COVID-19
AMC Plans To Open Theaters In July, Moviegoers Still Uneasy
Source: Noam Galai / Getty When COVID-19 effectively shutdown Hollywood, the movie theater chain giant, AMC also saw its locations shutter. As the world begins to slowly open up, AMC hopes its theaters will be back in business as well. July, that’s the target for AMC if things go as plan. During a recent earnings call, the company’s CEO Adam Aron boldly revealed that he expects that 97 percent of the company’s locations to be opened by next month The Wall Street Journal reports. AMC had to close all of its theaters back in March due to the COVID-19 global pandemic being that going to the movies falls under the mass gathering’s category. That sounds good, and all but surveys suggest that people are saying aht aht aht when it comes to heading back to the theater to watch a flick. A recent st...
Uber Cash Digital Wallet Launched in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sourced from The Guardian. Uber is launching its Uber Cash digital wallet feature in Sub-Saharan Africa through a partnership with Nigerian founded fintech Flutterwave. The arrangement will allow riders to top up Uber wallets using the dozens of remittance partners active on Flutterwave’s Pan-African network. Flutterwave operates as a business-to-business payments gateway network that allows clients to tap its APIs and customize payments applications. According to TechCrunch, Uber Cash will go live in the next two weeks for Uber’s ride-hailing operations in South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda, Ghana, Ivory Coast and Tanzania according to Alon Lits, GM of Uber for Sub-Saharan Africa. “Depending on the country, you’ve got different top-up methods available. For example, in Nigeria, you can ...
Tourism Suffers as COVID-19 Restrictions Throttle Safari Industry
Sourced from And Beyond. SafariBookings.com, an online marketplace for African safari tours, recently ran its fourth monthly survey among 308 safari tour operators. The survey’s aim was to acquire a detailed understanding of the impact in the safari industry from the downturn in travel associated with the coronavirus pandemic. The results were in line with the previous three surveys – an overwhelming number of tour operators are suffering from a decline in bookings of at least 75%. A terrible figure for an industry in which so many people rely on in East and Southern Africa. As one operator from Tanzania says, “We have not received any bookings from potential clients since the COVID-19 spread worldwide.” And it’s a similar story in neighbouring Kenya, “At the moment customers are not willi...
Australia’s Concert Industry Introduces $345 Million COVID-19 Rebuilding Plan
Live Performance Australia, a prominent body representing promoters, event producers, theatres, concert venues, performing arts centres, arts and music festivals, and more, have formulated an AUD $345 million rebuilding proposal for the live entertainment industry. In 2018, Australia’s concert industry was worth USD $1.4 billion in ticket sales alone. However, according to a report from Digital Music News, the Australian music sector has lost AUD $340 million this year following sweeping cancellations in the wake of COVID-19. Live Performance Australia’s two-year “COVID-19: Live Performance Industry Rebuild & Recovery Package” poses that a similar figure will need to be disbursed in its goal to reopen Australia’s live concert industry, which...
Take a Look Inside This Socially-Distant, Seated Techno Show in The Netherlands
While the days of loud, packed dancefloors are behind us for the time being, artists and venues have begun to get creative with how they deliver authentic live music experiences to fans. Many have chosen to go digital with livestreamed events, but they can only replicate the experience so much. Doornroosje in The Netherlands decided to take things a step further and host a physical, socially-distant show last weekend. Due to the country only allowing thirty patrons inside a bar or venue at a time, that was the number of concertgoers in attendance at the event. Attendees were required to remain seated during the performances and each chair was spaced about five feet apart. Below are some pictures and videos from the social distancing-compliant techno night. As you can see, although th...
How to Fight COVID-19 in Africa’s Informal Settlements
Sourced from eNCA. The COVID-19 pandemic has cost hundreds of thousands of lives in the world’s richest cities but poses an even greater threat to cities in the developing world. There are now more than 150,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus across Africa, in all 54 countries, with South Africa and Egypt the worst affected. One of the most pressing concerns for Africa is that over half the population (excluding in North Africa) live in overcrowded informal settlements. In these areas where several people have to share one badly ventilated room, diseases such as COVID-19 spread fast and it is impossible to practice physical distancing whether in homes or outside. Other preventative measures are equally challenging. Only a third of households in Africa have access to basic handwashing facili...
How COVID-19 Has Emphasised the Need for Digital Transformation
When it comes to digital transformation, COVID-19 has been a massive accelerant. Businesses with long-term transformation deadlines have been forced to bring them forward dramatically: what was once planned for 18 months’ time, now has to be ready immediately. Consumers are engaging with businesses that are digitally astute now more than ever before. Those that are able to innovate, and to make their products and services available quickly, easily and reliably, are sure to succeed; those that aren’t sufficiently transformed will likely be left behind. This digital transformation drive has far-reaching implications: for how we work, for the tools we use, and for businesses’ long-term relevance. It is shaping the future of our working world. The evolution of office space /* custom css */ .td...
Live Nation’s Festival Republic Drafts “Full Capacity Plan” to Get Live Music Up and Running by November in the UK
Melvin Benn, the managing director at Live Nation‘s Festival Republic, has unveiled his “Full Capacity Plan” with regards to reopening the entertainment and hospitality industries in the UK, which he recently discussed on BBC Radio 1’s Newsbeat. The mission is to get them fully operational by November through partnering with the National Health Service (NHS) COVID-19 track and trace app that is currently in development. What this means is that only people who have recently tested negative for the virus would be able to attend music venues, sporting events, theatres, and restaurants. Benn is also championing the initiative as a major incentive for people to begin using the NHS app. The app tracks and traces users’ whereabouts, allowing them to know if they̵...
Music, TV, and Film Production Can Resume in California on June 12th
After months of shutdowns crippled the entertainment industry, governor Gavin Newsom has announced guidelines to resume music, film, and television production in California. Via The Hollywood Reporter, work can begin again on June 12th, as the Golden State transitions into Stage 3 of its coronavirus recovery plan. Stage 3 allows for the re-opening of some “higher-risk workplaces.” Concerts won’t return until stage 4 (and even then, it might not be a typical concert experience) but most recording studios should be back after next Friday. Additionally, many of the film and television productions that paused during the pandemic seem likely to resume. However, the guidelines are purposefully vague, and several questions remain. In a statement, the California Department of Public Health sa...
Steve Aoki Partners with Forbes and Quicken Loans for Detroit COVID-19 Hackathon
While COVID-19 has made it difficult to host large-scale, in-person hackathons, Forbes and Quicken Loans have teamed up for a four-week virtual event. Created for those under thirty years of age, the “Detroit Hackathon: Accelerating Change” will bring some of the brightest minds in Motor City together in an attempt to create the next innovative solution to problems caused by the ongoing pandemic. Attendees will be able to receive mentorship from some of the finest in both technology and business. Included in the program is Quicken Loans’ CEO, Jay Farner, fashion designer and CEO of her eponymous company, Tory Burch, and Instagram co-founder Kevin Systrom, among others. Particularly exciting for those who love EDM is Steve Aoki, who has b...
COVID-19 Threatens Cybersecurity in South Africa
According to researchers at IBM X-Force, Sphinx, a modular malware based on leaked source code of the infamous Zeus banking trojan began resurfacing in December 2019. However, a substantial increase in volume was reported in March 2020. This was due to Sphinx’s operators taking advantage of the interest and news around government relief payments in the U.S, Canada and Australia. Across the globe fraud and cyberattacks have soared. This is of particular concern for South Africa as funds are collected to uphold the economy during lockdown and new grants are implemented to ensure the wellbeing of citizens. The local situation South African President Cyril Ramaphosa recently announced a significant package of social and economic relief to address the fallout from the country’s COVID-19 lockdow...
Energy Leaders Give Insight on the Future of Kenya’s Oil and Gas Transition
Sourced from Construction Review Online. Kenya’s oil and gas industry is in a state of transition, as its major oil and gas development — Blocks 10BB and 13T in Turkana — has been put on hold, with Tullow Oil submitting a notice of force majeure to the Kenyan Ministry of Petroleum and Mining, citing complications from COVID-19. Meanwhile, Uganda’s Lake Albert Project is moving ahead, with Total announcing plans to acquire Tullow Oil’s stake in the project. The massive development in Uganda, which is set to include a pipeline and refinery, could easily have an impact on regional oil and gas developments and opportunities. In a webinar, Kenyan energy industry leaders shared strategies and thoughts on how Kenya’s oil and gas sector can deal with the implications caused by COVID-19. According ...
