Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Minister of Finance Matia Kasaija has announced the postponement of taxes worth 129.4 billion as a short term emergency relief measure to businesses affected by coronavirus pandemic. The taxes postponed include corporate income tax, Pay As You Earn (PAYE) and presumptive tax, which …

Washington, United States | AFP | US President Donald Trump has praised a letter sent to him by one of Pope Francis’s most virulent opponents, who claims Black Lives Matter protests and the coronavirus crisis are a political conspiracy. Italian archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, a former Vatican envoy to Washington, is notorious for his accusations of corruption and …

Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | The speed the new coronavirus jumped from 100,000 to 200,000 confirmed cases in Africa shows just how quickly the pandemic is accelerating on the continent, the World Health Organization said Thursday. According to an AFP tally, Africa topped the 200,000 mark on Tuesday. “It took 98 days to reach the …

Washington, United States | AFP | Joe Biden expressed fear that President Donald Trump will try to “steal” November’s election or not leave office if he loses, prompting the White House on Thursday to slam the Democrat’s comments as conspiracy theories. “My single greatest concern” is that “this president’s going to try and steal this …

Washington, United States | AFP | Surgeons have performed a double-lung transplant on a COVID-19 patient in Chicago, the hospital that carried out the procedure said Thursday, in what is thought to be a first in the United States. The patient is a young Hispanic woman in her twenties, and had spent six weeks on …

Washington, United States | AFP | President Donald Trump on Thursday ordered sanctions against any official at the International Criminal Court who prosecutes US troops as the tribunal looks at alleged war crimes in Afghanistan. “The International Criminal Court’s actions are an attack on the rights of the American people and threaten to infringe upon …

New York, United States | AFP | As racial justice protests have swept the US, leading retailers have taken to social media to proclaim their commitment to equality. But such statements decrying racism in the wake of the George Floyd killing have been met with incredulity by some non-white customers, who …

Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | Prosecutors in DR Congo said on Thursday they are seeking a 20-year prison sentence for a key ally of President Felix Tshisekedi who is accused of embezzling more than $50 million. The prosecution is also asking that Vital Kamerhe is disqualified from holding public office …

  Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The government has slapped taxes on imported agricultural products. In the 2020/21 budget, Matia Kasaija, the Minister of Finance said he seeks to promote import substitution and develop local industries. He said the government has increased import duties on goods that are produced …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Mobile money transactions hit the Shillings 7.2 trillion in March 2020 from Shillings 3.4 trillion in 2016. The Finance Minister Matia Kasaija disclosed this while presenting the 2020/2021 financial year budget estimates to parliament. He explained that the Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) sector …