Dubai, United Arab Emirates | AFP | IMF chief Christine Lagarde on Saturday urged Arab countries to slash public wages and subsidies in order to rein in spending, achieve sustainable growth and create jobs. Speaking at the one-day Arab Fiscal Forum in Dubai, Lagarde welcomed “promising” reforms adopted by some …
Read More »Eight banks cleared by IRA to sell insurance policies
Kampala, Uganda | JULIUS BUSINGE | The Insurance Regulatory Authority (IRA) has so far issued eight certificates to banks to offer bancassurance (selling insurance policies) to their clients as one way of boosting the sector’s growth. Speaking at a press conference in Kampala on Feb.08, IRA officials including the Chief Executive …
Read More »Twitter hits milestone with first-ever profit
Washington, United States | AFP | Twitter on Thursday reported its first-ever quarterly profit, a key milestone that sent shares soaring at the social network which has lagged for years behind fast-growing rivals. The San Francisco-based one-to-many microblogging service said it earned $91 million in the fourth quarter, the first …
Read More »NRM ECONOMY: If majority are praising it, why are experts worried about the future?
NRM’s 32 year economy: If majority are praising it, why are experts worried about the future? Kampala, Uganda | JULIUS BUSINGE | One highlight of President Yoweri Museveni’s 32-year stay in power has been the massive efforts at resuscitating the economy. When Museveni and his group came into power in 1986, …
Read More »URA’S Shs 140 bn house near completion
Kampala, Uganda | JULIUS BUSINGE | The new headquarters of the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) is on track for completion this year. According to Ian Rumanyika, the manager for public and corporate affairs in the Commissioner General’s office, the construction, which begun in August 2014 is expected to end in …
Read More »At trial, former Uber CEO seeks to fend off conspiracy talk
San Francisco, United States | AFP | Former Uber chief executive Travis Kalanick appeared tense and tentative as he took the witness stand Tuesday seeking to counter allegations that his company stole autonomous driving secrets from former Google car unit Waymo. A key witness in the blockbuster trade secrets case, Kalanick …
Read More »Bitcoin drops below $6,200 for first time in three months
Tokyo, Japan | AFP | Bitcoin plunged 20 percent to a three-month low on Tuesday, its latest sharp loss following a series of setbacks for the cryptocurrency that, with a collapse across global mainstream markets adding to the selling. The virtual currency fell to $6,190 for the first time since mid-November, …
Read More »Rwanda records US$1.67bn in investments in 2017
Over 38,261 jobs to be created in eight sectors Kampala, Uganda | ISAAC KHISA | Rwanda recorded a 30.7% growth in investment to US$1.675bn last year compared with the previous year, data from the country’s promotion agency, Rwanda Development Board (RDB) shows. According to the data, three sectors – construction and …
Read More »Rough terrain for Pioneer Easy Bus
Creditor plan to auction buses to recover Shs 151 mn debt Kampala, Uganda | ISAAC KHISA | On the road leading to the Western gate of the Mandela National Stadium, located about 8 kilometres away from Kampala City Center on the Kampala-Jinja highway, one would easily observe that something wrong. Nearly …
Read More »ANALYSIS: Eskom, the power giant at the core of S.Africa’s state rot
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | The name of Eskom, Africa’s largest electricity company, has become synonymous with the worst corruption scandals in South Africa and the utility could well become the final nail in the political coffin of President Jacob Zuma. The sacking of yet another of its short-lived …
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