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South African election: the fall of the ANC

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South African election: the fall of the ANC

– The African National Congress (ANC) in South Africa is facing a decline in support and is expected to receive less than 50% of the vote in the upcoming election.
– The decline of the ANC has not led to the emergence of new parties with new ideas, but rather the same old parties with the same old ideas.
– South Africa remains a country with high levels of poverty and inequality, with official unemployment at 32%.
– Former president Jacob Zuma has founded a new party that is expected to attract Zulu votes and further decrease the ANC’s support.
– The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party, led by Julius Malema, is polling at 11.5% and has a radical platform that includes nationalizing banks and mines.
– Malema’s best chance of gaining power may be through a coalition with the ANC.
– Despite challenges, South Africa still has resources and potential for change.

Boxing-Usyk beats Fury to become undisputed heavyweight champ

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Boxing-Usyk beats Fury to become undisputed heavyweight champ

Oleksandr Usyk defeated Tyson Fury in a split decision to become the undisputed heavyweight boxing world champion.

Eruption of Indonesia’s Mt Ibu forces seven villages to evacuate

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Eruption of Indonesia’s Mt Ibu forces seven villages to evacuate

A volcano on the remote Indonesian island of Halmahera, Mt. Ibu, erupted on Saturday evening, sending a 4 km high ash cloud into the sky. Authorities evacuated people from seven nearby villages. The volcano’s alert level was raised to the highest level earlier in the week after multiple eruptions. Indonesia, located on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” has 127 active volcanoes.

Amazon Web Services plans $8.4 bln cloud investment in Germany

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Amazon Web Services plans $8.4 bln cloud investment in Germany

Amazon Web Services (AWS) plans to invest 7.8 billion euros in Germany through 2040 to build a cloud computing infrastructure specifically for Europe.

Sony shares leap 12 per cent on buyback and dividend plans, higher profit outlook

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Sony shares leap 12 per cent on buyback and dividend plans, higher profit outlook

Shares in Sony Group jumped 12 per cent after pledging to boost shareholder returns and forecasting higher annual profit with a boost from its image sensors business. Sony will spend up to 250 billion yen on a share buyback and gradually increase dividends with a target of a 40 per cent total payout ratio by the financial year ending March 2027. Sony will allocate 1.8 trillion yen over the next three years to growth investments and share repurchases. Sony also plans to conduct a five-for-one stock split to expand its investor base.

EU demands clarity from Microsoft on AI risks in Bing

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EU demands clarity from Microsoft on AI risks in Bing

The European Commission could fine Microsoft if it doesn’t provide adequate information on risks stemming from generative AI features in search engine Bing by May 27.

Tales from the Coffeeshop: Auditor-general far too popular to do anything wrong

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Tales from the Coffeeshop: Auditor-general far too popular to do anything wrong

– The opposition proceedings in the case brought against auditor-general Odysseas Michaelides by attorney-general George Savvides were filed by Odysseas’ team of lawyers.
– The opposition is based on two points: the application of the AG to the constitutional council is groundless and the AG does not have the authority to seek the sacking of an independent state official.
– Odysseas’ camp is applying pressure on the president to publicly side with him.
– The head of the anti-corruption authority demanded criminal charges against the drug squad chief, possibly linked to the Odysseas-Savvides clash.
– Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah urged Syrians to head for Cyprus and Europe to pressure Brussels to give Lebanon more funds for Syrian refugees.
– Parents were upset over the difficulty of questions in modern Greek exams for secondary school students.
– State hospital nursing unions are threatening industrial action if more nurses are not hired.
– The president announced the decision to appoint two criminal investigators before the cabinet approved it.

CMC hits back in escalating Vasiliko spat (Updated)

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CMC hits back in escalating Vasiliko spat (Updated)

Fact: The Chinese-led construction firm CPP-Metron Consortium Ltd (CMC) has accused Natural Gas Infrastructure Company (Etyfa) of persistently failing to make milestone payments for the under-construction liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal at Vasiliko.

Not all ultra-processed,  foods are bad for your health

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Not all ultra-processed,  foods are bad for your health

Fact: Mass-produced wholegrain products, such as supermarket wholegrain breads and wholegrain breakfast cereals, were not associated with poorer health in a recent study.