Tag Archives: Africa

South African banks in massive credit card data breach

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“A variant of malware – short for malicious software – called Dexter, inserted into point-of-sale (POS) devices at South African fast-food outlets, has cost local banks tens of millions of rand in what is being described as one of the worst breaches of customer card data in the country’s history.  South Africa’s banks have suffered tens of millions of rand in losses due to a major breach of customer card data by criminal syndicates that infected electronic POS devices using a variant of malicious software called Dexter.  It’s not known exactly how many POS devices were infected by the malware, but the problem is believed to have been widespread in the fast-food industry.”

http://mg.co.za/article/2013-10-15-sa-banks-in-massive-data-breach

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Make Your Own 3-D Printer for $100

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“It’s possible. Even a guy in the tiny, impoverished African country of Togo has done it. For someone living in a low-tech society like 33-year old Kodjo Afate Gnikou, spending $800 for a desktop printer is a little steep. So Afate constructed his own working printer from junk, mostly spare computer, scanner and inkjet printer parts he found in a local dump. It’s believed to be the world’s first 3-D printer made from e-waste. The printer cost Afate about $100 to make, mostly because he had to buy a new motor. It is lovely, functional and can make a few basic objects. He crowdfunded the project on the French-language site Ulule.”

http://dailyreckoning.com/make-your-own-3-d-printer-for-100/

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Zimbabwe threatening privacy rights with new SIM registration database

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“Telecommunications providers must each establish a subscriber database of all SIM card holders, connecting their phone number to their name, address, gender, nationality and passport or ID number. The law obliges service providers to regularly hand over copies of this data to the government, which will then establish its own central subscriber information database. [..] Service providers must keep data for five years after the customer has concluded their contract. Individuals must report the loss of their SIM card or phone, and any change in ownership of their SIM card, and the provision of false information to a telco makes an individual liable for six months imprisonment.”

https://www.privacyinternational.org/blog/zimbabwe-threatening-privacy-rights-with-new-sim-registration-database

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Off Duty Soldier Armed With Handgun Saves 100 Lives During Mall Siege

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“Here’s a positive story about guns that you’re not likely to see the US corporate media pay much attention to – an off-duty SAS soldier armed with just a handgun saved 100 lives during the terrorist siege on the Westgate shopping mall in Kenya.  The soldier was having a coffee with friends inside the mall when the attack began. His gun tucked inside his waistband, the soldier returned to the building at least a dozen times to rescue hostages.  Don’t expect to see a story like this covered by the mainstream US media, which habitually shies away from examples that illustrate how firearms are routinely used for defensive purposes.”

http://www.prisonplanet.com/off-duty-soldier-armed-with-handgun-saves-100-lives-during-mall-siege.html

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The Attack at the Kenyan Mall

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EPJ13

“Consider the attack at the Westgate mall in Nairobi, Kenya, blowblack for Kenya’s interference in putting down militants against the Somalian government.  Al-Shabaab, a Somalia-based cell of the militant Islamist, has targeted Kenya  after the Kenyan government sent thousands of troops into Somalia in 2011.  The US clearly has been an instigator, coaxing Kenya to send troops into Somalia.  An NYT slideshow of the attack is here.  Note to conspiracy theorists: The NYT photographer just happened to be near the Nairobi mall at the time of the attack.”

http://www.economicpolicyjournal.com/2013/09/the-attack-at-kenyan-mall.html

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With its leaders facing trial, Kenya quits International Criminal Court

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“Yesterday Kenya’s parliament voted to pull out of the ICC – the first African country to do so. That decision comes shortly before the ICC starts trials of Kenya’s president and vice president. So far both men have said they will appear at The Hague, but speculation has begun that the vote may be the first step toward cutting off cooperation.  President Uhuru Kenyatta and Vice President William Ruto were indicted for mass violence and deaths after the 2007 elections. This summer ICC officials hinted that they might allow parts of Ruto’s trial to take place in Kenya or Tanzania. But today, less than 24 hours after Kenyan lawmakers in a raucous session voted to leave the ICC, the possibility was ended.”

http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Africa/2013/0906/With-its-leaders-facing-trial-Kenya-quits-International-Criminal-Court

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Somali militants claim ‘blowback’ motivation for Nairobi mall attack

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“At least 39 people were killed when masked gunmen stormed an upscale Nairobi mall, Kenya’s president said on Saturday. Al Shabaab militants said the attack was retaliation for Kenya’s involvement fighting Islamists in neighbouring Somalia.  Masked gunmen killed 39 people when they stormed an upscale shopping mall in Nairobi, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta said in a televised address on Saturday, adding that he lost family members in the attack claimed by Somalia’s al Qaeda-inspired al Shabaab rebels.
The Islamist rebels said the massacre was in direct retaliation for Kenya’s military intervention in Somalia, where African Union troops are battling the Islamists.”

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/09/21/at-least-39-dead-in-nairobi-mall-attack-al-qaeda-linked-al-shabaab-somali-militants-claim-responsibility/

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Massive Kenya water discovery will transform drought-prone ‘cradle of mankind’

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“UNESCO and the Kenya Government today announce the discovery of one of the worlds largest underground water aquifers in the desert north of Turkana, an area best known for fossils, famine and poverty. The finding by Radar Technologies International (RTI) was made using space based exploration technology called WATEX system. The largest aquifer at 250 billion cubic meters of water which is equivalent in volume to Lake Turkana one of the largest lakes in the Great Rift Valley, and 25 times greater than Loch Ness. More importantly the annual recharge rate, the amount of water that can be sustainably exploited per year, is estimated to 3.4 billion cubic meters.”

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/09/11/massive-water-discovery-will-transform-drought-prone-cradle-of-mankind-in-northern-kenya/

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Africa’s baby-boom: Population to double by 2050

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“By 2050, many African states will likely more than double in population. Kenya will rise from 44 million to 97 million people, and Nigeria from 174 million to 440 million. Some nations will nearly triple their growth, the reports finds. Somalia will have 27 million people in 2050, up from an estimated 10 million today; the Democratic Republic of Congo’s 71 million population is predicted to rise to 182 million. The total number of people on the continent is predicted to rise from 1.1 billion to 2.4 billion. India, currently the second most populous country in the world, will overtake China to become the most populous by 2030.
The US population was estimated to rise from 316 million to 400 million.”

http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Africa/2013/0912/Africa-s-baby-boom-Population-to-double-by-mid-century

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South African gold miners strike over ‘slave wages in white man’s economy’

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“About 80,000 gold miners in South Africa walked out on strike on Tuesday night, raising fears of renewed violence in the crisis-hit industry and underlining the government’s dwindling authority.  The dispute over pay comes a year after 46 people died during unrest in the platinum belt and amid signs that the century-old mining industry model is broken. For years South Africa was the world’s top gold producer, accounting for more than two-thirds of output in 1970, but it has slipped to fifth place with just 6% of global production.  The NUM is demanding rises of up to 60% after talks broke down.”

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/09/04/south-african-gold-miners-strike-over-slave-wages-in-white-mans-economy/

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