The best smartphones of 2017 Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | iPhone X — Best phone if money isn’t an issue Apple’s most premium of premium devices is beautiful. Its 5.8-inch nearly edge-to-edge panel gently curves around its four corners and its OLED display technology produces brilliant colors and deep …
Read More »World’s largest amphibious aircraft takes off in China
Beijing, China | AFP | China’s home-grown AG600, the world’s largest amphibious aircraft in production, took to the skies on Sunday for its maiden flight. The plane, codenamed “Kunlong” according to state news agency Xinhua, took off from the southern city of Zhuhai and landed after roughly an hour-long flight. …
Read More »IMF sounds alarm over Congo debt before possible bailout
Brazzaville, Congo | AFP | A team from the International Monetary Fund on Thursday wound up a mission to the Republic of Congo by expressing concern at debt and corruption before considering any bailout. “Congo’s economy continues to suffer from the effects of low oil prices, unsustainable debt, and significant governance …
Read More »COMMENT: Hidden wealth of cities
Through smarter asset management, cities can double their investments without raising taxes COMMENT | DAG DETTER | The world is becoming increasingly urbanised, as more people are choosing to live in towns and cities than ever before. The trouble is, most urban areas are unprepared to manage the influx. Cities around …
Read More »COMMENT: Flexible exchange rates
Why currency depreciation doesn’t always allow exports to decline relative to a producer’s imports COMMENT | GITA GOPINATH | In 1953, Milton Friedman published an essay called `The Case for Flexible Exchange Rates’, arguing that they cushion an economy from internal and external shocks by bringing about just the right price …
Read More »Row over oil money to fight Boko Haram in Nigeria
Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | Nigeria’s opposition has rejected a plan to spend a billion dollars of oil money to fight the Boko Haram insurgency in the country’s volatile northeast. Last week, the governor of the southern state of Edo, Godwin Obaseki, told reporters the federal government had been given …
Read More »Taxi or app? Uber faces big EU court decision
Luxembourg, Luxembourg | AFP | The EU’s top court will decide Wednesday if ride-hailing app Uber is an ordinary taxi company and should be regulated as such, in a decision that will be closely watched around the world. The case is yet another thorn in the side for scandal-rocked Uber, which …
Read More »Bitcoin suffers dramatic price plunge in Asia
Tokyo, Japan | AFP | Bitcoin prices plunged about 15 percent in Asian trade Wednesday before recouping some of the losses as investors apparently took fright at news that a South Korean exchange had been hacked. The unit, which hit a record $19,500 at the start of the week, took a …
Read More »Uganda’s real estate market still offers plenty of opportunities
Arthur Mukembo is the regional director for RE/MAX in East Africa, an international real estate brand established in 1973 in Denver, Colorado and now present in more than 100 countries and territories with a network of over 115,000 real estate professionals in 7,500 offices. He spoke to Isaac Khisa in …
Read More »2017: The year the bitcoin craze reached Wall Street
New York, United States | AFP | Bitcoin burst out of the shadows in 2017, seducing Wall Street and individual investors alike even though many still struggle to understand precisely what it is. The cryptocurrency’s rise is also pushing regulators to consider taking action after years of simply urging caution. Bitcoin …
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