Latest news with #EsaAlexander
Wall Street Journal
7 days ago
- Business
- Wall Street Journal
Bostic: Why the Fed Can't Assume Tariff Inflation Will Be One-Off
Atlanta Federal Reserve President Raphael Bostic says the choppy rollout of tariffs is making it harder to judge the inflationary impact. (Esa Alexander/Reuters)
The Star
02-06-2025
- Science
- The Star
Astronomers fear impact of Musk's Starlink on South Africa mega-telescope observations
FILE PHOTO: People look at Meerkat telescope array at the launch of the construction of Square Kilometre Array-Mid telescope outside the town of Carnarvon, with a similar ceremony taking place in SKA co-host Australia on the same day, in Northern Cape, South Africa, December 05, 2022. REUTERS/Esa Alexander/File Photo CAPE TOWN (Reuters) -Astronomers working with South Africa's SKA telescope are pushing authorities to ensure that any licensing agreement with Elon Musk's Starlink will protect their groundbreaking observations, a senior scientist said. Discussions to bring Musk's internet service Starlink in South Africa have already been contentious, with parent company SpaceX criticising local shareholding laws while backing equity equivalent programmes. Attaching astronomy-linked licensing conditions may further complicate attempts to introduce Starlink to the country of Musk's birth, where he has already said he is deterred by government Black empowerment policies. South Africa said it will review its Information and Communication Technology sector rules but will not back down on government policies to transform the economy three decades after white-minority rule ended. Scientists fear South Africa's Square Kilometre Array (SKA-Mid), the world's most powerful radio telescope together with another array co-hosted in Australia, will have their sensitive space observations distorted by Starlink's low-orbiting satellites. "It will be like shining a spotlight into someone's eyes, blinding us to the faint radio signals from celestial bodies," Federico Di Vruno, co-chair of International Astronomical Union Centre for the Protection of the Dark and Quiet Sky, told Reuters in a telephone interview. Di Vruno said the SKA Observatory, where he is spectrum manager, and the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory (SARAO) were lobbying for license requirements to reduce the impact on observations in certain frequency ranges, including some that SKA-Mid uses. That could direct Starlink to steer satellite beams away from SKA receivers or stop transmission for a few seconds to minimise interference, he said. South Africa's current SKA antennae, in the remote Northern Cape town of Carnarvon, use the 350 megahertz to 15.4 gigahertz bandwidth, a range also used by most satellite operators for downlinks. The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa regulator and Starlink did not immediately respond to questions from Reuters about the scientists' concerns. MAJOR OBSERVATIONS South Africa's MeerKAT radio telescope, a precursor to SKA-Mid which will be incorporated into the larger instrument, has already discovered a rare giant radio galaxy that is 32 times the size of the Milky Way. Last year, it found 49 new galaxies in under three hours, according to SARAO. SKA Observatory, an international body, also campaigns for conditions on licensing agreements with other major satellite operators such as Amazon and Eutelsat's OneWeb to ensure quiet skies amid a boom in new satellite launches. "We are trying to follow different technical and regulatory avenues to mitigate this issue on the global stage," Di Vruno said. (Reporting by Wendell Roelf and Nqobile Dludla in Johannesburg; editing by Tim Cocks and Rachna Uppal)
The Star
12-05-2025
- Sport
- The Star
Cricket-Reaction to Kohli's retirement from test cricket
FILE PHOTO: Cricket - Second Test - South Africa v India - Newlands Cricket Ground, Cape Town, South Africa - January 3, 2024 India's Virat Kohli in action REUTERS/Esa Alexander/File Photo (Reuters) -Following are quotes and reaction after India batsman Virat Kohli announced his retirement from test cricket on Monday, bringing down the curtain on a sparkling career in the longest format. THE BOARD OF CONTROL FOR CRICKET IN INDIA "An era ends in Test cricket but the legacy will continue forever. His contributions to Team India will forever be cherished." IRFAN PATHAN, FORMER INDIA ALL-ROUNDER "As captain you didn't just win matches — you changed mindsets. You made fitness, aggression, and pride in whites the new standard. A true torchbearer of modern Indian Test cricket." HARSHA BHOGLE, CRICKET COMMENTATOR "I would have liked to see Virat Kohli go out of test cricket before a packed stadium. But since that is not to be let us applaud him wherever we are. He told a generation weaned on T20 cricket that test cricket is cool and aspirational. And for that, the game owes him big time." SANATH JAYASURIYA, FORMER SRI LANKA CAPTAIN "While the world celebrates your cricketing brilliance and records, what I admire most is your unwavering commitment to fitness and the sacrifices you've made behind the scenes." ROYAL CHALLENGERS BENGALURU, INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE TEAM "Thank you, Virat Kohli, for the fire, the bravery, and the unmatched passion. You didn't just play this format, you elevated it." WASIM JAFFER, FORMER INDIA BATTER "I feel he at least had three more years in him, but his decision should be respected. Test cricket was never boring with Virat in. His presence alone brought millions of eyeballs. Once in a generation player. You will be missed Virat Kohli." (Reporting by Shifa Jahan in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
IOL News
07-05-2025
- Business
- IOL News
MTN Uganda reports strong first quarter performance amid regulatory changes
MTN Uganda has reported a resilient financial performance for the quarter to March 31, 2025, in spite of regulatory changes. Image: REUTERS/Esa Alexander/File Photo MTN Uganda navigated changes in the regulatory environment in the first quarter to end-March and it remains on track to meet medium-term guidance, the CEO Sylvia Mulinge said Wednesday. The business headwinds were cushioned by supportive macroeconomic conditions, a stronger shilling that appreciated 5.7% against the US dollar, and stable headline inflation which averaged 3.6%, only slightly higher than the 3.2% average in the first quarter of 2024, and marginally higher than the 3.1% of the fourth quarter of 2024. Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortisation (EBITDA) increased by 13.7% year-on-year supported by a resilient revenue performance and moderate 12.2% cost growth. MTN contributed over 13% of MTN Group's EBITDA in 2024. Profit after tax was up by 20.6% to Ush 180.9 billion. 'Despite the regulatory MTR (mobile termination rate) changes, we are pleased with the solid strategic execution that supported growth in other areas of our business, while ensuring margin resilience and value preservation in our operation,' Mulinge said. A focus on customer centricity enabled the subscriber base to grow to 22.8 million in the quarter. Data and fintech subscribers increased by 19.4% and 9.8% respectively. Service revenue grew by 13.5%, with stronger contributions recorded from data and fintech portfolios. In the connectivity business, an interim industry-wide directive from last year relating to the reduction in MTR from Ush 45 to Ush 26, impacted voice outgoing revenues in the quarter. 'To ensure resilience of our portfolio, we intensified our customer value management (CVM) and improved our bundle offering and service proposition to our customers,' said Mulinge. On the data front, smartphone penetration was invested in by enhancing the affordability of devices through the Pay Mpola Mpola program and device purchase subsidies through partners. This helped to increase the number of smartphones in use by 9.8% on the network. Data revenue accelerated by 32.5%, anchored by a 19.4% growth in active daily users to 10.2 million, indicating 1.7 million in net additions year-on-year.
The Star
30-04-2025
- Politics
- The Star
South Africa to probe alleged suppression of justice in apartheid-era killings
FILE PHOTO: South African President Cyril Ramaphosa delivers his 2025 State of the Nation Address in Cape Town, South Africa, February 6, 2025. REUTERS/Esa Alexander//File Photo JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa is setting up a judicial commission of inquiry to establish whether attempts were made to prevent the investigation or prosecution of apartheid-era crimes, his office said on Wednesday. The move is the outcome of settlement discussions in a court case brought by families of the victims of political killings and disappearances that happened decades ago, who say post-apartheid governments never properly investigated those crimes. "Allegations of improper influence in delaying or hindering the investigation and prosecution of apartheid-era crimes have persisted from previous administrations," the presidency said in a statement. "Through this commission, President Ramaphosa is determined that the true facts be established and the matter brought to finality." After apartheid ended in 1994, South Africa set up a Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) to help uncover human rights violations perpetrated under white minority rule. The TRC handed over a list of several hundred cases to state prosecutors for investigation, but many were never pursued. The 25 family members and survivors who filed the case in a Pretoria court in January are also seeking about 167 million rand ($9 million) from the state in damages. The government will ask for their application to be suspended pending the commission's findings, the presidency said. It did not give a time frame. The Foundation for Human Rights, an NGO supporting the families, said that they welcomed the establishment of a commission of inquiry but opposed the president's move to delay a ruling on their damages claim. "Instead of entering into mediation, he has decided to offload the declaration of rights and constitutional damages onto a commission of inquiry, which has no authority to deal with it," it said in a statement. ($1 = 18.6170 rand) (Reporting by Siyanda Mthethwa and Nellie Peyton; Editing by Aidan Lewis)
