Some billionaires buy newspapers, magazines and sports teams and jet liners. Elon Musk is trying to buy a social network that he himself admits might cause much of the world to hate him.

Musk said at a TED conference that everybody will still blame him for everything. He said that if he acquired Twitter and something went wrong, it will be 100 percent his fault, and he also felt that there would be quite a few errors.

Twitter itself is facing a lot of scrutiny for content issues, and is also fighting hard to regain and retain user growth on the platform – so the question arises as to why the world’s richest man would want to buy it?

In recent days, Musk has repeatedly said that he wished to acquire Twitter to enhance freedom of speech, and to unlock what he called Twitter’s extraordinary potential. While some have suggested that the move was more to enhance his own image, regardless of the outcome of the proposed deal. He made a stunning offer last Thursday to purchase all the Twitter shares he did not own, for USD43 billion.

Twitter employees are now used to dealing with big changes, and many people are believed to be keeping their heads down in the hope that the storm will blow over. However, the constant change in tone by Musk could make things difficult for them.

CEO of Twitter, Parag Agarwal, seemed to allude to that difficulty, with a memo in which he warned that there will be distractions ahead. He called an all-hands meeting to discuss what Musk’s bid could mean for them, and suggested that they continue working as usual during the disruptions.

Twitter’s board of directors stated that they are weighing their options. One of those options is a defensive tactic known as the poison pill. Using this option, other stakeholders would be given the right to buy company shares at a cheaper rate, thereby diluting Musk’s ownership stake in the company and forcing him to negotiate.

Observers have serious doubts as to whether Musk would indeed move ahead with the deal. Musk himself was quoted as saying that he was not sure if he would actually buy Twitter.

Musk was also quoted as saying that he was purchasing Twitter with a view to protecting human civilization. He added that it was not a move to make money, but about having a public platform that is inclusive and in the better interests of the future of civilization.

If Musk does go ahead with the deal, some of his plans include making the Twitter algorithm open source, and making the platform more transparent to users. He also said that he would want to have more lenient content moderation policies.

Attention seeking by Musk

Followers of the SpaceX and Tesla CEO have suggested that his takeover bid for Twitter was just a way of honing his reputation, and preserving his voice on the popular platform.

Musk has over 80 million followers on Twitter, and has often used it to build his brand while communicating with them. Many say that his USD43 billion offer to Twitter is keeping in line with a history of wealthy individuals buying media properties as a way to prop up their personal image.

What Musk does next

Musk reportedly stated in his letter to Twitter that if the board rejects his bid, he would need to reconsider his position as a shareholder – a move that may cause Twitter’s shares to drop drastically. He also followed this u p by saying that he could also make things difficult for the board if they rejected his bid. He said that by rejecting the bid, the liability that they would assume would be Titanic in nature.

Musk was likely to change everything about Twitter, should the deal go through, including its policies to its workplace culture. A former employee was quoted as saying that Musk was incredibly unpredictable and like a loose cannon.

Twitter’s culture has long been known for being inclusive and friendly, she said. She added that with Musk running the show, a lot of that would be put into question.

South Africa has launched its first industry-wide Health Information Exchange, CareConnect, emanating from the private health sector, marking a prominent milestone in its history. The CareConnect Health Information Exchange was founded by six leading hospital groups in the country, and has been in development for the last two years. The HIE has been launched to encourage collaboration across the private healthcare sector. 

With this collaboration, clinical information and data will be shared, with a goal to improve patient care and efficacy in the health sector.

The CEO of CareConnect, Dr. Rolan Christian believes that CareConnect is a necessary innovation that will enhance a coordinated health system with a secure, reliable and unified digital platform.

 Dr. Christian also added that the CareConnect HIE will permit clinicians to access real-time, up-to-date and consolidated clinical information about their patients progress through the healthcare ecosystem, which will in turn improve quality, speed and coordination of care.

The Health Information Exchange will enable and ensure secure, speedy electronic transfer of information between hospitals, insurers and other service providers, thereby providing better patient care and practitioner support.

Chairman of CareConnect, Mathew Prior, said that there was recognition by hospitals and medical scheme administrators that better efficacy could be achieved by providing clinicians with accurate patient information as and when required. He also said that the need for an integrated approach to healthcare was an important driver for developing the Health Information Exchange (HIE).

CareConnect can mean the difference between life and death

HIE’s provide a holistic set of patient clinical information in everyday clinical situations, by saving time for clinicians, minimizing medical errors, and also decreasing the cost of healthcare by avoiding duplicate and unnecessary tests.

The participation of health professionals will therefore be key to the future development of the CareConnect HIE to ensure that the system continues to add value to their work.

Access to the HIE can mean the difference between life and death for patients in an emergency situation or while travelling, since the treating team will be able to access critical healthcare information wherever they are, using any device, said Dr. Christian.

Security and confidentiality of information are cornerstones of the CareConnect HIE which conforms to both local and international data privacy regulations, such as ISO 27001/27701 and Popia. In addition to these strict data privacy and governance standards, all participants in the HIE have signed data privacy agreements that govern the purposes for which information can be used.

Dr. Christian added that information always remains protected, and can only be accessed by authorized users. Health information can only be accessed by medical practitioners when necessary, and only with the patients consent, said Dr. Christian while referring to data privacy concerns.

The CareConnect HIE has been built on an internationally recognized platform named InterSystems HealthShare, which has been widely used for the development of HIE’s across the world. CareConnect will provide interoperability between different systems, like clinics, hospitals, rehabilitation centers, radiology clinics, pathology labs and doctors’ practice management systems.

Dr Christian stated that this development was a good indicator of the future of healthcare, since it allows the secure integration of information from various sources.

He also said that HIE has become imperative for governments around the world to address health system fragmentation and better coordination of care. The system is already in use in countries like England, China, Scotland, India, Switzerland and the US.

Adding that though the CareConnect HIE is still in its infancy, Dr Christian said that the number of transactions are growing, with many organizations deriving value from the HIE, through streamlines hospital admissions and new efficacies in the system.

Shanghai reported over 27,000 new coronavirus cases, a new daily high, one day after Chinese President Xi Jinping said that the country must continue with its strict Dynamic Covid Clearance policy and pandemic control measures. 

Shanghai is facing China’s worst Covid outbreak since the coronavirus emerged in Wuhan in 2019. Over 25 million residents are under lockdown, although some restrictions were eased in several areas earlier this week.

A wider restriction net to curb the spread of the Omicron variant have disrupted logistics and supply chain systems, and are taking a massive economic toll on the country. This has led many to believe that China’s central bank will announce more stimulus measures.

A study on the 7th of April revealed that 87 of China’s hundred largest cities (by GDP) have imposed some form of quarantine curbs.

Residents of Shanghai have resorted to social media to vent their frustrations and anger over difficulties which include not getting enough food, and the Chinese policy that requires anyone who tested positive, symptomatic or not, have to be quarantined. Residents have complained about poor conditions in the quarantine centers.

The Chinese CDC (Centre for Disease Control) published a home guide to quarantine on Wednesday, offering hopes for a shift in policy on the quarantine curbs imposed in Shanghai. The guide, which recommends being quarantined in a well-ventilated room with plenty of sanitizer and masks, lifted hopes that the central quarantine rule will be eased.

However, when asked by a social media user in an online comments section about who might be eligible for home quarantine, the CDC referred to the old rules.

Shanghai government authorities also gave no hint of any change in approach.

Promising those enduring enforced lockdowns that persistence would pay off in the long run, President Xi said that China must stick to the dynamic Covid Clearance policy as the global pandemic situation remained extremely serious.

The President indicated that there would not be a change in approach to the pandemic control measures, while reiterating that the country must stick to its approach and not relax prevention measures.

Xi’s remarks follow several recent state media articles supporting China’s aggressive COVID strategy even as Shanghai residents labor under restrictions.

Poor conditions in Shanghai quarantine centers

Recently, an article enumerating the human toll of Shanghai’s hard anti-Covid measures went viral on social media platform WeChat. One comment received over half a million likes in under 7 hours, after which the article was removed for allegedly violating WeChat regulations.

One quarantine center in Shanghai had people on camp beds separated by less than an arm’s length distance. One of the occupants said that four toilets were being shared by over 200 people, with no facility for showers.

A city official said that cases continued to rise despite the lockdown mainly because of a backlog of test results and also because of continued transmission among family members. While authorities have not provided exact details of the number of people in quarantine, the city has recorded more than 280,000 cases in March alone.

In order to leave a quarantine center, residents must produce two consecutive negative RT-PCR test results.

OPay Egypt is working to provide all digital payment solutions in the local market by issuing prepaid cards that enable customers to deposit sums of money and use them for cash withdrawals and purchases without the need to open a bank account

OPay Egypt, a fintech and payments solutions company, recently announced that it has secured approval from the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) to issue prepaid cards through its app in an alliance with Egyptian Cards Company, the regions largest supplier of cards in the regional and local market.

With the issuance of the prepaid card, OPay is hoping to provide all digital payment solutions in the local market. The cards would enable customers of OPay to use them to make cash withdrawals and deposits without the need for opening a bank account. OPay said that the cards would contribute to providing its customer base with a range of services to suit their needs.

Seamless transition to non-banking services in Egypt

Head of Business Development and Strategic Partnerships at OPay, Mahmoud Khader, said that OPay was pleased to cooperate with the Egyptian Card Company to issue prepaid cards, since it provides customers with yet another payment option. He further added that using prepaid cards represented a smooth and easy system to provide non-banking services to customers, allowing them to meet their financial needs wherever they may be.

Khader went on to say that the launch coincides with enhancement of financial inclusion operations, and implementation of the plan of the National Payments Council. He also said that the decisions and initiatives of the CBE contributed immensely to attracting foreign investors to the country, especially in the fintech sector.

Khader went on to praise the CBE for issuing a package of decisions that would benefit Egyptian citizens, at the same time ensuring competitiveness in providing the best financial services to suit all sections of society.

Head of the Digital Business and Card Services sector, Hisham Ezz Al-Din, said that his company is working hard to enhance its presence in the local market by providing new and innovative payment and collection methods, and supporting customers through a comprehensive system, which contributes to digital transformation, financial inclusion and achieving a cashless society – in line with the nations plan to build a Digital Egypt by 2030.

He also added that OPay will link the prepaid cards to the company’s mobile app, which would cater to all customer demands and needs, and even support if the customer wished to issue or cancel cards.

He stressed that OPay always strives to provide the best electronic services to the local market, taking into account all the means of protection and safety for the company’s customers.

OPay signed a cooperation protocol with the Egyptian Cards Company last year in order to issue their bank cards.

The loyalty payments solution from Loylogic, Pointspay, has recently partnered with Jumeirah Group to expand the Jumeirah One loyalty program and allow members to spend and collect points with online retailers across GCC countries.

Adding Pointspay to its network, Jumeirah One will now offer all three loyalty solutions from Loylogic to its members. Loylogic’s Pointshub, a rewards solution, and luxury media platform Dezerved have already partnered with the group, and are part of Loylogic’s network.

Pointspay is already being used by some of the world’s leading loyalty programmes, including SWISS Miles and More, and Etihad Guest. Pointspay is an innovative payment and marketing solution that bridges the gap between performance marketing and payment solutions.

Buy more and pay less with Jumeirah One

Members who use Pointspay, will be able to buy more and spend less, using a combination of spending points and cash, or either one of the two exclusively. Members will be allowed to earn more points with cash purchases, and will also enjoy access to unique discounts from the region’s leading online retailers. This would enhance their access to the programme’s wide range of curated rewards.

The retailers participating in this scheme range from electronics, kids, fashion, cosmetics, perfumes and experiences. Jumbo, Sharaf DG, Mumzworld, Yas Marina Circuit and Just Lounge are just a few of the brands participating in this promotion.

Founder and CEO of Loylogic, Dominic Hofer, said that they have built a marvelous relationship with the group through existing partnerships with Pointshub and Dezerved. He also said that with the addition of Pointspay, Loylogic would help members to enhance their spending power and reward them with an online shopping experience that seamlessly allows them to collect and redeem loyalty points.

Perfect extension

Senior Director Insights, CRM and Loyalty at Jumeirah Group, Vicky Elliot said that Jumeirah One is the perfect extension of the dedication of the brand to provide unforgettable and personalized experiences. She also said that Jumeirah One is constantly seeking new avenues to deliver consumer benefits, and bolster Jumeirah One’s position as the leading loyalty program in luxury hospitality. In addition, Elliot said that Pointspay will build on the success of Pointshub and Dzerved, and provide a new way to reward and engage customers.

To celebrate the partnership between Jumeirah One and Pointspay, members who make a purchase with Pointspay from selected partner brands, will stand a chance to win 25,000 bonus points on Jumeirah One, or brand vouchers in the recently launched raffle, Shop & Win.