Beijing, China | AFP | China on Friday denounced US tariffs on aluminium and steel imports, saying that they would profoundly harm the international trade environment. The US’s “abuse” of national security concerns as a reason for implementing the measures will lead to “a serious attack on normal international trade …
Read More »Russia eyes Zimbabwe’s diamonds and platinum
Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Thursday met with Zimbabwe’s new President Emmerson Mnangagwa and discussed possible military co-operation as well as plans to boost economic ties. Lavrov, who is on a tour of Africa, is the first high-profile Russian official to visit Zimbabwe since veteran …
Read More »DR Congo president vows ‘constructive dialogue’ over mining levy
Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | DR Congo President Joseph Kabila has promised to have “constructive dialogue” with mining companies worried over plans to hike taxes on so-called strategic metals, a category expected to include the booming market for cobalt and copper. Kabila on Tuesday held more than seven hours of …
Read More »World Bank hopes Trump ‘careful’ on tariffs
Brussels, Belgium | AFP | The chief executive of the World Bank urged US President Donald Trump on Thursday to be “careful” before imposing steel and aluminium tariffs and weigh up possible effects on global trade. Kristalina Georgieva said Trump should assess the “implications” before going ahead with a plan …
Read More »Ugandan corporates embrace International Women’s Day
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Thursday turned out to be a dramatic day on the Ugandan broadcasting scene, with women MPs, artists and several public officials featuring as programming was adapted for Women’s Day. Out of the studios, several institutions and brands also stepped up their messaging as they …
Read More »Airtel, MTN stop sale of SIM cards
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Airtel, Africell and MTN have temporarily stopped the sale of new SIM cards until they get direct access to the National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) database. In statements Thursday, Airtel Uganda, Africell and MTN Uganda all said they were responding to new guidelines issued by …
Read More »Without US, 11 Asia-Pacific states to sign trade deal
Santiago, Chile | AFP | Eleven Asia-Pacific nations on Thursday are to sign a slimmed-down trade pact to lower tariffs just as US President Donald Trump seeks to raise them after withdrawing from the deal last year. The Trans-Pacific Partnership, which would have represented 40 percent of the global economy …
Read More »US Ambassador cautions Uganda on transparency in investment procedures
Kampala, Uganda | GODFREY SSALI | The US Ambassador to Uganda Deborah Malac has cautioned Uganda on the bureaucracies and red tape in investment procedures saying they discourage many potential investors. Malac said this during a meeting with the Minister of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives Amelia Kyambadde to discuss trade …
Read More »Airbus to axe 3,700 jobs on under-selling superjumbo, military transporter
Toulouse, France | AFP | Aircraft giant Airbus is to axe around 3,700 jobs in Europe as it cuts back production of its troubled A380 superjumbo and A400M military transporter, the company and union officials said Wednesday. The cuts come as France-based Airbus downscales deliveries of the under-selling A380 — the …
Read More »US$78 billion regional infrastructure projects
EAC leaders push for mega deals amidst concerns of limited funds, slow integration progress Kampala, Uganda | JULIUS BUSINGE | Amidst big talk on how to raise over US$78 billion for regional infrastructure projects, Tanzania’s President John Pombe Magufuli Magufuli had tough questions for the East African Community Council of Ministers. …
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