insert_link APO International VistaJet Connects China-Africa Business Ties, Propelling Cross-Continental Commerce VistaJet (VistaJet.com) brought business leaders, heads of state and governments together at one of the world’s largest forums in the 9th Forum of China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in Beijing from September 4 to 6. The FOCAC summit, which meets once every 3 years alternating between China and Africa, aims to expand and deepen the China-Africa cooperation and relationship. According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) (http://apo-opa.co/3z2FR7f) China has become Africa’s largest trading […] todaySeptember 10, 2024 13
insert_link APO International Statement: Mauritius Extends Universal Child Benefits The organisations signed below, which jointly advocate for the right to social security, commend the Government of Mauritius for its decision to extend the universal child benefit, called the Contribution Sociale Généralisée (CSG) Child Allowance, for another year, from July 2024 to June 2025. The extension of this scheme, first introduced in 2023, highlights Mauritius’ efforts to strengthen its universal social security system. Mauritius has long invested in universal social […] todaySeptember 10, 2024 5
insert_link APO International Ambassador of Belarus S.Terentiev meets with the Minister of Housing, Utilities and Urban Communities of Egypt On September 9, 2024 the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Belarus to the Arab Republic of Egypt, Sergei Terentiev, met with the Minister of Housing, Utilities and Urban Communities of the Arab Republic of Egypt, Sherif El-Sherbiny. The parties discussed the progress in implementing the agreements, reached during the visit of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Belarus, Roman Golovchenko to Egypt in April, 2024 regarding […] todaySeptember 10, 2024 3
insert_link Health / Medical No-sleep challenge: the dangers of sleep deprivation Antonio Guillem/Shutterstock By Adam Taylor, Lancaster University Most of us will be all too familiar with that dopey, groggy feeling of being tired after a restless night. Some social media users have taken tiredness to the extreme, however, by taking part in what they call a “no-sleep challenge.” One 19-year-old Youtuber, Norme, live streamed his attempt to break a world record for consecutive days without sleep. At the […] todaySeptember 10, 2024 8
insert_link Science & Technology ‘We’re the ultimate creators, not AI’: Will.i.am on why we’re worrying too much about machine-made tunes By Alex Connock, University of Oxford Generative artificial intelligence is poison for human creativity, according to conventional media wisdom. “Plagiarism machines” is how Breaking Bad author Vince Gilligan has described the large language models (LLMs) used to train the likes of ChatGPT and Claude. Hundreds of copyright claims have been filed against AI companies – from Stable Diffusion (sued by Getty Images) to Midjourney (sued by a group […] todaySeptember 10, 2024 8
insert_link APO International Angola Oil & Gas (AOG) 2024 Panel to Explore Policy as a Catalyst for Human Capital Development Angola’s upstream oil and gas sector is expected to grow 1.5% between 2022 and 2027, driven by the country’s project pipeline and six-year licensing round. While large-scale oil and gas projects have historically been led by foreign players, a strong lineup of Angolan-based E&P firms are strengthening their presence across the market. Concurrently, proactive local content policies have paved the way for heightened participation by Angolan service providers, leading to […] todaySeptember 10, 2024 3
insert_link Business / Economics Apple’s iPhone 16 launch shows AI is shaking up the tech giant’s core market Xeniia X / Shutterstock By Lewis Endlar, Keele University As someone who helped set up one of the first iPhones back in late 2007 on live TV, I found the launch of the first iteration of Apple’s smartphone an exciting time. At the launch in June of that year, a grinning Steve Jobs proudly held up that early device to the obvious delight of Apple fans. Did the […] todaySeptember 10, 2024 20
insert_link Health / Medical What causes food cravings? And what can we do about them? Fascinadora/Shutterstock By Gabrielle Weidemann, Western Sydney University and Justin Mahlberg, Monash University Many of us try to eat more fruits and vegetables and less ultra-processed food. But why is sticking to your goals so hard? High-fat, sugar-rich and salty foods are simply so enjoyable to eat. And it’s not just you – we’ve evolved that way. These foods activate the brain’s reward system because in the past they […] todaySeptember 10, 2024 14
insert_link Health / Medical How patterns of conversation could help identify early signs of autism in children fizkes/Shutterstock By Vittorio Tantucci, Lancaster University Autistic children – and adults – often communicate differently to neurotypical people. Key characteristics of autistic speech can include less eye contact, focusing on the details rather than the overall gist of a conversation, and favouring literal meaning: autistic people may find it more challenging to guess if something is being implied rather than said directly. These differences may make some communication […] todaySeptember 10, 2024 10
