Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | Nigeria’s opposition has rejected a plan to spend a billion dollars of oil money to fight the Boko Haram insurgency in the country’s volatile northeast. Last week, the governor of the southern state of Edo, Godwin Obaseki, told reporters the federal government had been given …
Read More »Taxi or app? Uber faces big EU court decision
Luxembourg, Luxembourg | AFP | The EU’s top court will decide Wednesday if ride-hailing app Uber is an ordinary taxi company and should be regulated as such, in a decision that will be closely watched around the world. The case is yet another thorn in the side for scandal-rocked Uber, which …
Read More »Bitcoin suffers dramatic price plunge in Asia
Tokyo, Japan | AFP | Bitcoin prices plunged about 15 percent in Asian trade Wednesday before recouping some of the losses as investors apparently took fright at news that a South Korean exchange had been hacked. The unit, which hit a record $19,500 at the start of the week, took a …
Read More »Uganda’s real estate market still offers plenty of opportunities
Arthur Mukembo is the regional director for RE/MAX in East Africa, an international real estate brand established in 1973 in Denver, Colorado and now present in more than 100 countries and territories with a network of over 115,000 real estate professionals in 7,500 offices. He spoke to Isaac Khisa in …
Read More »2017: The year the bitcoin craze reached Wall Street
New York, United States | AFP | Bitcoin burst out of the shadows in 2017, seducing Wall Street and individual investors alike even though many still struggle to understand precisely what it is. The cryptocurrency’s rise is also pushing regulators to consider taking action after years of simply urging caution. Bitcoin …
Read More »Answering Uganda’s fuel reserve question
More storage facilities in offing as private players increase storage capacity to match the growing demand Kampala, Uganda | JULIUS BUSINGE | With the current expansion of Uganda’s industry and manufacturing, transport, and services sectors in addition to a rapidly growing population,which are key consumers of petroleum products, one key question …
Read More »UTL sale proceeds to pay creditors, Libyan investors
Kampala, Uganda | ISAAC KHISA | Uganda government plans to use the money it will get from the sale of a stake in the embattled telecom firm, UTL, to settle Libyan government and other debts. The Libyan government through a private company, Libyan Post, Telecommunication and Information Technology Holding Company (LPTIC) …
Read More »Kasekende, Bagyenda, Mutebile fight isn’t helpful
Saving Bank of Uganda: Why Kasekende, Bagyenda, Mutebile fight isn’t helpful Kampala, Uganda | HAGGAI MATSIKO | Bank of Uganda (BoU) is under fire as its top managers; Governor Tumusiime Mutebile, the Deputy Governor Louis Kasekende, and the Director Supervision Justine Bagyenda, fight each other amidst accusations of incompetence and abuse …
Read More »Mammoth skeleton sells for nearly 550,000 euros at French auction
Lyon, France | AFP | The nearly intact skeleton of a woolly mammoth that lived at least 10,000 years ago was sold at auction for more than a half million euros Saturday in the southeastern French city of Lyon. The giant skeleton — mounted in a forward walking position with …
Read More »Uganda to benefit from cheaper, de-risked World Bank financing
KAMPALA | THE INDEPENDENT | Uganda is one of several countries in Sub-Saharan Africa that stands to benefit from a new World Bank financing facility that aims to support private sector access more affordable capital for investment. Under the 18th replenishment of the International Development Association (IDA18) – the World …
Read More »