Category Archives: Seychelles

The funding will support WAX-based gaming, NFT, and web3 wallet capabilities, driving greater utility of the WAX blockchain and WAXP token

VICTORIA, Seychelles, June 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- OKX Blockdream Ventures, the investment arm of world-leading cryptocurrency exchange OKX, today announced it's investing tens of millions of dollars in WAX Studios. WAXis a carbon neutral blockchain network that supports over 23 million daily transactions across NFT trading, play-to-earn (P2E) gaming, and more. The funding will go towards greater functionality of NFTs in P2E games built on WAX, the development of an exchange for P2E gaming tokens, and upgrades to the WAX Cloud Wallet. With this investment, OKX Blockdream Ventures aims to advance blockchain-based gaming infrastructure to help integrate web3 technology into consumers' daily lives.

William Quigley, CEO of WAX Studios, said, "This initiative with OKX Blockdream Ventures will further our mission to sustainably scale the WAX ecosystem and across multiple blockchains, bringing blockchain gaming to the mass market. Enthralling gaming experiences, seamless user experiences, and closer, more effective collaboration with game developers will all be facilitated with this initiative, and we look forward to further cementing our position as the most multi-faceted NFT and gaming studio."

With over 12 million user accounts, WAX has been used by top brands such as NASCAR, Sony, Hasbro, and Mattel to create and sell their respective NFT collections. WAX's novel vIRL NFTs are distinct from standard NFTs in their dynamic functionality, including app integrations, marketing tools, and e-commerce capabilities.

The capital from OKX Blockdream Ventures will be used to enable the integration of these NFT capabilities into WAX-based video games, ultimately giving more creative leeway to P2E game developers and means of engagement to end-users. The increased NFT functionality within blockchain-based games will create an experience akin to popular web2 games, while offering the ROI opportunity that gamers prioritize in P2E participation. WAX will work alongside innovative game development studios from around the world with proven gaming pedigree that can deliver this level of gameplay, digital fidelity, thoughtful system design, and high production value.

Additionally, funding from Blockdream will support development of the WAXex exchange, which will specifically list the native tokens of play-to-earn video games that are built on the WAX blockchain. This will make it easier for new blockchain-based games to enter the market, as developers often struggle to get gaming tokens listed on reputable exchanges without a large existing userbase. WAXex will function like any mainstream cryptocurrency exchange while giving gamers a more familiar and accessible experience of using fiat currency to buy WAX's native WAXP tokens, then using them to acquire any gaming token listed on the exchange. Developers building WAX-based games will get marketing and technical support, with plugins and dev kits for integrating the engines Unityand Unreal, soon to come from WAX Studios.

Jeff Ren, head of OKX Blockdream Ventures, said, "OKX Blockdream Ventures is committed to promoting innovation and growth across industries and international borders through funding the world's most progressive implementations of blockchain technology. WAX Studios sits at the cutting edge of traditional gaming and the emerging P2E environment, and we are thrilled to be giving them the firepower needed to further proliferate their unique offering to a wider audience."

Beyond gaming, Blockdream's investment will be used to facilitate the growth of the WAX Cloud Wallet to include more cross-chain functionality and an improved user experience. The wallet acts as a dashboard for the entire WAX ecosystem users can create an account using social media or email to then send gaming NFTs seamlessly, utilizing existing WAX cross-chain NFT functionality and NFT bridges across multiple blockchains. NFTs from WAX studios can be sold on OpenSea,OKX NFT, and WAX's own vIRL market, among other major platforms. WAX Studios is also committed to continuing to raise additional funding as it builds ambitious projects, such as its upcoming metaverse.

For more information, please contact:Larissa Bundziaklarissa.bundziak@okcoin.com

About OKX Blockdream VenturesOKX Blockdream Ventures is an investment institution under the worldwide top trading platform OKX.com, which focuses on exploring the best blockchain projects on a global scale, supporting the most cutting-edge blockchain technology innovation, promoting the healthy development of the global blockchain industry, and focusing on long-term structural value investment. The initial capital of OKX Blockdream Ventures is USD $100 million. We are committed to helping the ideal entrepreneurs who contribute to the development of the blockchain industry to build great companies and bringing global resources and historical experience to blockchain projects.

About WAX - The King of NFTsThe Worldwide Asset eXchange (WAX) is the #1 Metaverse Blockchain for Games and Entertainment, bringing blockchain games and NFTs to the mass market in the most secure, environmentally friendly, and easy-to-use manner possible. It's also home to WAX Studios, the innovator of vIRL Market, vIRL Technology, WAX Cloud Wallet, and several blockchain game titles currently in development and slated for release in 2022 and beyond. For more information, please visit https://wax.io and follow along on Twitter and Discord.

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SOURCE OKX Blockdream Ventures

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OKX Blockdream Ventures Invests Tens of Millions to Grow Play-to-Earn Gaming, NFT Marketplace on WAX - Markets Insider

American Airlines and Qatar Airways are expanding their strategic alliance with a new codeshare agreement, enabling Americans customers to book travel on Qatar Airways flights via Doha to and from 16 new countries.

Pending any necessary government codeshare approvals, travellers will be able to book travel beyond Qatar to their final destinations in Ethiopia, Indonesia, Jordan, Kenya, Malaysia, Maldives, Oman, Pakistan, Seychelles, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. This expanded codeshare comes as American launches new service on June 4 from New Yorks John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to Dohas Hamad International Airport (DOH), recently voted Worlds Best Airport. The new service establishes American as the only U.S. carrier to serve the Gulf region, seamlessly connecting through Doha with Qatar Airways.

Our global partnerships expand upon Americans comprehensive network, providing access to numerous destinations for our customers who are ready to travel around the world, said Americans CEO Robert Isom. Were excited to deepen our strategic alliance with Qatar Airways alongside the launch of our new service between New York and Doha, giving Americans customers more choices and convenient access to the Middle East and beyond.

The strategic alliance includes Qatar Airways, the leading carrier in the Middle East in terms of frequencies and destinations and the six-time Skytrax Worlds Best Airline award winner, placing its code on thousands of Americans domestic flights strengthening connectivity and creating new travel options for customers. Americans network enables connections to over 250 North American cities and Qatar Airways extensive network of more than 85 relevant destinations allows customers to access the Middle East, East Africa, South Asia and Southeast Asia gateways. The airlines, both alliance members, are paving the way for more interconnected travel within the alliance and globally.

Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive Akbar Al Baker, said: Qatar Airways is pleased to extend our codeshare partnership with American Airlines, as yet another step in renewing our long-term strategic partnership with the airline. The expansion of our codeshare agreement is a testament to our joint confidence in the future of aviation, and our shared mission of enhancing the customer experience for millions of passengers worldwide. We are thrilled to build on our relationship with our fellow oneworld partner to provide passengers with the reliable, safe and award-winning service that they have come to know and expect from Qatar Airways.

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American Airlines and Qatar Airways expand codeshare agreement to 16 additional countries - Aviation24.be

Redeem IHG points for these Six Senses hotels and resorts

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From Ibiza to the Seychelles: 11 Six Senses properties you can book with IHG points - The Points Guy UK

OKX is entering the metaverse with Everdome.

SEYCHELLES, May 30, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- World-leading cryptocurrency app OKX today announced ithas acquired a substantial land holding in Everdome, the hyper-realistic metaverse, marking its first foray into the metaverse. As one of Everdome's premier partners, OKX joins a global partnership that is leading innovation in the metaverse space.

OKX Logo

OKX will work with the Everdome team to bring their partners and others into the metaverse to design unique cultural programming and innovative experiences that surprise and delight. OKX will also design interactive experiences that will help Everdome participants deepen their education and understanding of crypto and the overall web3 ecosystem.

To celebrate its foray into the metaverse, OKX will also be giving five plots of land in the Everdome metaverse away to fans.

As a tier-1 crypto exchange with $1.5Baverage daily trading volume, OKX is a major player in the market. Under the new marketing leadership of OKX Global CMOHaider Rafique the companyhasset itssights onexpanding itstop-tier status in Asia globallyby becoming one of crypto's most beloved brands.

Most recently,OKX has announced partnerships with Manchester City Football Club, the McLaren F1 Racing Team and F1 fan favourite Daniel Ricciardo with the objective of supercharging the fan experience and educating fans so that they can invest responsibly.

Speaking to OKX entering the metaverse with Everdome, OKX CMO Haider Rafique said,"OKX is excited to extend Everdome as a key partner, and is thrilled to be one of the first and largest landowners in the Everdome metaverse. Everdome will enable OKX to create immersive experiences within their metaverse, ones that are yet to be seen in such a partnership. We ultimately want to show the world what living on Mars could look like and ways we would transact and trade on the red planet."

Story continues

Rob Gryn, CEO and Founder of Everdome and Metahero, said of the new partnership that,"OKX is an exciting and exceptional new partner for Everdome, who we're thrilled to have on board. The collaboration between Everdome and OKX will enable us to elevate the metaverse and web3 journey even further, delivering deeply immersive experiences that leverage photorealistic graphics to blur the boundaries between the connected and real worlds."

OKX is a place where people can trade, invest, and hold thousands of cryptos, digital assets and collectibles. The company is experiencing incredible growth. In 2021, the total trading volume on the platform increased more than 700%, while the number of trades executed on the platform increased 480%.

For further information, please contact:

Media@okx.com

About OKX

OKXis a world-leading cryptocurrency exchange and a self-custody ecosystem. Trusted by more than 20 million users in over 180 international markets, our fast, secure and efficient platform is the exchange of choice for retail and professional investors globally.

Since 2017, OKX has grown into a global community of people who share a common interest in the power of crypto and decentralized finance. We empower people to learn, trade, game and explore everything crypto within an expansive ecosystem of wealth creation opportunities. Beyond the OKX Exchange, MetaX is our DeFi portal into the world of Web 3.0, metaverse gaming, NFTs and the decentralized economy.

To learn more about OKX visit: https://www.okx.com/

OKX social media:Twitter,LinkedIn,Telegram

About Everdome

Everdome is creating the most hyper-realistic metaverse. Bringing brands and users together in a digital-life meets real-world experience, all with the purpose of interconnecting the digital and physical worlds seamlessly - ultimately creating the most realistic web3 experience.

Logo- https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1826251/OKX_Logo_Logo.jpg

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OKX partners with Everdome metaverse ahead of its land auction - Yahoo Finance

When Ethiopia announced on May 9 that it was launching trials for its first 5G mobile network in its capital, it joined more than a dozen African countries that are either testing or have rolled out the next-gen network. But just as for its 5G peers, the journeyisnt going to be smooth.

Governments in Africa are optimistic that they will one day use 5G to do large-scale farming using drones, introduce autonomous cars into roads, plug into the metaverse, activate smart homes and improve cyber security. Some analysts predict that 5G will add an additional $2.2 trillion to Africas economy by 2034.

But Africas 5G first movers are facing teething problems that stand to delay their 5G goals. The challenges have revolved around spectrum regulation clarity, commercial viability, deployment deadlines, and low citizen purchasing power of 5G enabled smartphones, and expensive internet.

Ethiopia is joining Botswana, Egypt,Gabon, Kenya, Lesotho,Madagascar, Mauritius, Nigeria, Senegal, Seychelles, South Africa, Uganda, and Zimbabwe,when it comes to testing or deploying 5G. But many of these countries are facing delays.

Botswana: On Feb. 25, Botswanas Mascom unveiled 5G to residents of the capital Gaborone. It started with four sites in the city, with a plan to lay more than 100 base stations by the end of 2022.

Egypt: Last February, Orange received spectrum from the Egyptian government that now allows it to test 5G networks just like Vodafone Egypt, Egypt Telecom and Etisalat Egypt. Though promising, Egyptians will have to wait for 5G services.

Gabon: Since it started testing the technology in November 2019, Gabons Gabon Telecom is yet to go commercial.Its CEO is targeting 2023.

Kenya: Ethiopias southern neighbor, has been testing the technology for a year now, but internet subscribers will have to wait till the end of the year, when the countrys telecoms regulator is expected to have issued mobile operators with 5G licenses. The country is expected to account for more than half of the continents tiny number of 5G mobile subscriptions in 2026.

Lesotho: Since Vodacom was given a temporary spectrum by the Lesotho government in 2018 to experiment with 5G technology, it has been a journey of pain. Wrangles between Vodacom, Econet and the regulator have hindered any meaningful 5G roll-out.

Madagascar: In July 2020, Madagascars Telma followed South Africa to launch a commercial 5G but three weeks later, the countrys regulator told the company to halt its plans.

Mauritius: On July 30 last year, the government of Mauritius announced the countrys first 5G network deployment to cover four zones but didnt share plans for a fully commercial roll-out.

Nigeria:The continents largest economy,issued spectrum licenses in March, and is hoping to possess the widest 5G network in the continent this year. It is looking at Augustfor commercial deployment.

Senegal: Since their first 5G tests in November 2020, Senegals Sonatel and Orange continue to do a number of trials in Dakar but the network still remains largely unoperational.

Seychelles: Citizens greeted the countrys 5G launch in 2020 with mistrust, expressing concern over health hazards. A year later, citizens in six regions are getting faster speeds of 1.2Gbps from Cable and Wireless Seychelles, for up to 100GB of use.

South Africa: The continents earliest adopter of 5G rolled out the technology on a temporary spectrum, but amid heavy strain on networks during the pandemic, Vodacom, Rain, and MTN were ordered to suspend that use from November 2021. In March, the country earned nearly $1 billion from its long-awaited 5G spectrum auction.

Uganda: In January 2020, Uganda became the first east African nation to test the possibility of launching a 5G network with ZTE and MTN. Buta commercial launch is yet to happen.

Zimbabwe: On Feb. 24, Zimbabwes Econet announced that it had launched the countrys first 5G network and would activate two dozen sites by this month.

Safaricom, the operator leading 5G adoption in Kenya, this month said that the high cost of 5G-enabled smartphones is slowing down the companys ambition to offer mobile 5G services. The cheapest smartphone with a 5G smartphone in the continent goes for about $300, which is very expensive for the average African. One study in Kenya revealed that 94% of the population owns devices costing less than $200.

Thats one of the reasons why we are focusing more on the 4G side and leaving 5G to serve the homes, Safaricom CEO Peter Ndegwa told the Business Daily newspaper.

The desire to catch up with the rest of the worldhas seen improvements in the existing 4G networks on which most countries plan to switch on 5G.As of 2019, 4G internet signalscovered about half the continent, according to the industry body GSMA. Yet only 10% of Africas population presently uses 4G, a recent report from telecom firm Vodacom said.

Even more detrimental to the 5G dream is the fact that 4G network services in Africa are only available in urban and peri-urban areas as many providers try to deploy internet in areas with high usage to remain profitable, leaving villages years away from experiencing higher speed internet.

For now, 3G is still adding users.And the reality is that 42 African states are yet to start thinking about 5G.

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Which countries have rolled out 5G in Africa? - Quartz Africa

The potential use cases of blockchain technology largely complement Africas efforts to address its socioeconomic challenges, but the funds to create solutions have been hard to come by in pre-pandemic times.

But a report published recently by Swiss venture capital firm VC CV in partnership with Standard Bank shows that millions of dollars have started trickling into the continent (pdf) in the form of blockchain financing. According to the study, 41 African blockchain startups in eight countries raised $127 million in 2021.

Anne Kaluvu, a blockchain expert and lecturer at the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) in Kenya, tells Quartz there is a lot of vested interest on blockchain in Africa currently.

I believe the efforts that Africans have shown in their creativity and openness to the technology is inspiring a lot of venture capitalists to salivate on what can happen if funds were availed in this market.

96% of the funding went to Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, and Seychelles but it was in the first quarter of this year when the millions rolled into the continent more, showing promise of an even better year to come.

Companies raised $91 million in Q1 of 2022, a staggering 1,668% YoY increase from Q1 of the previous year, the report says.

The continents venture funding growth in the first quarter of 2022 was 11 times the growth of general venture funding in the same period in 2021.

Blockchain financing in the second quarter of this year got off to a quick start, with some noteworthy fundraising by Mara which raised $23 million in Nigeria and Kenya, Jambo which has injected $30 million in the Republic of Congo, and Afriex which pumped $10 million into Nigeria.

Globally, blockchain has mostly been deployed to ease pain points in payments, and it comes as no surprise that fintech businesses raised the most funding in 2021 at $67 million, representing 53% of all blockchain funding in Africa.

Exchanges and fintech businesses together accounted for $101 million or 79% of all total funding and the report calls Africa the crypto continent as it leads the rest of the world in crypto adoption and central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) despite implicit and absolute crypto bans by 31 countries.

Funding for blockchain in Africa is increasing because investors believe the continent has a greater potential for adoption, Nairobi-based blockchain expert Benjamin Arunda told Quartz.

Blockchain smart contracts hold the biggest promise in making Africa a better place for business through tackling corruption, ending vote rigging, transforming health and education sectors, protecting intellectual property, creating fintech solutions, curbing the sale of counterfeits, and decentralizing electricity. The latest wave of funding is expected come in handy.

There is no market where the growth of and demand for inclusive and accessible financial services is more prevalent than in Africa, says Ian Putter, regional director of Blockchain Research Institute Africa at Standard Bank.

But Mathias Ruch, CEO of VC CV feels that there is an urgent need for governments across Africa to embrace blockchain technology and develop regulatory frameworks to regulate crypto and linked emerging industries.

Breaking through the quagmire of apprehension with good regulation will enable the GDP of its countries to be progressively improved, he says in the report.

Globally, blockchain companies raised $25.2 billion in funding across 1,247 deals in 2021, a 713% increase in funding and an 88% increase in the deal count YoY compared to $3.1 billion and 662 deals in 2020, the survey shows.

The US is still comfortably leading the field, with a 56% share of the global dollars invested in blockchain.

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Millions of dollars are rolling into Africa to finance blockchain projects - Quartz

Partners in Europe and across the globe will be broadcasting the Finalissima game between Italy and Argentina, which takes place at Wembley on 1 June.

Albania: DigitalbAndorra: TVE/la chaine L'EquipeArmenia: Vivaro MediaAustria: Puls 24Azerbaijan: CBC SportBelarus: Belarus TVBelgium: Eleven Sports BelgiumBosnia and Herzegovina: TBCBulgaria: NOVACroatia:SportklubCyprus: CytaCzech Republic: AMC NetworksDenmark: TV2England: Premier SportsEstonia: ViaplayFaroe Islands: TV2Finland: MTVFrance: la chaine L'EquipeGeorgia: SilknetGermany: TBCGibraltar: TBCGreece: Nova SportsHungary: TV2/Arena 4Iceland: ViaplayIsrael: CharltonItaly: RAIKazakhstan: TBCKosovo: Art MotionLatvia: ViaplayLiechtenstein: TBCLithuania: ViaplayLuxembourg: Eleven Sports BelgiumMalta: TBCMoldova: TBCMonaco: la chaine L'EquipeMontenegro:Arena SportNetherlands:Ziggo SportNorth Macedonia: Arena SportNorthern Ireland: Premier SportsNorway: TV2Poland: TVP, PolsatPortugal: Sport TVSan Marino: RAIScotland: Premier SportsSerbia:Arena SportSlovakia:AMC NetworksSlovenia:SportklubSpain: TVESweden:TV6, ViaplaySwitzerland:SRG SSRTurkey: TBCUkraine: Media Group UkraineVatican City:RAIWales: Premier Sports

Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka:Sony Six

Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini (ex-Swaziland), Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, St Helena and Ascension, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe: SuperSport

Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guyana, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, Venezuela: ESPN

Australia: Optus

Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Gabon, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, Seychelles, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe: New World TV

Canada: DAZN

PR China, Macau SAR: iQiyi Sport

Cocos Islands, Cook Islands, Fiji, French Polynesia, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Wallis & Futuna: Digicel

French Guayana, French Polynesia, French Southern and Antarctic lands, Guadeloupe, Madagascar, Martinique, Mauritius, Mayotte, New Caledonia, Runion, St. Barts, St. Martin, St. Pierre & Miquelon, Wallis & Futuna: la chaine L'Equipe

Mexico: Sky Mexico

Mongolia: Unitel

Myanmar: Skynet

Papua New Guinea: EM TV

Philippines: TAP

Singapore: Starhub

South Korea: Eclat

Taiwan/Chinese Taipei: ELTA

United States (including American Samoa, Guam, Mariana Islands, Midway, Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands): Fox Sports

Uzbekistan: MTRK

All information subject to change.

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Where to watch the Finalissima: TV, streaming - UEFA.com

Continuous Creation, by Les Murray (Farrar, Straus & Giroux). This final collection by the great Australian poet, who died in 2019, encompasses archness, reserve, lament, and tenderness. Murrays reflections on political and social subjects, including Brexit, bushfires, and his countrys neglect of literature, swing from the charmingly reserved to the jarringly detached. His nature poetry is more charged: there are poems about pippies, green catbirds, Australian pelicans, and a weebill caught in the grille of Murrays car. The earths physical landscapeespecially that of rural Australia, one of Murrays lifelong preoccupationsis rendered with extraordinary, often strange, beauty. Swallows in flight are whipping over glass; a willow tree is jammed/with soft white pearl-shell//a cascade of faces/down tiers and staircases/becoming a shatter.

A Sisters Story, by Donatella Di Pietrantonio, translated from the Italian by Ann Goldstein (Europa). The sisters from the authors previous novel, A Girl Returneda stoic narrator and her fiery younger sister, Adrianareappear in this unsettling companion tale. The narrator, now a professor in France, returns to her home town, on the coast of Abruzzo, after Adriana has a mysterious accident. Her renewed immersion in the towns social rhythms, particularly in the gritty fishermens quarter, brings back powerful memoriesof the end of her marriageto a gentle yet duplicitous husband, of Adrianas harried arrival at her house with a baby. I felt intensely the unease of being her sister, the narrator says of Adriana, as she moves fluidly between the past and the present, sifting years of unarticulated emotions.

The Last Days of Roger Federer, by Geoff Dyer (Farrar, Straus & Giroux). The twilight of careers underpins these kaleidoscopic musings on artistic and sporting endeavors. Dyer considers the late phase of Bob Dylan, the mythology surrounding Nietzsches decline and death, and the drive of talented people to keep going. Andy Murray, hobbled by injury, persisted in coming back for more even if more meant less and less; Willem de Kooning, blind and suffering from dementia, made paintings in which the obstacle became the path. An irony of endings, Dyer writes, is that lastness is oddly self-perpetuating. For a while at least, one last thing generates and leads to another.

Life on the Rocks, by Juli Berwald (Riverhead). This book on the plight of coral reefs spikes the normally glum discourse about ocean conservation with a measure of capitalist techno-optimism, arguing that a combination of marine science and smart business could yet bring salvation. The heroes here are various public-private partnerships: commercial coral farms in Bali; a reef-restoration project in Sulawesi; debt swaps and blue bonds for ocean protection in Seychelles; even a geo-engineered cloud brightening plan for the Great Barrier Reef. Berwald interweaves the insights of conservationists and entrepreneurs with a parallel narrative of her daughters struggles with O.C.D., suggesting that complex problems call for radical solutions.

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Briefly Noted Book Reviews - The New Yorker

As Governor of the Central Bank of Seychelles (CBS), Caroline Abel (Economics Studies 1999) is one of the most influential figures in a country navigating extraordinary global events.

What began as a childhood love for mathematics has culminated in the Global Women Achievers Award at the 2022 World Women Leadership Congress Awards in Mumbai.

Covid-19 has been our biggest challenge since the Bank was established four decades ago, Caroline says. The shutdown of the tourism sector, which has a direct contribution of around 30% of our gross domestic product, caused the economy to come a standstill.

I dont see challenges as negatives, though. I see them as opportunities to do new and different things each day.

This mind-set, adopted during Carolines time at Leeds, has proven effective ever since as well as the recent accolade, Caroline was presented with the Africa's Woman Leaders Award and named Central Bank Governor of the Year in 2020.

Most importantly for her, however, is that Seychelles has emerged from the pandemic in a healthier financial position than anticipated.

Caroline traces her approach back to her upbringing and lessons taught by her father, Antoine Abel a man described as the Father of Seychelles Literature for bringing his countrys culture and language to the world stage. Whenever I had a problem, he never gave me an answer, but he asked more questions. He wanted me to understand that you have to look at problems from different angles.

This principle still helps me every day I have to make a lot of decisions and I have to look at all the policy implications.

Where Antoine found his calling in words, Caroline was drawn to numbers: I loved mathematics and my father thought I should become an accountant, but the career didnt appeal to me. I decided to go straight into work from school to gain experience, and thats where it all started for me to eventually become a central banker.

Caroline worked at the Social Security Fund for four months before joining CBS in 1994 quickly realising she enjoyed the challenge and variety. I spent two years working in various departments and was fortunate enough to gain a place at Leeds through our CBS scholarship programme.

That was really critical for me. I wouldnt be where I am now without that time at Leeds.

It was my first time outside of Seychelles, so of course I was a bit apprehensive, but when I got to Leeds I discovered a friendly community both at the University and in the city. Everywhere you went, people would welcome and help you. In fact, I even stayed in Leeds during the holidays to enjoy the countryside and other parts of the UK.

The teaching was excellent. The University community was so diverse, a place where cultures converged and learned from one another, and that was very special.

Following in Carolines footsteps, CBS continues to sponsor young professionals to study at Leeds University Business School. Education, for Caroline, is the key area that aspiring finance students cannot neglect: Training is the most important thing. You need a good grounding, then you must continue to develop because the world of finance is very competitive and its always changing.

Its getting even more diverse and requires expertise beyond people with financial backgrounds to tackle emerging issues, such as climate change. We didnt speak about it in the world of finance when I started, but now environmentalists play a big role.

Her growing experience and expertise saw Caroline appointed Deputy Governor in 2010, and in 2012 she was called on by the President of Seychelles to become the first female Governor in the countrys history. It was a great honour, she says although where others mentioned it, gender didnt really cross her mind. I think CBS leads on that front. We dont look at gender, we look at ability and performance.

That doesnt mean there werent challenges given the global nature of her work, where the gender gap was more notable. In international meetings I was often the only woman in the room, and thats still the case. More can be done at CBS, for example, we knew that family commitments were often compromising womens progression. Weve provided more flexible working for employees, so we were home-working long before Covid-19. We help to ensure women can go as far as they want to go.

Caroline was re-appointed after her first six-year term and has worked under three presidents of Seychelles. Her responsibilities keeping the cost of living stable, monitoring the financial system and ensuring banks are run well became more challenging during Covid-19, but the recent awards acknowledge her success. In particular, she is credited with developing transparency, supporting digitisation and collaborating across ministries.

We improved communication. We are talking more to the public and particularly during the pandemic, we helped the population understand what was going on and how they would be impacted. Its helped us to understand concerns much better, which helps us to improve. We designed new policies to support the private sector, and thankfully now tourism has quickly recovered.

Now we move onto the next challenge: the increase in the cost of living.

Caroline acknowledges the hard work and long hours involved in the job, but it is a role she relishes and for which she has been duly recognised. Every day there is something new to get to grips with.

I walk around the building once a week and talk to staff to understand issues, then we make decisions. The awards are for their work and the work of CBS. This is a team effort.

For further details, contact Ed Newbould, Digital Communications Officer, University of Leeds at e.w.newbould@leeds.ac.uk.

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Ten years leading the Seychelles economy - University of Leeds

Boulder residents Lisa and Peter Waugh are among the first people to return to service with the Peace Corps.

Later this month, the couple are set to leave for Peru more than two years after they originally planned to leave the country. They applied in 2019 and were all set to leave in March 2020, until the pandemic happened.

The Peace Corps suspended global operations and evacuated almost 7,000 volunteers from more than 60 countries at the beginning of the pandemic.

The extra time to prepare has helped, but its not the first time the Waughs have embarked on such a mission.

They traveled to the Seychelles, an island country in East Africa, to serve in the Peace Corps in 1986. Peter worked as a roadway engineer, and Lisa was a community health nurse in the small country.

The island of Mahe in the Seychelles is about 18 miles long and 6 miles wide, Peter said.

When the Waughs decided to apply for service in the Peace Corps more than three decades ago, it felt like a good opportunity.

For Peter, it was a chance to put his engineering skills to use at a grassroots level. Lisa could use her nursing degree as a means of providing health care and support in the developing world.

At the time, neither realized the trip would lead to a lifetime of service.

After the first trip in the late 1980s, Lisa worked in public and global health. Peter worked on international water projects through Engineers Without Borders.

During the pandemic, the Waughs volunteered with the New Mexico Medical Reserve Corps, administering COVID-19 vaccinations in rural New Mexico.

The world is at a critical juncture. The largest global vaccination effort in history is underway while other widespread health, social, political, and environmental issues continue to erode the foundation of our global society. Actions taken in the next few years have the potential to fundamentally impact development trajectories for decades to come, Peace Corps CEO Carol Spahn stated in a news release. Peace Corps volunteers returning to Peru will work alongside community members to support urgent development efforts and build critical connections.

The Waughs remember Seychelles for its indescribable natural beauty and the kind people who live there.

There are many countries where it takes time for Peace Corps volunteers to build relationships with local residents, Peter noted.

In the Seychelles, that was not the case. It was almost immediate, he said. And so thats what sticks out the most for me.

After their initial two-year stint in the Seychelles, the Waughs returned to Boulder. Both are from the area and wanted to raise their family in the city.

But returning to Peace Corps service was always in the back of their minds.

Lisa worked in various global health jobs over the years, all of which were impactful. But she said it often felt like something was missing.

I didnt feel like I was closely linked to the local communities, she said. I wanted to get back to community-based work.

In Peru, they will help with community economic development and on a water, sanitation and hygiene project.

With a previous experience in the Peace Corps and the extra time to prepare, the Waughs are ready for two years of service in Peru.

Its a pretty special opportunity to get to know another culture other than your own, Peter said. It is important for me and I anticipate loving it as much as I did last time.

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Boulder residents some of the first to return to Peace Corps service - Boulder Daily Camera