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Cabinet Apprised of Interventions to Deal With Foodborne Illnesses and Fatalities

[SAnews.gov.za] President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to address the nation soon on the interventions government is undertaking to deal with foodborne illnesses and fatalities that have transpired in the country.




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South Africa Calls for Calm Amid Post-Election Tensions in Mozambique

[SAnews.gov.za] South Africa has reiterated its call for calm and restraint following post-election protests in Mozambique.




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A Ford Mustang Mach-E Rally dominated an SCCA RallyCross

A Ford Mustang Mach-E Rally was the quickest car around an SCCA RallyCross course The Mustang Mach-E Rally won both its class and the outright event A Ford engineer was behind the wheel, simply as weekend fun Attendees and participants at the Detroit Octoberfast RallyCross event at the Auto City Speedway didn’t hear it coming, but an EV came...




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2026 Honda Passport revealed with bigger, brawnier design

Redesigned 2026 Honda Passport revealed ahead of launch in early 2025 2026 Honda Passport comes standard with 285-hp V-6 2026 Honda Passport pricing will start in mid-$40,000 range A new generation of the Honda Passport two-row midsize SUV is headed to showrooms early next year as a 2026 model. Buyers will be able to choose from a base RTL model...



  • Los Angeles Auto Show

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China's CATL open to building US battery plant if Trump allows

Chines battery supplier CATL could build a plant in the U.S. The decision would hinge on whether Trump's administration allows the Chinese to enter the market CATL wanted to invest in the U.S. but to date the government's said no Chinese battery supplier CATL is open to building a U.S. factory if the incoming Trump administration allows it, the...




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Obaseki embarks on post-tenure medical vacation

The immediate-past governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki, has proceeded on vacation. This is for him to rest and undergo a medical check-up, after a successful two-term as governor of the state. This was disclosed in a statement by his media adviser, Crusoe Osagie, on Wednesday. The former governor completed his two-term administration on November


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IG calls for collective effort in national development

The Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has cautioned that national development should not be seen as the sole responsibility of the government, its officials or institutions. Rather, he said the government, the citizens and security agencies must play their roles in the pursuit of sustainable growth and development. The IG made this call while


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Babalola: Unending controversy over INEC’s electoral commissioner

In this report, Peter Dada writes on the forthcoming Ondo governorship election, highlighting the controversy that has trailed INEC’s Resident Electoral Commissioner for the poll On Saturday, over two million registered voters would go to the polling centres to cast their votes for the governorship candidates of their choice, to decide who will steer the


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NBC, WIMBIZ support female entrepreneur with N1m grant

The Nigerian Bottling Company has partnered with Women in Management, Business, and Public Service to support female entrepreneurship, including awarding an N1 million grant to a pastry chef. In a statement, NBC said it awarded an N1m grant to a pastry chef and entrepreneur, Achiv Ngusurun, in recognition of her innovative business approach at the


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Nigeria’s $700bn mining potential draws global interest

Nigeria’s push to revamp its mining sector is generating heightened interest from global investors as President Bola Tinubu’s administration drives reforms to unlock an estimated $700 billion in untapped mineral resources, diplomatic sources said. Last week, Nigeria launched a four-day mining investment roadshow in South Africa, aiming to attract $500m in foreign investment for its


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Why Africa needs clinical trials — Researchers

Leading health researchers have urged Africans to embrace clinical trials, emphasising their vital role in addressing local health challenges and boosting economic opportunities. Ahead of the 2024 Impact Africa Summit in Lagos, the group of experts highlighted the need to create a robust and sustainable clinical trial ecosystem in Sub-Saharan Africa. They noted that this


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CAF WCL: Edo Queens walk tight rope after Masar stalemate

Edo Queens on Wednesday battled FC Masar of Egypt to a goalless draw in their second Group B match of the 2024 CAF Women’s Champions League in Morocco, leaving their chances of progressing to the semifinals in the balance, PUNCH Sports Extra reports. The Nigerian and West African champions still maintain their pole position on


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Edo NULGE restates support for LG autonomy, backs national leadership

The Edo State chapter of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees has pledged its support to the union’s national leadership, headed by President-General Akeem Ambali. In a statement released on Wednesday, the Edo NULGE, led by Clifford Dauda, praised Ambali’s ability to unite stakeholders and members from across the country, highlighting this as a


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Tinubu’s policies threatening industries, workers — Chemical union

The Chemical and Non-Metallic Products Senior Staff Association of Nigeria has decried the policies of the Bola Tinubu-led government, saying that they are adversely affecting chemical and non-metallic products in Nigeria. National President of the association, Mr Segun David, made the remarks at the opening session of the 29th Annual National Management/Industrial Relations Seminar on


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Sierra Leone begins to vaccinate health care workers against Ebola

Authorities in Sierra Leone have launched an Ebola vaccination campaign targeting at least 5,000 health workers. Many health workers caught the Ebola virus during the outbreak that hit West Africa a decade ago. Victoria Amunga reports from Kenema, Sierra Leone. Camera: Jimmy Makhulo.




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At UN climate talks, nations big and small get chance to bear witness to climate change

BAKU, Azerbaijan — When more than two dozen world leaders deliver remarks at the United Nations' annual climate conference on Wednesday, many have detailed their nations' firsthand experience with the catastrophic weather that has come with climate change. “Over the past year, catastrophic floods in Spain, Bosnia and Herzegovina as well as well as in southern Croatia have shown the devastating impact of rising temperatures,” said Croatia's prime minister, Andrej Plenkovic. “The Mediterranean, one of the most vulnerable regions, calls for urgent action.” The Greek prime minister said Europe and the world needs to be “more honest” about the trade-offs needed to keep global temperatures down. “We need to ask hard questions about a path that goes very fast, at the expense of our competitiveness, and a path that goes some much slower, but allows our industry to adapt and to thrive,” he said. His nation this summer was hammered by successive heat waves after three years of below-average rainfall. In Greece, the misery included water shortages, dried-up lakes and the death of wild horses. Other speakers on the list include Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, whose nation has seen deadly flooding this year from monsoon rains that scientists say have become heavier with climate change. Just two years ago, more than 1,700 people died in widespread flooding. Pakistan has also suffered from dangerous heat, with thousands of people hospitalized with heatstroke this spring as temperatures soared to 47 degrees Celsius. Also on the list of speakers Wednesday is Bahamas Prime Minister Philip Edward Davis. Like many other countries in the Global South, the Bahamas has piled up debt from warming-connected weather disasters it did little to cause, including Hurricanes Dorian in 2019 and Matthew in 2016. Leaders have been seeking help and money from the Global North and oil companies. Early on Wednesday, ministers and officials from African nations called for initiatives to advance green development on the continent and strengthen resilience to extreme weather events — from floods to droughts — across the region. Plenty of big names and powerful countries are noticeably absent from COP29 this year. That includes the 13 largest carbon dioxide-polluting countries — a group responsible for more than than 70% of the heat-trapping gases emitted last year — were missing. The world’s biggest polluters and strongest economies — China and the United States — didn't send their No. 1s. Neither did India and Indonesia. But U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer was there, and he announced an 81% emissions reduction target on 1990 levels by 2035, in line with the Paris Agreement goal to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial times. That’s up from the 78% the U.K. had already pledged. The main focus of this year’s talks is climate finance — wealthier nations compensating poor countries for damages from climate change’s weather extremes, helping them pay to transition their economies away from fossil fuels and helping them with adaptation.




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Germany to hold snap February election amid fears political turmoil imperils Ukraine aid

London — Germany's plan to hold a snap election in February has raised uncertainties over the country's military aid program for Ukraine, as the government has not yet approved its 2025 budget. Berlin is the second biggest donor of weapons and equipment to Kyiv, after the United States. The political turmoil in Europe's biggest economy comes as allies prepare for a second term for President-elect Donald Trump in the United States. Trump has repeatedly questioned U.S. support for Ukraine. February vote Germany's main political parties agreed to hold the election on February 23, following the collapse of the ruling three-party coalition government earlier this month. Chancellor Olaf Scholz is due to introduce a confidence motion in parliament next month, which he is expected to lose, paving the way for a general election. Scholz has said he will stand again as the Social Democrats' candidate, although some in the party have questioned whether he is the best choice amid low approval ratings. The chairman of the Social Democrats in the German parliament, Rolf Mützenich, insisted Tuesday that Scholz was the right candidate. "I am firmly convinced that Olaf Scholz has done this country good in the last three years under the most difficult conditions. He has done everything to ensure that the coalition stays together. We have not only experienced the attack by Russian troops on Ukraine, but we have also helped Ukraine. We have also created important economic stabilization effects in Germany," Mützenich told reporters in Berlin. Opposition poll lead However, the main opposition Christian Democrats have a big lead in the polls. The party's leader, Friedrich Merz, argued for a quicker election. "We are basically losing around a month for the election to the next German parliament and thus also for the formation of a government after the next election," Merz told reporters Tuesday. "I just want to remind you that we do not have a federal budget for 2025. We are going into 2025 with this serious omission, with this heavy burden. And that is why it is completely unknown what will become of it," he added. Debt dispute The current government — a coalition between the Social Democrats, the Green party and the Free Democrats — collapsed last week following disagreements over raising new debt to finance the 2025 budget, including the provision of military aid to Ukraine. A so-called debt brake in Germany's constitution restricts the government's ability to take on new loans. Berlin has given Kyiv around $11 billion in weapons and equipment since Russia's February 2022 full-scale invasion. The outgoing government had planned to cut that aid to just over $4 billion next year. "Broadly speaking, there was a consensus that supporting Ukraine remains a priority for Germany. The question was just where and how to get and raise the finances for that," said Mattia Nelles, founder of the German-Ukraine Bureau, a political consultancy based in Düsseldorf, who said the February election was "bad timing for Ukraine, bad timing for Europe." 'Leadership vacuum' "It means Germany will be preoccupied with itself for a few months before we have a new government with a hopefully strong mandate — a coalition that could take literally until next summer, or in the worst case, even until autumn. So that is a leadership vacuum in Europe, and that's bad news for everyone involved," Nelles said. The election is due to take place just weeks after the January 20 inauguration of Donald Trump as the next U.S. president. "The worst case that many fear in Berlin and Kyiv [is] an incoming Trump administration taking power in January then slashing or ending the Ukraine aid, that will force the German government, the lame duck Scholz government with the current parliament, to increase the funding for Ukraine." "It's important to note that there is still a majority in the old parliament, even before the new parliament is elected, to increase the aid, to take new debt and amend the constitution for that, to take new debt to support Ukraine ... but it's going to be difficult politically to implement that," Nelles said. European security Trump's presidency could have wider implications for European security, including the deployment of U.S. forces and equipment, such as long-range missile systems, says analyst Marina Miron, a defense analyst at Kings College, London. "What else might be reversed is the placement of Tomahawk [U.S. missiles] in Germany. So, we have quite a situation where, let's say, Trump might pursue an anti-globalist agenda and push NATO countries to invest more of their GDP into defense," Miron told VOA. Russian assets Europe froze around $200 billion in Russian assets following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. The interest is being used to help fund weapons for Kyiv, while the G7 group of rich nations has implemented a loan plan for Ukraine using the Russian assets as collateral. At a time of fiscal pressures in Europe, some argue it's time to seize the assets entirely and give them to Ukraine. "Europe is sitting on a war chest of 200 billion U.S. dollars of frozen Russian assets," said analyst Mattia Nelles. "And I think the incoming Trump administration will push the Europeans to go further. And that's welcome news from the Ukrainian side — to not just give loans and credit based on frozen Russian assets, but to move to confiscate the assets themselves. And that's certainly something many in Germany also support," he added. Economic pressures Chancellor Scholz oversaw German efforts to end reliance on cheap Russian energy. However, analysts say that has driven inflation and undermined confidence in Europe's biggest economy. Scholz also was seen as reluctant to make bolder decisions on arming Ukraine, including the supply of long-range Taurus missiles, something Kyiv has repeatedly requested. Ukraine may be hoping that a change in leadership in Berlin could unblock more military aid, said Nelles. "We are looking at a new, potentially stronger government, which, if it's led by [Christian Democrat leader] Friedrich Merz, might be taking some of the bolder decisions which Scholz had hesitated to take, including the delivery of Taurus. But everyone hoping for that, I would urge caution," he said. Germany's economic constraints won't disappear with new leadership, said analyst Marina Miron. "Let's assume, for a moment, there is somebody who would drive this policy forward and who would have much more resolve than Scholz. The problem is the German budget. The problem is also that defense contractors in Europe are now affected, as other companies, by the disruption in the global supply chain," she told VOA. Germany is also struggling to overcome decades of underinvestment in its armed forces, something the next government will have to address, Miron added. "The dictates of German strategic culture just go against the grain of the current threat landscape, when it comes to bigger investment in defense," she said.




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New storms and flooding in Spain threaten hard-hit Valencia again

Madrid — New storms in Spain caused school closures and train cancellations on Wednesday, two weeks after flash floods in Valencia and other parts of the country killed more than 220 people and destroyed thousands of homes. Coastal areas of Valencia were placed under the highest alert on Wednesday evening. Forecasters said up to 180 millimeters (7 inches) of rain could fall there within five hours. Cleanup efforts in parts of Valencia hardest hit by the Oct. 29 storm were still continuing, and there were concerns over what more rain could bring to streets still covered with mud and debris. In southern Malaga province, streets were flooded, while 3,000 people near the Guadalhorce river were moved from their homes as a preventive measure. Schools across the province were closed, along with many stores. High-speed AVE train service was canceled between Malaga and Madrid as well as Barcelona and Valencia. There were no reports of any deaths. Spanish weather forecaster AEMET put Malaga on red alert, saying up to 70 millimeters (roughly 3 inches) of rain had accumulated in an hour. Parts of Tarragona province in the east also faced heavy rain and remained under red alert. The forecast in Malaga delayed the start of the Billie Jean King Cup tennis finals between Spain and Poland, which was set for Wednesday. The storm system affecting Spain is caused by warm air that collides with stagnant cold air and forms powerful rain clouds. Experts say that drought and flood cycles are increasing with climate change.




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Ukraine drone attacks spark fires in Russia's Bryansk, Kaluga regions

Ukrainian overnight drone attacks have set several non-residential buildings on fire in Russia's Kaluga and Bryansk regions, regional governors said on Sunday. "Emergency services and firefighters are on the site," Alexander Bogomaz, governor of the Russian border region of Bryansk, wrote on the Telegram messaging app, without providing further detail. The defense ministry said its air defense units had destroyed 23 Ukrainian drones overnight, including 17 over Bryansk. Vladislav Shapsha, governor of the Kaluga region, which borders the Moscow region to its northeast, said a non-residential building in the region was on fire as result of Ukraine's drone attack. Reuters could not independently verify the reports. There was no immediate comment from Ukraine. Kyiv has often said its drone attacks on Russian territory are aimed at infrastructure key to Moscow's war efforts and are in response to Russia's continued attack on Ukraine's territory.




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Sanco KZN cuts ties with ANC over dysfunctional alliance and service delivery failures




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Travel with ease this summer, thanks to Samsung’s Black Friday Deals




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‘Black Lives Matter’: Women weep as community rallies to rescue illegal miners trapped underground amid police blitz




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Mark Lifman murder: Call for a ban on media photographers




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Eskom responds to court ruling on Emfuleni Municipality's bank account seizure




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'Karou Charou’ to launch new political party, 1860NIC Congress




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Cabinet congratulates Mozambique’s Daniel Chapo, Botswana’s Duma Boko and US’ Donald Trump and seeks to deepen trade with China




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Free State man sentenced for raping a mentally challenged teenager




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Foreign national businessman kidnapped in the Eastern Cape




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Suspect in custody for the alleged rape and murder of a teenage girl in Limpopo




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Former Standard Bank employee who claimed ‘kidnappers’ made him steal over R500,000 jailed




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Mpumalanga MEC of Economic Development accuses Forestry Minister Dion George of racial segregation, but George rubbishes claims




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South Africans divided on whether ‘starving and dehydrated’ illegal miners should be rescued




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Gloves come off: ‘Zuma is inviting me back to fight with him, I’m not scared,’ says Julius Malema








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Tantalizer Plc names new board after significant acquisition by new shareholders

Tantalizer Plc has notified the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) of the recent changes to its Board of Directors Arising from the Private Placement and the subsequent majority shareholding acquired by both Messrs Food Specialties and Organics Limited and Banklink Africa Private Equities Limited, a Board meeting was convened on 15th October, 2024. During this meeting, decisions […]

The post Tantalizer Plc names new board after significant acquisition by new shareholders first appeared on Business Hallmark.



  • Business
  • Tantalizer
  • Tantalizer Plc names new board after significant acquisition by new shareholders

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UBA partners Mastercard to launch special debit card with benefits to mark its 75th anniversary

  United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, Africa’s global bank, has partnered with Mastercard to launch a commemorative debit card in celebration of UBA’s 75th anniversary. This collaboration, according to a statement, aims to honor UBA’s long-standing customer relationships and enhance their banking experience with a range of offers and discounts across multiple platforms. UBA’s […]

The post UBA partners Mastercard to launch special debit card with benefits to mark its 75th anniversary first appeared on Business Hallmark.




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HONOR’s impressive growth and insights from industry leaders at Africa Tech Festival 2024




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HONOR Spearheads Dialogue on the Future of the Smartphone Industry, Echoes Transparent and Ethical Use of AI




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Calls for Danny Jordaan to step down amid serious fraud investigations




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ATM calls for safer play spaces after tragic drowning of young boys in Thabong




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uMgungundlovu Film Festival to open with captivating film Intandokazi




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Activism against gender-based violence sparks urgent calls for action and reform




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Former Sri Lankan refugee pleads for South African citizenship after over 20 years of legal struggles




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Wind energy sector calls for urgent grid access reforms to unlock potential




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UNHRC calls for significant legal reforms to uphold human rights in Pakistan




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Next local government elections set for late 2026 to early 2027




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Marco Jansen nearly pulls off a miracle, but Proteas fall short against India