<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-topline">TOPLINE</h2>



Facebook’s parent Meta has been ordered to pay a record $1.3 billion (€1.2 billion) fine by the European Union, for failing to adhere to the bloc’s stringent privacy rules, in the latest severe financial penalty handed to an American tech giant by the EU.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h2>



The ruling was&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dataprotection.ie/en/news-media/press-releases/Data-Protection-Commission-announces-conclusion-of-inquiry-into-Meta-Ireland" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">issued</a>&nbsp;by the Irish Data Protection Commission, Meta’s chief regulator in the EU, as the company’s regional headquarters are located in Dublin.



The amount is the largest fine issued under the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation, which has previously snagged the likes of Amazon and Google.



The Irish DPC said its investigation into Meta found that the company failed to address the risks to “the fundamental rights and freedoms” of EU citizens whose data it was transferring to the U.S.



Aside from the record fine, the regulator has ordered Meta to suspend “any future transfer of personal data” to the U.S. within the next five months.



Meta also has been given six months to stop the “unlawful processing” and storage of personal data of EU residents in the U.S.



In a lengthy blog post, Meta’s chief legal officer Jennifer Newstead and top spokesperson Nick Clegg said the penalty is “flawed” and “unjustified,” setting a “dangerous precedent for the countless other companies transferring data between the EU and US.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h2>



The Irish DPC’s decision is part of a wider tussle between the European Union and American tech companies over cross-border data flows. Tech companies have long argued that the free flow of data across borders is essential for a global internet and attempts to prevent this will fragment the web and dramatically raise costs. In 2020, the European Court of Justice canceled a data flow agreement between the U.S. and the EU due to concerns over the surveillance practices of U.S. law enforcement and intelligence agencies. Since then, American and European officials have been working together to come up with a new data flow agreement, which is expected to be finalized later this year. U.S. tech giants, left in legal limbo in the meantime, have relied on alternate methods to transfer data, including something called standard contractual clauses (SCCs). The DPC’s investigation, however, found that Meta’s use of the SCCs failed to mitigate the risks identified by the European top court’s ruling.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-surprising-fact">SURPRISING FACT</h2>



In its statement, the DPC said it disagreed with the fine imposed on Meta, but it was forced to go ahead with it due to a decision by the pan-EU European Data Protection Board (EDPB). The EDPB’s intervention came after the DPC’s original ruling in the case—which only suspended Facebook’s data flows—faced opposition from four other national regulators in the bloc, who demanded a monetary fine.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tangent">TANGENT</h2>



New York-listed shares of Meta actually rose 2.5% in early trading, hovering near a 15-month high.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-further-reading">FURTHER READING</h2>



<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-05-22/meta-fined-record-1-3-billion-in-eu-over-us-data-transfers?leadSource=uverify+wall" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Meta Fined Record €1.2 Billion in EU Over US Data Transfers</a>&nbsp;(Bloomberg)

Facebook Covers Sign At Menlo Park Headquarters

Meta Fined Record $1.3 Billion For Violating EU Privacy Rules

March 1 marked the beginning of my term as Rector of the United Nations University (UNU). Along with my initial excitement and ambition is the recognition that I am starting my Rectorship in an era defined by our shared efforts to address immense challenges — climate change, lasting peace, and sustainable development for all. 



It is also an era where technology will play a pivotal role in our success, challenge our ethics, and reshape our values. UNU’s contributions and expertise are more vital than ever as we approach the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals’ (SDGs) deadline and overcome the very real SDG setbacks caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and our structural inequalities. 



Access, distribution and capacity are demonstrably skewed, and our divisions have grown. As a 2021 UN report on the SDGs found, the SDGs have long been off track. If we hope to reverse this trend, we will all have to work hard to achieve them. The work of UNU and our partners must be grounded in justice that transcends our physical, mental, and digital capacities.



In Africa, the challenges of achieving the SDGs are compounded. This is because development seems to have stalled. A 2022 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) publication demonstrated that Africa’s growth rates in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic hindered its convergence with other global economies. This lag in growth is, in turn, stunting the continent’s development and has pushed more than 29 million people into extreme poverty.



The research and application thereof that emerges from the UNU present a unique opportunity to emerge from this malaise while addressing broader global challenges. Hassatou Diop N’Sele of the African Development Bank (AfDB) stated in an October 2022 report: “The economic and security shocks experienced by Africa over the last few years have been devastating, both in their reach and their repercussions. If there was ever a time to reaffirm the relevance and critical role of security and its interrelation with development, that time is now.”



To help meet these challenges, three principal actions need to be implemented by UNU. First, we should raise the University’s global profile. Second, we should expand the activities of UNU, especially in the Global South. And third, we should increase UNU’s capacity in teaching, learning, research, and policy-work in partnership with universities and other key stakeholders worldwide.



We need to mobilize financial, political, human and intellectual resources in both the Global South and Global North to achieve these goals. UNU should continue to create partnerships that provide sustainable support for our work in new regions and communities. We should use digital platforms to expand the teaching, learning, research, and policy offerings of UNU. 



We should produce and spread digital programs primarily targeting a just transition to the fourth industrial revolution. We should prioritize using artificial intelligence and other technologies for responsible, peaceful, and sustainable policies and applications. We need to further UNU’s role as a critical player in tackling contemporary global challenges and position UNU as an essential intellectual resource for stakeholders worldwide.



The work currently being done by the UNU is innovative, exciting and impactful in positing sustainable solutions. The institutes and programs now span Japan, China, Malaysia, Finland, Germany, Holland, Portugal, Ghana, Belgium, Venezuela, New York and Canada. There is a call to expand further into the Global South physically and through our work. 



Additionally, there is a call for a greater focus on technology. As the pandemic has demonstrated, we are deeply entrenched in a digital era characterized by intelligent technology. It would be myopic to approach any of our shared challenges without an awareness of this context or to use these tools to contribute towards sustainability. As a 2020 PwC report states: “For all the potential that these technologies offer, however, they could also put greater stress on the Earth, its resources, and on our society.



We should ensure, therefore, that these technologies are harnessed in the right way, to fulfil their potential to revolutionize our world, transform the lives of people, and unlock new pathways to prosperity – fast-tracking sustainable development globally.”



My approach to UNU in the coming months will be a convergence of the emphasis on the solid collaboration network that spans from the Global South to the North facilitated by technology to achieve lasting peace and sustainable development. This is how we create a more equitable world and ensure that Africa and the rest of the world are part of the conversation and action.



The writer is a Rector of the United Nations University based in Tokyo.

Aerial view of a green highway and railway tunnel covered with solar panels in Belgium.

A Critical Player In Tackling Contemporary Global Challenges: An Africa Perspective

<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-topline">TOPLINE</h2>



Instagram has been secretly testing a text-based app similar to Twitter for months with celebrities and influencers and is preparing to launch it as early as June, Bloomberg&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-05-19/instagram-readies-twitter-competitor-for-summer-release?srnd=premium&amp;leadSource=uverify%20wall" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reported</a>&nbsp;Friday, as some people look to leave Twitter due to changes made under CEO Elon Musk.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h2>



The app will be separate from Instagram—which is owned by Meta—though users will be able to connect their accounts and follow all of the people they follow on Instagram on the new app with just one click, according to a&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/liahaberman/status/1659553280891179010/photo/1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">screenshot</a>&nbsp;posted by Lia Haberman, professor of social and influencer marketing at UCLA and author of the newsletter&nbsp;<a href="https://liahaberman.substack.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ICYMI</a>.



The app may eventually be compatible with others attempting to appeal to former Twitter users—including Mastodon—according to Haberman’s screenshot, which says users on Mastodon will “soon” be able to follow and interact with posts on Meta’s new platform without needing to create a new account.



Haberman said users will be able to post up to 500 characters of text, along with images and pictures.



Meta has been testing the new app secretly with celebrities and influencers for months, people familiar with the project told Bloomberg.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h2>



In March, Money Control first&nbsp;<a href="https://www.platformer.news/p/meta-is-building-a-decentralized" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reported</a>&nbsp;that Meta was exploring the creation of a social network for text updates to compete with Twitter. Shortly after that, Meta officials&nbsp;<a href="https://www.platformer.news/p/meta-is-building-a-decentralized" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">told</a>&nbsp;Platformer they “believe there’s an opportunity for a separate space where creators and public figures can share timely updates about their interests.” Many users have been looking for an alternative to Twitter since billionaire Elon Musk took over in October 2022 and began quickly making changes to the platform ranging from&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/mollybohannon/2023/05/12/heres-how-twitters-appearance-has-changed-under-elon-musk/?sh=75eb23385f68">adding</a>&nbsp;an algorithm-driven “For You” page to charging people to be verified and get access to features like an edit button. Mastodon launched shortly after Musk bought Twitter, offering a similar&nbsp;<a href="https://joinmastodon.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">platform</a>&nbsp;but with “no algorithms or ads to waste your time.” But it doesn’t seem that platform is filling the need.&nbsp;Wired&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wired.com/story/the-mastodon-bump-is-now-a-slump/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reported</a>&nbsp;that Mastodon’s number of active users had fallen to 1.4 million at the end of January—dropping by more than one million—since people flocked to it in November 2022.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tangent">TANGENT</h2>



A recent&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/05/17/how-us-adults-on-twitter-use-the-site-in-the-elon-musk-era/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">study</a>&nbsp;by Pew Research Center found that while people are still logging on Twitter, the most active Twitter users are posting about 25% less after Musk’s acquisition. The study also found that six in 10 Americans who used Twitter in the past year&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/05/17/majority-of-us-twitter-users-say-theyve-taken-a-break-from-the-platform-in-the-past-year/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reported</a>&nbsp;taking a break from the platform, and 25% of respondents said they aren’t likely to be on the platform one year from now.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-further-reading">FURTHER READING</h2>



<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-05-19/instagram-readies-twitter-competitor-for-summer-release?srnd=premium&amp;leadSource=uverify%20wall" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Instagram Readies Twitter Competitor for Summer Release</a>&nbsp;(Bloomberg)



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/mollybohannon/2023/05/12/heres-how-twitters-appearance-has-changed-under-elon-musk/?sh=75eb23385f68">Here&#8217;s How Twitter&#8217;s Appearance Has Changed Under Elon Musk</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/mollybohannon/"></a>By Molly Bohannon, Forbes Staff

In this photo illustration the Instagram logo seen displayed

Instagram Is Preparing A Twitter-Like App To Be Launched This Summer, Report Says

South Africa is set to surpass carbon emission goals, but for the wrong reasons. Loadshedding and the subsequent impact on heavy industry have, ironically, proven to be a boon for the environment.



South Africa’s unexpected emissions victory is a silver lining in an otherwise dark cloud. South Africa has recently outperformed its United Nations&#8217; Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) emissions reduction targets. However, this victory is not the result of a concerted green initiative or a shift towards renewable energy. Instead, it is a byproduct of the country&#8217;s ongoing loadshedding crisis, a situation that has seen coal-fueled power plants and electricity-dependent heavy industries frequently offline.



The loadshedding crisis, a crippling issue for the nation, has hampered economic growth and caused widespread frustration. In a perverse twist, it has also led to a significant reduction in the country’s carbon emissions.



The year 2023 has been the darkest so far, with over 100 consecutive days of continuous scheduled power outages, at an estimated daily cost of $50 million to the economy. With an estimated 80% of the country’s power generation fleet still coal-reliant, it was forecast that South Africa would only begin to reduce its carbon emissions footprint after 2025, a goal that it is set to surpass at the current rate.



So significant have the electricity outages been that the country appears to be ahead of this target, said Crispian Olver, Executive Director of South Africa’s Presidential Climate Commission, in an interview with Bloomberg on Monday.



“The country may achieve its climate goals as per the NDCs without closing any coal stations thanks to loadshedding and poor plant output.”



While this bodes well for South Africa meeting its climate objectives, it has also been pivotal in securing international financing for the country’s Just Energy Transition plan, which provided $8.5 billion in 2021, the vast majority of which was to be invested in transitions toward renewable energy solutions such as wind and solar power.



However, Minister of Electricity Kgosientso Ramokgopa believes that it is possible to both extend the life of the existing coal power fleet of state-owned generation utility Eskom, while still keeping the country on track to meet its climate goals, a seemingly contradictory position.



“We are modeling the impact of emissions and cost implications, and we will decide whether to extend the life and by what period. But I want to emphasize that we will not renege on our NDCs, our decarbonization agenda, and net zero path by 2050,” said Ramokgopa during a media briefing last week.



However, energy analyst and Managing Director of EE Business Intelligence Chris Yelland believes that these goals are not in conflict. “Low economic growth and loadshedding have already led to a slow decline in electricity consumption,” he said, speaking to FORBES AFRICA. “If we are just running the coal-fired stations we have now…just to see us through the crisis of the next two or three years, that may be palatable to donor countries of the Just Energy Transition Partnership.”



However, Yelland believes both the immediate and most sustainable path forward is still for the country to aggressively pursue the development of renewable energy sources, but it requires the will from the government.



“There are very short-term options for renewable energy, particularly in the domestic, commercial, and agricultural space in particular,” continues Yelland. “But the government&#8217;s focus seems to be on the utility-scale projects, and those will take a minimum of two to three years to come onstream…And that’s not quick enough, we need solutions now.”

Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd. Power Stations as Outages Intensify

South Africa’s Unexpected Emissions Victory A Silver Lining In Otherwise Dark Cloud

Nigerian teen golf prodigy Iyene Essien is focused on her goal to become ‘the female African Tiger Woods’. She has been acing her game from when she was six. 



By Peace Hyde



When Tiger Woods won the prestigious Arnold Palmer Invitational, a professional golf tournament on the PGA Tour, in 2012 for the seventh time, little did he know he was inspiring a five-year-old, Iyene Essien, in faraway Nigeria to pick up a golf club and play. 



At the time, Essien’s dad took her to a golf club in Abuja and she was immediately hooked.



“I was fascinated and asked if I could play,” says Essien in an interview with FORBES AFRICA. Convinced, it was not long before her dad bought her golf clubs and hired a coach to take her through the paces.



Today, she is a teen golfing sensation. 



After winning her first golf event by age six, Essien has consistently dominated the African golfing world and gone on to represent Nigeria at international competitions. She finished second in the Champion of Champions golf tournament in Northern Ireland, playing on the same course as golfing legend Rory Mcllroy and has also won the prestigious Hurricane Junior Golf Tour (HJGT) in the United States, twice.



The HJGT tour is a prestigious program that affords truly exceptional junior golfers between the ages of 8-18 the opportunity to play world class courses competitively; the perfect ground for Essien to hone her skills if she is to make her dream of becoming



“the female African Tiger Woods” a reality.



And as luck would have it, in 2017, Woods acquired a stake in HJGT to help grow the sport and expand it globally. According to Forbes, more than 30,000 boys and girls have competed in the events that have produced close to 4,000 golfers since 2007. 



“I look up to Tiger Woods because of his dedication to the sport and his ambition to keep going against all odds. He shows how passionate he is about the sport whether he is winning or losing,” says Essien. 



Essien could very well be on the golfing legend’s radar if she continues her winning streak on the HJGT course.



It is no surprise that her long-term goal is to be able to play professionally full-time but Essien is pragmatic enough to invest in education as a back-up plan.



“Not everyone makes it to playing professionally so it is essential that I have a stable education before fully devoting my life to golf.” 



She is currently attending high school at The Taft School in the United States (US). She is the number two player and also an member of The Taft School Girls’ Varsity Golf team – winners of 2022 Founders League High School Golf Tournament in Connecticut, US. 



Golf is still an up and coming sport in Nigeria, a country that is dominated by football.



The current president of the Nigerian Golf Federation, Otunba Olusegun Runsewe, has vowed to usher in a new era for golf. At the top of his agenda is positioning Nigeria to be a viable and attractive destination for international golf funding.



“There is about $4 billion worth of funding available for golf in Africa by 2023 and it is my duty to ensure we have the infrastructure here to attract that level of investment,” says Runsewe.



For Essien, the support from her family and friends has been crucial. Like most women in sports, even at the tender age of 16, Essien still has to deal with the stigma that comes with the territory.



“The challenges I’ve personally faced are people don’t really see me as a golfer. When I tell people ‘I play golf’, they don’t expect me to be as good as I am. Imagining a female to be good at a sport seems to not be the norm and it honestly doesn’t surprise me.



Everyone is majorly interested in male sports and female sports are seen as slow and boring.”



Boring or not, this Nigerian prodigy is determined to make her mark in the golfing world and if her recent achievements are anything to go by, she is aiming right.

Iyene Essien

The Nigerian Teen Who Is A Big Shot In Golf

<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-topline">TOPLINE</h2>



A panel of independent experts on Thursday <a href="https://www.pfizer.com/news/press-release/press-release-detail/fda-advisory-committee-votes-support-approval-pfizers" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">recommended</a> the Food and Drug Administration approve an RSV vaccine by Pfizer designed to protect babies by vaccinating pregnant parents, potentially paving the way for the first RSV shot for infants—weeks after the agency approved the country’s first shot for the common but potentially deadly infection.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h2>



The FDA panel voted unanimously (14-0) on the drug’s effectiveness, and 10 of the advisory board’s 14 members voted that the vaccine—known as Abrysvo—is safe, with some members flagging a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/18/health/rsv-vaccine-newborns-fda/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">slightly higher rate</a>&nbsp;of preterm births among vaccine recipients.



RSV, which stands for respiratory syncytial virus, is a common respiratory infection that typically causes mild illness in healthy adults but can trigger severe, possibly fatal, disease in younger children, older adults and those with underlying medical issues.



As protective antibodies can be passed from mother to developing fetus, the maternal shot, given to pregnant people between 24 and 36 weeks of pregnancy, also protects children in their first months of life.



Evidence from Pfizer’s late stage clinical trial, which included nearly 7,400 pregnant people, indicated the shot was 82% effective at preventing severe disease for the first three months after birth and 69% for the first six months.



The shot was also 51% effective at preventing doctor’s visits for RSV-related illness within the first six months of life, the trial found.



Safety data for the shot is also “generally favorable,” the FDA said in briefing&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fda.gov/advisory-committees/advisory-committee-calendar/vaccines-and-related-biological-products-advisory-committee-may-18-2023-meeting-announcement#event-materials" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">documents</a>&nbsp;released ahead of the meeting, with relatively standard side effects reported like injection site pain, muscle pain and headaches.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-to-watch-for">WHAT TO WATCH FOR</h2>



The FDA still has to approve the vaccine and a decision is likely still months away. The agency does not have to follow its advisors’ recommendations but it almost always does and the panel’s decision will carry considerable weight. Further down the line, Pfizer is also seeking FDA approval for its RSV shot to be used in older adults. A number of other companies are also in the process of completing late-stage trials for shots of their own and the FDA is in the process of reviewing an antibody injection to protect infants from RSV that is being jointly developed by European pharma heavyweights Sanofi and AstraZeneca. The European Union’s regulator, the European Medicines Agency, has already signed off on the preventative shot.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-we-don-t-know">WHAT WE DON’T KNOW</h2>



From the analysis in its briefing, the FDA was keen to hear its advisors’ thoughts on the number of premature births observed in Pfizer’s trials. While the agency’s analysts note the overall incidence of preterm births in the trial—both for vaccine and placebo recipients—was lower than the background rates in all countries where the study was conducted, there was a slightly higher rate among vaccine recipients. This difference, 5.7% in vaccinated pregnant people versus 4.7% in the placebo group (the overall U.S.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/reproductivehealth/features/premature-birth/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">rate</a>&nbsp;is around 10%), was not statistically significant and it is not clear whether the vaccine played a role. The issue is salient, however, and the prospect of preterm births will have already loomed large in the minds of the FDA’s advisors and officials after Pfizer’s rival GlaxoSmithKline (GSK)&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fiercebiotech.com/biotech/advantage-pfizer-gsk-stops-phase-3-trials-maternal-rsv-vaccine-after-seeing-safety-signal" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">halted</a>&nbsp;its own trials of a maternal RSV vaccine after noticing concerning early data&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bmj.com/content/381/bmj.p1021" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">involving</a>&nbsp;preterm births and neonatal deaths.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-news-peg">NEWS PEG</h2>



The FDA&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/mollybohannon/2023/05/03/fda-approves-first-ever-rsv-vaccine-after-brutal-2022-season/?sh=9bb0aca10b2b">approved</a>&nbsp;an RSV shot from GSK in early May. The agency’s green light marked the culmination of decades of hard work from scientists and followed numerous&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-04434-5" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">setbacks</a>. It also marked a major coup for GSK, whose shot, Arexvy, beat out stiff competition from an increasingly crowded&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/ariannajohnson/2023/04/06/first-fda-approved-rsv-vaccines-expected-later-this-year-the-top-vaccines-and-their-effectiveness/?sh=3c1103815f81">field</a>&nbsp;that includes the likes of Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson &amp; Johnson. If approved, Pfizer’s shot will still mark an important milestone, however, as GSK&#8217;s vaccine is targeted towards older adults ages 60 and up.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h2>



RSV is a very&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2022/10/28/rsv-infections-are-spiking-among-kids-and-swamping-childrens-hospitals---heres-what-parents-need-to-know/?sh=3b6d8f5c42f5">common respiratory virus</a>&nbsp;and it infects&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/rsv/high-risk/infants-young-children.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">almost all</a>&nbsp;people by the time they are two years old. Healthy adults will typically experience nothing more than mild, cold-like symptoms like a runny nose, coughing and fever,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/rsv/about/symptoms.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">according</a>&nbsp;to the CDC, and barring any other health issues most will quickly and easily recover. Infection can be more deadly for other groups, however, most notably very young infants, older adults and people with conditions like weakened immune systems. In such people, RSV can be lethal. In young children in the U.S., complications from RSV&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/rsv/research/index.html?CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Frsv%2Fresearch%2Fus-surveillance.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">kill</a>&nbsp;between 100 and 300 young children every year and hospitalizes many more. The danger is particularly acute for very young infants, particularly in the first months and years of life, as inflammation and mucus triggered by the infection can be enough to block already small airways. In the U.S., RSV is a much more serious concern among older adults and is&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/rsv/research/us-surveillance.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">responsible</a>&nbsp;for 14,000 deaths in people aged 65 years and over each year.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-surprising-fact">SURPRISING FACT</h2>



After malaria, RSV is the&nbsp;<a href="https://academic.oup.com/cid/article/73/Supplement_3/S229/6362482" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">biggest</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://vk.ovg.ox.ac.uk/vk/rsv" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">killer</a>&nbsp;of young infants worldwide. In 2017 the World Health Organization estimated RSV results in more than 3 million hospitalisations and nearly 60,000 deaths in children under five years old annually. Children under six months accounted for nearly half of this figure.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-further-reading">FURTHER READING</h2>



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2023/02/21/first-rsv-vaccine-for-kids-given-to-pregnant-moms-could-arrive-months-early-as-fda-fast-tracks-review/?sh=30e7adc1a281">First RSV Vaccine For Kids—Given To Pregnant Moms—Could Arrive Months Early As FDA Fast-Tracks Review</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)



<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-00212-z" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Will a new wave of RSV vaccines stop the dangerous virus?</a>&nbsp;(Nature)



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/ariannajohnson/2023/02/17/first-fda-approved-rsv-vaccines-expected-later-this-year-the-top-vaccines-and-their-effectiveness/?sh=62990cd87fc1">First FDA-Approved RSV Vaccines Expected Later This Year: The Top Vaccines And Their Effectiveness</a> (Forbes)



By Robert Hart, Forbes Staff

Human respiratory syncytial virus inoculation

RSV Vaccine: FDA Advisors Recommend Pfizer Shot To Protect Infants From Infection—Here’s What To Know

After two months of testing its new natural language-based AI tool&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/rashishrivastava/2023/03/16/microsoft-announces-new-ai-powered-tools-for-its-office-apps/?sh=5edc5d075bce">Copilot</a>&nbsp;with 20 large companies, Microsoft announced an expanded preview of the feature on Tuesday for 600 customers, widening access to a tool embedded in its Office application that was initially met with&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theverge.com/2023/3/17/23644501/microsoft-copilot-ai-office-documents-microsoft-365-report" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reviews as a game-changer</a>.



The “early access” program will be invitation only and a paid preview that requires an additional fee, said Jared Spataro, Microsoft’s corporate vice president for modern work, who would not share when the tech giant planned to roll out the program more widely to its full customer base, even though “the demand to me seems almost bottomless right now,” Spataro said in an interview with&nbsp;Forbes. “I don’t talk to a customer right now that isn’t interested in it.” The company said it is not disclosing pricing externally.



Spataro said early customers reported Copilot’s meeting tools—the ability to summarize what happened in a missed meeting and act as a real-time assistant while a meeting is going on—have been most frequently cited by early customers as particularly useful. In a blog post, he also identified early feedback Microsoft has gotten on the tool, such as the need for more conversational, multi-step interactions with Copilot.



Asked about concerns that generative AI tools might&nbsp;<a href="https://news.bloomberglaw.com/ip-law/chatgpt-poised-to-expose-corporate-secrets-cyber-firm-warns" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">expose</a>&nbsp;corporate secrets or customer information—with some employers even instituting&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-05-02/samsung-bans-chatgpt-and-other-generative-ai-use-by-staff-after-leak" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">bans</a>&nbsp;of ChatGPT’s use following leaks of sensitive data—Spataro said Copilot does not use corporate users’ data to “train” the larger model.



“Everything that happens related to large language models and the use of AI happens within what we call a ‘tenant boundary’” in the Microsoft Cloud, Spataro says. “No data ever leaves your ‘tenant’ and no data is ever used to train the large language models. Even those statements give us a really good foundation with most customers.”



The company, which purchased an exclusive license to the underlying technology behind ChatGPT&nbsp;<a href="https://blogs.microsoft.com/blog/2020/09/22/microsoft-teams-up-with-openai-to-exclusively-license-gpt-3-language-model/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">in 2020</a>, also announced a new “semantic index” capability that will require Microsoft 365 users to have its E3 and E5 versions to access Copilot’s capabilities. Rather than finding files by title names or keywords, Microsoft says the feature maps data and uses a conceptual understanding of the data to retrieve it.



Microsoft also announced new features on Copilot such as integrating DALL-E, OpenAI’s image generator, into PowerPoint and adding AI-powered coaching tips in Outlook to improve email writing, an enhancement that could help workers struggling with the “digital debt” phenomenon Microsoft identified in its&nbsp;annual&nbsp;<a href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/worklab/work-trend-index" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Work Trend Index</a>, the results of which it also released Tuesday.



The report, which surveyed 31,000 people in 31 countries and analyzed data from Microsoft 365, found that 68% of respondents said they don’t have enough uninterrupted time during the workday to focus. It also found that nearly 60% of users’ time spent in Microsoft 365 is using communication tools like Outlook or Teams, with just over 40% being used for actually producing work with tools like Excel or Word. The heaviest email users, the analysis found, spend nearly nine hours a week on email, while the most prolific Teams users spend 7.5 hours a week in meetings.



Respondents cited ineffective meetings—not too many meetings—as their biggest obstacle to productivity in the survey. Microsoft, of course, hopes its customers will add on AI features that will help change that. “What many people are feeling now is it takes work to do work,” Spataro says.



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jenamcgregor/"></a>By Jena McGregor, Forbes Staff

Logo Photo Illustration

Microsoft Expands Copilot AI Tool To 600 Customers In Paid Preview As ‘Digital Debt’ Weighs On Workers

The humanitarian crisis in Sudan is worsening by the day and within the first month of violence, erupting on April 15, at least 700 people have been killed&#8230;and counting. Those fighting vow to do so until death–or at least until they’re exhausted or one of the sides has a military breakthrough.



Pitted against each other are the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), led by Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), controlled by Mohamed Hamdan ‘Hemedti’ Dagalo. In their fight to control the country, the two generals are seemingly committed to destroying each other which is why observers don’t foresee an end to the conflict any time soon.



Sudan was one of the first African countries to gain independence from British rule after World War II, but its governance has always been compromised and is reflected in the country’s numerous civil wars. The latest violence can be traced directly back to the ousting of former military officer and head of state, Omar Hassan Ahmad al-Bashir, in 2019, that was coordinated by the RSF and the SAF. But a power-sharing deal between the generals soon turned into a deadly power struggle.



RSF is a proxy militia that was historically used against the people of Sudan in marginalized regions. They’ve reportedly been found guilty of mass killings and rapes, pillage, torture, and the destruction of villages. Its key leaders have been indicted by the International Criminal Court of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity.



Since the start of the current conflict, a variety of voices with different motives and backgrounds have called for the continuation of the war, in the belief that this will eliminate the RSF once and for all. In the eyes of many members of Bashir’s former regime, the RSF represents the main obstacle preventing them from re-seizing power.



Peace talks in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, have so far failed to end the violence. Brokered by Riyadh and Washington, thousands of foreign nationals have been ferried out of the country. Sudanese journalist Mohamed Amen is following the talks and says: “Recent strides towards a ceasefire open the passage for relief aid in many parts of Sudan, especially Darfur…Amid all these tensions, people are still fleeing the capital Khartoum and other parts of the country. The humanitarian situation in Khartoum continues to deteriorate because of the fighting that is still continuing. The lack of food, the cutting off of water and electricity, and the shortage of fuel and other basic needs are mainly caused by the two sides not honoring the various ceasefires that were previously put in place.”



The humanitarian situation is nothing short of catastrophic. The conflict has driven many to seek refuge in neighboring countries. Hospitals are under pressure. Many are without water and electricity and have been vandalized. Health practitioners’ and patients’ lives are also in danger and Sudanese doctors are warning of a healthcare crisis. A call for humanitarian aid has so far delivered too little to salvage the situation.



The war has also left many jobless and exacerbated an already deflated economy.



Homes have been destroyed, families torn apart and many civilians have looted shops in a desperate effort to get some food.



Sadly, the instability is also creating new opportunities for armed groups and there are reports of them taking over laboratories for infectious diseases. Former staff are worried there might be a bio-risk if they open and sabotage fridges.



Sudanese civil wars are rooted in the historical context of the country, with the first one breaking out in 1955 to 1972.Until today, the second Sudanese civil war (1983-2005) remains one of the longest civil wars to ever erupt in Africa. Although it led to South Sudan eventually gaining independence from Khartoum, it left poverty and dependency on foreign aid in its wake. The latest conflict only exacerbates the situation, with infrastructure now even more dilapidated, poverty even worse and Sudanese people in greater despair.

Clashes continue in Sudan

Sudan Crisis: ‘Situation In Khartoum Continues To Deteriorate’

<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-topline">TOPLINE</h2>



Stocks gained Wednesday thanks in part to another artificial intelligence-powered lift, as optimism emanating from the nascent technology keeps driving equities higher against a suboptimal macroeconomic backdrop.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h2>



The Dow Jones Industrial Average, S&amp;P 500 and tech-heavy Nasdaq each rose 1.2% or more Wednesday, just the third time that happened since the beginning of April.



Yet again driving the gains were tech heavyweights, as Tesla (up 4.4%), Nvidia (3.4%), Amazon 1.8%), Meta (1.5%), Alphabet (1.3%), Microsoft (0.9%) and Apple (0.3%) spiked, tacking on a combined $123 billion in market capitalization Wednesday.



Those giants, which have rallied more than $1 trillion year-to-date collectively thanks in large part to the AI boom, offered more fuel for optimistic investors Wednesday, with Amazon&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-05-17/amazon-unveils-new-alexa-gadgets-as-chatgpt-rivalry-heats-up" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">announcing</a>&nbsp;AI enhancements to its Alexa devices and Nvidia&nbsp;<a href="https://nvidianews.nvidia.com/news/servicenow-and-nvidia-announce-partnership-to-build-generative-ai-across-enterprise-it" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">unveiling</a>&nbsp;a new partnership with ServiceNow to expand generative AI in cloud computing.



Hedge fund billionaire Steve Cohen declared Tuesday he has a “pretty bullish” outlook on the market as a whole thanks to streamlined corporate efficiency from AI,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-05-17/steve-cohen-says-he-s-pretty-bullish-on-markets-thanks-to-ai?srnd=premium" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">according</a>&nbsp;to Bloomberg.



“I’m making a prognostication: We’re going up,” Cohen said about broad equity prices, explaining increased automation should widen corporate profits in coming quarters.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-contra">CONTRA</h2>



The S&amp;P is up 9% year-to-date and excitement about what AI could mean for investors is at a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/dereksaul/2023/03/01/ai-is-the-new-electricity-bank-of-america-picks-20-stocks-to-cash-in-on-chatgpt-hype/?sh=55bfdf2a77ac">fever pitch</a>, but stocks will encounter a “rocky road” later this year, Wells Fargo strategist Scott Wren wrote in a Wednesday note to clients. Wren explained the strong likelihood of the U.S.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/dereksaul/2023/04/12/fed-officials-now-expect-us-will-enter-mild-recession-this-year-after-banking-crisis-rattles-markets/?sh=5433b921107c">slipping into</a>&nbsp;a recession and his expectation that companies will fail to deliver on profit expectations thanks to thinner margins as interest rates remain high. Earnings for S&amp;P companies declined by 6.8% year-over-year in the most recent quarter, according to recent Morgan Stanley research.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tangent">TANGENT</h2>



Tesla, which hosted its annual meeting with shareholders after Tuesday’s market close, posted its second-largest daily stock gain since March, tacking on $25 billion in market value after it said it will advertise its vehicle for the first time and its CEO Elon Musk vowed to remain in charge for the foreseeable future. Musk, who&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/dereksaul/2023/05/16/elon-musks-attack-on-george-soros-distressing-and-dangerous-jewish-group-says/?sh=7ad31cc130ba">drew the ire</a>&nbsp;of several Jewish civil rights groups this week for touting conspiracies mirroring antisemitic tropes about billionaire George Soros, added the most to his net worth of anybody on earth Wednesday with a $5 billion bump.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-forbes-valuations">FORBES VALUATIONS</h2>



Musk holds the second-largest fortune in the world at $181 billion, while Cohen is owner of the planet’s 93rd-largest wealth pile at $17.5 billion. Cohen chairs Point72 Asset Management and owns the New York Mets MLB team.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h2>



Since the late 2022 launch of the Microsoft-subsidized ChatGPT generative AI product, AI fever has infected Wall Street; Bank of America strategists dubbed AI the “new electricity” in a March note, projecting it to create massive gains for stocks. A slew of technology companies have revealed their own AI services, but&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jonathanponciano/2023/04/29/this-stock-market-indicator-is-the-weakest-its-ever-been-and-other-warning-signs-are-flaring/?sh=162f37947b4c">benefitting the most</a>&nbsp;are mega-cap tech stocks like Nvidia, Meta, Alphabet and Amazon, four of the 20 best-performing stocks on the S&amp;P year-to-date.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-further-reading">FURTHER READING</h2>



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/dereksaul/2023/03/01/ai-is-the-new-electricity-bank-of-america-picks-20-stocks-to-cash-in-on-chatgpt-hype/?sh=55bfdf2a77ac">‘AI Is The New Electricity’: Bank Of America Picks 20 Stocks To Cash In On ChatGPT Hype</a> (Forbes)



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/dereksaul/"></a>By Derek Saul, Forbes Staff

Markets Open After Falling More 800 Points On Tuesday

Dow Jumps 400 Points As This Billionaire Investor Says Stock Market Has Room To Grow

Rwandan cinema is coming of age, with a new wave of artistes and filmmakers bent on reiterating the country’s indomitable creative spirit and putting its movies on the international map. 



By Ridhima Shukla



The first feature film to ever come out of Rwanda was in 2001 titled 100 Days, a love story set against the backdrop of the brutal genocide against the Tutsi of 1994 directed by British filmmaker Nick Hughes.



In the years since, there have been more movies made in the tiny East African nation, although this has been a journey of risk and resilience in nabbing the top honors on the big screen .



Still busy building itself from scratch since the horrific events of 1994 that saw almost a million dead, as also building the capacity and infrastructure for large-scale movie production in tande with other development projects, Rwanda had not had a prevailing cinema culture in general. 



Mazimpaka Jones Kennedy, a veteran of the African film industry, says to FORBES AFRICA: “Rwandans did not have the culture of buying a ticket and going to the cinema, but things are changing. There is so much talent in the country and everyone loves films; we have come a long way!” 



With the spurt of growth and development in Rwanda, the nation’s artistes and creatives are exploring the myriad possibilities.



The creative sector has changed its narrative and today, Rwandans are being recognized for their work in international projects; their faces are on big budget films and their names are being played up across Over-The-Top (OTT) streaming platforms.



But this story began with the pioneers in the early 2000s.


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="alignleft size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/332099011_210837238143155_5126690596300338503_n-819x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-58243" width="540" height="675" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/332099011_210837238143155_5126690596300338503_n-819x1024.jpg 819w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/332099011_210837238143155_5126690596300338503_n-240x300.jpg 240w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/332099011_210837238143155_5126690596300338503_n-768x960.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/332099011_210837238143155_5126690596300338503_n.jpg 1080w" sizes="(max-width: 540px) 100vw, 540px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Elaine Umuhire. Photo by Nadia Melii </figcaption></figure></div>


In 2004, Eric Kabera, a name synonymous with the Rwandan film industry, established the Rwanda Cinema Centre for training local talent and providing a launchpad for future filmmakers. He is focused on telling a new tale of hope and resilience in Africa.



At the same time, a larger influx of foreign producers, directors, actors and film crews made their way into Rwanda, instigating a passion for filmmaking among Rwandans and leading to the rise of a new wave of creatives who see cinema as a tool to tell their story and assist in the healing of the country’s people.



“We started by telling stories around the genocide. Because it was important for healing, and commemorating the lives that were lost,” says Eliane Umuhire, an award-winning Rwandan actress known for her role in the BAFTA-nominated Bazigaga.



Whilst Rwandans were beginning to take an interest in cinematography, and the passion for the craft was becoming more prevalent, the industry still lacked the necessary skills needed to create full feature films.



Authentic and compelling stories were being written but with a massive skills gap, the industry was struggling to scale up and become more lucrative. 



Christopher Marler, who founded the Africa Digital Media Academy in Rwanda in 2014 to bridge the necessary gaps in the industry, says: “The industry is still young and does not have a lot of money. On the other hand, how can the industry make more money if it does not have the skilled workers it needs? There are plenty of people that have the vision for film, but making it happen… that’s another story.”



He says his graduates are doing well. 



“It’s a bit old now, but in 2018, we did a tracer survey and discovered that we had a 91% employment rate amongst our graduates, not just because of their technical skills, but because they also know how to be professionals.”



But even before the inception of such institutes, Umuhire, the protagonist of Trees of Peace, paved the way with the help of likeminded and passionate artists, a tremendous testimony to Rwanda’s creative spirit.



“I started in theater and there was no cinema industry as such, even theater was in the early stages. There were two theater companies both led by women. They are the ones who walked me on [my] artistic journey,” says Umuhire from her film set in an international production studio in London where she is shooting her yet-to-be-announced next project.



“I want to share my story to inspire others that anything is possible. By working in international productions I can say that I can be black, with no hair, short and not the normal standard of beauty, yet make an impact on someone… all these people are testimony to that. We can tell our own stories.”



The story of the African people told by African people is becoming the norm and Rwanda has a major role to play in it. Today, the land of a thousand hills is a shining beacon of political and economic stability – and its cinema landscape is a reflection of a modern society embracing its past and channeling it into unity, growth and development.



Cinema has taken up the role as a medium for Rwandans to own their story and change the perception of the world about Rwanda.



Umuhire shares what it has meant for her to work on a story that does not simply focus on the chaos and brutality of the past but also bring to light the humanity of the continent’s people. 



“I played a character in a short film that played at the BAFTA, about a Rwandan shaman, a traditional healer who saved 200 Tutsi people. It’s beautiful to tell a story like that, about people who were the light in the deep dark history of Rwanda and who did good. Without this story, no one would have known. It portrays an African woman not as a victim but as a winner, saving lives.”



By being the compass and propellers of the African narrative, Rwanda is looking to create more buzz globally and within the continent with bigger productions portraying a new, fast-growing and changing Africa.



This ambition has opened doors for OTT content to thrive.



Moving hand in hand with improved access to mobile devices and the internet, OTT films and series are the new trend in East Africa; one that is here to stay and grow exponentially. Wilson Misago, the Founder and CEO of Zacu TV, a production and distribution house in Rwanda, says: “According to a report by Africa Business Communities, the OTT market in East Africa is projected to grow by 17% annually, reaching a value of $392 million by 2025.”



The rise of OTT has compensated for the lack of distribution avenues in the region by serving as a valuable distribution channel for local content creators, who are able to reach wider audiences and monetize their content through ad-supported or subscription-based models. “In Rwanda, there is a growing interest in locally-produced content, particularly in the Kinyarwanda language. Viewers are interested in stories that are relevant to their culture and experiences, including dramas, comedies and documentaries that address social issues,” adds Misago.



“Rwanda, by itself, is a small market. Now we have, through Canal+ and other efforts, a way to distribute and promote films to all of Africa. This, in turn, makes it more interesting for investors to finance production. The other big change is that we are finally getting some international attention. Distribution plus exposure equals the funding of productions,” concurs Marler.



In a matter of 20 years, the country has gone from having not a single movie theater to having several, and from having no homegrown productions to a thriving movie industry with the potential to grow into one of the biggest sectors of the economy.



In contrast to the past when actors were hired from other parts of Africa to play Rwandans, today, many Rwandans work in international projects as actors. Actor Arthur Nkusi considers it a natural progression. He played a supporting role in the film Fight Like A Girl with Rwandan actress, Malaika Uwamahoro.



“Rwandan actors have grown in terms of the experience of participating on international sets; today, the chances of being cast are much higher,” says Nkusi to FORBES AFRICA. Beyond acting, Rwanda’s directors are also shaking up the international market despite budget constraints.



This growth and recognition has not gone unnoticed by the government of Rwanda which has identified films as an important medium to strengthen its identity globally and also to enhance film tourism in the country.



Clare Akamanzi, CEO of the Rwanda Development Board (RDB), says: “We have set up the Rwanda Film Office; the idea is to reduce the cost for producers who come to shoot in our country.



This package includes tax incentives, and we have also built an audio visual studio at the ICT Innovation Centre to enable talent and quality in production, under the Rwanda Tourism Board.”



This move by the government is a strategic step towards creating the right atmosphere for filmmakers and other creative talent to spend more time in the nation, and assist directly or indirectly in raising the standard of the craft among local talent while building niche skillsets to aid the sector’s growth in the years to come.



Keeping an eye on the future of Rwandan cinema, in 2022, the Rwanda Film Office commissioned RWF184 million ($170,000) to support the development and production of 33 films/series.



Pioneers of the industry are ecstatic at the prospect of such initiatives as it paves the way for the strengthening the sector.



“The Rwanda Film Office under the RDB will support the ecosystem to grow. The film festivals such as the Mashariki African Film Festival, Rwanda Film Festival, Urusaro International Women Film Festival, the Rwanda International Movie Awards etc are putting the Rwandan film industry on the map,” says Misago. Umuhire is ecstatic: “Everywhere I go and tell people I am from Rwanda they tell me they have eyes on Rwanda. I feel there is no limitation in life as Africans. We can fly to the moon and dance with the stars, and still stay authentic to our true selves!”



Hollywood, here they come

Kwetu Film Institute in Rwanda

Celluloid Reality: The New Wave Of Rwandan Cinema

This writer stepped into the metaverse for a flying taxi ride at the recent Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. And roll, fold, flip – more nifty tech is coming up in the world of mobile phones.



One of the most popular stands at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) Barcelona, Spain, this year was from South Korea’s SK Telecom, with its air taxi ride simulation using virtual reality (VR) headsets. Visitors queued up for hours to get on. As you step into the front seat of the four-seater air taxi mock-up, you wonder: will you be able to last the whole ride; what if you end up with a headache and dizziness from the VR experience?



The ride was three minutes long, but once I was strapped in with a seat belt and VR headset, another passenger’s headset had to be configured at least three times. I felt anxious sitting around indefinitely with a VR headset, not being able to see the real world. “We’re experiencing technical difficulties,” said SK Telecom.



Once the four of us in the taxi were equipped with working VR headsets, our flight from a futuristic Busan took off. It involved our seats physically moving in the direction we flew with a vertical drop towards the end, to landing on a rooftop.



Not unfamiliar to VR, I got off feeling a bit disoriented. Would I test other VR experiences again?



Absolutely.



There’s only one way to follow this journey and see how it improves or if it ever takes off.



Stepping into the metaverse for a flying taxi ride was just one of many innovations on display at MWC Barcelona, which returned to full force since the pandemic.



According to the GSMA (which represents the interests of mobile operators worldwide), over 88,500 people attended from around the world with 56% coming from industries adjacent to the mobile ecosystem. 



Another innovation, 3D-holographic telepresence, which is still a work in progress, was showcased by Telefónica, one of Spain’s biggest telecom operators that combines 5G, fibre and edge computing technologies. 



Chatting to FORBES AFRICA, Telefónica said it generates 3D avatars to use in different environments. “We have 21 cameras equipped in the cabin to generate an avatar, with each one producing two to three gigabytes of information per second, so that’s 40GB-50GB every second.”



Once the 3D avatar is created, it can be teleported in realtime to augmented reality (AR) and VR environments using different scenarios, useful for live streaming or recordings, explained Telefónica 



The company’s combination of various technologies is a means of access for augmented, virtual, mixed or metaverse reality applications in the future.



Despite the metaverse being in the limelight, the nextgeneration of mobile phones were on full display: roll, fold, flip – there was something for everyone.



Oppo showcased its new Find N2, and Find N2 Flip, its first clamshell foldable that will make its way to South Africa this April. The pocketable N2 Flip will go head-to-head with the Samsung Z Flip 4 and Huawei P50 Pocket, expanding on the growing segment. Elvis Zhao, Chief Marketing Officer for Overseas Markets at Oppo, told FORBES AFRICA: “Oppo is confident in the future of foldable phones; we estimate that in 2023, growth rates will be 100%, and better than 2022.” 



Its first folding phone, Find N, released in December 2021 exclusively in China, reportedly sold out within five minutes. “Moving forward, Oppo will offer two form factors, a clamshell and a horizontal folding phone to overseas markets,” said Zhao.



The Find N2 Flip has a unique design choice of a 3.26-inch vertical cover display, making it larger than Samsung’s 1.9-inch offering. It currently supports Oppo-only apps with third party support expected.



The pocketable device features a waterdrop Flexion Hinge that underwent durability tests for 400,000 folds. When opened, the crease is hardly noticeable. It can be used hands-free propped between 45 to 110-degree angles.



The device opens to 6.8-inches and at 191g, is marginally bigger than the Z Flip 4. It is powered by a Mediatek Dimensity 9000+ chip, 8GB of RAM, and a 4300mAh battery, which is the largest on any clamshell currently on the market. It has a 50MP Hasselblad camera and a 32MP selfie-cam that supports hand gestures to take photos and videos.



Oppo also showed prototypes of its Zero-Power Tag, a rival to the Apple AirTag; the Air Glass 2 assisted reality glasses suitable for the hearing impaired; and an OHealth H1 monitor to check your vitals at home. Available on the floor were more foldables like the Xiaomi Mi Mix 2, Honor Magic Vs and Tecno Phantom V Fold, which are not slated for the African market.



And behind a glass box were proof-of-concept rolling screens from Lenovo on a laptop, and its Motorola branded Rizr smartphone. The laptop appears to look its ThinkPad but can transform from 12.7-inches to 15.3-inches at the push of a button. The company said it aims to get between 20,000 to 30,000 rolls from the laptop, which is nowhere near what smartphone folds have been tested against.



Similarly, the Motorola Rizr rolls open from 5-inches to 6.5-inches, and when using certain apps like YouTube in landscape mode, the handset rolls open automatically. Lenovo has not shared further hardware specs for its rollable screens, other than it being in a conceptual stage.



Admittedly, it’s too early to get excited about rolling screens, but on the other hand, foldables have shown promise with each iteration over the years. A space we’re following closely, and if rumors are anything to go by, perhaps we can expect a foldable from Apple in a couple of years.

The Metaverse In Your Pocket: Nifty Tech And Trends That Africa Will See

<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-topline">TOPLINE</h2>



The sister of a Saudi activist who was imprisoned in 2018 sued Twitter on Tuesday for allowing its employees to give private information identifying anonymous users to the Saudi government, which allegedly used the data to target and arrest dissidents—the latest allegation of Saudi government operatives using Twitter to spy.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h2>



Areej Al-Sadhan, an American citizen, filed the case against Twitter and several Saudi officials in federal court in San Francisco on behalf of her brother, Abdulrahman Al-Sadhan, who was arrested in 2018 and is serving a 20 year sentence in Saudi Arabia for dissent against the current regime.



Al-Sadhan alleges Twitter gave identifying information about her brother to the Saudi government, which she said “blatantly violates” the social media company’s terms and conditions and “puts every Twitter user at risk.”



Her brother worked for the Red Crescent, a Red Cross-like aid group that operates in most Muslim countries, and allegedly&nbsp;<a href="https://www.uscirf.gov/religious-prisoners-conscience/forb-victims-database/abdulrahman-al-sadhan" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ran anonymous Twitter accounts</a>&nbsp;mocking government officials and religious clerics before he was sentenced to prison in 2021, according to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom.



In addition to sharing information about her brother, Al-Sadhan claims Twitter allowed Saudi officials to access information on “thousands” of anonymous users, most of whom posted “critical or embarrassing information” about the Saudi regime, over a seven-month period in 2014 to 2015.



Forbes&nbsp;reached out to the Saudi embassy in Washington, D.C., for comment.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h2>



Tuesday’s lawsuit builds on the August 2022&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/joewalsh/2022/08/09/ex-twitter-employee-convicted-of-sending-private-data-to-saudi-government/?sh=42db68ed0626">conviction</a>&nbsp;of former Twitter manager Ahmad Abouamm, who was allegedly recruited by the Saudi government to use his insider knowledge to share personal information of dissidents. Social networks like Twitter and Facebook played a major role during the Arab Spring, a youth uprising against governments in the Middle East and North Africa between 2010 and 2012. Its main purpose was facilitating communication among participants of the mass protests during that time. “Once the chosen platform for Arab youth revolutionizing to liberate their countries from despotic leadership during the Arab Spring, [Twitter]enabled its co-conspirators in the Saudi Criminal Enterprise to crush that very dissent,” Al-Sadhan’s lawsuit says.



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-surprising-fact">SURPRISING FACT</h2>



Billionaire Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal is the&nbsp;<a href="https://fortune.com/2022/10/28/elon-musk-twitter-shareholder-alwaleed-bin-talal-binance-morgan-stanley/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">second-largest shareholder</a>&nbsp;in Twitter after principal owner Elon Musk, holding almost 6% of shares. He is the first cousin of Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, who has been the crown prince of Saudi Arabia since 2017.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tangent">TANGENT</h2>



When he took over the company last year, Musk provided internal communications to various journalists in a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2022/12/09/twitter-files-2-elon-musks-hyped-up-expos-unveils-secret-blacklists-and-shadow-banning--which-seem-very-similar-to-his-own-policies/?sh=49f5b4b56b38">series</a>&nbsp;called the Twitter Files, which was meant to bring to light some of the communications between Twitter executives and political campaigns or government officials. Although Musk has been critical of Twitter’s former CEO, Jack Dorsey, a report in April found Twitter has fully&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/katherinehamilton/2023/04/27/twitter-has-complied-with-almost-every-government-request-for-censorship-since-musk-took-over-report-finds/?sh=7890378724ea">complied</a>&nbsp;with more than 80% of government requests to remove or alter content since Musk acquired the company—an increase from 50% before his ownership. The majority of those requests came from foreign countries such as Turkey, India and Russia, but Saudi Arabia was not included.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-further-reading">FURTHER READING</h2>



<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/05/16/twitter-rico-saudi-arabia/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Jailed Saudi dissident, sister sue Twitter under RICO act in spy case</a>&nbsp;(Washington Post)



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/rachelsandler/2019/11/06/former-twitter-employees-charged-with-spying-for-saudi-arabia/?sh=3ba77bc01a3f">Former Twitter Employees Charged With Spying For Saudi Arabia</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/joewalsh/2022/08/09/ex-twitter-employee-convicted-of-sending-private-data-to-saudi-government/?sh=42db68ed0626">Ex-Twitter Employee Convicted Of Sending Private Data To Saudi Government</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/katherinehamilton/"></a>By Katherine Hamilton, Forbes Staff

Twitter tests several new features for its mobile app

Twitter Sued For Allegedly Helping Saudi Government Arrest Dissident

Is Africa’s tech industry missing out on top female talent?



By Tiana Cline



While African women continue to defy the odds as they assume various political leadership roles, the continent’s tech industry faces a serious gender issue. Despite endless global conversations around diversity within the tech sector, women still face significant barriers and are noticeably underrepresented in many roles, making it difficult for them to enter – and eventually lead – the industry.



According to a global women in leadership study conducted by IBM, gender equity is not a women’s issue, it’s an organizational one. “Women are significantly underrepresented at nearly every level of the workforce,” says Lindsay Kaplan, co-founder and Chief Brand Officer of Chief, a private network of executive women on a mission to change the face of leadership. “If companies prioritize gender diversity across their entire organizations through policies, investments, and a culture that meaningfully supports women, we’ll see a transformative impact — equity for everyone in the workplace and stronger, more resilient businesses.”



The study found that in Kenya, for example, there is even more stagnation in senior professional and non-executive managerial positions. Even though there are some incredible African women in IT like Catherine Muraga, the Managing Director at the Microsoft Africa Development Centre in Nairobi and Kendi Ntwiga, who heads up misrepresentation at Meta, the percentage of women hasn’t budged since the 2019 drop — and at a senior manager, it has even declined somewhat. And while the pandemic continues to have a disproportionate impact on women at work, in Kenya, geopolitical unrest was ranked the number one disruption facing women.



While Kaplan is happy to see slight progress in the representation of women at the C-suite and board level, she maintains that it is imperative that companies do more to fill the pipeline that leads to powerful positions.



One global technology company that is making massive strides in creating a place for women in technology is Cisco and more so, their Vice President for Middle East and Africa, Reem Asaad. Born in Egypt, Asaad moved to the United States at the age of 16 to study computer science.



“I had to leave because there weren’t a lot of accessible universities at the time and I wanted to study computer science. I went to the University of Houston in Texas and that was the beginning,” she says. Now based in Dubai, Asaad’s focus is collaborating with government, customers and partners but creating and developing female leadership is her passion. “Cisco should mimic the communities that it serves. That’s already inclusive and a starting point. We have amazing resources in Africa and we need to invest in female talent,” says Asaad. “Africa is fascinating because we talk about diversity in the region as if it’s something you have to do but our region is diverse by nature.”



Within her role, Asaad is working hard to change the diversity ratio in the Middle East and Africa. She is responsible for 77 countries – some advanced, others emerging – and within those countries, there are over 2,000 languages and six time zones to take into account.



“Cisco operates in 95 countries and 52 of those are in the mid-East and Africa. It’s diversity whether you like it or not, from age groups to colour to ethnic backgrounds. What you learn when you work in this region is how to understand the difference between equity and equality,” she says.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-equality-or-equity">EQUALITY OR EQUITY?</h3>



One McKinsey study on women in the workplace found that gender disparity can emerge as early as the first promotion opportunity – women account for 48% of entry-level hires but only 38% of first-level managers.



This ties in Asaad’s view that even though mentoring and coaching can help grow women into leadership positions, being on the ground is what gives her true visibility. “It’s important because if you don’t know the women around you, those women who could be the next leaders, you will miss them,” she says. “With men, you tend to hire someone because they have ‘potential’. With women, historically, it’s different. You always have to prove yourself in that position. This is a narrative we have to change. We need to hire female leaders because you see the potential.”



For Asaad, this is the difference between equity and equality: equality means giving everybody the same opportunity and the same tools and assuming that you will get similar outputs. Equity is the exact opposite. “Equity is giving everybody what they need. It’s about understanding that people have different strengths and weaknesses. For women, there are certain barriers, certain challenges… what if you could help them to bypass these things?” she asks. “Then women in positions of power can be treated on an equal footing to their male counterparts—judged for their actions and output alone.



Post-pandemic, the hybrid world of work has helped to level the playing field for women to take on leadership roles. In Saudi Arabia, for example, the rate of women participating in the IT sector is now higher than Silicon Valley. “You will be amazed at the number of female engineers, the quality, dedication, commitment and retention that you get,” adds Asaad. “One of our first engineers that got CCIE certified is a female leader in Saudi. We have the talent, but we need somebody to recognize that these women are out there and give them the opportunity.”



Digital transformation is a big part of job creation. Despite geopolitical challenges, governments with an appetite for innovation breed talent and new roles like the chief sustainability officer, renewable energy analyst or green engineer require future-forward skills. “In Africa, we have the skillsets. We have the workforce. We have Cisco Networking Academies that can step in where needed and females have a very big part in this transformation,” she says. “My role is to solve for three things: getting women in the door by managing unconscious bias to open access. Once women are in, how can you involve and retain them? And once they have been there, how can we progress them to goals.

gettyimages-1084167640-170667a

Let’s Tech About It: Why This Industry In Africa Has Gender Issues

The party is over for struggling retailers that enjoyed a pandemic-era boost of cheap loans and stimulus-driven spending.



<hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>



Retailers that have no business still being in business are starting to go out of business.



Unfortunately, it’s about time.



This year is on track to be the worst year for retail bankruptcies since 2020, with strip-mall mainstays like Bed Bath &amp; Beyond, Tuesday Morning, Party City and David’s Bridal all filing for Chapter 11 in the last several months.



“These are companies that have been in trouble for a while,” said Neil Saunders, managing director at research firm GlobalData. “It was almost a matter of when, rather than if, they went under.”



The spate of bankruptcies comes at a time when Americans have pulled back on discretionary spending and begun socking away more in savings as the cost of gas, groceries and other staples becomes more expensive, talk of a potential recession continues and major companies conduct layoffs. Consumer spending is watched closely since it accounts for more than two-thirds of the nation’s gross domestic product. Shoppers have shifted spending sharply in different directions over the pandemic, including pivoting away from categories like home goods after an early-pandemic buying spree.



However, while the economy isn’t helping and may be acting as a catalyst, the retailers who are teetering now have long had major problems. Retail spending remains “surprisingly robust” in some ways, said Saunders. More often a retailer’s downfall can be traced to shabby stores or an uninspiring online presence.



Plenty more retailers could go bankrupt before the year is over. The ones that look the most vulnerable to default include Rite Aid, Jo-Ann, Belk, At Home and 99 Cents Only, according to ratings companies Moody’s and S&amp;P Global. This watchlist skews toward specialty stores with exposure to the pressured home goods sector.



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The pandemic bought many retailers more time. Consumers spent freely, flush with cash from stimulus checks and unable to put it toward vacation or dinner and a movie. Retailers were also able to borrow money on the cheap.



“Covid masked some of the weak players,” said Steve Dennis, founder of SageBerry Consulting. “It staved off the reckoning.”



Now that the pandemic is over, at least officially, it’s back to reality and retailers are confronting the sins of the past: too many stores, too much debt and too few customers.



Retailers who loaded up on debt are having a harder time making payments as they watch sales and profits deteriorate. For instance, discount home goods retailer Tuesday Morning referenced its “exceedingly burdensome debt” in February when filing for bankruptcy for the second time in two years. Its net debt has increased tenfold, jumping from $23 million in 2019 to some $250 million last year. Sales during that time fell by 25%.



Christmas Tree Shops also cited its “burdensome liabilities” when filing for bankruptcy earlier this month. Its owner, Handil Holdings, listed liabilities of as much as $100 million in court documents.



Twelve percent of retailers now have a Triple-C rating from S&amp;P Global, meaning there’s a 50-50 chance that things get so bad they’ll default on their loans. That’s double the figure from last year and triple the year before.



“A lot of these companies were essentially zombie companies pre-Covid,” said Craig Ganz, an attorney at Ballard Spahr who has handled retail bankruptcies for several decades. “They were primarily surviving on debt, and now debt has become simply too expensive for them to afford.”



The Federal Reserve’s rapid rate hikes have made it much costlier for retailers to take on new debt, whether it’s to finance investments in growth areas or give themselves some breathing room, said Sarah Wyeth, who leads the retail and consumer sectors for S&amp;P Global Ratings.



“Any issuer that’s very stressed and needs to go to the market in the next year or so is going to be very challenged,” said Wyeth.



Meanwhile, the bills must be paid. Overhead is especially vexing for retailers stuck with large, lumbering brick-and-mortar fleets from an earlier era who aren’t drawing enough shoppers to cover the costs of paying workers, stocking shelves and keeping the lights on. The home furnishing sector is notorious for having too many stores, said Craig Johnson, founder of Customer Growth Partners, a retail research firm.



“The seeds of these companies’ demise was planted not just years ago, but decades ago,” he said.



By Lauren Debter, Forbes Staff

Netherlands Reimposes Partial Lockdown Amid Latest Covid-19 Wave

Plenty More Retailers Will Go Bankrupt This Year. The Only Surprise Is It Didn’t Happen Sooner.

Reitumetse Kholumo, the 25-year-old founder of Kwela Brews, is working to ensure that indigenous knowledge systems and makers of homegrown alcohol (umqombothi) earn their rightful place in South Africa’s formal economy.



In apartheid-era South Africa, it was popularly known that if women could not find domestic work, they would turn to brewing beer in their backyard – even though it was illegal– as a means of making ends meet. Eventually, alcohol was supplied at scale that largely supplanted these traditional brewers.



While women from all walks of life are no longer excluded from working in the formal alcohol market, monopolies such as pay disparities continue to reign.



This is something 25-year-old Reitumetse Kholumo hopes to change.



She was in her second year of chemical engineering at the University of Cape Town in South Africa, when on a field trip to one of the top brewers in the country, what stood out for her was the lack of representation.



She was studying bioprocessing and curious about indigenous African beverages, sought lessons in brewing from her grandmother.



Later on, she did a humanities elective about how engineering affects the broader public, specifically with a lens on how the profession was used to engineer apartheid. “I then looked at things a bit differently, being conscious of the fact that if I become a brewer, I’m just one brewer, but there are so many African women who are brewing on the ground, and the engineering solutions that exist do not address their problems,” she says to FORBES AFRICA.



Kholumo entered the informal industry from a bio-engineering perspective, believing the challenges to be efficiency and safety. 



While these are valid concerns, once she met the women making beer, she found other more pressing issues.



“When I met more women, their issues were more related to the market itself – they don’t have consistent buyers.”



Part of the reason was the prevalence of low-cost tier beers competing with traditionally-brewed beer.



“The women that brew authentic traditional African beer, they know how to brew safely. Efficiency is something that we are building on in a way that will complement their indigenous knowledge and how they usually brew.”



As the founder of Kwela Brews, Kholumo isn’t going to impose her ideas but rather collaborate with the women to assess the process, and see what they can adopt in their daily practices.



Kwela Brews became a distributor to solve the main problem: finding regular buyers in their relevant low-income communities.



“So, what we do is we pay the women for the brews, and we also supply them with the ingredients that they like. They’re my bosses, if anything,” she laughs.



In 2022, Kwela Brews began testing the market with products – going to Jazz in the Native Yards, a concert hosting South African musicians, primarily held in the Gugulethu township of Cape Town.



They have also now partnered with a local restaurant in Stellenbosch that sees traffic from international students and tourists, so they are widening their reach. 



“In the near future, we’re going to be doing tastings and collaborating on events just to de-risk it for them, but also so that we can learn what the market requires.”



Still completing her master’s degree in chemical engineering at Stellenbosch in the Western Cape, Kholumo’s broader interests are the beneficiation of indigenous bio-products when it comes to nutraceuticals and therapeutics. “What I want more than anything is to create a space where indigenous brews are appreciated, as they come from the indigenous knowledge-holders.” 



She says each batch of her brew tastes different because it will have different micro-organisms, which are good for people’s gut microbiomes. 



“Different women from different tribes will have different ways of brewing, and this is all over sub-Saharan Africa. So I feel like there’s a lot of potential there.”



While she received R20,000 ($1,100) in funding from the University of Cape Town’s student pitch competition, hosted by Akro, along with UCT InvestSoc and UCT Entrepreneurs Society in 2021, she quickly used the startup money. In 2022, she was on the Mastercard Foundation program that gave her another R120,000 ($6,500). And even though it’s an alcoholic product, she wants to eventually get certification about benefits for gut microbiome. She’s raising the bar for homegrown alcohol to be distributed and sold at scale. After all, as they say in South Africa, local is lekker (good).

Tag: Coronavirus

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