Author: Staff Writer
Apple is in negotiations with multiple global automakers. Hyundai is one of them and we are in the early stages of talks. Nothing has been decided, Hyundai Motor Co. said in a statement. The official comments come in response to an earlier report by the Korea Economic TV, a unit of The Korea Economic Daily, that Apple has approached Hyundai Motor Group to propose cooperation in its efforts to develop an electric car as well as rechargeable batteries used in EVs. A Hyundai Motor official initially denied the report, according to The Korea Economic Daily. The South Korean automaker Chairman…
The South African Medical Association (SAMA) has attacked the government for its failure to prepare for the COVID-19 second wave. The Sunday Times reported that SAMA argued that South Africa is not as well-prepared as it was for the first wave. The association also said that the government did not do enough to replace hospital workers who died due to COVID-19. On 1 January 2021, South Africa reported a record 18,000 new cases. On 9 December 2020, Health Minister Dr. Zweli Mkhize confirmed that South Africa had entered a second wave. As of yesterday, the cumulative number of COVID-19 cases in…
The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) announced on Monday that it has received six submissions of applications in response to the Invitation to Apply (ITA) for the International Mobile Telecommunications (IMT) spectrum issued on 2 October 2020. The country’s communications watchdog said submissions were received from the following entities, in no particular order: 1. Cell C 2. Rain Networks 3. Vodacom 4. Telkom 5. Liquid Telecoms 6. MTN The regulator added in a statement that it also received a further submission from Women Building a Better Society (WBBS) but unfortunately, the application was submitted after the cut-off time…
Picodi.com analytics compared iPhone 12 Pro (128 GB) prices with the average wages in selected countries in order to count the number of workdays required to buy the new Apple flagship. The official price of the iPhone 12 Pro in 128 GB version in South Africa is going to be R23,499. However, buyers will find neither a charger nor earphones in this year’s flagship’s box. According to the latest GUS data, the average wage in our country amounts to R22,579 gross (R19,327.63 net). It means that a statistical South African would have to work for 25.5 days to afford the…
Luitingh and Associates, the Cape Town firm of attorneys launching the liquidation application against the bitcoin investment scheme, Mirror Trading International (MTI), is appealing to all potential creditors to advise the attorney firm of any claim against the scheme. The appeal comes at a time when two high court applications for the liquidation of MTI were filed by investors unable to withdraw funds. Two applications for the liquidation of Mirror Trading International were filed in the high court last Wednesday by investors unable to withdraw funds. Read: MTI CEO goes AWOL, lawyers pull out (Dec 22) MTI does not know…
The National Coronavirus Command Council could impose tougher restrictions nationwide as the coronavirus infections rise exponentially leaving private and public hospitals running out of intensive care beds and oxygen. The Sunday Times reported that the council meets this week to discuss a Covid-19 resurgence. “I can confidently say that the meeting will be on Tuesday,” a government insider told the newspaper. It followed Wednesday’s comment by health minister Zweli Mkhize that “we will need to review the current restrictions and consider further measures to ensure that we curb this alarming rate of spread”. The Sunday Times said new measures could…
Daimler and Infosys on Tuesday announced a strategic partnership to develop a persona-driven, cognitive, anytime, anywhere AI-powered workplace & service-desk. After regulatory approvals, Daimler will transform its IT operating model and infrastructure landscape across workplace services, service desk, data center, networks and SAP Basis together with Infosys. The collaboration will empower the carmaker to strengthen its IT capabilities, and Infosys, its automotive expertise. “Software becomes modular and IT infrastructure becomes big. Daimler will take three steps at once to transform its IT infrastructure: consolidation, scaling and modernization. We need to think infrastructure beyond the size of our company. With Infosys…
The Nigerian telecoms regulator has extended the timeline for mobile phone operators to update SIM card registrations following a meeting on Monday with executives of telcos, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) said. Two weeks ago, the NCC in its website disclosed that the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Ali Ibrahim (Pantami) has directed the NCC to embark on another audit of the Subscriber Registration Database again. The regulator directed telecoms firms to stop selling SIM cards while it audits compliance with SIM registration rules. However, yesterday the NCC revealed that the National Task Force on National Identification…
Apple is once again planning to build its own branded electric vehicle or Apple Car, Reuters reported on Monday. According to the report, production of the electric Apple Car could start as early as 2024. The Reuters report explains that central to Apple’s strategy is a new monocell battery design that “bulks up the individual cells in the battery and frees up space inside the battery pack by eliminating pouches and modules that hold battery materials.” The iPhone maker is also examining chemistry for the battery called LFP, or lithium iron phosphate, the person told Reuters, which is inherently less likely to…
MTN on Monday announced the launch of MoMo International Airtime, which allows users to purchase airtime for recipients in other countries. This applies to foreign nationals living in South Africa and South Africans with friends and family living overseas. Registered MoMo users will be able to access the service on the MoMo app or via the MoMo USSD by dialling *151#. When customers buy airtime on MoMo, there is now a third option called Global Airtime. When you select a country where the recipient resides, it will show you all the multiple operators available in each of those countries…