President Yoweri Museveni is in Qatar for a three day state visit at the invitation of the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. “I will meet the Emir and other Qatari government and business officials as we seek to strengthen our countries’ business and trade relations,” Museveni said …
Read More »China’s Q1 growth stabilises at 6.8%: AFP poll
Beijing, China | AFP | China’s growth stabilised in the first quarter thanks to rising investments and a recovery in exports, experts said, though they warned the reprieve may be temporary. According to an AFP survey of 16 economic analysts, the gross domestic product expanded 6.8 percent in the first …
Read More »Why pressure is mounting on South Africa’s Zuma to step down
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | South Africa’s powerful trade union federation Cosatu, a key coalition partner of the ruling ANC, on Tuesday called for embattled President Jacob Zuma to resign following a deeply unpopular cabinet reshuffle. Union general secretary Bheki Ntshalintshali said it was time for Zuma to “step …
Read More »South Africa cabinet bloodbath exposes ANC generational divide
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | South African President Jacob Zuma’s sweeping cabinet overhaul exposes deep divisions between the ANC’s apartheid-struggle old guard and a new generation often accused of not living up to expectations. Malusi Gigaba, 45, who replaced Pravin Gordhan, 67, as finance minister is a fervent …
Read More »Gordhan: S.Africa’s popular former finance minister
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | Pravin Gordhan, who was sacked late Thursday, is liked and admired by many ordinary South Africans — an unusual achievement for any finance minister. He held onto the purse strings for longer than many analysts expected after he was parachuted into the job in …
Read More »South Africa: Zuma’s five biggest career scandals
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | South African President Jacob Zuma has come under fire from both his own party and the opposition over a cabinet reshuffle in which he fired his internationally respected finance minister. Zuma is no stranger to scandal. Here are five of his biggest career controversies: – …
Read More »Potential successors of South Africa’s Zuma
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | The backlash against South African President Jacob Zuma’s shock reshuffle has intensified pressure on him to resign ahead of the 2019 general election. Here are four of his possible successors: – The negotiator – Cyril Ramaphosa, a 64-year-old veteran with strong anti-apartheid struggle credentials, …
Read More »PetroChina profit plunges 78% to record low
Shanghai, China | AFP | State-owned Chinese energy giant PetroChina on Thursday announced it slumped to a record-low profit for 2016 as global oil price weakness slashed earnings by 78 percent. Net profit fell to 7.86 billion yuan ($1.1 billion), the Beijing-based company said in a statement to the Hong Kong …
Read More »SOUTH AFRICA: Zuma sacks finance minister in shock reshuffle
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP |South African President Jacob Zuma sacked his finance minister and made ten new cabinet appointments late Thursday in a dramatic reshuffle which could split the ruling ANC party. The African National Congress, which led the fight against apartheid and came to power under Nelson Mandela …
Read More »ANALYSIS: Lloyd’s ‘had to’ open Europe office following Brexit
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Lloyd’s of London’s decision to open a European subsidiary was inevitable following the trigger of Brexit, with the only difficult choice being its location, chief executive Inga Beale told AFP Thursday. Lloyd’s, which insures against catastrophes such as earthquakes, shipwrecks and revolutions, announced it …
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