May 2, 2022

The leading world futurists and scientists are interested in the development of Africa

JOHANNESBURG, May 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — The Transdisciplinary Agora For Future Discussions (TAFFD’s) will gather the leading futurists all over the world during the Gen4IR Global Summit in South Africa. The event will take place at the beautiful Sun City resort in Johannesburg in the middle of August.

The event which is now slated August 16-17 2022 because of the aims to converge scientist, and industrial experts from diverse disciplines.

“We are working with relevant authorities through our crucial government partners to ensure ease of travel to SA. The move of the summit to August will therefore offer the best chance for all participants to attend in person and maximize face-to-face interaction, networking opportunities, and planning productive endeavors for the future.” – commented Brenda Kgomotsego Ramokopelwa, CEO at TAFFD’s.

“The growing interest from the private and public sectors worldwide in our event will require full engagement by speakers and delegates. We will therefore use this time to offer regular context, podcasts, commentaries, Zoom events that will educate, enlighten, and inspire about the prosperous future of Africa that the August summit will help unleash. We apologize for any inconvenience this move might have caused and hope to see you this August in South Africa. We thank you for your interest in the Gen4IR summit and hope you will engage with us as we lead up to our exciting event! – Ósìnàkáchì Ákùmà Kálù, founder at TAFFD’s.

Africa, with its status as having the youngest population on Earth, is strategically positioned at the forefront of the global race to be the 4IR powerhouse thanks to boundlessly creativity of African youth experienced in using tools, ideas and skills in overcoming of the myriad real-life challenges, and vast resources of the world digital technologies and startups, who are interested in this raising market. Over a million years ago, the making of stone chopping tools and the stone hand axe at Olduvai Gorge of the East African Rift Valley represented the first step in the great human journey of shaping our world and for many millions of years. The stone hand axe from Africa remained the innovative technology, which was needed by and accompanied our ancestors as they spread out of Africa and across the world. Indeed, as our tools evolve so do our ideas, and then as our tools and ideas evolve, so also do we. Our current 21st century world and humankind through a new set of modern tools characterized as exponential technologies, stands again at the verge of another radical evolution – a Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), – and just as with the story of our origins, the future of this technological revolution lies again in the promise of Africa.

Currently, among the speakers of the Gen4IR conference are Ai Karaki, 4iAfrica; David Wood, futurists; Aubrey De Grey, PhD, Biomedical Gerontologist; Natasha Vita More, PhD; Jose Louis Codeiro, MIT Engineer, Immortalist; Edward Hudgins, Futurist, Human Achievement Alliance; Dr. Catherine Demetriades, Inventor of Cxai technologies and Actual Intelligence; Dr. Sarita Sharma, Author of Myriad Voices, Days V.; Ugo Chukwu, Futurist; and many more. We deliver you 4 Key mindsets and an understanding of the exponential technologies required for you. Let’s make Africa great again!

For more information, kindly visit gen4ir.org or email 2022summit@gen4ir.org.

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May 2, 2022

Russia’s Bolshoi Scraps Performances by Critical Directors

Russia’s Bolshoi Theatre has announced it is cancelling the performances directed by Kirill Serebrennikov and Timofey Kulyabin who have spoken out against Moscow’s military campaign in Ukraine.

Late Sunday, Russia’s top theatre announced that instead of the three performances of “Nureev,” a ballet directed by Serebrennikov, the audiences this week will see a production of Aram Khachaturian’s ballet, “Spartacus.”

The prestigious theatre also said that instead of “Don Pasquale,” a comic opera by Gaetano Donizetti directed by Timofey Kulyabin, audiences this week will see a production of Gioachino Rossini’s “The Barber of Seville.”

The Bolshoi did not give any reason for the cancellations and spokeswoman Katerina Novikova told AFP on Monday that she had no “official” comment.

The Bolshoi performed “Spartacus” in early April, saying that proceeds would be used to help the families of Russian troops who died in Ukraine.

Serebrennikov, 52, was allowed in March to leave Russia, where he had been found guilty in 2020 of embezzling funds at Moscow’s Gogol Centre theatre.

His supporters say the conviction was revenge for his criticism of authoritarianism and homophobia under President Vladimir Putin.

Speaking to AFP in Berlin last month, Serebrennikov said he felt “just horror, sadness, shame, pain” about Russia’s military campaign in pro-Western Ukraine.

“Nureev” is based on the life of Russian dance legend Rudolf Nureyev, and its use of onstage nudity and profane language outraged Russian conservatives.

Kulyabin, 37, who is also believed to be now based in Europe, has spoken out against Putin’s decision to send troops to Ukraine.

Several dancers have in recent weeks quit the Bolshoi including prima ballerina Olga Smirnova.

Source: Voice of America

May 2, 2022

EU Says Apple Pay May Violate EU Antitrust Laws

The European Union on Monday accused Apple of abusing its dominant Apple Pay market position to prevent other companies from competing in contactless payment technologies.

“Apple has built a closed ecosystem around its devices and its operating system, iOS. And Apple controls the gates to this ecosystem, setting the rules of the game for anyone who wants to reach consumers using Apple devices,” EU competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager said. “By excluding others from the game, Apple has unfairly shielded its Apple Pay wallets from competition.”

The 27-nation bloc’s executive arm, the European Commission, said Apple’s practice “has an exclusionary effect on competitors and leads to less innovation and less choice for consumers for mobile wallets on iPhones.”

The commission has not disclosed what, if any, fines could be levied against Apple should it be found in violation of antitrust laws.

In response, Apple said it would cooperate with the Commission.

The company said it “will continue to engage with the Commission to ensure European consumers have access to the payment option of their choice in a safe and secure environment.”

The Commission has been investigating several aspects of Apple’s business practices in Europe since 2020, including the possibility the company violates European antitrust laws over music streaming and the app store.

Source: Voice of America