress, will increase U.S. humanitarian assistance to Africa to $6.6 billion since the beginning of this year.

The ambassador says worldwide food prices are 23% higher than a year ago, partly a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – the two countries combined provide over 40% of Africa’s wheat supply.

Thomas-Greenfield said the new U.S. funding will expand investments in fertilizer, grains and other crops in Africa to meet “the goal of increasing resilience to future shocks.”

It includes $2.5 million in new development assistance for Ghana and $20 million for Uganda, where Thomas-Greenfield stopped before visiting the West African country.

She said the new funding includes more than $127 million in additional humanitarian assistance for Africa to provide “lifesaving support to refugees, asylum-seekers, internally displaced persons, stateless persons and persecuted people across Africa.”

Condemning the war in Ukraine, she said the U.N. Security Council must be proactive to prevent food from being used as a weapon of war.

“The world needs to see how food insecurity increases the risk of conflict. And the Security Council needs to do a better job of stopping food from being used as a weapon of war,” she said.

Thomas-Greenfield said Africa has the potential to become its own breadbasket and must take advantage of the current situation to forge partnerships with civil society and the private sector to build the food systems and structures of the future.

Source: Voice of America

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Ethiopia’s Military: 800 Al-Shabab Fighters Killed in Recent Clashes

MOGADISHU, SOMALIA — Ethiopia’s military says security forces killed more than 800 fighters from the Somali militant group al-Shabab after Shabab fighters launched a rare cross-border attack.

General Tesfaye Ayalew, the head of deployment for Ethiopia’s national defense forces, said more than 800 al-Shabab fighters, including 24 top leaders, were killed in recent operations against the group.

He said al-Shabab tried to infiltrate Ethiopia through the country’s eastern border but they have been “successfully thwarted by the joint efforts of the security forces.”

The president of Ethiopia’s Somali state, Mustafe Omar, said in a Twitter statement Friday that another 100 al-Shabab fighters were captured in the recent clashes. He said the group’s misadventure into Ethiopia ended with “a rout of the terrorists.”

VOA could not independently verify the figures from either official.

Other security officials in Ethiopia’s Somali state told VOA that there were heavy casualties on Ethiopia’s side and several officials, including local administrators, were captured by al-Shabab.

Late last month, hundreds of al-Shabab fighters crossed Somalia’s border with Ethiopia and clashed with specially-trained counterterrorism forces known as the Liyu police. The group entered Ethiopia at several sites from Somalia’s border regions of Hiran and Bakool.

U.S. assessments suggest the Shabab fighters may have penetrated as far as 150 kilometers into Ethiopia before being stopped.

The president of Ethiopia’s Somali state announced last week that Ethiopian forces will establish a buffer zone inside Somalia to stop further al-Shabab attacks across the border.

Authorities in Somalia’s Bakool region welcomed the announcement and said it would help stabilize the region.

Al-Shabab has been fighting the Somali government and African Union troops in Somalia for more than 15 years, carrying out attacks in Somalia and neighboring Kenya.

Experts believe that the group’s attack in Ethiopia was meant to show the group still poses a danger to Horn of African countries.

Meanwhile, on Friday, a suicide truck bomb blast targeted a military base in the Hiran region, near the Somali-Ethiopian border, that houses Turkish-trained special forces.

Officials in the region told VOA by phone that the bombing killed at least one soldier and wounded three.

Al-Shabab claimed responsibility for the attack and said more than 40 soldiers were killed or wounded.

Source: Voice of America

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Automobili Lamborghini’s NFT journey continues countdown to the eight-month “The Epic Road Trip” program releasing new Lamborghini NFTs to collect

New York, NY, Aug. 05, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Following its two successful NFT projects to date, Automobili Lamborghini, in collaboration with NFT PRO™ and INVNT.ATOM™, has commenced a virtual journey that starts from the Moon, crosses Space and continues in iconic locations across the world.

In this new adventure, Lamborghini super sports cars will be the unmissable protagonists of places that the traveler can visit and discover, collecting new NFTs every month for eight months until March 2023. The collection consists of four NFTs released each month for 4 days consecutively and will be available to purchase for 24 hours only. The fourth NFT will be available in a limited edition of just 63 units. At the very end of the campaign, only those who have acquired all the monthly NFTs issued – either the three regular NFTs or three regular plus the limited edition – will receive a special NFT.

To reward loyalty during the campaign, other exclusive surprises will be communicated, including a digital artwork by the Lamborghini Centro Stile produced for “The Epic Road Trip” campaign, for those who purchase two complete monthly collections. For those who have completed the first four months acquisitions there will be the opportunity to participate in a special tour of the Sant’Agata Bolognese’s Headquarters.

“Since 1963, the year of its foundation, Automobili Lamborghini has always led from the front, demonstrating this with its super sports cars that continue to be the protagonists in dreams of children and adults all over the world. Entering the virtual world of modern collecting with NFTs is the natural translation and evolution of that dream,” said Christian Mastro, Marketing Director of Automobili Lamborghini. “NFTs are the new, unconventional and exclusive proposition, paving the way for a new form of expression for the younger generations.”

“Lamborghini loyalists and cryptocurrency fans will be amazed by this next series of drops that culminate in a very special reveal next March,” said Christian Ferri, CEO of NFT PRO™, Lamborghini’s launch partner and expert in engagement with consumers of Web3. “We are thrilled to continue our partnership with Lamborghini by offering this truly exclusive NFT collection.”

INVNT.ATOM the global digital innovation division of [INVNT GROUP]™; led the creative, strategy, design, content, and marketing communications.

“Our previous collaboration with Lamborghini – auctioning off a 1:1 NFT attached to the last physical Aventador Coupé super sportscar – was a testament to how impactful storytelling at the digital frontier cultivates community and consumer engagement. We’re honored to grow our relationship with Lamborghini and to be partnering with NFT PRO to celebrate innovation and Lamborghini’s 1963 heritage,” said Scott Cullather, President, and CEO of [INVNT GROUP].

The first series of four NFTs will be released starting from 8 August 2022 on the website nft.lamborghini.com.

Photos and videos: media.lamborghini.com

Information on Automobili Lamborghini: www.lamborghini.com

Media Kit: (High res imagery & bios).

About INVNT.ATOM™

INVNT.ATOM, part of [INVNT GROUP] THE GLOBAL BRANDSTORY PROJECT™, is an innovation and brand experience agency devoted to helping global brands chart a course, navigate, activate, and create new opportunities at the digital frontier of Web3. Based in Singapore, the collective of strategists, marketers, creators, programmers, matchmakers, and thought leaders, turn strategies into stories and stories into experiences, that engage communities on the global stage. For more information about INVNT.ATOM, visit: www.invntatom.com

About [INVNT GROUP]™

[INVNT GROUP] was established as an evolution of the founding global live brand storytelling agency INVNT. Led by President and CEO, Scott Cullather, [INVNT GROUP], THE GLOBAL BRANDSTORY PROJECT™ represents a portfolio of disciplines designed to help forward-thinking organizations innovate and impact audiences everywhere. The GROUP consists of modern brand strategy firm, Folk Hero; creative-led culture consultancy, Meaning; production studio & creative agency, HEVĒ; events for colleges and universities, INVNT Higher Ed; digital innovation division, INVNT.ATOM; creative multimedia studio, Hypnogram; and the original live brand storytelling agency, INVNT. For more information about INVNT.ATOM, visit: www.invntgroup.com

About NFT PRO™

NFT PRO is a white -label NFT solution for enterprises, helping brands strategize, create, and sell NFT’s to customers, fans, and collectors. Their proprietary methodology and software take the guesswork from setting up and executing an NFT strategy and ensure consistent results and brand safety for every campaign. NFT PRO simplifies creating and executing NFT campaigns that are both effective and on-brand. For more information about NFT PRO, visit: www.web3pro.com

Attachment

For “The Epic Road Trip” campaign & press enquiries:
Paola Cracknell
pcracknell@invnt.com

For [INVNT GROUP] and INVNT.ATOM press enquiries:
Jhonathan Mendez de Leon
jmendezdeleon@invnt.com

For NFT Pro press enquiries:
Devashish “Dev” Sarkar
devashishs@nftpro.com
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Hisense South Africa Donates an Ultrasound HD60 to The Peninsular Maternity Trust for Mowbray Maternity Hospital

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, Aug. 5, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — At a donation ceremony on July 28, Hisense, a manufacturer and provider of high-performance electronics and medical devices, delivered a cutting-edge, high-resolution, ultrasound machine, the Hisense Ultrasound HD60, to the Peninsula Maternity Trust for Mowbray Maternity Hospital to announce the collaboration and contribution to the Mowbray Maternity  Hospital and The Western Cape Department of Health.

The Mowbray Maternity Hospital, located in Cape Town, is the largest dedicated maternity hospital in South Africa specialising in providing care to women with high-risk pregnancies. Professor Ntusi, who is the chair and head of medicine at the University of Cape Town (UCT) and Groote Schuur Hospital climbed Mount Kilimanjaro last December to raise money to buy a new ultrasound machine for the hospital’s anaesthesia department.

Hisense South Africa donated an Ultrasound HD60 in response to Prof Ntusi’s efforts. Receiving this advanced ultrasound device with enhanced diagnostics powered by built-in AI will raise the level of care at the Mowbray Maternity Hospital and deliver better outcomes for at-risk women as well as boost staff morale.

“We are so proud to be able to donate this machine to the Mowbray Maternity Hospital and the Western Cape  Department of Health, we hope and wish this will not only change the lives of the surrounding community by improving the technological and medical capacity of the hospital, but also provide the health care professionals with quality technology innovation and support in order to make their work lives a little bit easier ” Ronele Prince, medical sales manager of Hisense said.

Hisense developed the Ultrasound HD60 to provide clinicians with clearer, higher resolution imaging shown on its 21.4″ diagnostic display. The device comes with a variety of ultrasound probes, making it well-suited to meet a range of the hospital’s anaesthetic, obstetric, gynaecological, and cardiovascular procedure needs.

The Hisense Ultrasound HD60 has been used in more than 30 hospitals across China, helping diagnose over 50,000 cases. Hisense completed the CE MDR certification for the Ultrasound HD60 in December 2021 and obtained the SAHPRA license in South Africa for the device in January 2022. In April this year, Hisense won its first  order of six Ultrasound HD60 in South Africa; a significant step to becoming an internationally well-known brand in the medical equipment industry.

Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1872546/image_5020023_41497144.jpg