McKinsey Africa to pay $122.8 mn for bribing South African officialsThu, 05 Dec 2024 18:27:17 GMT

McKinsey and Co. Africa has agreed to pay nearly $123 million to settle a probe into bribes paid to South African officials to obtain lucrative consulting contracts, the US Justice Department said Thursday.The wholly owned subsidiary of global consulting giant McKinsey and Co. was accused of paying bribes to officials at Transnet Ltd, South Africa’s …

McKinsey Africa to pay $122.8 mn for bribing South African officialsThu, 05 Dec 2024 18:27:17 GMT Read More »

Eid festivities in north Nigeria make UNESCO heritage listThu, 05 Dec 2024 18:10:19 GMT

UNESCO on Thursday added a colourful parade of Nigerian knights on horseback celebrating Islam’s two holiest holidays to its intangible cultural heritage list.Dating back to the 15th century, the processions see a prestigious religious ruler and 10,000 horse riders accompanied by musicians march through the streets of Kano, the largest city in Nigeria’s predominantly Muslim …

Eid festivities in north Nigeria make UNESCO heritage listThu, 05 Dec 2024 18:10:19 GMT Read More »

Macron s’adresse aux Français, sans nom pour Matignon

Au lendemain d’une censure historique, Emmanuel Macron, revenu au cœur de l’attention, s’adresse à 20H00 aux Français mais il n’annoncera pas à cette occasion le nom du prochain Premier ministre amené à remplacer Michel Barnier à Matignon.”Le nom du Premier ministre ne sera pas annoncé jeudi soir”, a indiqué un proche du président de la RépubliqueLe chef de l’Etat a reçu Michel Barnier, démissionnaire, dans la matinée, puis consulté les présidents des deux chambres du Parlement et son allié François Bayrou.Renversé la veille par 331 députés, désormais détenteur du peu enviable record de brièveté à Matignon sous la Ve République, Michel Barnier a remis au président une lettre de démission sans fioritures où il lui exprime son “profond respect”, à l’image de son style empreint de sobriété.Emmanuel Macron en a “pris acte”, a indiqué l’Elysée dans un communiqué. Le chef du gouvernement assure avec son équipe “le traitement des affaires courantes jusqu’à la nomination” d’une nouvelle équipe.La présidente de l’Assemblée nationale, Yaël Braun-Pivet, a pourtant exhorté Emmanuel Macron à nommer “rapidement” un successeur à M. Barnier afin de “ne pas laisser s’installer le flottement”.Elle a été reçue par le chef de l’Etat en fin de matinée, avant son homologue du Sénat, Gérard Larcher dans l’après-midi.”Il n’a pas le choix” d’agir vite, pensait aussi un de ses proches. Mais un autre en fin d’après-midi prédisait qu’il ne donnerait pas de nom dans son allocution, mais plutôt “une méthode, un chemin”.D’ici là, qui pour Matignon? Le nom du président du MoDem François Bayrou, soutien de la première heure d’Emmanuel Macron, est beaucoup cité. Il a déjeuné jeudi avec le président à l’Elysée et s’est aussi entretenu avec un autre prétendant, l’ex-Premier ministre socialiste Bernard Cazeneuve.Ceux du ministre des Armées, Sébastien Lecornu, de Xavier Bertrand, ou du maire de Troyes, François Baroin, circulent également.- Marchés calmes -“Flou”, “impasse”, “cercle vicieux”: du nord au sud du pays, l’inquiétude et la lassitude étaient manifestes chez les Français interrogés par l’AFP. Elles se sont également traduites par une mobilisation notable des agents de la Fonction publique d’Etat, dont 130.000 ont manifesté en France.Les marchés restaient en revanche calmes: la Bourse de Paris a fini dans le vert jeudi, résistant à la crise politique, malgré un avertissement de l’agence Moody’s pour qui la chute du gouvernement “réduit la probabilité d’une consolidation” des finances publiques.Il faut nommer un Premier ministre “au plus vite” a aussi affirmé Xavier Bertrand (Les Républicains), le patron des socialistes, Olivier Faure, demandant au président de consulter dès aujourd’hui “l’ensemble des chefs de parti”. A l’inverse la patronne des Ecologistes Marine Tondelier temporisait. “Toute solution à l’emporte-pièce annoncée dans l’urgence ce soir serait un échec”, a-t-elle dit sur TF1.Avec la chute du gouvernement, la crise politique ouverte avec la dissolution de l’Assemblée nationale le 9 juin a franchi un cap inédit: pour la première fois depuis 1962, un Premier ministre a été renversé après avoir engagé sa responsabilité.Selon deux sondages Odoxa et Elabe publiés jeudi, les Français étaient partagés sur la motion de censure, mais six sur dix réclamaient la démission d’Emmanuel Macron.- Quadrature du cercle -“Il faut qu’Emmanuel Macron s’en aille”, a réclamé le coordinateur de LFI, Manuel Bompard, dans une manifestation d’enseignants à Paris, prédisant que “la mobilisation se poursuivra dans la rue. La cheffe de file des députés LFI, Mathilde Panot, a elle confirmé que son groupe censurerait tout Premier ministre qui ne serait pas issu du Nouveau Front populaire, y compris Bernard Cazeneuve, qui a quitté la PS.Au RN, si Marine Le Pen n’a pas formellement réclamé une démission du président, elle estime que “la pression” à son endroit “sera évidemment de plus en plus forte” si “on ne prend pas la voie du respect des électeurs”.Elle avait assuré mercredi que les députés lepénistes “laisseront travailler” le futur Premier ministre, afin de “co-construire” un budget “acceptable pour tous”. Mais les lignes rouges du RN “ne bougeront pas”, a prévenu le député Jean-Philippe Tanguy.Le chef de l’Etat doit désormais résoudre la quadrature du cercle, entre reconduite du “socle commun” macronistes-LR ou élargissement de ses contours afin de dégager une coalition plus solide pour résister à une future tentative de censure.Les députés LR ont décidé jeudi en réunion de groupe de ne pas “censurer automatiquement” un gouvernement élargi aux socialistes, contrairement à un exécutif comprenant des Insoumis, sans pour autant s’engager à y participer.Le chef des députés macronistes, Gabriel Attal, qui a réuni les ténors de Renaissance, propose pour sa part un accord de “non censure” avec le PS pour échapper à la tutelle du RN.Mais l’équation est d’autant plus complexe qu’une nouvelle dissolution et de nouvelles élections législatives ne peuvent intervenir avant juillet.bur-pab-sde-sac-fff-are/jmt/swi

Spain PM unveils strategy to boost Africa tiesThu, 05 Dec 2024 17:15:22 GMT

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez unveiled Thursday a new three-year strategic plan to boost Madrid’s economic and diplomatic ties with Africa and develop “legal channels” for migration.The move comes as Spain is struggling to curb a surge in irregular migrant arrivals by boat in Spain’s Canary Islands in the Atlantic, mainly from Western Africa.”Our country …

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Ghana rivals hold final election rallies in tight raceThu, 05 Dec 2024 17:10:25 GMT

In a carnival of drums, horns, flags and revving motorbikes, Ghana’s ruling party and opposition candidates rallied supporters for the last campaign on Thursday before a tightly contested presidential election.Saturday’s vote has emerged into a close race between ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) candidate, current Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia, and former president and NDC party …

Ghana rivals hold final election rallies in tight raceThu, 05 Dec 2024 17:10:25 GMT Read More »

S.Leone launches nationwide Ebola vaccination a decade after outbreakThu, 05 Dec 2024 17:07:41 GMT

Sierra Leone on Thursday started injecting the first of thousands of frontline workers with a preventive Ebola vaccine, a decade after the disease ravaged parts of West Africa killing more than 11,000 people.Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia were the worst-affected countries 10 years ago, in what was the largest Ebola outbreak since the virus was …

S.Leone launches nationwide Ebola vaccination a decade after outbreakThu, 05 Dec 2024 17:07:41 GMT Read More »

Rickelton hits first Test ton for South Africa against Sri LankaThu, 05 Dec 2024 17:04:25 GMT

Ryan Rickelton made a battling century as South Africa overcame a shaky start on the first day of the second Test against Sri Lanka at St George’s Park on Thursday.The left-handed Rickelton hit 101 as South Africa reached 269 for seven at the close.Rickelton, 28, has been a peripheral figure in the South African Test …

Rickelton hits first Test ton for South Africa against Sri LankaThu, 05 Dec 2024 17:04:25 GMT Read More »

British regulator approves Vodafone UK, Three merger

Vodafone and Three, the UK division of Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison, are set to create Britain’s biggest mobile phone operator after the country’s competition regulator backed the deal Thursday.The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said in a statement that the tie-up will proceed after the companies pledged to invest billions of pounds on rolling out a high-speed 5G network across the UK.The planned tie-up, first made public in June last year, is valued at around £16.5 billion ($21 billion) by Vodafone and Three, which have 27 million customers combined.The merger, set to complete during the first half of next year according to Vodafone, vaults the new group above the UK’s two current largest mobile operators BT EE and Virgin Media O2 in terms of customer numbers.”We believe the merger is likely to boost competition in the UK mobile sector and should be allowed to proceed — but only if Vodafone and Three agree to implement our proposed measures,” said Stuart McIntosh, who led the CMA inquiry on the merger.Vodafone said the enlarged group will create “a new force in UK mobile, unleashing more competition and investment to transform the UK telecoms landscape”.Vodafone and Three “have committed to invest £11 billion to create one of Europe’s most advanced 5G networks”, the pair said in a separate statement.The new network will reach 99 percent of the UK population and benefit more than 50 million customers as demand for data “is set to accelerate further with more widespread adoption of new technology, such as AI”, it added.Vodafone chief executive Margherita Della Valle said the “approval releases the handbrake on the UK’s telecoms industry, and the increased investment will power the UK to the forefront of European telecommunications”.Canning Fok, deputy chairman of CK Hutchison, said his group “will fully support the merged business in implementing its network investment plan”.- Transformation -Vodafone was already transforming under Della Valle amid the ongoing sale of its Italian unit to Swisscom for eight billion euros ($8.4 billion) and offloading of its Spanish division to investment fund Zegona for up to five billion euros.It comes after the British group last year axed 11,000 jobs, or more than 10 percent of its global workforce, to slash costs.Vodafone’s main market is Germany, where the group has been hit by legislation in the country that prevents housing associations from bundling TV contracts with rent.Mobile phone groups also provide television streaming services. Matt Britzman, senior equity analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, described the UK’s approval of the Vodafone-Three merger as “a significant regulatory shift after years of blocked telecom deals”. Following the CMA announcement, Vodafone’s share price rose 2.5 percent at the end of trading on London’s top-tier FTSE 100 index, which closed higher overall.

Trump says ‘you’re welcome’ after bitcoin leaps over $100,000

US President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday took credit for bitcoin’s historic surge past $100,000, telling his social media followers “you’re welcome” after the cryptocurrency jumped more than 50 percent since his election victory.”CONGRATULATIONS BITCOINERS!!! $100,000!!! YOU’RE WELCOME!!! Together, we will Make America Great Again!” Trump, who in September launched his own crypto platform, wrote on Truth Social.Bitcoin broke $100,000 for the first time Thursday after Trump nominated cryptocurrency backer Paul Atkins to head the US securities regulator, reinforcing optimism the incoming president will deregulate the sector.The digital unit has enjoyed a blistering rally since the November 5 election of Trump, who pledged to make the United States the “bitcoin and cryptocurrency capital of the world”.Bitcoin hit a record of $103,800.45 in Asian trading hours Thursday before dipping back to around $101,000.Following Trump’s remarks, it began climbing again, reaching $103,320.The volatile asset has soared by around 140 percent since the turn of the year. However, its advance had stalled in recent weeks, sitting just below $100,000 as traders awaited new catalysts before jumping in to buy.That came after Trump, who takes office in January, announced Wednesday that he would nominate Atkins to take over as chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission.Atkins, an SEC commissioner from 2002 to 2008, founded risk consultancy firm Patomak Global Partners in 2009, whose clients include companies in the banking, trading and cryptocurrency industries.An announcement from the Trump transition team noted that Atkins had been co-chairman of the Digital Chamber of Commerce, which promotes the use of digital assets, since 2017.”Paul is a proven leader for common sense regulations,” Trump said in a statement that emphasised Atkins’ commitment to “robust, innovative” capital markets.”He also recognises that digital assets and other innovations are crucial to making America greater than ever before,” Trump added.- Trump’s U-turn -Atkins replaces Gary Gensler, who led a crackdown on the sector after a 2022 market rout.Even so, the SEC this year authorised the trading on the American market of two new financial products, allowing a wider public to buy cryptocurrencies, called ETFs (exchange-traded funds).”Institutional interest and regulatory shifts are adding legitimacy, turning what once seemed like a fringe asset into a force reshaping finance,” said Matt Britzman, a senior analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown. “Love it or doubt it, bitcoin’s climb is rewriting the rule book for digital assets,” he added.Despite having once branded cryptocurrencies a “scam”, Trump changed his stance and has been a major advocate of the unit during his election campaign.In September, he announced that he, along with his sons and entrepreneurs, would launch a digital currency platform named World Liberty Financial. Trump has also become close to tycoon Elon Musk, who he said would lead a new US government-efficiency group tasked with cutting federal waste.Musk, a cryptocurrency fan himself, reportedly spent more than $100 million to help Trump regain the White House, repeatedly boosting his candidacy on his X social media platform.Reacting on X to the news of bitcoin hitting the $100,000 mark, Musk wrote: “Wow”.- Integration hopes -Among measures expected with Trump at the helm is the creation of a strategic reserve of bitcoins in the United States, consisting mainly of tokens seized by the courts, which could push other countries to grant more legitimacy to the virtual currency.Cryptocurrencies have made headlines since their creation, from their extreme volatility to the collapse of several industry giants, foremost among them the FTX exchange platform.”It’s volatile, unpredictable and is driven by speculation, none of which makes for a sleep-at-night investment,” said Dan Coatsworth, an analyst at investment group AJ Bell.Bitcoin was conceived in 2008 by a person or group writing under the name Satoshi Nakamoto.It was pitched as a way to break free of mainstream financial institutions by establishing a decentralised platform for transactions.The digital currency is created — or “mined” — as a reward when powerful computers solve complex problems to validate transactions made on a meddle-proof register known as the blockchain.Bitcoin has long been criticised for being the currency of choice for making untraceable payments on the dark web, the hidden part of the internet used for criminal activities.The asset has often come under attack for facilitating money laundering and allowing extortion through ransomware attacks.In September 2021, the unit was accepted by El Salvador as legal tender, though according to a study by Central America University, in 2023, 88 percent of Salvadorans have never used it.Its carbon footprint has also come under scrutiny as mining cryptocurrencies requires huge amounts of energy.burs/bcp/ajb/