Latest news with #CentralAfrica
Bloomberg
12 hours ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Eramet Shares Drop as Gabon Aims to End Manganese Ore Exports
Eramet SA shares fell as much as 5.7% after Gabon decided to ban the export of manganese ore from 2029, jeopardizing the French miner's biggest source of profit. Friday's announcement, which threatens to upend the supply chain of a metal that's used to harden steel products chiefly used in construction, is part of the African nation's aim to boost jobs and add more value domestically to the country's oil, timber and manganese resources.
Reuters
18 hours ago
- Business
- Reuters
France's Eramet says it will work with Gabon despite manganese export ban
PARIS, June 2 (Reuters) - French miner Eramet ( opens new tab, the main shareholder in Gabon-based manganese mining firm Comilog, said it will aim to safeguard the 10,460 Gabonese jobs sustained by Comilog and Comilog railway transport unit Setrag, despite Gabon's announcement of an export ban on manganese starting in 2029. Eramet said it "takes note of the Gabonese government's intention to ban crude manganese exports from January 1st, 2029. This move is described as part of the country's stated ambition to strengthen its industrial base, initiated by H.E. President Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema and his Government". It said it acknowledged the government's move and, as the main co-shareholder in Comilog, will continue to work with the authorities "in a spirit of constructive partnership and mutual respect". In August 2023, Eramet temporarily halted manganese mining operation following a military coup that ended 56 years of rule by former President Ali Bongo. In April 2025, Gabon's Constitutional Court confirmed that coup leader Brice Oligui Nguema won the oil-rich Central African nation's presidential election. In October 2024, Eramet sharply cut 2024 production targets for its manganese mine in Gabon - the world's biggest - citing a downturn in the manganese market. Eramet's Comilog subsidiary processes some manganese, which is mainly used to produce carbon steel, locally in Gabon but mostly exports its mine production as ore.
SBS Australia
4 days ago
- General
- SBS Australia
Australia records first case of clade 1b mpox, joining six other non-African countries
Australia has recorded at least 1,726 cases of mpox since 2022. Source: Getty / Nih-Niaid/BSIP/Universal Images Group Australia has recorded its first case of the mpox variant that typically causes more serious illness. The Australian Centre for Disease Control (CDC) confirmed a case of mpox clade 1b in NSW earlier this month — the first, and so far only, case of this variant in Australia. The case was a returned traveller, and the risk of further transmission was low, a spokesperson for the Department of Health said. SBS News has contacted the NSW Department of Health for comment. Mpox is a viral zoonotic disease, and comes from the same family as the one responsible for smallpox. It is divided into two clades, clade 1 and clade 2, and further into two subclades: 1a and 1b, and 2a and 2b. Historically, clade 1 is more likely to cause severe illness and death than clade 2. Mpox is endemic to parts of central and West Africa, according to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But in 2022, a global outbreak of clade 2 occurred, which is ongoing. There have been 1,726 confirmed cases of mpx across Australia since 2022, according to the Department of Health's National Notifiable Disease Surveillance System. The majority of these (1,409) were recorded in 2024, and there have been 147 cases so far this year. Until the recent clade 1b case, reported infections in Australia have been caused by mpox clade 2b, the CDC states. It says most of these infections were locally acquired. It says mpox clade 1b infections were previously isolated to Central Africa but have since been recorded elsewhere. The World Health Organization (WHO) lists a small number of countries outside Africa where clade 1b cases have been recorded, including, along with Australia, the United Kingdom, Germany, Thailand, France, the United Arab Emirates, and Switzerland. It says reported cases in these countries are linked to travel and not local transmission. More than half of the 32,953 reported clade 1b cases recorded in parts of Africa since January 2024 have been recorded in Democratic Republic of the Congo, according to the WHO. The CDC acknowledges clade 1 has generally been considered to cause more severe disease, but recent data suggested clade 1b — first discovered in 2023 — has a fatality rate similar to clade 2b. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also notes recent outbreaks have seen "much lower death rates". Signs and symptoms can include a distinctive rash or lesions, swollen lymph nodes, headache or fever, muscle aches, joint pain, back pain, chills and exhaustion. The virus can be transmitted through intimate or prolonged physical contact, close contact with rashes on the skin, body fluids (including droplets from coughing or sneezing) and contaminated objects such as linen and towels. Symptoms typically clear after two to four weeks for most people, but some can become seriously ill. The Department of Health says most cases in Australia have been identified in gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, but anyone can be affected. It says that most infections are mild. Eligible groups can receive free vaccinations against mpox, with no Medicare card required. Vaccination is recommended for men who have sex with men, sex workers, and healthcare and laboratory staff at risk of exposure. Those who have close physical contact with an infected person or are immunocompromised are also considered high risk. Anyone at risk who plans to travel to a country experiencing a significant outbreak should be vaccinated four to six weeks before travelling. The best time for people to receive the vaccine is before they are exposed to mpox.
Reuters
4 days ago
- General
- Reuters
Congo ex-president Kabila makes first public appearance in rebel-held Goma
GOMA, May 29 (Reuters) - Former Congolese President Joseph Kabila appeared for the first time in public in rebel-held territory in the country's volatile east on Thursday, meeting with religious leaders in what participants said was a push for peace. Kabila, who has been out of the country since 2023, mostly in South Africa, is wanted in Congo for alleged crimes against humanity for supporting the insurgency in the east, including a role in the massacre of civilians. Congo has also moved to suspend his political party and seize the assets of its leaders. The former president's camp denies any ties to the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels who have seized more territory than ever since January. He had been vowing to return to the Central African country for weeks to help find a solution to the conflict. His return could complicate Washington's plans for a peace agreement between Congo and Rwanda. Massad Boulos, Trump's senior adviser for Africa, told Reuters earlier this month the deal could be signed this summer, accompanied by minerals deals aimed at bringing billions of dollars of Western investment to the region. Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi's government in Kinshasa this week accused Kabila of "positioning himself as the rebel leader" along with Rwandan President Paul Kagame. Kabila received religious leaders on Thursday at his residence in Kinyogote, west of the city of Goma, said reporters, who were barred from filming the discussions. Dressed in a grey jacket and a blue shirt, the 53-year-old didn't speak to the press. "The former president... called us to express his wish to see peace return to the eastern part of the country and throughout the country," said Joel Amurani, president of the Interfaith Synergy for Peace and Mediation, a religious group, who attended the meeting. A close aide of Kabila's said the consultation sessions were aimed at learning about security challenges in the region and that political, administrative, military and civil society figures were invited to further discussions on Friday. It is unclear how long Kabila intends to stay in M23-held territory. The United Nations and Western governments say Rwanda has provided arms and troops to M23. Rwanda denies backing M23 and says its military has acted in self-defence against Congo's army and a militia founded by perpetrators of the 1994 genocide.
Al Bawaba
5 days ago
- Business
- Al Bawaba
Canon Central & North Africa Achieves Great Success with Canon's Latest Large Format Technology Developments at FESPA Global Print Expo 2025
Canon ( revealed its latest wide format portfolio developments at FESPA Global Print Expo, 6th-9th May 2025 in Berlin, Germany with significant engagement and success reported from the Central & North African real-world applications across the retail, interior décor, Point of Sale (POS) and promotional packaging segments, Canon inspired sign makers and print service providers (PSPs) with an array of materials printed on the Arizona, Colorado and imagePROGRAF printers - as part of end-to-end workflow solutions that include both Canon platforms such as PRISMA XL Suite and multiple partner products. Under the overarching theme of 'The Power to Move', customer stories were brought to life, demonstrating how bold, high-impact print creates emotional connections, delivers real business momentum and transforms spaces into unforgettable brand experiences. Aligning with FESPA's theme of 'Where visionaries meet', Canon showcased its collaboration with partners and highlight how it can satisfy the large format graphic needs of customers, helping them push the boundaries to expand their commercial Central & North Africa marked a highly successful presence at FESPA Global Print Expo 2025, reaffirming its leadership in the wide format printing space. The event drew significant interest from the region, with 30 invited customers witnessing firsthand the power of Canon's latest event proved instrumental in showcasing Canon's cutting-edge innovations—including the new Colorado M-series update, enhancing capabilities for soft signage, and the powerful PRISMAElevate XL update that opens new dimensions for the Arizona series. The enthusiasm was palpable, with several deals secured during the show, including an on-stand sale of a Colorado M-series printer and commitments for additional Arizona and M-series units. Visitors were especially inspired by Canon's immersive customer applications corner, featuring stunning displays using specialty print media and creative finishing Djouahra, B2B Business Unit Director commented: 'FESPA 2025 was a game-changing experience for Canon Central & North Africa and our customers. The energy at the Canon stand was incredible—we saw first-hand how our innovations like the Colorado M-series update and PRISMAElevate XL are inspiring new business models across soft signage, packaging, wallpaper, and interior décor. Our customers left feeling not just impressed but empowered. The discussions we had and the partnerships we showcased—especially with players like Neolt and Kongsberg—demonstrated how Canon's holistic approach to the wide format ecosystem can help customers drive revenue, differentiate offerings, and expand into new markets. The overwhelmingly positive feedback we received reinforces how vital platforms like FESPA are for fostering innovation and growth.'Customers were particularly captivated by real-world applications like the Colorado Packaging Factory, Poster Factory, and Wallpaper Factory, alongside diverse interior décor solutions enabled by the Arizona 2380 GTF. These demonstrations highlighted the commercial potential and creative versatility of Canon's wide format portfolio. Discussions with strategic partners such as Neolt, Kongsberg, and Lamina further deepened customer understanding of the end-to-end print ecosystem—from packaging and wallpaper to labels and signage. Notably, Morocco's Magic Walls signed a deal for the Colorado M3W to meet growing demand in the interior décor market, with ARKEOS taking charge of local after-sales support.A number of customer case studies were featured, including Norwegian floristry business, Fiori, which was illustrated in a real-world, interior décor, business case how strong collaboration in the value chain can maximise the potential of high-value, impactful print. Elements of Canon's immersive World Unseen project was also on display: a unique photography exhibition which enables everyone – blind, partially sighted and sighted visitors – to experience imagery in an entirely new way, reflecting print's potential to enrich lives and the stand, the Arizona 2380 GTF flatbed printer with FLXflow technology with roll media option for flexible printing from roll-to-roll, demonstrated its uniquely intelligent way to not only 'Hold' and 'Float' media, but also perform an 'Instant Switch' between the two modes for easy media handling. As true flatbed printers, the Arizona series can work accurately and highly efficiently with various rigid and flexible substrates, including more challenging media such as cardboard, wood or glass, offering vast application possibilities ideal for a retail or hospitality environment. Optimising the workflow, PRISMA XL Suite samples showed how PRISMAelevate XL can be used to create printed layers to a height of 4 mm, helping users create stand-out, tactile artwork for elevated print applications that enhance and expand their product offering – including braille to PSPs and print factories its productivity, modularity and in-field upgradability, the award-winning UVgel roll-to-roll printer, the Colorado M-series, was printing a variety of large format graphics applications live on the stand. The extensive and premium range of applications it can print was presented with bright and bold wallpapers, window graphics and soft signage made possible with a number of options, such as the hassle-free white ink, FLXfinish+ technology for printing both matte and gloss at the same time, and FLXture for subtle surface details. Visitors had the opportunity to see both the Arizona and Colorado printers live in action during demonstrations on the current and new UVgel Factory configurations featuring the Colorado were exhibited with different finishing partners to illustrate its broad application options, no matter what a PSP's volume requirements or budget are. These included the UVgel Wallpaper Factory, situated on Fotoba's stand, which showed how customers can automate production of mass-customised wallpaper at high volumes, unattended and around the clock. This end-to-end solution demonstrates the capability of the Colorado M-series when used in line with the Fotoba jumbo roll feeder, cutter and rewinder to produce a variety of curated wallcoverings. Nearby, on Canon's finishing partner NEOLT's stand, they presented the UVgel Packaging Factory, which displayed cost-effective and versatile digital printing for packaging as well as signage, and posters – perfect for short, custom the Canon imagePROGRAF family of water-based inkjet printers was the imagePROGRAF GP-6600S (60 inch, 152.4 cm), which produces stunning graphics, ensuring precise colour replication for images and corporate colours. Boasting seven colours including orange ink, the imagePROGRAF GP-6600S can create an eye-catching spectrum of colours with PANTONE™ [1] precision [2], thanks to the innovative LUCIA PRO II inks [3], making it perfect for printing graphic applications in brand colours. The web-based poster creation software, PosterArtist, illustrated to visitors how they can easily create auto-generated, attention-grabbing posters, banners and flyers to meet all their commercial needs. Demonstrating real-life, end-to-end workflows across the stand, Canon highlighted how its PRISMA XL Suite supports PSPs to deliver first-time-right prints and simplifies the production of complex jobs, whether it's printing five layers or creating textured or elevated applications. Visitors were able to follow the entire workflow management process, from online ordering including file preparation and printing the job, right through to shipment. Encompassing also the software of Canon partners ERPA, SKYCO, Symphony, OneVision and Onyx, each automated step will show PSPs how a holistic approach to workflow can help them respond to constantly changing challenges and to achieve greater profitability. Visitors also had the opportunity to see a selection of Canon's vast media portfolio, including sustainably sourced papers, for optimal printing results.
