Business

Washington, United States | AFP | The US economy’s job creation ability disappointed in December, despite solid hiring in manufacturing and construction, according to government data reported Friday. But with the country believed to be near full employment, the jobless rate still held steady at its 17-year low of 4.1 …

London, United Kingdom | AFP | Premier League leaders Manchester City have more financial muscle than any other club in world football, according to a study that sees English clubs dominate the top 10. The Soccerex Football Finance 100, which ranks the world’s top teams based on both their playing and …

London, United Kingdom | AFP | The average price of a home in London dropped in 2017 for the first time in eight years on fallout from Brexit, data showed on Thursday. While prices were up nationwide, they were down in London for the first time since 2009, mortgage lender …

Paris, France | AFP | Apple has filed a lawsuit against the Attac activist group after about 100 of its supporters occupied the tech giant’s flagship store in Paris last month, protesting alleged “wide-scale tax evasion” by the firm. An Apple spokesman told AFP on Thursday that while it respected …

London, United Kingdom | AFP | The British government announced plans Thursday to distribute £330 million ($447 million, 371 million euros) taken from dormant bank accounts to good causes, bringing the total handed out to almost £700 million. The Dormant Accounts Scheme was established in 2008, allowing the reallocation of money …

Stockholm, Sweden | AFP | Swedish carmaker Volvo, owned by the Chinese Geely, said Thursday that booming demand in China helped it notch up record sales for the fourth consecutive year in 2017. Volvo Cars said in a statement that it sold a total 571,577 cars worldwide last year, an …

  Kampala, Uganda | JULIUS BUSINGE | The Public Accountants Examinations Board (PAEB) of the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Uganda (ICPAU) has today released the November 2017 examination results conducted at seven centres across the country, showing a 1.4% improvement in performance when compared with the June – 2017 …

Doha, Qatar | AFP | Qatar has approved legislation allowing 100-percent ownership for foreign investors in most sectors of the economy in a bid to boost non-energy revenues, the government said on Thursday. The move comes at a time of political crisis in the Gulf, with Qatar under an economic and …

Cairo, Egypt | AFP | Egypt’s grand mufti has said that bitcoin is forbidden in Islam, warning the digital currency could be used for criminal purposes. Bitcoin, launched in 2009 and based on a peer-to-peer payment system, poses “high risks to individuals and states,” Shawqi Allam said in a published ruling. …

    Geneva, Switzerland | THE INDEPENDENT | The International Air Transport Association (IATA) forecasts global industry net profit to rise to $38.4 billion in 2018, an improvement from the $34.5 billion expected net profit in 2017. Strong demand, efficiency and reduced interest payments will help airlines improve net profitability in …