Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The proposed introduction of new taxes on mobile money transactions and social media has met stiff rejection from civil society activists. Government has proposed to introduce a 10 percent final withholding tax on commissions by telecommunication companies to mobile money and airtime agents and Shillings …
Read More »COMMENT: WhatsApp tax and democracy
How progressive is Uganda’s tax code for an economy that has been hurting since 2016? COMMENT | MORRISON RWAKAKAMBA | As we approach the 2018/2019 Financial Year and the statecraft colour that comes with it – the State of the Nation address and reading of the national budget; the dress rehearsals …
Read More »Iran bans foreign social media networks in schools
Tehran, Iran | AFP | Iran’s ministry of education on Sunday banned the use of foreign social media networks in schools, the ILNA news agency reported, amid a push by Tehran to limit the influence of outside online platforms. Schools must “only use domestic social networks” for their communication, the …
Read More »COMMENT: Don’t quit Facebook
But don’t trust it either because it has technical know how to give you more control but has chosen not to COMMENT | DENISE ANTHONY & LUKE STARK | Is it time to give up on social media? Many people are thinking about that in the wake of revelations regarding Cambridge …
Read More »COMMENT: Return of the newspaper
While 140 characters may have been more appealing than 700-word pieces, brevity is no longer enough COMMENT | BAJINDER PAL SINGH | Social media are no longer the new kid on the block, but in 2016, platforms like Twitter and Facebook looked poised to nudge traditional newspapers into obsolescence. Following President …
Read More »Obama warns of social media dangers, in interview with Prince Harry
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Former US President Barack Obama told Britain’s Prince Harry he was concerned social media was “corroding civil discourse”, in what he said was his first interview since leaving the White House, aired Wednesday. “One of the dangers of the internet is that people can …
Read More »BUHARI: Some comments on social media have crossed the red line
Abuja, Nigeria | THE INDEPENDENT | In his first address since his return from treatment abroad, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has warned about divisive comments on social media. “Nigerians are robust and lively in discussing their affairs, but I was distressed to notice that some of the comments, especially in …
Read More »Kenya’s social media election: attack ads and data mining
Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | A strikingly toxic campaign ad was unleashed online in Kenya just weeks before national elections — a potentially explosive move in a country where politics and ethnicity are closely aligned. The 90-second video, shot in moody monochrome, presented a dystopia in which Raila Odinga, the leading …
Read More »WTF? World Taekwondo Federation rebrands over acronym
Seoul, South Korea | AFP | The World Taekwondo Federation has changed its name to World Taekwondo after becoming uncomfortable with the “negative connotations” of its acronym, WTF. The body has been named World Taekwondo Federation since 1973, but it has been considering a change since the slang abbreviation ‘WTF’ …
Read More »CRICKET: Kohli turns off social media ahead of Pakistan clash
London, United Kingdom | AFP | India skipper Virat Kohli admitted Saturday that he is steering clear of social media ahead of Sunday’s high-profile Champions Trophy final against bitter rivals Pakistan. Kohli, one of the superstars of world cricket, commands almost 16 million followers on Twitter and 14 million on …
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