Land probe hears that mall on disputed Jinja plot illegal, Baguma Isoke to appear Monday Kampala, Uganda | JULIUS BUSINGE | Former State Minister for Lands and chairman of the Uganda Land Commission (ULC) Baguma Isoke has asked for more time to prepare a response as the Justice Catherine Bamugemereire Commission of inquiry into land …
Read More »World gears up for electric cars despite bumps in road
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Technological advances mean fossil fuel in cars could be phased out within decades but switching to electric carries its own environmental and economic concerns as more and more countries announce radical plans. Britain on Wednesday said it would “end the sale of all conventional petrol …
Read More »Uruguayans registering to buy legal weed up almost 50% in a week
Montevideo, Uruguay | AFP | The number of people registering to buy newly legalized marijuana in Uruguay jumped by almost 50 percent in the first week of sales, according to official figures released Wednesday. The small South American country is the first in the world to legalize pot from production to …
Read More »Coca-Cola launches revamped diet cola in US as earnings drop
New York, United States | AFP | Coca-Cola announced plans Wednesday to launch a revamped “Coke Zero” in the United States as it expands offerings of low-sugar and non-carbonated beverages amid flagging demand for sweet sodas. The soda, “Coke-Cola Zero Sugar,” which is already on the market in much of …
Read More »Facebook profit jumps as user ranks grow
San Francisco, United States | AFP | Facebook on Wednesday reported a surge in profits in the past quarter, fueled by strong growth in money-making ads to its more than two billion users. Net profit in the second quarter leapt 71 percent from a year ago to $3.9 billion while …
Read More »IMF to launch new form of aid – with no money
IMF to launch new form of aid – with no money Washington, United States | AFP | The International Monetary Fund announced Wednesday it will launch a new tool to support governments in financial trouble: one that involves no money. Instead of providing cheap loans to countries, the new IMF …
Read More »Rwanda targets high-end tourist market
Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda | AFP | Nicaraguan singer Hernaldo Zuniga brought his entire family to trek through the lush forests and mist-shrouded volcanoes of northwestern Rwanda in search of mountain gorillas. He described their encounter with the critically endangered primates as “an almost spiritual” experience, and said it was the …
Read More »Airlines will need 637,000 new pilots over next 20 years: Boeing
New York, United States | AFP | Airlines will need 637,000 new pilots over the next 20 years to keep pace with the growth of global air traffic, Boeing reported Tuesday in an annual report on the subject. Its latest estimate of the pilot requirements is up 3.6 percent from last …
Read More »ANALYSIS: Why Magufuli’s reforms in mining sector are about politics as much as economics
Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania| AFRICAN ARGUMENTS | Ever since his election in 2015, Tanzania’s President John Magufuli has been a subject of public fascination. At first, his war on graft promised to cleanse the state of corruption, while his patriotic thrift inspired the hashtag #WhatWouldMagufuliDo? But as this campaign of tumbua majipu (“lance the boils”) was …
Read More »Mbarara man arrested with 33kg of ivory
Man arrested with 33kg of ivory in Mbarara Kampala, Uganda | GODFREY SSALI | Police in Mbarara District with help from Natural Resource Conservation Network (NRCN) have arrested pne man in possession of 33.8kgs of elephant tusks worth Sh13.5 million . Jackson Baluku, 42, a motor vehicle broker and a resident of Lower Zone Base …
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