Author name: Daniel Mandishona

US$50K Pay For New ZIFA Boss

Leave a Comment / Sport News, Uncategorized

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THE new ZIFA president will be entitled to an annual US$50 000 tax-free cash bonus from CAF as compensation for the time he uses leading the national football association.

That translates to about US$4 166 a month.

ZIFA will have a new leader on January 25.

In October last year, heads of national associations got a hefty hike when the CAF payment was increased from US$20 000 to US$50 000.

The decision was taken unanimously by all 54-member countries.

CAF president Patrice Motsepe said the US$50 000 payment was still “insignificant.”

He said:

“Some of your presidents have no resources, they’ve got nothing and they’ve got to run the member associations out of their pockets.”

The CAF vice presidents and CAF executive members will get US$20 000 a year.

Presidents of zonal bodies like COSAFA and CECAFA will get US$25 000 a year.

Motsepe’s special advisers, Danny Jordaan and Jacques Anouma, will receive US$20 000.

Heads of national football associations are not full-time employees but volunteers and CAF believe they should be compensated for their time.

Motsepe and other FIFA vice presidents get US$300 000 a year.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino gets about US$4,67 million a year.

Philemon Machana, Martin Kweza, Nqobile Magwizi, Twine Phiri, Makwinji Soma-Phiri and Marshall Gore are the six candidates who qualified to stand for the ZIFA presidency.

ZIFA are expected to make a final announcement of the final list of candidates and the voting members of the Council tomorrow.

Apple Backs its Diversity Policies, Calling Anti-DEI Proposal ‘Restricting’

Leave a Comment / Global News

Apple’s board of directors has recommended shareholders vote against a conservative think tank’s proposal to consider scrapping the tech giant’s diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.

“At Apple, we believe that how we conduct ourselves is as critical to Apple’s success as making the best products in the world. We seek to conduct business ethically, honestly, and in compliance with applicable laws and regulations, and our Business Conduct and Compliance policies are foundational to how we do business,” the company said Friday in its proxy statement.

The National Center for Public Policy Research (NCPPR) notified Apple in September that it intends to submit the anti-DEI proposal at Apple’s annual shareholder meeting on February 25. If passed by shareholders, it would require Apple to consider eliminating some or all of its DEI policies.

But Apple said the proposal “inappropriately attempts to restrict” and “micromanage” company operations and policies. The company also said it has a “well-established compliance program,” and its board actively manages business and legal conduct to ensure it complies with laws in multiple jurisdictions.

Stefan Padfield, executive director of the NCPPR’s Free Enterprise Project, said DEI poses risks, including litigation, customer backlash and divisiveness among employees, that outweigh the benefits.

The NCPPR said that Apple “likely has over 50,000 who are potentially victims of this type of discrimination.” The NCPPR said if any employees sue the company, Apple could lose “tens of billions of dollars.”

“We are simply asking for a consideration. The proposal, if approved, would not automatically result in the abolishment of DEI,” Padfield told CNN. He called Apple’s statement “non-responsive” and said that “corporations that have been pushing DEI have lost the goodwill to simply say ‘trust us.’”

DEI isn’t new. Neither is the backlash

Apple’s diversity programs aren’t new. Its supplier diversity program was established in 1993 and works with various nonprofits, including the National Minority Supplier Development Council and National Veterans Business Development Council. Apple also hired its first vice president of inclusion and diversity in 2017 and has 67 employee groups known as “diversity network associations,” the first of which was established in 1986.

But other companies are abandoning their commitments or renaming programs to “appear more palatable” to the incoming Trump administration and other critics, said Nani Vishwanath, a consultant and facilitator of DEI and employee experiences at the Courage Collective.

Meta, John Deere and Walmart are among the companies that have made such changes to their DEI commitments following pressure from right-wing activists, legal groups, customers and President-elect Donald Trump.

Changing DEI programs doesn’t necessarily shield a company from further backlash. McDonald’s, which announced on January 6 that it would roll back DEI practices, was sued Sunday by the American Alliance for Equal Rights, an anti-affirmative action group. The lawsuit claims the fast food company did not fully adhere to its commitment to treat “everyone” fairly because it kept a college scholarship program for Hispanic and Latino high school students.

Other companies aren’t buckling to demand. The NCPPR has made similar proposals to shareholders of major companies, including retail giant Costco, whose board of directors recommended shareholders vote against DEI policies.

“Those who are staying fiercely committed understand how it’s imperative,” Vishwanath said.

Vishwanath said DEI is “vastly misunderstood” and companies don’t always understand why they implemented the programs. DEI efforts were originally intended to advance the representation of people from various identities and backgrounds, and this affected employee trainings, resource networks and recruiting practices. But there isn’t a single definition for DEI, which has complicated its implementation.

She said these misunderstandings cause inconsistency with DEI initiatives. She suggested companies should ask themselves if DEI policies were “a reactive add-on or was it intrinsically important to the company’s success?”

“(DEI) will continue to be met with curiosity or resentment,” said Vishwanath. “For organizations to remain relevant and meaningful to both their internal and external audiences, they need to think about what practices they need to evolve.”

LA Fires Death Toll Rises to 24 as High Winds Expected

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Weather forecasters in California are warning fierce winds which fuelled the infernos around Los Angeles are expected to pick up again this week, as fire crews on the ground race to make progress controlling three wildfires.

Officials warned that after a weekend of relatively calm winds, the notoriously dry Santa Ana winds would pick up again from Sunday night until Wednesday, reaching speeds of up to 60mph (96km/h).

Ahead of the wind’s uptick, some progress has been made in stopping the spread of the deadly Palisades and Eaton fires, which are burning on opposite ends of the city. Local firefighters are being assisted by crews from eight other states, as well as Canada and Mexico, who continue to arrive.

The LA County medical examiner updated the death toll on Sunday to 24, while officials said earlier at least another 16 remain missing.

Sixteen of the dead were found in the Eaton fire zone, while eight were found in the Palisades area.

Three conflagrations continue to burn around Los Angeles.

The largest fire is the Palisades, which has now burnt through more than 23,000 acres and is 13% contained.

The Eaton fire is the second biggest and has burnt through more than 14,000 acres. It is 27% contained.

The Hurst fire has grown to 799 acres and has been almost fully contained.

The wildfires are on track to be among the costliest in US history.

On Sunday, private forecaster Accuweather increased its preliminary estimate of financial losses from the blazes to between $250bn-$275bn.

While crews have managed to start containing the largest fires, authorities have warned the incoming wind event could lead to “potential disastrous wind conditions”, with the whole of LA County put under fire threat.

“Unfortunately, we’re going right back into red flag conditions with some potential disastrous wind conditions between now and Wednesday, with the peak winds expected to be on Tuesday,” Pasadena fire chief Chad Augustin told the BBC.

“While we’re making some progress, the end is not even close yet,” he said.

The National Weather Service has issued a rare ‘particularly dangerous situation’ alert for Tuesday, warning of “extreme fire behaviour” – running from 04:00 local time, until midday on Wednesday.

Kristin Crowley, the fire chief for the city of LA, called for residents near evacuation zones to be prepared to flee if an order is issued, and to stay off the roads as much as possible in order to not hinder crews.

Despite the dire forecast, all schools except those in mandatory evacuation zones would reopen on Monday, the LA Unified School District announced.

Topanga Canyon resident Alice Husum, 67, told the BBC a new fire that began in the area overnight was quickly contained, but that she and her neighbours are all “dreading Tuesday” when the wind speeds are likely to peak.

But Ms Husum, who has stayed behind despite evacuation orders, notes that the forecast “is a little better than the 100 mile-gusts that were hammering us” earlier in the week.

New fires continued to flare up on Sunday, threatening communities in the San Fernando Valley and near Nasa’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).

On Sunday, firefighters were able to quickly stop the spread of new fires in the Angeles National Forest, which surround the facility that is at the heart of the US space programme and contains top secret technology.

At least 29 people have been arrested for looting in mandatory evacuation zones. Two people were caught posing as firefighters in order to steal from evacuees.

Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said in a news conference Sunday he had requested more National Guard troops to bolster the 400 already in the area. California Governor Gavin Newsom has since announced that 1,000 additional members of the National Guard would be deployed.

“When I was out there in the Malibu area, I saw a gentleman that looked like a firefighter. And I asked him if he was okay because he was sitting down. I didn’t realise we had him in handcuffs,” Sheriff Luna told reporters.

“We are turning him over to LAPD because he was dressed like a fireman, and he was not. He just got caught burglarising a home. So those are issues that our front-line deputies and police officers are dealing with.”

There are now 14,000 firefighters in the southern California region, being assisted by 84 aircrafts and 1,354 fire engines, said Sheriff Luna.

Evacuation numbers have dropped, with around 105,000 residents still under mandatory evacuation orders and 87,000 under evacuation warnings.

Deanne Criswell, the administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema), told CNN on Sunday that a significant threat remained.

“I know that so many people probably want to get back into the area and check on their homes, but with winds picking back up, you never know which way they’re going to go,” she said.

LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell said that limited access had been allowed to evacuated residents over the weekend, but that his officers are once again barring all residents from returning.

Officials have issued repeated orders for drone operators to not fly near fire zones, and are now seeking information after a drone crashed into a vital plane.

The FBI has shared photos of the small drone which on Thursday collided with a plane known as a “Super Scooper”, one of the world’s most affective firefighting aircrafts, briefly grounding it.

The drone ripped a 3-by-6-inch (8-by-15cm) hole in the plane.

Officials have also warned of scammers seeking to take advantage of victims, and issued a stern warning that anyone caught price gouging will be prosecuted.

Meanwhile the spat between California Governor Newsom and President-elect Donald Trump continues.

Trump, who takes office on 20 January and has been invited by the governor to come tour the fire damage, on Saturday blamed “incompetent” politicians for “one of the worst catastrophes in the history of our country”.

Newsom, who is a Democrat, has in turn attacked Trump for sharing “inexcusable” misinformation about the fires.

The Internet is Filled with Fake Reviews. Here are Some Ways to Spot Them

Leave a Comment / Markets and Innovation

The emergence of generative artificial intelligence tools that allow people to efficiently produce novel and detailed online reviews with almost no work has put merchants, service providers and consumers in uncharted territory, watchdog groups and researchers say.

Phony reviews have long plagued many popular consumer websites, such as Amazon and Yelp. They are typically traded on private social media groups between fake review brokers and businesses willing to pay. Sometimes, such reviews are initiated by businesses that offer customers incentives such as gift cards for positive feedback.

But AI-infused text generation tools, popularized by OpenAI’s ChatGPT, enable fraudsters to produce reviews faster and in greater volume, according to tech industry experts.

The deceptive practice, which is illegal in the U.S., is carried out year-round but becomes a bigger problem for consumers during the holiday shopping season, when many people rely on reviews to help them purchase gifts.

Where are AI-generated reviews showing up?

Fake reviews are found across a wide range of industries, from e-commerce, lodging and restaurants, to services such as home repairs, medical care and piano lessons.

The Transparency Company, a tech company and watchdog group that uses software to detect fake reviews, said it started to see AI-generated reviews show up in large numbers in mid-2023 and they have multiplied ever since.

For a report released this month, The Transparency Company analyzed 73 million reviews in three sectors: home, legal and medical services. Nearly 14% of the reviews were likely fake, and the company expressed a “high degree of confidence” that 2.3 million reviews were partly or entirely AI-generated.

“It’s just a really, really good tool for these review scammers,” said Maury Blackman, an investor and advisor to tech startups, who reviewed The Transparency Company’s work and is set to lead the organization starting Jan. 1.

In August, software company DoubleVerify said it was observing a “significant increase” in mobile phone and smart TV apps with reviews crafted by generative AI. The reviews often were used to deceive customers into installing apps that could hijack devices or run ads constantly, the company said.

The following month, the Federal Trade Commission sued the company behind an AI writing tool and content generator called Rytr, accusing it of offering a service that could pollute the marketplace with fraudulent reviews.

The FTC, which this year banned the sale or purchase of fake reviews, said some of Rytr’s subscribers used the tool to produce hundreds and perhaps thousands of reviews for garage door repair companies, sellers of “replica” designer handbags and other businesses.

It’s likely on prominent online sites, too

Max Spero, CEO of AI detection company Pangram Labs, said the software his company uses has detected with almost certainty that some AI-generated appraisals posted on Amazon bubbled up to the top of review search results because they were so detailed and appeared to be well thought-out.

But determining what is fake or not can be challenging. External parties can fall short because they don’t have “access to data signals that indicate patterns of abuse,” Amazon has said.

Pangram Labs has done detection for some prominent online sites, which Spero declined to name due to non-disclosure agreements. He said he evaluated Amazon and Yelp independently.

Many of the AI-generated comments on Yelp appeared to be posted by individuals who were trying to publish enough reviews to earn an “Elite” badge, which is intended to let users know they should trust the content, Spero said.

The badge provides access to exclusive events with local business owners. Fraudsters also want it so their Yelp profiles can look more realistic, said Kay Dean, a former federal criminal investigator who runs a watchdog group called Fake Review Watch.

To be sure, just because a review is AI-generated doesn’t necessarily mean its fake. Some consumers might experiment with AI tools to generate content that reflects their genuine sentiments. Some non-native English speakers say they turn to AI to make sure they use accurate language in the reviews they write.

“It can help with reviews (and) make it more informative if it comes out of good intentions,” said Michigan State University marketing professor Sherry He, who has researched fake reviews. She says tech platforms should focus on the behavioral patters of bad actors, which prominent platforms already do, instead of discouraging legitimate users from turning to AI tools.

What companies are doing

Prominent companies are developing policies for how AI-generated content fits into their systems for removing phony or abusive reviews. Some already employ algorithms and investigative teams to detect and take down fake reviews but are giving users some flexibility to use AI.

Spokespeople for Amazon and Trustpilot, for example, said they would allow customers to post AI-assisted reviews as long as they reflect their genuine experience. Yelp has taken a more cautious approach, saying its guidelines require reviewers to write their own copy.

“With the recent rise in consumer adoption of AI tools, Yelp has significantly invested in methods to better detect and mitigate such content on our platform,” the company said in a statement.

The Coalition for Trusted Reviews, which Amazon, Trustpilot, employment review site Glassdoor, and travel sites Tripadvisor, Expedia and Booking.com launched last year, said that even though deceivers may put AI to illicit use, the technology also presents “an opportunity to push back against those who seek to use reviews to mislead others.”

“By sharing best practice and raising standards, including developing advanced AI detection systems, we can protect consumers and maintain the integrity of online reviews,” the group said.

The FTC’s rule banning fake reviews, which took effect in October, allows the agency to fine businesses and individuals who engage in the practice. Tech companies hosting such reviews are shielded from the penalty because they are not legally liable under U.S. law for the content that outsiders post on their platforms.

Tech companies, including Amazon, Yelp and Google, have sued fake review brokers they accuse of peddling counterfeit reviews on their sites. The companies say their technology has blocked or removed a huge swath of suspect reviews and suspicious accounts. However, some experts say they could be doing more.

“Their efforts thus far are not nearly enough,” said Dean of Fake Review Watch. “If these tech companies are so committed to eliminating review fraud on their platforms, why is it that I, one individual who works with no automation, can find hundreds or even thousands of fake reviews on any given day?”

Spotting fake AI-generated reviews

Consumers can try to spot fake reviews by watching out for a few possible warning signs, according to researchers. Overly enthusiastic or negative reviews are red flags. Jargon that repeats a product’s full name or model number is another potential giveaway.

When it comes to AI, research conducted by Balázs Kovács, a Yale professor of organization behavior, has shown that people can’t tell the difference between AI-generated and human-written reviews. Some AI detectors may also be fooled by shorter texts, which are common in online reviews, the study said.

However, there are some “AI tells” that online shoppers and service seekers should keep it mind. Panagram Labs says reviews written with AI are typically longer, highly structured and include “empty descriptors,” such as generic phrases and attributes. The writing also tends to include cliches like “the first thing that struck me” and “game-changer.”

Jeff Bezos’ Space Company Tries Again to Launch Massive New Rocket after Last-Minute Postponement

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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Blue Origin will try again to launch its massive new rocket as early as Thursday after calling off the debut launch because of ice buildup in critical plumbing.

The 320-foot (98-meter) New Glenn rocket was supposed to blast off before dawn Monday with a prototype satellite. But ice formed in a purge line for a unit powering some of the rocket’s hydraulic systems and launch controllers ran out of time to clear it, according to the company.

Founded by Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, Blue Origin further delayed the launch because of Tuesday’s poor weather forecast for Cape Canaveral and a moonshot planned Wednesday by SpaceX. The test flight already had been postponed by rough seas that posed a risk to Blue Origin’s plan to land the first-stage booster on a floating platform in the Atlantic.

New Glenn is named after the first American to orbit Earth, John Glenn. It is five times taller than Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket that carries paying customers to the edge of space from Texas.

Bezos started the company 25 years ago. He took part in Monday’s countdown from Mission Control, located at the rocket factory just outside the gates of NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.

No matter what happens, Bezos said this weekend, “We’re going to pick ourselves up and keep going.”

Scottland FC Continue Shopping Spree

Leave a Comment / Sport News

By Sport reporter

Newly promoted PSL side scottland fc have officially unveiled twelve moreplayers, including five from champions Simba Bhora as they continued their shopping spree ahead of their debut season in the domestic top flight.

Tymon Machope, Vasili Kawe, Tichaona Chipunza, Mthokozisi Msebe and Talbert Shumba have all followed head coach Tonderai Ndiraya in making the switch from Shamva to Scottland.

The others are Kevin Moyo from Dynamos, Panashe Mutimbanyoka from FC Platinum, Nelson Chadya and Gareth Madhake both from Ngezi Platinum Stars, Michael Tapera from Manica Diamonds as well as Godknows Murwira and Kingsley Mureremba who make the switch from CAPS United.

The club had already secured the signatures of star players Khama billiat and Walter musona as well as unheralded young forward Nathan Mutasa, bringing to fifteen so far the number of players the club has signed ahead of their maiden season in the PSL.

‌President Extends General Sibanda’s Term of Office

Leave a Comment / local-news-blog

Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa has extended the tenure of Zimbabwe Defence Forces Commander General Philip Valerio Sibanda by a year.

The extension is effective from December 24,2024 to November 23, 2025.

Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet Dr Martin Rushwaya announced this in a notice published in the Government Gazette (3 January 2025).

Part of the notice reads, “It is hereby notified that His Excellency the President has, in terms of proviso (i) to the Defence (Regular Force) (Officers) Regulations, 1988, published in Statutory Instrument 152 of 1988, extended the appointment of General Philip Valerio Sibanda as Commander of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces with effect from the 24th December, 2024 to the 23rd November, 2025.”

President Mnangagwa also promoted 26 Zimbabwe National Army lieutenant-colonels to the rank of colonel.

The Commander-in-Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces made these promotions in terms of the Defence Act (Chapter 11:02) Section 20, as read with Statutory Instrument 257 of 2020, Section 19c, Sub-section 2c.

The section reads: “His Excellency the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe and Commander-in-Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces may on the advice of the Minister of Defence, acting on the recommendations of the Commander Zimbabwe Defence Forces, reward any member for distinguished service or gallant conduct on active service by promoting an officer to a higher rank.”

ZTN to Broadcast Chimombe, Mpofu Bail Hearing

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MultiChoice DSTV channel, ZTN Prime, will broadcast the bail hearing of popular Zimbabwean business partners Mike Chimombe and Moses Mpofu on Tuesday.

The hearing was initially slated for January 17, and later brought forward by two weeks, and then postponed to January 7.

Chimombe and Mpofu are accused of defrauding the Presidential Goat Pass-On Scheme of US$7,7 million.

ZTN Prime is available on Channel 294.

China automakers pivot to hybrids for Europe to counter EV tariffs

Leave a Comment / Markets and Innovation

SHANGHAI, Dec 5 (Reuters) – Automakers in China are ramping up exports of hybrid vehicles to Europe and planning more models for the key market, exposing the limits of the European Union’s electric vehicle tariff scheme.

The bloc’s latest EV tariffs to protect its auto industry from a flood of cheap Chinese imports do not apply to hybrid cars. That could see major brands such as China’s top EV maker BYD (002594.SZ), opens new tab continue expansion in the region, analysts say.

Some manufacturers are also shifting production and assembly to Europe to lower the cost around tariffs.

“The increase is driven by Chinese OEMs shifting toward PHEVs (plug-in hybrids) as a way to sidestep the new EU tariffs on BEV (battery-powered EVs) imports from China,” said Murtuza Ali, an analyst at Counterpoint Research.

He expects China’s hybrid exports to Europe to grow 20% this year and even faster next year.

EU tariffs of up to 45.3% on Chinese EV imports came into effect in late October to counter what the European Commission says are unfair subsidies that helped create spare production capacity of 3 million EVs per year in China, twice the size of the EU market.

The anti-subsidy investigations on Chinese EV imports, which began in October 2023, and slowing car sales in China from an economic slowdown, have led some automakers to change their European strategy to focus more on hybrid exports, the data shows.

That helped exports of plug-in hybrids and conventional hybrids account for 18% of China’s total vehicle sales to Europe in the third quarter, doubling from 9% in the first quarter. The proportion of EV shipments, however, fell to 58% from 62% during the same period.

The trend is likely to gain further momentum.

China, which overtook Japan as the world’s biggest auto exporter last year aided by its dominance in EVs, is stepping up its export drive to address overcapacity at home, analysts say.

Given 100% tariffs on Chinese-made EVs in the United States and Canada, Europe is also one of the most obvious outlets for Chinese auto makers.

The European Commission did not immediately reply to a request for comment on rising hybrid imports from China.

MORE HYBRID MODELS

Major Chinese automakers could upend the European plug-in hybrid market dominated by European and Japanese firms as they meet rising demand for affordable cars with better fuel economy amid rising inflation.

BYD is taking on Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE), opens new tab and Toyota (7203.T), opens new tab in Europe with its first plug-in hybrid model for the region, the Seal U DM-i.

The model is priced from 35,900 euros ($37,700), 700 euros lower than VW’s best-selling PHEV model Tiguan and 10% cheaper than Toyota’s C-HR PHEV.

It is also considering production of both EVs and hybrids in its Hungarian plant, Chinese official media China Auto News reported.

“The segment could see bigger growth potentials with Chinese automakers bringing more affordable options to Europe that are attractive to cost-sensitive consumers,” said Yale Zhang, managing director at Automotive Foresight.

SAIC (600104.SS), opens new tab, whose EV exports to the EU face the highest additional rate of 35.3%, has said it plans products with various powertrain systems for the European market.

Geely (0175.HK), opens new tab, China’s second-largest automaker by sales, launched a new plug-in hybrid under its brand Lynk & Co for Europe last month.

“The recent increased introduction of electrified hybrid models to markets around the world by global automakers is in line with consumer demands and purchasing trends,” Geely said in response to Reuters questions. It did not comment on trade restrictions.

Japanese automakers too are taking advantage of the growth of conventional hybrids in Europe this year and addressing their overcapacity problems in China.

Honda (7267.T), opens new tab, which suffered a 29% slump in China vehicle sales in the first nine months of this year, exports two conventional hybrids, one plug-in hybrid and one pure EV model from China to Europe.

While increasing exports from China could trigger intense price competition in Europe’s hybrid vehicle market, some experts caution Chinese firms are likely to tread more carefully for fear of sparking another round of EU tariffs.

“If BYD takes Qin Plus to Europe at a price of 20,000 euros, I am sure it would trigger another earthquake,” Zhang said, referring to its hybrid sedan.

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