Donald Trump 2.0.



An unprecedented but not entirely unexpected return to power.



Landmark achievements in every sense – popular vote, Senate and a likely Congress majority to boot.



A transactional president buoyed by America’s richest to deliver on a self-inflicted beleaguered country. Or not. But narratives matter. The electorate believes.



For an avowed ‘make America great again’ supremo, he comes to power in a deeply-polarized country and a striferidden fractured global order gasping for leadership and equity.



Quo Vadis Africa in all this?



Gallup polls regularly show China’s undoubted popularity edge in Africa; for decades.



Enhanced Russian engagements (though as yet a fraction of that of the U.S. and China) militarily and politically cast their own shadow.



The U.S. policy on Africa continues to make teenage love affairs look like mature relationships. It’s admittedly not easy to solve the ‘trilemma’: defend democracy, ensure security and extend geopolitical influence. Aid and textbooks in hand, flip-flops on and cheque books tucked away.



That is however the enduring American visual on the continent today. The outgoing administration could neither change that view, nor do anything meaningful to stamp its intent.



Even in the new gold rush (read critical minerals), Uncle Sam has floundered to tie policy to politics to projects, pronouncements notwithstanding. Enter the new administration of 2025. It’s unlikely Africa will be a sensible policy priority.



During his last administration, Trump had referred to African nations as “shithole countries”. Close allies were hit with travel bans. Eritrea, Nigeria, Somalia, Sudan and Tanzania were among 13 countries on the list when he left office.



“Keep your friends close and your enemies closer,” the Chinese military strategist Sun Tzu has said.



Africa needs to be mindful of this advice.



Tough choices abound for the continent. Its demography, its politics, its economies, all need help from all to make it a collaborative development.



It hardly has the luxury of choice as to ‘with whom’. Yet, the biggest risk remains in being forced to choose.



An ancient African proverb says that “when elephants fight, it’s the grass that suffers”. And boy, have we suffered!



Today, the Bretton Woods Institutions are facing challenges from a resurgent BRICS+.



The European Union is still Africa’s largest trading partner, albeit skewed around primary goods with no real benefaction. China is a close second but also the biggest investor by far.



America’s commercial interests in Africa must deepen. Not sure when though.



Japan, apart from its octopus imports, is a significant t ade and investment partner.



And finally, enter India. Building on its historic links and feeding its emerging power status with more trade, investment and cultural power.



If I was an African leader, I would be salivating at my choices.



Yet, we are stressed.



An American President had once said: “You are either with us or against us.”



The only thing we should work and pray for therefore is that Trump 2.0 does not descend to that.



Any conscious, coherent and collaborative strategy is of course to be looked forward to.



And yes to partnerships.



But no sticks without carrots please.



“If you can’t help, at least don’t hurt them,” the Dalai Lama has said.



I am afraid within the current world order, that’s the best one can aspire for.



Leave us alone to our destiny and let’s remain purely and simply transactional.



Let mutual needs guide our progress in Africa, not geopolitics and rhetoric.



That in a nutshell is as ambitious as one can be. And finally, to re-quote Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore: “Into that heaven of freedom, let the African continent awake.”

Donald Trump Campaigns In Georgia Ahead Of US Presidential Election

Expert-Speak: ‘Let Mutual Needs Guide Our Progress In Africa, Not Geopolitics And Rhetoric’

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



Sean &#8220;Diddy&#8221; Combs appeared in court Wednesday for what is likely to be his last court appearance for several months in his federal sex trafficking case that will see him spend the Christmas holidays in prison despite several attempts by his attorneys to have him released to house arrest. (Here is a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/maryroeloffs/2024/10/22/all-major-allegations-against-sean-diddy-combs-rape-sexual-abuse-cassie-ventura-tony-buzbee-lil-rod/">complete list of the allegations</a>&nbsp;against Combs.)


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="683" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/GettyImages-2171912226-1.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-64025" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/GettyImages-2171912226-1.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/GettyImages-2171912226-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/GettyImages-2171912226-1-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">King Combs, son of Sean &#8220;Diddy&#8221; Combs, right, exits court in New York. (Photographer: Yuki Iwamura/Bloomberg via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>


<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Timeline</h2>



December 18Combs&nbsp;<a href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/sean-diddy-combs-back-court-wishes-spectators-happy/story?id=116924609" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">appeared in court</a>&nbsp;for a brief hearing in his federal case at which federal prosecutors said they plan to disclose all available evidence to his defense team by the end of the year in preparation for a May trial date. One court&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsweek.com/diddy-sean-combs-case-jail-appearance-update-2003100" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">reporter</a>&nbsp;described Combs as appearing “thinner” and “grayer” than when he was last seen in public, and the music mogul wished spectators a &#8220;Happy Holidays&#8221; as he left.



December 2<a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/ghislaine-maxwell-prosecutor-joins-sean-diddy-combs-trial-1235190051/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Maurene Comey</a>, former FBI director James Comey&#8217;s daughter who litigated the case in which Maxwell was <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/ghislaine-maxwell-sentenced-20-years-prison-conspiring-jeffrey-epstein-sexually-abuse" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">convicted</a> for her role in a scheme to sexually exploit and abuse minor girls with Jeffrey Epstein, on Monday notified the federal court in the Southern District of New York that she has joined the prosecution against Combs.



November 27Federal judge Arun Subramanian <a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.628424/gov.uscourts.nysd.628424.92.0.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">denied</a> Combs’ request to be released on bail citing “compelling evidence of Combs’s propensity for violence.” Subramanian’s ruling also stated that there was evidence supporting “a serious risk of witness tampering,” along with evidence that he “violated Bureau of Prisons regulations during his pretrial detention to obscure his communications with third parties.” The judge also wrote the government prosecutors have shown “by clear and convincing evidence that no condition or combination of conditions will reasonably assure the safety of the community.”



November 25Attorneys for the federal government argued against Combs’ push to get released on $50 million bail and a laundry list of other conditions, telling Judge Arun Subramanian in a letter the package “does not come close to ensuring the security of the community” or to ensuring Combs won&#8217;t interfere with the case or try to flee before the trial—citing an alleged “pattern of violence” toward women and his own staff. In their own letter, defense attorneys argued Combs has been unconstitutionally held in jail and silenced since he was first arrested in September, that the government has launched a campaign against him to keep him from getting a fair trial and that Combs “is not required to sit idly by and acquiesce to all of this.” Subramanian is expected to make a decision on bail by Thanksgiving.



November 22Subramanian heard arguments from attorneys on both sides but punted a decision to the following week on whether Combs should be released on bail. Subramanian rejected the idea Combs be kept under house arrest at a home with a boat dock in Miami but seemed open to potentially releasing him to confinement with around-the-clock security at a three-bedroom apartment on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. He asked lawyers to submit further arguments in writing by Monday, Nov. 25.



November 19Subramanian told prosecutors to “get rid of” their copies of handwritten notes taken by Combs in jail, making the decision as he considers legal arguments from Combs’ lawyers that the notes were subject to attorney-client privilege and counter arguments from prosecutors who accused Combs of writing about a witness tampering plot.



November 15In a filing opposing Combs’ request to be released on bail, prosecutors claim Combs has attempted to “corruptly influence witness testimony” by asking his family members to reach out to victims and potential witnesses and create “narratives” to affect their opinion, while also asking his children to post a video to social media in celebration of his birthday and ensuring the video had “his desired effect on potential jury members in this case.”



November 12In &#8220;The Downfall of Diddy: Inside the Freak-Offs,” Ray J claims high-profile celebrities are &#8220;reaching out to victims&#8221; and offering them money in exchange for avoiding any public exposure, and aspiring singer-songwriter Tanea Wallace described her experience at a 2018 party where she said she saw minors “dressed up like Harajuku Barbies, red lipstick, looking like real sexy.”



November 8Combs’ attorneys again requested the mogul be released on bail with a $50 million bond with a laundry list of new conditions, including home detention in Miami or New York City, security lockdown and no internet access, which is scheduled to be heard at a hearing on Nov. 22.



November 4In a video <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DB9lgi1tXiF/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">posted</a> by his son, Combs spoke to his children on the phone on his 55th birthday Monday and said, “I can’t wait to see y’all. I just want to say that I’m proud of y’all, especially the girls. I mean, all y’all just for being strong.”



November 3Comb&#8217;s lawyers sent a letter to Subramanian asking he place all potential witnesses under a gag order until a federal trial scheduled for May, claiming a &#8220;deluge of improper pretrial publicity that is undermining Mr. Combs’s right to a fair trial.” (The request comes after a friend of Comb&#8217;s late girlfriend Kim Porter <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/sean-combs-urges-court-to-issue-widespread-gag-order-1235152185/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">spoke</a> outside a courthouse in Manhattan, saying he’d testified before a grand jury and has footage of Combs raping and sexually assaulting several people, including minors).



October 31Ty Stiklorius, John Legend&#8217;s manager, wrote in a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/31/opinion/p-diddy-sean-combs-music-business-reform.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">New York Times piece</a> that she herself experienced a &#8220;terrifying situation&#8221; in which she says she was locked in a bedroom while attending a party hosted by Combs in St. Barts in the late 1990s and &#8220;managed to talk her way out&#8221; of what she assumed was an abnormal experience, but later realized &#8220;what happened that night was no aberration—it was an indicator of a pervasive culture in the music industry.”



October 28Federal authorities said they&#8217;d carried out an “interagency operation” at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn where Combs is awaiting trial, but did not provide specific details about what was done inside the facility, which has been the target of rampant criticism from the Combs team and the location of several crimes in recent months, including a <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/federal-inmate-mdc-brooklyn-charged-orchestrating-murder-hire-using-contraband" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">murder-for-hire </a>plot and the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/federal-jail-brooklyn-diddy-bureau-of-prisons-afd6aebdfacd70286955f8c1bbf1cd6e" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">stabbing deaths</a> of two inmates.



October 25In a letter submitted to the court Friday, Combs&#8217; attorneys requested a gag order be implemented for all federal officials involved <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2024/09/17/sean-diddy-combs-charged-with-sex-trafficking-racketeering/">in his case</a>, specifically citing a <a href="https://nypost.com/2024/10/25/us-news/diddy-mixed-a-list-parties-with-freak-off-sex-shows-tapes/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">New York Post article</a> that quotes a &#8220;federal law enforcement source who is involved in the investigation&#8221; as proof the Department of Homeland Security is purposefully interfering with Combs&#8217; right to a fair trial (in October, Combs&#8217; legal team claimed DHS <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2024/oct/10/lawyers-for-sean-combs-allege-us-government-leaked-assault-footage-to-cnn" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">leaked</a> an incriminating video of Combs to CNN, which the agency denied). A judge later called the quotes in the article “plainly improper” but rejected the gag order request.



October 22Two of Combs’ seven children—Quincy Brown, Combs&#8217; adopted 33-year-old son, and Chance Combs, his 18-year-old daughter with Sarah Chapman—made a joint&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DBbIxQHPOjn/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">post on Instagram&nbsp;</a>calling the last month &#8220;devastating&#8221; for their family and defending their father from what they called &#8220;accusations, conspiracy theories and false narratives.”



October 15Combs returned to <a href="https://www.instagram.com/diddy/?hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Instagram</a> for the first time since his arrest in September with a post marking the second birthday of his youngest daughter, named Love Sean Combs (he’d previously <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/maryroeloffs/2024/06/20/all-of-diddys-instagram-posts-and-videos-including-cassie-apology-are-deleted/">deleted every post </a>on the social media account as <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/maryroeloffs/2024/10/22/all-major-allegations-against-sean-diddy-combs-rape-sexual-abuse-cassie-ventura-tony-buzbee-lil-rod/">allegations</a> piled up against him, but has posted a total of three times since July, each time with photos of his children).



October 11A U.S. Appeals court referred Combs&#8217; latest request for bail to a panel of three judges, but ruled he will remain behind bars until a decision is made.



October 10Combs appeared in court for the first time since his arrest, where a <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/maryroeloffs/2024/10/10/sean-diddy-combs-will-face-sex-trafficking-trial-in-may/">trial date</a> of May 5 was set for him to face federal charges of racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution.



October 9Combs’ team filed a memo alleging that the Department of Homeland Security<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2024/oct/10/lawyers-for-sean-combs-allege-us-government-leaked-assault-footage-to-cnn" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"> leaked</a> a surveillance video that showed him abusing his ex-girlfriend, Casandra &#8220;Cassie&#8221; Ventura, though prosecutors have denied the allegations and said they did not obtain that video until it was made public by CNN.



October 8Lawyers for Combs filed paperwork <a href="https://www.billboard.com/pro/diddy-appeals-bail-ruling-sex-abuse-case-witness-tampering/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">asking</a> he be allowed to await trial outside of the Metropolitan Detention Center where he resides, claiming the initial decision to deny him bail was unfairly “distorted” by the attention on the case (the initial judge, who has since been replaced, ruled Combs should stay in jail so he can’t use his money and influence to interfere in the government&#8217;s case against him).



October 6Janice Small Combs, Sean Combs&#8217; mother, said in a <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DAzDBw7p2pL/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;ig_rid=937fbcc4-1950-477e-9bef-89c73dccc13a&amp;img_index=2" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">statement</a> through her family&#8217;s attorney she is &#8220;devastated and profoundly saddened&#8221; by the allegations against her son, adding those accusing him of misconduct are &#8220;seeking a financial gain&#8221; and likened Combs to &#8220;many individuals&#8221; who have been &#8220;wrongfully convicted due to their past actions or mistakes&#8221;—though she also said Combs “may have been not entirely truthful” when <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/17/entertainment/sean-combs-cassie-ventura/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">denying assault allegations</a> raised by his ex-girlfriend Ventura.



September 30Lawyers for Combs filed a notice asking the Second Circuit Court of Appeals in the Southern District of New York to overturn the decision to hold him in prison while he awaits trial, a choice Judge Andrew Carter made <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/09/30/entertainment/sean-combs-lawyers-appeal-detention/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">citing concerns</a> Combs had allegedly tampered with witnesses who had been contacted as part of the investigation against him (the request was not granted).



September 26A <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/conormurray/2024/09/27/sean-diddy-combs-lawyer-says-violent-video-of-cassie-not-evidence-of-sex-trafficking/">documentary</a> was released for streaming on Tubi and featured an interview with Combs’ lawyer Marc Agnifilo—who addressed a leaked <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/maryroeloffs/2024/05/19/sean-diddy-combs-apology-video-of-him-beating-cassie-2016-lawsuits-sex-trafficking-rape-abuse-assault/">surveillance video</a> of Combs shoving and kicking ex-girlfriend Ventura—in which he called the <a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.628425/gov.uscourts.nysd.628425.2.0_2.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">indictment</a> a takedown of a “successful Black man&#8221; and said he doesn&#8217;t expect Combs to accept a plea bargain.



September 24Combs is sharing a unit with disgraced<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/brianbushard/2024/03/28/sam-bankman-fried-speaks-my-useful-life-is-probably-over-as-hes-sentenced-to-25-years/"> Bankman-Fried</a> at the <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/conormurray/2024/09/18/sean-diddy-combs-reportedly-complains-about-horrific-jail-conditions-what-to-know-about-notorious-metropolitan-detention-center/">Metropolitan Detention Center</a>, according to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/24/arts/music/sean-combs-sam-bankman-fried-jail.html?smtyp=cur&amp;smid=tw-nytimes#" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The New York Times</a>, as the former crypto mogul serves out a <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/brianbushard/2024/03/28/sam-bankman-fried-speaks-my-useful-life-is-probably-over-as-hes-sentenced-to-25-years/">25-year sentence</a> in prison for counts of conspiracy, fraud and money laundering linked to a scheme that lost former FTX customers, lenders and investors several billion dollars.



September 18Combs&#8217; lawyers cited &#8220;horrific&#8221; conditions at the <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/conormurray/2024/09/18/sean-diddy-combs-reportedly-complains-about-horrific-jail-conditions-what-to-know-about-notorious-metropolitan-detention-center/">Metropolitan Detention Center</a> in Brooklyn, New York in a <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2024/09/18/sean-diddy-combs-loses-bail-denial-appeal-after-pleading-not-guilty-to-sex-trafficking-racketeering-charges/">request for bail</a>—which included a $50 million bond offer, GPS monitoring and strict limitations on visitors—that was denied by U.S. District Judge Andrew Carter, who said the conditions weren’t enough to ensure the safety of the community.



September 17A federal court in Manhattan <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2024/09/17/sean-diddy-combs-charged-with-sex-trafficking-racketeering/">unsealed charges</a> against Combs for racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution, alleging he “abused, threatened, and coerced women and others around him to fulfill sexual desires, protect his reputation, and conceal his conduct.”



September 16Combs was arrested in Manhattan after being indicted by a grand jury.



May 29<a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2024/05/29/entertainment/sean-diddy-combs-federal-investigation/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Sources told CNN</a> federal investigators were getting close to filing charges against Combs, and that plaintiffs who had filed individual civil lawsuits against him had been interviewed as part of the case.



March 25Federal agents <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/brianbushard/2024/03/25/feds-search-sean-diddy-combs-la-and-miami-homes-reports-say/?sh=d8b69e15d52c">raided Combs’ homes</a> in Florida and California in relation to a federal sex trafficking investigation.



November 20-23A $30 million lawsuit filed by Ventura kicked off a series of criminal complaints against Combs that have included rape, sexual assault, sex trafficking and other claims (<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/maryroeloffs/2024/10/22/all-major-allegations-against-sean-diddy-combs-rape-sexual-abuse-cassie-ventura-tony-buzbee-lil-rod/">see all of the allegations here</a>).

Sean “Diddy” Combs Fulfills $1 Million Pledge To Howard University At Howard Homecoming – Yardfest

Diddy Wishes Courtroom ‘Happy Holidays’ At Hearing: Here Is The Latest On Sean Combs

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



Shares of MicroStrategy rallied Monday after the corporate bitcoin holder earned a spot in a key stock index, an apparent institutional vote of confidence in the company whose stock has been red hot amid the cryptocurrency boom.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">Key Facts</h2>



MicroStrategy stock gained 4% at market open, enjoying a bump from the Nasdaq&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nasdaq.com/press-release/annual-changes-nasdaq-100-indexr-2024-12-13" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">announcing</a>&nbsp;after Friday’s close that the Virginia-based company would join its Nasdaq 100 stock index next Monday.



The inclusion on the Nasdaq 100, which is the basis for the popular Invesco QQQ exchange-traded fund, should result in about $2.1 billion in net buying of MicroStrategy shares as portfolios adjust to the move, according to Bernstein analyst Gautam Chhugani.



Also boosting the share price of MicroStrategy, which trades under the ticker MSTR, was a weekend rally for bitcoin, which hit a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/markets/currencies/bitcoin-powers-above-105000-first-time-2024-12-15/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">fresh</a>&nbsp;all-time high Monday of over $106,000; almost all of MicroStrategy’s underlying value is tied to its bitcoin horde rather than a more traditional revenue-based business model.



MicroStrategy stock has gained a robust 573% in 2024, outstripping bitcoin’s 150% gain and the S&amp;P 500’s 29% return.



Shares of the other two new Nasdaq 100 entrants, Axon Enterprise and Palantir, had less stark reactions, with Taser stun gun maker Axon stock up 1% and analytics-based defense contractor Palantir trading flat.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-does-mstr-do">What Does Mstr Do?</h2>



MicroStrategy&nbsp;<a href="https://www.microstrategy.com/investor-relations" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">describes</a>&nbsp;itself as the “world&#8217;s first and largest Bitcoin Treasury Company.” Part of the dot-com boom at the turn of the millennium, MicroStrategy shifted its focus beginning in 2020 from its software business to becoming the most prominent voice advocating for bitcoin as a long-term store of value akin to gold. The company owns 439,000 bitcoins in its strategic reserve, equivalent to $46 billion, or 2.2% of the world’s total bitcoin supply. Some 40% of MicroStrategy’s bitcoins have been acquired over the last 40 days, according to Chhugani, dating back to the election of Donald Trump, an outspoken bitcoin ally. MicroStrategy has taken the rare step of issuing debt to fund its bitcoin purchases. “If you are not a Bitcoin believer, this is scary, but MSTR’s Bitcoin strategy is a long term high-conviction ‘buy &amp; hold’ strategy with the view to hold Bitcoin till it surpasses Gold and beyond,” Chhugani wrote Monday.



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



MicroStrategy certainly has its critics, including investment firm Citron Research, which&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/CitronResearch/status/1859608654590202325?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1859608654590202325%7Ctwgr%5E285e05254ab72981c19f7dd4fb2010b21edd4c81%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Ffinance.yahoo.com%2Fnews%2Fmicrostrategy-stock-plummets-16-after-new-short-bet-with-bitcoin-trading-at-record-highs-151747801.html" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">announced</a>&nbsp;a short position on MicroStrategy stock last month, calling the stock “overheated” and “completely detached” from bitcoin fundamentals. With a market capitalization of about $100 billion, MicroStrategy trades more than two times higher than its bitcoin holdings, with its other operations hardly offering much further support, as its software business brought in less than $120 million last quarter.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-big-number">Big Number</h2>



2,700%.&nbsp;That’s how much MicroStrategy stock has returned over the last five years. That easily outranks the roughly 2,200% and 1,600% gains from the S&amp;P’s top performers during that stretch in artificial intelligence darling Nvidia and Elon Musk-led electric vehicle company Tesla, respectively, according to FactSet.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-forbes-valuation">Forbes Valuation</h2>



MicroStrategy’s outspoken founder and chairman Michael Saylor is worth more than $10 billion, <a href="https://www.forbes.com/profile/michael-saylor/">making him</a> the 254th-richest person in the world. His net worth has more than doubled <a href="https://www.forbes.com/billionaires/">since</a> March.

Key Speakers At The Bitcoin 2024 Conference

MicroStrategy Stock Jumps On Nasdaq 100 Inclusion—Bitcoin Giant Up 570% This Year

Monday marked the last day of 16 days of activism in the country. While the campaign was designed to raise awareness of the negative impacts of violence and abuse on women and children, experts, activists, and researchers believe that more, especially at the private sector level, can be done to mitigate and eradicate it.



“I’m not entirely sold on the whole idea of 16 days,” Advocate Bernadine Bachar, director at the Saartjie Baartman Centre for Women and Children in Cape Town says, adding, “Because it is an easy pass for policymakers and politicians to say we&#8217;re going to be concentrating on gender-based violence for 60 days and then kind of revisit it a year later.”



In December 2024, the South African Police Services (SAPS) and activism social media group, Women For Change released the 2023/2024 crime stats, identifying that femicide had surged by 33.8% in one year. According to SAPS 5,578 women were murdered between April 2023 and March 2024, a hike from 4,169 women in 2022/2023.



The South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) Gender &amp; Health Research Unit also released a report in October stating that 60% of women murdered in 2020/21 were killed by an intimate partner, an increase from previous years.



The report further noted that convictions had also dropped, with fewer than one in five intimate partner femicide cases resulting in a sentence. The study shows that a woman’s chance of receiving justice significantly decreased, with more cases of unidentified perpetrators.



“Femicide is preventable. Yet, in South Africa, reports of another femicide have become the new normal.&nbsp;We must address this crisis with urgency, especially given the sharp rise in intimate partner femicide during the pandemic,” Professor Naeemah Abrahams, Chief Specialist Scientist at the SAMRC Gender &amp; Health Research Unit said in the report.



“The fact that conviction rates are so low, and the number of unsolved cases is growing, should be a resounding call to improve our justice system’s response to gender-based violence.”



Bachar says that this also has a dire effect on the economy.



“Gender-based violence and its impact on survivors has an impact on the economy when it comes to our health system, our police system, our workforce, our children and their placements in schools and ability to carry on with their schooling. It affects every aspect of a woman’s life. And if we don’t get to grips with eradicating [it], we are going to be damning the next generation to be sitting exactly where we’re sitting at the moment.”



KMPG has estimated in their Too Costly to ignore –&nbsp;the economic impact of gender-based violence in SA report that the economic impact of that violence is between at least ZAR28.4 billion ($1.5 billion) and ZAR42.4 billion ($2.3 billion) in 2013, representing 0.9% and 1.3% of GDP respectively.



GBV researcher Gorata Chengeta states that although she agrees that the monetary value of it is there, there are also costs that cannot be quantified.



“As someone whose research and work is focused on the experiences of survivors and what happens after GBV, it’s really important to remember the human cost of GBV to people’s individual lives, which cannot be quantified in monetary terms, but also the conversations about the economic impact are also related to that human cost,” Chengeta tells FORBES AFRICA.



Although there have been initiatives and programs from corporates that are centered on assistance regarding GBV, the question remains – is there more that can be done?



Experts believe that agency and urgency can help elevate the problem, especially when it comes to the involvement of the private sector.



Ngaa Murombedzi is the Southern Africa Regional Advocacy and Policy Manager at AIDS Healthcare Foundation. She highlights that the intersection between GBV and HIV in South Africa needs to be confronted and says that it starts with policy.



“Private sector companies can have clear policies that speak against gender-based violence within the workspace; this looks like providing a safe environment for employees that encourages reporting any form of abuse without fear of retaliation,” she tells FORBES AFRICA.



“We know that stigma and discrimination continue to be the biggest contributing factors around gender-based violence and its perpetuation within our society in South Africa.”



Institutions like the Saartjie Baartman Centre for Women and Children have served 276,000 women and children over the last 25 years, and have offered job skills, entrepreneurial training, and psychosocial support.



However, Bachar notes that the unemployment rate is a lone indicative of how costly GBV is to the country.



“What the private sector can do is work with those of us that are in in the gender sector to perhaps free up 100 entry-level jobs,” Bachar adds.



“Let’s talk to supermarkets [for example], free up entry-level jobs for GBV survivors that are coming out of shelters; we can then start moving these women through the shelter system into jobs that can be empowering to them to actually put food on the table, get a sense of self-worth [and] move away from violence and the perpetrator.”



It been referred to as something that is paramount to a “pandemic that is crippling society, depriving women and children of their right to be safe and continue with their daily lives without fear of being murdered or raped, if not both” by South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa.



“The private sector often has resources to support other causes. They have corporate social responsibility causes and something practical that they can do with that money right now is to invest in funding shelters that support survivors and victims of domestic violence, because at the moment, there is a shortage of funding, and it’s a sector that does a lot of very important work,” Chengeta concludes.

WCG Form Human Chain In Commemoration Of 16 Days Of Activism

Beyond The 16 Days: What Corporates Can Do In The Fight Against GBV In South Africa

In a move to strengthen South Africa-Nigeria ties, South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa announced last night that efforts to create a favorable environment will include a simplified visa process for travelers coming in to South Africa from the West African nation.



With Nigeria’s President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who is in South Africa for the 11th session of the South Africa-Nigeria Bi-National Commission in Parliament in Cape Town, Ramaphosa added in his opening remarks: “Qualifying Nigerian business people can be granted a five-year multiple entry visa. In addition, tourists from Nigeria can now apply for a visa without submitting a passport.”



That the visa process, previously, has been cumbersome, has been widely reported.



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">South Africa&#39;s President Ramaphosa: We want to see Nigerian products on the shelves of South African shops&#8230; Nigerian tourists can now apply for a visa without submitting a passport.&quot; MXM <a href="https://t.co/4PLI7lJrb4">pic.twitter.com/4PLI7lJrb4</a>&mdash; Jonathern Thom 🇿🇦 (@JonathernThom) <a href="https://twitter.com/JonathernThom/status/1863991288649130038?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 3, 2024</a></blockquote><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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A <a href="about:blank">2024 report</a> by the Centre for Human Rights (University of Pretoria) stated that South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs has a list of countries exempted from needing a visa for a 30- to 90-day stay in the country, but countries such as Nigeria, Senegal, The Gambia, Cameroon, Sudan, Somalia, to name a few, are not on the list.



“Despite Ramaphosa’s emphasis on immigration and tourism, the first year of his presidency saw 7,000 Nigerians get their visas rejected,” Mamadou Saidou Bah and Marie Rebecca Jolicoeur wrote in the report. “It is indeed true that South Africa is largely closed to other Africans but more welcoming to the wider world. When it comes to Africans, the visa regime of South Africa is applied rigidly and that is a contributing factor to the high rejections of visa applications by Africans.”



The president’s announcement garnered mixed reactions on social media.



“We already have a problem with these nationals in our country, now we further relaxing visa laws. Please make it make sense,” one user said on Instagram.



Another on <a href="about:blank" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">X said</a>: “The damage done by some Nigerians is hard to overlook. However, should we look into the business side of things? We can both benefit. Africa is our home. Let&#8217;s find a way to work towards making it a great continent.”



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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">At this rate, the plan of ANC is to destroy South Africa. How does strengthening our relationship with Nigeria secure comfortable future of South Africans? 😩😭&mdash; Oracle (@Oracle5152) <a href="https://twitter.com/Oracle5152/status/1864019886093062538?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 3, 2024</a></blockquote><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">South Africans we are on our own!!!! We want to see Nigerian products on the shelves of South African shops&#8230; Nigerian tourists can now apply for a visa without submitting a passport.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/HrBttGavw5">pic.twitter.com/HrBttGavw5</a>&mdash; Sir Cabonena Alfred (@Lebona_cabonena) <a href="https://twitter.com/Lebona_cabonena/status/1863942923806818371?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 3, 2024</a></blockquote><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">Trade between Nigeria and South Africa is significant, with Nigeria being South Africa&#39;s largest trading partner in Africa. Crude oil from Nigeria constitutes a major portion of this trade. With recent agreements focusing on easing visa restrictions for Nigerian businesspeople…&mdash; People (@MadawaMan_) <a href="https://twitter.com/MadawaMan_/status/1864270349287768511?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 4, 2024</a></blockquote><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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Ramaphosa also stated in his address that he would like to see more Nigerian products on the retail shelves in South Africa. Nigeria is South Africa’s largest trading partner in West Africa. He wishes to see more robust trade between the two countries.



“Nigeria and South Africa enjoy strong diplomatic ties and expanding trade and investment flows,” Ramaphosa said. “The strategic positioning of both countries in their respective regions presents enormous opportunities for collaboration.”



According to <a href="about:blank" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Africa Check</a>, in 2016, there were 30,000 Nigerians living in South Africa.



“The outcome of this 11th session of the Bi-National Commission reaffirms our commitment to strengthening existing ties and deeper collaboration between Nigeria and South Africa towards a future of shared prosperity, security, and progress for our people,” Tinubu wrote on X. “As two of Africa’s leading economies, Nigeria and South Africa must keep working together to ensure shared prosperity for our countries and Africa.”

Nigeria-South Africa bi-national Commission held in Cape Town

South Africa To Ease Visa Rules To Strengthen Ties With Nigeria; Both Countries To Work Collaboratively To Boost Trade

South Africa’s ongoing battle with gender-based violence (GBV) has received a boost with the release of the first national study on the subject. Conducted by the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC), the report goes beyond statistics to expose the structural and behavioral factors fueling this epidemic. At its core, the study reveals the interconnectedness of mental health crises, entrenched societal norms, and systemic inequalities. The report, first commissioned in 2022, was released during a press conference earlier this week.



Women Most at Risk



The study estimates that more than 7.8 million South African women have experienced lifetime physical and/or sexual violence, said Dr Nompumelelo Zungu, Deputy Executive Director at the HSRC, announcing the report in Pretoria.



While all women are vulnerable, those with disabilities face heightened risks. Women living with disabilities are twice as likely to experience sexual violence compared to those without. “For a lifetime, this report shows that all forms of abuse are very high for women living with disabilities,” Zungu explained. These women face unique challenges that demand urgent, tailored interventions, including their reliance on others for daily needs, which leaves them more exposed to abuse.



Black African women also bear the brunt of physical violence. “Lifetime physical violence was significantly higher among Black African women with 35.5%, compared to women of other race groups,” said Zungu.



A Broader Crisis in Masculinity



The study highlights the mental health struggles faced by men, particularly those who perpetrate violence. Early childhood trauma, substance abuse, and socioeconomic pressures emerge as recurring themes among perpetrators. These issues underscore the need for targeted mental health services and programs aimed at dismantling harmful gender norms.



The findings show how deep-rooted societal norms perpetuate violence. Patriarchal beliefs, such as those normalizing men’s control over women, remain prevalent, contributing to a toxic environment. According to the study, nearly a quarter of men believe women cannot refuse sex with their husbands, and 8% believe there are times when women deserve to be beaten.



The Covid-19 pandemic amplified these vulnerabilities, with intimate partner violence (IPV) surging during lockdowns. Economic strain and isolation left many women trapped with their abusers, further underscoring the link between systemic inequalities and GBV.



The HSRC study presents a range of recommendations to tackle GBV, including community interventions to challenge harmful norms, enhanced support systems for survivors, and economic empowerment initiatives.

South Africa : Illustration

Study Reiterates Hidden Drivers Of South Africa’s GBV Crisis

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



Air quality in New Delhi dropped to its worst level this year on Monday—with pollutant levels reaching more than 150 times higher than the World Health Organization’s recommended safe levels—as local authorities enacted an emergency response plan, including shutting down schools, halting the entry of nearly all trucks and a ban on all construction activities.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Key Facts</h2>



<a href="https://www.iqair.com/in-en/india/delhi%5C" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">According to IQ Air</a>, New Delhi’s Air Quality Index, which measures the level of air pollution, surged past 1,700 on Monday—more than five times above the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.airnow.gov/aqi/aqi-basics/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">“hazardous” benchmark</a>&nbsp;where even healthy individuals are likely to experience adverse effects.



The pollution level was so severe on Monday that the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi—which uses the Environmental Protection Agency’s AirNow chart—<a href="https://in.usembassy.gov/embassy-consulates/new-delhi/air-quality-data/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">rated the conditions</a>&nbsp;“Beyond the AQI” on its hourly tracker as it registered levels above 1,600.


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-full is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="699" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/GettyImages-2183914233.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-63705" style="width:644px;height:auto" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/GettyImages-2183914233.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/GettyImages-2183914233-300x205.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/GettyImages-2183914233-768x524.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">India Gate is covered in a thick layer of pollution in New Delhi, India, on November 13, 2024 (Photo by Bilal Kuchay/NurPhoto via Getty Images).</figcaption></figure></div>


The national pollution control authority rated the conditions in Delhi as “severe plus” and&nbsp;<a href="https://caqm.nic.in/WriteReadData/LINKS/GRAP%20Stage%20IV%20Order%20dated%2017112024272e205d-f42e-4106-932a-0514c584dfd7.pdf" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">ordered the enforcement</a>&nbsp;of stage 4 of a graded response action plan, which is the highest level emergency response and allows for the most stringent curbs on vehicles and construction work.



The Delhi Government ordered all schools to switch over to online classes and issued bans on key sources of pollution, including the entry of trucks carrying non-essential goods into the city, the operation of older diesel vehicles on the road and all construction activities.



The national capital city was blanketed by a thick layer of smog—a toxic mix of fog and smoke—that dropped&nbsp;<a href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/delhi-news/dense-smog-leaves-delhi-choking-as-aqi-in-severe-plus-category-visibility-down-to-100m-101731903642563.html" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">visibility levels</a>&nbsp;to around 100 meters.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">What Is Causing Delhi’s Pollution?</h2>



Severe pollution levels have become a recurring problem for India’s capital and other major North Indian cities during the winter—when the dense fog-laden air mixes with toxic smoke and other pollutants. As with every year, the issue has&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ndtv.com/video/bjp-distributes-masks-in-delhi-as-air-pollution-crisis-deepens-862172" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">triggered</a>&nbsp;a political&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/atishi-targets-centre-on-stubble-burning-amid-delhis-air-emergency-7045044" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">blame game</a>&nbsp;between the national government led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Delhi government led by the rival Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).&nbsp;<a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/farm-fires-continue-to-pollute-delhis-air-despite-decrease-in-incidents/articleshow/115062410.cms" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">According to</a>&nbsp;the national air quality monitoring agency SAFAR, nearly 40% of Delhi’s pollution can be attributed to the illegal burning of crop residues in neighboring states like Punjab and Haryana after harvest season. Efforts to crack down on farm fires have failed, as stubble burning is usually quicker and cheaper than manual or machine removal—which the government is trying to financially incentivize.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">News Peg</h2>



The levels of PM 2.5 pollutants—airborne particles less than 2.5 microns in diameter, which can enter the lungs and cause several diseases—across the city peaked above 950 micrograms per cubic meter on Monday, according to IQAir’s tracker. According to the World Health Organization, the recommended annual average exposure to PM2.5 matter should not exceed 5 micrograms per cubic meter.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Big Number</h2>



214. That is the total number of both arriving and departing flights, which have faced delays at New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport on Monday,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.flightaware.com/live/cancelled" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">according to</a>&nbsp;FlightAware. In a&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/DelhiAirport/status/1858389088614613391" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">statement on X</a>&nbsp;at noon, the Delhi Airport said its “low visibility procedures are still in progress and flight operations may get affected.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Tangent</h2>



NASA’s Fire Information for Resource Management System, which tracks fires using satellite imagery, showed&nbsp;<a href="https://firms.modaps.eosdis.nasa.gov/map/#d:24hrs;l:fires_all,earth;@74.6,32.1,5.7z" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">several active blazes</a>&nbsp;across the state of Punjab in the past 24 hours. Last month, a&nbsp;<a href="https://science.gsfc.nasa.gov/spso/bio/hiren.t.jethva" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Senior Research Scientist</a>&nbsp;at NASA, Hiren T Jethva,&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/hjethva05/status/1849578536128086531" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">speculated</a>&nbsp;on X that farmers in North India may be deliberately burning crop stubbles later in the afternoon to avoid having their flames tracked by the satellite overpass. It is unclear if this is true, but this hasn’t stopped authorities from reporting a large number of farm fires in the area. In the state of Punjab alone, 4,262 cases of farm fires were reported in the last two weeks,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/punjab/of-total-8404-farm-fire-cases-in-punjab-50-reported-in-past-2-weeks/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">according to</a>&nbsp;the Tribune.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Further Reading</h2>



<a href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/delhi-news/dense-smog-leaves-delhi-choking-as-aqi-in-severe-plus-category-visibility-down-to-100m-101731903642563.html" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Dense smog leaves Delhi choking as AQI in ‘severe plus’ category, visibility down to 100m</a>&nbsp;(Hindustan Times)

The Cart in the Fog

India’s Capital Chokes Under ‘Severe Plus’ Pollution—Emergency Measures Enacted Including School Shutdowns

From the rainforest to the ocean, artificial intelligence is decoding nature’s most complex data patterns and is proving to be a game-changer in conservation.



For as long as there has been wildlife conservation, there has been a need for data. In order to understand ecosystem health, animal behavior and population trends, you have to be able to measure what’s going on in nature. And while there are many ways to do this, from drones to tracking devices, thermal cameras and even rangers on-foot, satellite imagery and camera traps have made study- ing wildlife movement a little bit easier. Not only can conservationists collect ample data, there’s minimal disturbance to animals. When it comes to analyzing the imagery, all that’s really needed is someone who can recognize an animal and there are many training programs to do just that.



But to really understand ecological trends, there are many creatures that are simply too small to be captured through pictures. “With very big animals like elephants, you can see them using satellite data which is great but a significant portion of the ecosystem is hidden,” says Dr Juan Lavista Ferres, who has worked in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) for over 20 years, and is the Chief Data Scientist of Microsoft’s AI for Good Lab. Luckily, those animals that are undetectable in satel- lite imagery make up for their size with sound, which is where acoustic data comes in – and in the case of ani- mal sounds, bioacoustic data. “From a noise perspec- tive, they are there,” laughs Ferres. “There is no corre- lation between the size of an animal and the sound it makes. Very small animals can make a lot of noise and can do very specific frequencies.”



<h1 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-nature-s-silent-signals">Nature’s silent signals</h1>



There’s huge potential in environmental recordings (bio- acoustics are important bioindicators —they are nature’s health signalers) and the good news is that a lot of the data is already available. At the AI for Good Lab, Ferres and his team have continuous surveillance recordings from the Amazon that go back to 1992. The problem is that there are only a handful of scientific experts who can understand what is going on when the data is visualized, and then interpret the frequencies to identify specific animals. “It’s extremely niche. In the case of bioacoustic data, you need a huge level of expertise and there are very few people in the world that can recognize these sounds and frequencies,” adds Ferres.



Another challenge is that going through all of this audio takes time. Ferres says that many of the record- ings he has run non-stop, day and night, for 365 days. “A person would need to be listening to these sounds for a whole year to get through just one year’s worth of data. Now imagine that you have multiple recordings in one forest?” There’s simply too much data for hu- mans to process manually, which is why AI is such a game-changer in conservation – it’s making research a much more efficient process. AI can learn from these experts to automate identifying and classifying animal sounds across large datasets. “We can go through all of the recordings and understand how the health of the ecosystem is changing,” says Ferrers. “Now that we have more compute and better models, we can work with these different types of data, whether it’s images, videos or acoustic data.”



<h1 class="wp-block-heading">Under the sea</h1>



One of the AI for Good Lab’s first projects using acoustic data was with endangered beluga whales in Alaska us- ing underwater sensors. “You can capture the sound of these whales, their vocalizations,” says Ferres. Because sounds travel much further than visual cues, with acous- tic data, researchers can detect (and even potentially identify) different types of whales over vast distances in the ocean, far beyond what would be possible with visual observation methods. “There are particular frequencies in the water that will be very difficult to detect without AI,” adds Ferres. “You can’t solve a problem if you can’t measure it. By doing this, we can actually start measuring the problem.”



Working with different industries and partners throughout the world, Ferres’ hope is that now that the information is in these AI models, more people will be able to use them to track animals over time. All the work that comes out of the AI for Good Lab is also open source which means all of the projects are freely available to re- searchers and organizations worldwide. “It’s a complete philanthropic effort. We give up the idea. We publish everything. All the work we do is for the societal good,” he says. “AI is not just the solution, but sometimes it’s the only solution we have.”

Botswana. Woman photographing giraffe in Chobe National Park with tablet.

Work On The Wild Side: How AI Is Helping Conservation In Africa And The Huge Potential Of Environment Recordings

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



The billionaire founder of Telegram is offering to pay for the in vitro fertilization process of medically eligible women who are interested in having a baby using his sperm at a fertility clinic in Moscow, the latest billionaire to speak openly about his desire to widely reproduce.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">Key Facts</h2>



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/profile/pavel-durov/?list=rtb/">Pavel Durov</a>, worth an estimated $15.5 billion as of Tuesday, is offering to cover the cost of IVF treatment for interested, healthy women under the age of 38 who will use his sperm to have a baby using the Altra Vita IVF clinic, which claims it has the exclusive right to store and use his biomaterial.



The clinic&nbsp;<a href="https://altravita-ivf.com/free-ivf-with-pavel-durov-donated-sperm.html" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">describes</a>&nbsp;the offer as &#8220;a very generous contribution to society&#8221; from &#8220;one of the most famous and successful entrepreneurs of our time.&#8221;



In July,&nbsp;<a href="https://t.me/durov/339" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Durov said</a>&nbsp;he&#8217;s had more than 100 biological children in 12 countries via sperm bank donations he&#8217;s made over the last 15 years, and announced his plan to &#8220;open-source my DNA so that my biological children can find each other more easily.&#8221;



He said he was once told by someone at an IVF clinic it was his &#8220;civic duty&#8221; to donate sperm to help couples trying to conceive, and said he now wants to &#8220;destigmatize&#8221; the notion of sperm donation and encourage more healthy men to do so.



He also has five children with two ex-girlfriends.



Durov was&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/mollybohannon/2024/08/26/officials-confirm-arrest-of-billionaire-telegram-ceo-pavel-durov-in-france-heres-what-we-know/">arrested in France</a>&nbsp;in August and has been forbidden to leave the country as authorities investigate charges of enabling criminal activity on his messaging app, including claims he allowed drug trafficking, fraud and the sharing of child pornography.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">Key Background</h2>



Durov, 40, and his older brother developed Telegram, a secure messaging app with more than&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/mollybohannon/2024/08/26/officials-confirm-arrest-of-billionaire-telegram-ceo-pavel-durov-in-france-heres-what-we-know/">950 million</a>&nbsp;users, in 2013. He left his home country of Russia—where Telegram was banned from 2018 to 2021—after refusing to provide encrypted data on users of the first social networking site he founded, called VKontakte. He became a French citizen in 2021 but lived in Dubai, where he was once the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbesmiddleeast.com/billionaires/world-billionaires/meet-pavel-durov-the-richest-and-youngest-billionaire-living-in-the-middle-east" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">youngest and richest</a>&nbsp;billionaire in the Middle East, until his August arrest.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/mollybohannon/2024/08/26/officials-confirm-arrest-of-billionaire-telegram-ceo-pavel-durov-in-france-heres-what-we-know/">His arrest</a>&nbsp;is part of an investigation into Telegram’s content moderation practices and comes amid claims the app has not properly cooperated with law enforcement when the app is used for criminal activity, particularly child sex crimes. A month after his arrest,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2024/sep/23/telegram-illegal-content-pavel-durov-arrest" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Durov said</a>&nbsp;Telegram had removed “problematic content” and would take a more proactive approach going forward in complying with government requests.



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



Durov isn’t the only high-profile sperm donor who’s been open about his desire to widely reproduce. Last year, courts had to order Dutch crypto investor and YouTuber&nbsp;<a href="https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2023/04/29/dutch-court-orders-superdonor-to-stop-donating-sperm_6024754_4.html" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Jonathan Meijer</a>&nbsp;to stop donating sperm after he was suspected of fathering more than 550 children. Kyle Gordy, who was featured in the documentary &#8220;The Man with 1000 Kids,&#8221; told Netflix he thinks he has about 70 children via sperm donation. Elon Musk, the richest man in the world, has 10 children with three different women, at least&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/alexzhavoronkov/2022/07/27/elon-musk-and-other-billionaires-make-their-babies-via-ivf-and-surrogatesis-it-a-future-of-reproduction/">five of which</a>&nbsp;were conceived using IVF. He has said that he believes in vitro fertilization is a more efficient way to have children, and has called a collapsing birth rate the &#8220;biggest danger civilization faces by far.” Billionaire and president-elect Donald Trump earlier this year said he would support public funding for in vitro fertilization or mandate it be covered by insurance, which could broaden the use of procedures that can currently cost tens of thousands of dollars.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-forbes-valuation">Forbes Valuation</h2>



Durov was ranked as the 141st richest person in the world Tuesday with a net worth of $15.5 billion.

Telegram Chief Executive Officer Pavel Durov

Billionaire Pavel Durov Offering Free IVF To Women Willing To Have His Baby

When it comes to controversial advertising campaigns, they usually don’t have to do with income taxes. But a short-lived campaign from enterprise software company Intuit, which makes TurboTax,&nbsp;crossed that line and raised the ire of accountants.



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/kellyphillipserb/2024/10/16/intuit-backpedals-after-insulting-accountants-with-latest-ad-campaign/">Forbes’&nbsp;Kelly Phillips Erb writes</a>&nbsp;about the saga, in which a consumer-targeted message intended to be a bit cheeky and punny&nbsp;ended up insulting a group of professionals who actually rely on Intuit’s products. The centerpiece of the campaign is an advertisement in which a young woman announces to a bland-looking accountant that she’s leaving him for a younger and more fashionable man on her phone “who charges me less but gives me more” as part of a “tax break-up.” The younger man represents Intuit’s “TurboTax Full Service plan,” featuring human tax preparers who work with customers online or in person to complete their taxes.



Tax preparers, who have competed with TurboTax for many years,&nbsp;felt the campaign went too far. The unflattering portrayal of the accountant, plus the barrage of messaging telling consumers to “break up” with them, made many individuals and organizations upset. American Institute of Certified Public Accountants President and CEO Barry Melancon issued a statement saying, “The crucial role of CPAs, who serve as expert and trusted advisors to business owners and individuals, was not reflected in an unfortunate recent ad campaign launched by Intuit.” And the National Association of Tax Professionals said it will no longer accept Intuit’s sponsorships or exhibits at its conference because of the campaign’s “direct conflict with our members’ interests.” Predictably, Intuit decided to phase out the campaign.



While TurboTax is a well-known Intuit product, it’s only one. The company also owns QuickBooks and Mailchimp—financial management and email marketing platforms used by many businesses, including accountants—as well as consumer budgeting tool Credit Karma. In its last fiscal year, the bulk of Intuit’s growth came from those using its enterprise financial planning and email software. TurboTax online made up less than a quarter of the company’s total fiscal year revenues.



Intuit may be seeking more consumer tax business, but it may have damaged its larger customer base by trying to be funny. An average consumer may have giggled at the ad, but it seems unlikely that it would end up getting the desired results,&nbsp;especially since most consumers aren’t thinking about income tax prep in October. Instead, with this campaign, Intuit might have inspired more financial professionals to break up with&nbsp;them.



Finding the right emotional balance is an important tool to make a campaign successful. Reticle AI is using artificial intelligence to determine the emotions that are present in campaigns, helping marketers strike the proper tone to get their messages across. I talked to Vice President of Business Development Tricia Allen about how this works. An excerpt from our conversation is later in this newsletter.



MARKETING MATTERS


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<figure class="aligncenter size-full is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="683" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/GettyImages-2169510342.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-63122" style="width:608px;height:auto" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/GettyImages-2169510342.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/GettyImages-2169510342-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/GettyImages-2169510342-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"> (Photo by Dilara Irem Sancar/Anadolu via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>


Google is making a change to its Local Services Ads business next month that&nbsp;may impact roughly half of businesses advertising on the search engine,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/brandonkochkodin/2024/10/22/googles-upcoming-ad-change-could-spell-disaster-for-millions-of-unprepared-small-businesses/">reports&nbsp;Forbes’&nbsp;Brandon Kochkodin</a>. Starting November 21, the local ads that pop up at the top of search results for users will be blocked if they aren’t linked to a Google Business Profile. This free profile indicates how businesses appear in search and is fully customizable by the business. But businesses need to be verified as legitimate through video or phone authentication, or by receiving a postcard. The authentication is an extra step, but it’s important that local businesses do it sooner rather than later. Studies have shown that 96% of people learn about local businesses online, and four out of five of those searches convert into business. In fact, nearly half of all Google searches are for local businesses.



SOCIAL MEDIA


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<figure class="aligncenter size-full is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="662" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/GettyImages-1513152452.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-61892" style="width:632px;height:auto" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/GettyImages-1513152452.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/GettyImages-1513152452-300x194.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/GettyImages-1513152452-768x497.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"> (Photo by Hakan Nural/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>


Two social networks are making changes that may impact user safety. For as long as X was known as Twitter, users have been able to block other accounts—a step often taken when a user is bothered or harassed by someone. Previously, the blocked account couldn’t see or engage with posts from the user who blocked them. Now, users&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/antoniopequenoiv/2024/10/17/x-will-soon-let-users-see-tweets-from-people-who-block-them-the-controversial-change-explained/">can see all posts</a>&nbsp;from accounts that have blocked them, though they still can’t engage with them.&nbsp;X says this change allows “greater transparency,” so users can see if those who have blocked them are trying to “share and hide harmful or private information.” But critics have taken the other side of the argument: Stalkers and harassers can keep following accounts of those who have blocked them. X owner Elon Musk, who has made scores of controversial changes to the platform since he bought it in 2022, previously posted the blocking function made no sense. After this change was made, competing social media platform Bluesky gained 1.2 million users in two days,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/bluesky-gains-momentum-wake-xs-blocking-changes/730371/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Social Media Today reported.</a>



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/lindseychoo/2024/10/17/instagram-sextortion-child-safety/">Changes to Instagram</a>&nbsp;intended to prevent “sextortion” scams and protect teens are much less controversial. Now, users are unable to take screenshots or recordings of disappearing images, which are only intended to be viewed once. The Meta-owned platform is also testing safety notices to let teenagers know when they are exchanging messages with someone out of the country. Images flagged to contain nudity will be automatically blurred for users younger than 18. And accounts with “scammy” behaviors will not be able to see users’ following and followers lists, a common way some bad actors get information about a target’s friends and family.



BRANDS + MESSAGING


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Netflix&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/lindseychoo/2024/10/17/netflix-earnings-streaming-beats-expectations-subscriber-growth/">reported earnings</a>&nbsp;last week, beating Wall Street’s expectations. The streaming giant made $9.8 billion in revenue in its most recent quarter, and gained 5.1 million subscribers. Now, nearly 283 million households have Netflix subscriptions, but the rate of new subscriber gain is slowing down.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/dbloom/2024/10/17/netflix-added-51-million-subscribers-can-we-talk-about-what-matters/">Forbes&nbsp;senior contributor David Bloom writes</a>&nbsp;that&nbsp;for Netflix, this really shouldn’t be seen as a negative. After all, there is a finite amount of Netflix subscriptions that can be bought. What is more important, Bloom writes, is viewer engagement. Netflix reported that the average paid membership has two hours of engagement per day. It has an 8.2% viewership share in the U.S., according to Nielsen data. Netflix first became profitable in 2003, and to date only one other streaming service—Disney+—has posted a profit. With more emphasis on engagement, Netflix also seems to be the first of the streamers to start caring more about actual viewers and interaction.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-on-message">ON MESSAGE</h4>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-reticle-ai-uses-technology-to-determine-emotions-in-ads">How Reticle AI Uses Technology To Determine Emotions In Ads</h3>



Emotion is important to marketing. Nostalgia, joy, adventure, curiosity and stress can all inform how consumers make purchases, choose what to eat or drink, or select service providers or leisure activities. Reticle AI uses artificial intelligence to determine the emotions that are present in marketing campaigns, as well as the emotions that consumers are experiencing when they see them, and makes recommendations for an optimal outcome. I talked to Vice President of Business Development Tricia Allen about how their method works and how it can get results. This conversation has been edited for length, clarity and continuity.



How can you use AI to determine things like sentiment and nostalgia?



Allen:&nbsp;We’ve trained our AI technology to understand emotional sentiment within digital content. We’re almost curating content into various emotions. If a brand wants to be associated with nostalgia, [or being] uplifting, joyful, nurturing, they can align their message within content that has that emotional sentiment. We can control how the content potentially makes someone feel. If you’re consuming content that makes you feel nostalgic, nurturing, uplifting, chances are you’re in that frame of mind. If you get served an ad that is in that nostalgic, nurturing tone, you’re more predisposed to take action. That action is that connectivity and attention that the brand is getting because it’s being served at the right time.



[AI has] that ability to take the universe of digital content, really cull it down, and categorize it into these emotional categories because of its understanding of human emotion.



There’s a lot of talk about AI systems not always giving accurate responses. With something difficult to quantify like emotion, how do you make sure that what comes out of your system is accurate to how people actually would feel?



While AI is extremely relevant and helpful from a marketing standpoint, you can’t get rid of that human oversight. I really believe strongly in that for many reasons. There’s bias that’s involved because the technology is only as good as the person who is training the platform, and if they have inherent bias, then the tech has bias. You need more than one person to be vetting that. In addition, what nurturing means to me might mean something completely different to you.



We actually have human labelers. We have them go in and vet our data on an ongoing basis, just to have those human eyes on it. We’ll go through, and if the technology has said this content is deemed to be nurturing, we want to see what a human actually thinks. We have that human component to make sure, because AI is not perfect. Even when it does get better, I still strongly believe you’re going to need human oversight, especially when you’re talking about emotion.



In your research, what are some of the emotions that people are reacting to the most, and what are some more prevalent themes?



A lot of the themes that people are looking for from a marketing standpoint are around joy and that feeling of happiness, and conversely, that feeling of stress and pressure. [It’s] not necessarily a positive emotion. Maybe it’s a negative emotion, because maybe I’m a vacation company and I want to provide you with a solution to help you overcome that stress.



If you are able to tap into emotion—both in marketing and also what is being looked for—what would be the perfect marketing campaign?



To me, the perfect marketing campaign is [one in which] you first do the insights work to understand the emotional footprint of that brand. How do people think and feel about your brand right now? How do you want them to feel about your brand? Then ensure that creative or the ad itself is designed to hit those key emotions. We’re kind-of that end piece. You’ve established how people think and feel. You’ve established: Do I want them to feel this way? If no, where are there distinctions that we can draw on to differentiate from the competition and then make sure that creative is dialed in?



The biggest area where I see brands fall down is they try and tap into emotion, but there’s a disconnect between the creative strategy and the insights work that was done. The insights work is never being brought to life, and then the creative is a bit of a disconnect. When all of those pieces line up, and you take that emotionally designed creative [and] put it in the same environment from a digital placement perspective, that’s the trifecta of emotional marketing.



FACTS + COMMENTS



When the World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees begins on Friday,&nbsp;it will be Sho time—for Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani, that is. With the Japanese phenom in the playoffs, Major League Baseball has actually seen&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/mattcraig/2024/10/17/ohtani-mania-has-mlb-playoff-viewership-soaring-in-japan/">more October viewership</a>&nbsp;in his home country than in the U.S.



12.9 million:&nbsp;Japanese viewers of NLDS Game 5 on October 11, when the Dodgers beat the San Diego Padres to advance to the National League Championship Series. The U.S. had 7.24 million viewers, a record for a division series



$700 million:&nbsp;Value of Ohtani’s record-setting 10-year contract



‘I hope to continue to perform well as well for the fans in Japan’:&nbsp;Ohtani&nbsp;<a href="https://dodgersnation.com/shohei-ohtani-acknowledges-fans-in-japan-watching-dodgers-postseason/2024/10/21/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">told Dodgers Nation</a>, after saying that the team has also been “playing really well”



STRATEGIES + ADVICE



Yes, there is such a thing as too much positivity. Here are some ways to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jackkelly/2024/10/11/managers-are-glossing-over-workplace-issues-and-pushing-toxic-positivity/">avoid glossing over</a>&nbsp;your employees’ challenges and support your team through hard times.



Time management is difficult for executives. Here are <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jackkelly/2024/10/17/top-time-management-apps/">five apps</a> that can help you get more control over your work day.

Chat Bot Service Concept – Enhancing Customer Experience with Virtual Assistant

Can AI Capture The Emotional Side Of Marketing?

The only daughter of Walmart founder Sam Walton overtook French heiress Francoise Bettencourt Meyers on Wednesday morning.



With Walmart stock&nbsp;at an all-time high, Alice Walton–the only daughter of the retail giant’s founder Sam Walton (d. 1992)–just became the world’s wealthiest woman for the first time since May 2022. With an estimated $89.1 billion fortune, Walton, 74, overtook L’Oreal heiress Francoise Bettencourt Meyers of France, who briefly became the first female centibillionaire in June and is now worth an estimated $88.4 billion.



Walton now ranks as the 18th richest person in the world, according to&nbsp;Forbes’&nbsp;real-time tracker, one spot behind her brother Rob Walton. Walmart stock is up 47% year to date, while L’Oreal is down 13% during the same period.



Despite selling more than $22 billion of Walmart stock over the past decade—and giving away more than $11 billion of the retailer’s shares—Sam Walton’s heirs still own nearly 46% of the firm their father founded, due to significant stock buybacks that have prevented the family’s stake from being diluted.&nbsp;Forbes&nbsp;estimates that three-quarters of the clan’s stock is split evenly between Alice Walton and her siblings Jim and Rob Walton, who are worth $95.9 billion and $94.2 billion as of 9:15 am Eastern time Wednesday, respectively. Most of the rest belongs to the heirs of their brother John Walton (d. 2005): his widow Christy Walton and son Lukas Walton, who are worth $16.4 billion and $33.9 billion, respectively.



Rob Walton retired from Walmart’s board in June after more than four decades as a director, including more than 20 years as chairman–a role that has been held by his son-in-law Greg Penner since 2015. Jim Walton was replaced by his son Steuart Walton on the retailer’s board in 2016 and now chairs the family’s Arvest Bank.



Alice Walton, meanwhile, worked briefly at Walmart as a buyer of children’s clothes, after graduating from Trinity University in Texas in 1971, before shifting her focus to curating art. She chaired the family’s Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in their hometown of Bentonville, Arkansas for a decade, before handing the reins to her nephew Tom Walton’s wife, Olivia Walton, in 2021. Alice Walton is credited with founding the museum, though almost all of the $1.6 billion it cost to open the facility in 2011 came from trusts in the names of her brother John Walton (d. 2005) and mother Helen Walton (d. 2007).



Alice Walton has ramped up her personal philanthropy over the last decade, pouring more than $5.7 billion into five family charitable foundations that have doled out more than $1.1 billion of her funds to date, including more than $377 million her Art Bridges Foundation has spent acquiring and loaning out works of American art to more than 230 museums across the country since its founding in 2016. Her new Alice L. Walton School of Medicine–a stand-alone entity–plans to welcome its inaugural class to Bentonville in 2025.



“Over the past several years, I’ve founded new organizations focused on the arts as well as health and well-being,” Walton said in a press release announcing her retirement as chair of Crystal Bridges in 2021. “I’d like to focus more fully on my board chair roles at these entities.”

Walmart Holds Annual Multi-Day Shareholders Meeting In Arkansas

Alice Walton Just Became The World’s Wealthiest Woman

Refiloe Jane’s rise from unknown schoolgirl spotted at a talent competition to leading her country at a FIFA Women’s World Cup should serve as an inspiration to those who believe in the impossible dream.



Jane has become one of the most iconic players in the Banyana Banyana side over the last decade, helping them become African champions and appearing at two Olympic Games and two Women’s World Cups.



No other player can match that success, but it is testament to her longevity and continued excellence that she remains a key part of the national set-up, and at the age of 32, feels she still has much more to give.



The midfielder was singled out at the Gauteng Future Champions Talent Identification Programme while a Grade 11 pupil at Emshukantambo Secondary School in Pimville, Soweto, and set on the road to stardom.



“Winning the Gauteng Future Champions really kick-started my career and gave me so much confidence to believe that I can play for a top local side and even internationally,” Jane tells FORBES AFRICA.



“The time I spent training with Manchester City and Everton (as a result of winning the Gauteng Future Champions) also opened my eyes up to what is required to be a professional player and I made sure that I put into practice what I learned there.



“When my development started, I was playing a long time with boys until the age of 14. When I was there training with those teams (in England), I saw there is more to football than what I was experiencing at home.



&#8220;It changed my life when I got there. I came back and said I would take my football seriously and invest a lot in it.”



Jane soon got a contract at home with an emerging Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies side, who were not yet the force they are today, but an ambitious club desperate to change the narrative around women’s football.



They found a willing player in Jane desperate for success, and she found a club to give her that platform.



“After joining Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies in late 2010, I put my head down and said to myself that I am going to give everything I have to try and make it into the Banyana Banyana squad. Thankfully, that hard work has paid off.”



She was included in Banyana’s squad for the 2012 Olympic Games at the age of 19, and repeated that feat in 2016 when she traveled to Brazil with the team for the Rio de Janeiro games.



Other players have been and gone, but through it all, Jane has been a constant and someone the team relies on to bring balance to the midfield.



“The team (Banyana Banyana) has improved very well, we have quite a number of players who have gone overseas and are still overseas, I think the (2019) World Cup played a huge role in the growth of women’s football in our country.”



Jane got her big break in professional football when she was signed to a short-term contract with Australian side Canberra United, heading Down Under with compatriot Rhoda Mulaudzi.



But after impressing at the World Cup in France in 2019, bigger things were on the horizon and she was signed by top Italian club AC Milan.



She spent three seasons there before moving to fellow Serie A team Sassuolo, where she featured in 29 games over two seasons, her second campaign cut short by a serious long-term injury sustained at the 2023 World Cup.



She has since left Sassuolo and is looking forward to a fresh challenge, and suggests later on she will perhaps take up the coaching reins.



&#8220;I do have ambitions of giving back to the game in the future, all that experience I have gained overseas, I want to come back home one day and plough back. The game has done so much for me and given me so much,” Jane said.



&#8220;I want to teach, to coach, to give back in any way to the youngsters who see themselves playing the game. I am looking forward to doing that after my playing days.”

Football – 2019 COSAFA Women Championship – Final – Zambia v South Africa – Isaac Wolfson Stadium

‘Want To Come Back Home One Day And Plough Back’: The 32-Year-Old South African Football Star With A New Goal

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



Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of X, reacted to an apparent assassination attempt against former President Donald Sunday by saying no one was trying to kill either President Joe Biden or Vice President Kamala Harris, in a strongly-condemned post.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">Key Facts</h2>



Musk reshared a post Sunday night asking why people want to kill Donald Trump and&nbsp;<a href="https://archive.ph/OhrPX" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">wrote</a>: “And no one is even trying to assassinate Biden/Kamala,” followed by the thinking face emoji.



The post immediately faced blowback from X users, but the billionaire—who has endorsed Trump—appeared to double down,&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1835537404318392628" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">responding</a>&nbsp;with a “hundred points” emoji to a reply saying: “Trump threatens the machine. Biden/Kamala are the machine.”



Responding to another user who asked him to reconsider the post, saying “We need to unite,” Musk&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1835537833869623681" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">wrote</a>: “No one has even tried to do so is the point I’m making and no one will.”



A few hours later, Musk&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1835572816730636430" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">responded</a>&nbsp;to a follower asking him to reword his post because people were “misinterpreting your obvious intent” by saying: “Fair enough…I don’t want to do what they have done, even in jest.”



After taking down the post, Musk appeared to suggest it was a joke,&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1835573866271330307" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">saying</a>: “One lesson I’ve learned is that just because I say something to a group and they laugh doesn’t mean it’s going to be all that hilarious as a post on X.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-chief-critics">Chief Critics</h2>



Musk’s posts drew immediate condemnation from users on X. Conservative columnist Jonah Goldberg&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/JonahDispatch/status/1835488915978957183" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">criticized</a>&nbsp;the post, calling it “appalling and indefensible.” Comedian Maz Jobrani tagged the Secret Secret service in his post,&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/MazJobrani/status/1835485451727364582" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">saying</a>: “You may want to pay this guy a visit. He ain’t right in the head!” Brett Meiselas, founder of the left-leaning online outlet Meidas Touch,&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/BMeiselas/status/1835483332844671305" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">wrote</a>: “Ok this requires an IMMEDIATE visit by the secret service and federal charges. Lock this guy up. This is so dangerous.”



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



Earlier on Sunday, the New Hampshire Libertarian Party was condemned after&nbsp;<a href="https://archive.is/Ca9Xg#selection-499.0-508.0" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">tweeting</a>: “Anyone who murders Kamala Harris would be an American hero.” The Libertarian Party’s presidential nominee, Chase Oliver, called the post “abhorrent” and&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/ChaseForLiberty/status/1835477641517748462" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">wrote on X</a>: “I 100% condemn the statement from LPNH regarding Kamala Harris…As Libertarians, we condemn the use of force, whether committed by governments, individuals, or other political entities.” The party account, however, dismissed criticism and&nbsp;<a href="https://archive.ph/VGJLH" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">wrote</a>: “Encouraging politicians to be shot is legal under the first amendment. It&#8217;s part of what makes this country great.” The account, however, eventually&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/LPNH/status/1835310685095628880" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">took down</a>&nbsp;the post and said they had done so because they did not want to “break the terms of this website we agreed to,” but added: “It&#8217;s a shame that even on a &#8220;free speech&#8221; website that libertarians cannot speak freely.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-further-reading">Further Reading</h2>



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/mollybohannon/2024/09/15/trump-safe-after-attempted-assassination-suspect-identified/">Trump Safe After ‘Attempted Assassination’—Suspect Identified</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2024/09/16/trump-assassination-attempt-everything-we-know-about-the-arrested-suspect/">Trump Assassination Attempt: Everything We Know About The Arrested Suspect</a> (Forbes)<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/"></a>

Tech Illustration Images

Musk Posts Then Deletes ‘No One Is Even Trying To Assassinate Biden/Kamala’

Do You Prefer AIOr The Personal Touch? Some Insights On How Africa’s Hotel Sector Is Set To Welcome A New Era Of Hospitality.



Artificial intelligence (AI) is changing the economic landscape and expected to boost global GDP by trillions of dollars in the coming years. It is one of the most significant commercial opportunities in the world. But how will it play out in the hospitality and tourism industry?



According to HotelTechReport’s State of Hotel Guest Technology Report 2024, 70% of the 400 hotel guests they surveyed said they still prefer the human touch when managing complex queries and 65% would like the technology in their hotel to be more advanced than what they have at home.



It’s a knife edge – on one hand, people are the heart of hospitality, on the other, ignoring the value of AI can potentially impact a hotel’s future. If a hotel can’t offer personalization, experience enhancement, chatbot support and AI-curated services, will it be left behind? Or will this make it an oasis where the lack of technology is the value-added service, whilst AI runs in the background, smoothing over the bumps and easing guests into their experiences?



Some hotels have already stepped into technology with immersive experiences and digital room replicas. “We launched our first use of AI for our meeting experiences called Meetings Unbound,” says Stephanie AbouJaoude, Senior Area Director of Marketing &amp; Communications – Middle East, Africa, Turkey &amp; Mediterranean at the Radisson Hotel Group. “We’ve leveraged AI technology to offer these creative and visual meeting experiences for our delegates.”



This is very much in line with what is being described as the ‘era of hospitality’ where personalization, engagement, human connections, and the co-creation of experiences are becoming the standards against which hospitality is measured.



There is a need for data, insights, and emergent technologies to provide the sector with the tools they need to ensure they meet the expectations of an increasingly discerning traveler.



“You have to ensure the guests you’re attracting are delivered what they’re expecting. Personalized experiences are absolutely essential, everyone wants that Instagram image, that experience,” says Neil Hughes, Managing Director, Providence Hotels, who also points out that while he does use a digital ecosystem to connect with customers, the use of AI remains at the base level. “I think people need human interaction. AI is cold – no matter how you load it with chatbots and virtual assistance, you will never achieve the personal level you can with a human on the phone. AI is valuable and absolutely can support personalization, but we’re not at a level where we will turn an AI engine on and it can handle everything from campaigns to customer service.”



A warm greeting and shining eyes.



Certainly, this is what most people would prefer rather than being caught up in a tangle of technology which is invariably frustrating and complex. Is AI ready to use the technology?



“The truth is AI is in use by the hospitality sector in Africa, and it is being used in really interesting ways,” says Chris Godenir, General Manager of Dream Hotels’ Peninsula All-Suite Hotel in Cape Town, South Africa. “We’re using it extensively in our back-end to manage check-ins, applications, arrival emails, questionnaires, WhatsApp conversations – we always provide people with the option to turn to a human, but we use the AI to the best of our ability in our business.” While AI is not comprehensively in use by hotels across the continent, it’s not an unknown entity. As Jerry Mabena, CEO: Motsamayi Tourism Group, says: “There are two types of guests in Africa – the more established, older market and the younger generation looking for unique opportunities. The latter is where I see AI playing a big role, engaging with this technology-savvy market and curating experiences for them. AI allows us to start moving into a space where we can draw in a wider number of people by creating iconic, African experiences.”



He adds that people are also now traveling for a purpose, seeking out experiences that allow them to touch the earth lightly and AI can help the industry prioritize and meet these expectations more effectively. However, there is a need to look ahead at how AI may negatively impact the sector. It’s not a plug and play solution and it brings with it a host of risks – some expected and some unexpected.



As Noor Kapdi, Chief Executive Officer and Chairperson Africa for law firm Dentons, concludes: “The AI industry isn’t regulated in Africa, it’s hardly regulated in other parts of the world, and this creates both opportunity and risk. There’s the ethics of it – if we know how people sleep, how they like their coffee in the morning, these are deeply personal insights and managing this privacy is challenging. The only way it will be measured is through the ethical standards of each country, and we have yet to see how AI will manifest in the hospitality industry or what the consequences will be.”



AI can ease the burden of back-end admin, smooth over the wrinkles in customer engagement, simplify customer onboarding and reimagine their experiences, but it is still so new, untested, and fresh that hotels stepping forward into its potential should approach it with a balance of caution and innovation. It is not a technology leaving Africa in its dust – the sector is very much aware of what AI can do. Perhaps, instead, it is Africa that would like it to remain in the dust, for just a few more spectacular sunsets.

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