French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has told parliament he backs suspending controversial 2023 pension reforms, in the face of crucial votes of no-confidence later this week. The changes, which raised the retirement age from 62 to 64, were seen as signature reforms in Emmanuel Macron’s presidency. “This autumn I will propose to parliament that we…
The Egyptologist and former minister of antiquities will be the first Arab to lead the UN’s cultural organisation. The board of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has nominated Egypt’s Khaled el-Enany, an academic and former minister of tourism and antiquities, as its next head, ahead of the organisation’s general conference next…
Google has announced a set of new investments aimed at strengthening Africa’s digital infrastructure, with South Africa a key focus. Alex Okosi, MD for Google in Africa | image supplied The company will establish four subsea cable connectivity hubs across the continen, in the north, south, east and west – to create new digital corridors…
UNITED NATIONS, Sep 8 2025 (IPS) – At a time of great transformation for global health, solidarity is more important than ever. As other countries have retreated from their commitments, Japan has instead continued its steadfast investment in a shared future that prioritizes human dignity and security. Japan is reaffirming its commitment to this vision…
US President Donald Trump had placed Washington’s police department under federal control earlier this week. The administration of US President Donald Trump has reversed course and agreed to leave the Washington, DC police chief in control of the department, after Washington officials and the United States Justice Department negotiated a deal at the urging of…
ADDIS ABABA – Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has called for a transformative, Africa-centered approach to food security, emphasizing the need for resilient and inclusive food systems amid intensifying global challenges. Her remarks came during the opening of the Second United Nations Food Systems Summit, co-hosted by Ethiopia and Italy in Addis Ababa. Meloni stressed…
Communications minister Solly Malatsi The Internet Service Providers’ Association (Ispa) has voiced its support for communications minister Solly Malatsi’s plan to reform empowerment rules in ICT sector licensing. A draft policy direction by Malatsi calls for the introduction of equity equivalents in licensing so companies don’t have to sell equity to black investors and can…
On 25 June, the CA issued a directive ordering television and radio stations to stop the live broadcasting of anti-government protests, citing “national security and public order concerns”. Some media houses, which were broadcasting the demonstrations live, were taken off air by the regulatory agency. Following the CA’s directive, the Media Sector Working Group stated…
President Cyril Ramaphosa President Cyril Ramaphosa has voiced his support for the process undertaken by communications minister Solly Malatsi to introduce equity equivalent investment programmes (EEIPs) in the ICT sector. Malatsi in May published a draft policy directive, which he intends issuing to Icasa, urging the communications regulator to investigate how EEIPs, which are already…
Wetility, a subscription solar service provider focused on both the residential and commercial solar markets, has secured R500-million in structured capital funding from Jaltech. The capital provided by Jaltech will be used to fund solar and battery systems, allowing Wetility to add more than 16MW of solar capacity in South Africa in time. “This funding…
