Agricultural Technologies of Future: Automation of Agriculture in Global South

How are digitalisation and artificial intelligence transforming the global agricultural market? Who will control the new infrastructure of the agricultural sector – food producers or the owners of data and digital platforms? Read more in the TV BRICS article

Agriculture is becoming one of the key areas of technological transformation in the Global South. Population growth, climate change, limited natural resources and the need to improve production efficiency are accelerating the adoption of digital technologies, artificial intelligence andREAD MORE

SHANGHAI, July 16 (Xinhua) — Chinese President Xi Jinping called for advancing high-quality urban renewal on Wednesday during an inspection trip to Shanghai.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, stressed the need to fully embrace the people-centred philosophy of urban development.

Urban renewal initiatives should be carried out in a thorough, meticulous and effective manner in a bid to continuously enhance the people’sREAD MORE

The Head of State noted that the programme strengthens the country’s energy independence and self-sufficiency

Indonesia has become the first country in the world to introduce B50 diesel fuel, containing 50 per cent palm oil-based biodiesel. This was announced by the President of the Republic, Prabowo Subianto, at the official launch of the B50 fuel programme in West Java province. His remarks were reported by ANTARA.

“I launchedREAD MORE

BISHKEK, July 16 (Xinhua) — An event promoting the fifth volume of “Xi Jinping: The Governance of China” was held in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, on Monday.

Participants said that as the event coincided with the 25th anniversary of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), it was of great significance for representatives from all walks of life in both countries and from the SCO family to exchange views on the book.

The important work systematically expounds theREAD MORE

The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) has welcomed the dismissal of a Mpumalanga Department of Public Works, Roads and Transport official implicated in corruption linked to the procurement of Covid 19 disinfection services during the National State of Disaster.

Jacob Bandile Ngcobo, who served as a State Accountant for Property and Facilities in the department, was dismissed following an SIU investigation that uncovered an unlawful relationship between him and a service provider that secured lucrative government contracts during theREAD MORE

HONG KONG, July 16 (Xinhua) — Lies and misconceptions produced by the illegal “award” of the so-called “South China Sea Arbitration” in the past decade were refuted by experts of international law attending a roundtable dialogue held in Hong Kong on Monday.

The “award” was delivered by a makeshift “arbitral tribunal” on the “South China Sea Arbitration,” which was unilaterally initiated by the Philippines with support from forces outside the region, concurred experts from over 10 countries andREAD MORE

Thousands of households, businesses and essential services across southern and western Johannesburg were left without electricity on Thursday after a critical network failure at City Power’s Orlando Switching Station triggered widespread outages across three service delivery centres.

The power utility has apologised to affected customers, saying it understands the disruption caused and has mobilised all available technical resources to restore electricity as safely and quickly as possible.

The outage began in the early hours of Thursday morningREAD MORE

BEIJING, July 16 (Xinhua) — It was on a spring day 29 years ago that a farmer in Xihaigu, one of China’s driest and poorest regions in the northwest, was making anxious yet sincere preparations to host guests from afar.

For decades, Ding Guizhi’s family, like others in the region, had relied on bitter rainwater collected and stored in cellars as their main source of drinking water. Worrying the visitors might not be accustomed to its unpleasant taste,READ MORE

Frustration boiled over outside the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) office in Thokoza this week as hundreds of grant beneficiaries were turned away after waiting for hours in freezing winter conditions, prompting angry scenes that have since gone viral on social media.

Residents from Thokoza and surrounding communities in Ekurhuleni gathered outside the local office from as early as 3 am on Wednesday, hoping to resolve issues relating to their social grants. However, many said they wereREAD MORE

LUSAKA, July 15 — Zambia’s former Vice President and Acting President, Dr Guy Lindsay Scott, has died at the age of 82 after an illness, the Zambian government announced on Wednesday.

According to a statement issued by Secretary to the Cabinet Patrick Kangwa, Scott died at his Farm in Lusaka’s Leopards Hill area. President Hakainde Hichilema has accorded the former vice president a State Funeral in recognition of his distinguished service to the nation.

Scott served asREAD MORE