Business & Tech News
Meta Admits to Media Manipulation: Mark Zuckerberg has made a public statement confirming that the social media giant had censored and manipulated content on Facebook and Instagram on several occasions, due to political pressure from the US government. He stated that he regrets bowing to what he calls pressure from the Biden administration to “censor” content on Facebook and Instagram during the coronavirus pandemic. Mr Zuckerberg also confirmed that Meta had “demoted” content relating to Joe Biden’s son, Hunter, ahead of the 2020 US election, after receiving warnings from the FBI of “a potential Russian disinformation” operation. However, It later became clear that this content was not part of such an operation, Mr Zuckerberg said, and that it should not have been temporarily taken down.
Space X Polaris Dawn Launch Delayed: Polaris Dawn, which will conduct the first-ever private spacewalk, had been scheduled to launch early Tuesday morning (Aug. 27) from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. A helium leak has however forced a delay of at least 24 hours. Technical teams were taking a closer look at a ground-side helium leak on the Quick Disconnect umbilical section. Falcon and Dragon are reported to remain healthy and the crew continues to be ready for their multi-day Low Orbit mission. The new launch opportunity will likely be early today, Wednesday, August 28, US time, SpaceX announced in an X post
Kenyan Commerce Platform Wins Funding: Sukhiba Connect, a Kenyan WhatsApp based commerce platform, has successfully raised a $1.55 million in a new seed funding extension round. This follows an initial $1.5 million, that was secured in seed funding that is aimed at expanding their platform beyond the East African region. The recent round was led by EQ2 Ventures amongst others. Sukhiba Connect plans to utilize this new influx of capital to accelerate its growth across Africa and into other emerging markets.
Market News
Markets: The Dollar strengthened against both the Euro and Yen in early trade this morning. The Euro is currently quoted at 1.114, the Pound at 1.322, and the Yen at 144.47. Wall Street closed Slightly up last night, while Asian equity markets are slightly up after opening lower this morning. The Rand is a fraction weaker this morning on the back of the firmer Dollar and currently trading at R17.77, and is likely to remain within a close range today.
Commodities: Gold remains above the key $2500 mark but is trading slightly lower this morning at $2,508, due to some profit taking by investors and a slightly stronger Dollar. This comes as markets wait in anticipation of the US GDP and jobless claims data that should give the markets direction. Platinum and Palladium are both trading softer this morning with Platinum currently at $950 and palladium at $964. Brent crude prices fell by 2.2% yesterday, closing at $79.55 with ongoing demand concerns and is currently trading at $
Other News Today
Namibia Refuses Port Entry to Israeli bound ship: The Namibian Ministry of Home Affairs, revoked the permission previously granted for the vessel MV Kathrin to enter and dock at Namibia’s main harbour. The port of Walvis Bay had scheduled the vessel, carrying cargo in transit, for docking on 25 August. The ship was apparently carrying military equipment and supplies, including RDX hexogen explosives, destined for Israel.
Bus Tragedy in Limpopo SA: The Limpopo Department of Transport and Community Safety has confirmed that 10 bus passengers were killed in a bus accident late yesterday. The bus that was travelling from Zimbabwe to Johannesburg, overturned on a traffic circle while travelling at high speed. According to department spokesperson, Tidimalo Chuene, the accident occurred at 3-Miles on the N1 road near Makhado in the Limpopo province, just before midnight on Tuesday.
Sports Highlights
Nigeria Appoints New Football Coach: Bruno Labbadia has been appointed as the new Nigerian national team’s Football coach only 12-days before their first CAF-Cup match against Benin. He replaces Finidi George, who was in charge for only four matches, as the country’s new coach, making him the third appointment to the post in a just over a year. Labbadia had previously coached Bayer Leverkusen, Hamburg, VfB Stuttgart, VfL Wolfsburg and Hertha Berlin in the Bundesliga league in Germany. He had played professional football in Germany scoring over 200 goals in his career.
UWC Women’s Soccer Team Qualifies for CAF Cup: University of the Western Cape (UWC) Women’s Soccer Team for made history becoming the first-ever university team to qualify for the CAF Women’s Champions League, joining defending champions Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies. This marks the first time two South African teams will compete for Africa’s most prestigious club trophy. Cape Town’s City’s Deputy Mayor, Eddie Andrews welcomed the winning team home yesterday, at Cape Town International Airport. The team played with determination in the final of the CAF Women’s Champions League COSAFA Qualifiers, triumphing over Gaborone United 9-8 on penalties after a hard-fought regular time draw in Blantyre, Malawi.
