An epidemic of mpox has claimed one life and infected four others in South Africa, the government announced on Wednesday, stating measures are being taken to procure additional treatment medications as a precautionary measure. The five reported cases, occurring between May 8 and June 7, represent the first instances recorded in the nation since 2022, according to statements made by Health Minister Joe Phaahla during a press conference. Phaahla emphasized the importance of early medical intervention and contact tracing for those presenting symptoms associated with mpox, a viral illness previously referred to as monkey-pox. The disease is transmitted through close…
Author: BRICS+ News Services
At an international conference titled “A Decade of Addresses of the Wise Leader of the Islamic Revolution to the Youth of America and Europe,” held at Tehran University, Foad Izadi made a significant announcement. Izadi revealed that a statement from the leader’s letter had gained an unprecedented level of attention, reaching nearly 16 million views on social media platforms. The focus of this attention, he explained, stems from the letter’s poignant discussion of the Palestinian issue, shedding light on the tragic deaths of more than 37,000 Palestinians. Among the distinguished speakers at the conference was Acting President Mohammad Mokhbar, whose…
Rambo’s store is one of approximately 45,000 businesses in the state capital that have been severely affected by the recent devastating floods. According to estimates from Porto Alegre’s Chamber of Store Managers, the total cost to commerce in the city during the period from April 29 to May 26 amounted to a staggering 487.7 million reals, equivalent to $91 million. The floods, which commenced in late April following heavy rains that inundated the city and surrounding mountains, unleashed torrents of water that flowed through towns and converged into the Guaiba River, located alongside Porto Alegre. This resulted in the water…
In a groundbreaking move, The Rights Practice has unveiled a new toolkit designed to assist researchers, activists, and NGOs based outside China in their efforts to investigate human rights issues within the country. Titled “A Toolkit for Civil Society: Monitoring Human Rights in China,” this comprehensive resource brings together a wealth of high-quality materials in a format specifically tailored to address the unique challenges faced in China. The necessity for remote monitoring of human rights in China has grown increasingly urgent in recent years. Following the ‘709’ Crackdown on Chinese rights lawyers and defenders in July 2015, the space for…
Habtamu Itefa Geleta, Ethiopia’s Minister of Water and Energy, is set to be a highlighted speaker at the African Energy Week (AEW): Invest in African Energy 2024 conference taking place from November 4th to 8th in Cape Town. This conference is regarded the largest energy event in Africa, and Geleta’s participation underlines Ethiopia’s unwavering commitment to enhancing its energy sector via substantial investments and purposeful international alliances. Ethiopia’s current power generation capacity amounts to 5.2 GW, and there are ambitious plans to elevate this figure to 17 GW within the next ten years. Even though renewable energy establishes the main…
The recent public release of the Egyptian government’s draft State Ownership Policy (SOP) in June 2022 has sparked questions regarding the potential inclusion of the military’s businesses and its overall economic role. The draft did not address this directly, prompting concerns about the coherence of the SOP without acknowledging continued military involvement, which could undermine the government’s economic goals. However, the official Memorandum of Economic and Financial Policies (MEFP) submitted to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in November 2022 as part of a new loan agreement appeared to address these questions by subjecting military businesses to the same regulatory framework…
Uniper, a prominent German energy company, announced on Wednesday that it had been awarded over 13 billion euros ($14 billion) in damages by a tribunal for the failure of Russian state energy company Gazprom to deliver gas as per their contractual agreements. This ruling grants Uniper the authority to terminate the contracts and awards them significant compensation for the gas volumes that were not supplied. CEO Michael Lewis expressed uncertainty regarding the likelihood of receiving substantial amounts from Gazprom in light of the ruling. The decrease in gas supplies to Germany by Gazprom following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022…
In a recent development, major opposition parties in South Africa are contemplating a groundbreaking proposal put forth by the African National Congress (ANC) to establish a national unity government. Following the country’s recent election, the ANC emerged victorious, securing a considerable number of seats in the National Assembly. ANC leader and current President, Cyril Ramaphosa, emphasized the significance of forming a unified front with a diverse array of political parties to propel South Africa forward in the upcoming term. Despite winning 40% of the vote and garnering 159 out of 400 seats in the National Assembly, the ANC fell short…
In the aftermath of the recent Capstone meeting of Armenia-US Strategic Dialogue, both nations have formally pledged to deepen their ties in terms of security cooperation, as reflected in their joint official statement. Further affirming the time-honoured commitment, the United States voiced strong support for reforms in the key sectors of defense and law enforcement system in Armenia. Strongly rooted in historical ties dating back to the early 19th century, the collaborative endeavour reflects the two states’ shared aspiration to promote regional stability and global security. The partnership takes into perspective concerns of contemporary relevance, such as international strategic interests,…
In a controversial move, the Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva administration has called off a large-scale multi-million rice auction on June 6, 2024, due to a series of irregularities associated with the winning bidders. The cancelled auction was initially intended for the importation of 263,300 tons of rice, valued at BRL 1.3 billion. This strategic decision was made in the wake of significant flooding in the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. Recognized as the primary source of approximately 70% of Brazil’s consumed rice, the state’s production and stock losses are still under scrutiny. These catastrophic events have…