Juba, South Sudan | Xinhua | South Sudan’s government on Friday said it will soon be changing its currency in a bid to shore up its economy following continued depreciation of the pound against the U.S. dollar. Michael Makuei Lueth, Minister of Information and Broadcasting said the decision came after the …
Read More »Trump halts COVID-19 relief talks until after election
Washington, US | Xinhua | U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he has asked his administration’s negotiators to withdraw from COVID-19 relief talks with Democrats until after the presidential election in November. “I have instructed my representatives to stop negotiating until after the election when, immediately after I win, we …
Read More »African countries urged to remove non-tariff barriers to realize AfCFTA
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | XINHUA | The African Union (AU) Commission on Sunday called for addressing non-tariff barriers in order to realize the major aspirations of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Agreement. “The African continent is about to become the world’s largest free trade area. If not addressed, non-tariff …
Read More »U.S. equities post modest weekly gains with Trump’s coronavirus diagnosis
New York, US | XINHUA | Wall Street’s major averages climbed modestly in the week as investors focused on news about U.S. President Donald Trump’s positive test for COVID-19 as well as updates of a fresh round of U.S. fiscal stimulus. For the week ending Friday, the Dow added 1.9 percent, …
Read More »Local Film Industry gets huge boost
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Government of Uganda through the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development has partnered with the European Union (EU) and UNESCO in a joint project aimed at supporting the development of the local film industry. The project will create measures to provide a tax …
Read More »Al-Burhan says removing Sudan from terror list priority for transitional government
Khartoum, Sudan | XINHUA | Chairman of Sudan’s Sovereign Council Abdel Fattah al-Burhan on Saturday said removing Sudan from the U.S. list of states sponsoring terrorism constitutes a priority for the transitional government. Al-Burhan made the remarks when addressing the opening session of the first National Economic Conference, which kicked off …
Read More »Uganda’s mobile money transactions hits Shs 80trillion
Kampala, Uganda | Isaac Khisa | Uganda’s mobile money transactions grew by 19.3% to Shs 79.8 trillion for the year ending June.30, according to Michael Atingi-Ego, deputy governor, Bank of Uganda. Atingi, who was speaking during the Uganda Bankers Association retreat at the Kampala Sheraton Hotel on Sept.22, said out …
Read More »NSSF interest may dip to single digit
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The National Social Security Fund forecasts it will pay members less than 10 percent interest down from the double-digit interest rate that it has paid over the last several years after their operations were adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The final interest rate …
Read More »Lockdown sparked leap in electronic banking transactions
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The financial sector recorded a big jump in electronic transactions over the last year boosted by the lockdown that was induced by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to sector players. The economy was largely shutdown in March with the government banning most activities like public …
Read More »UN chief calls for political will for Sustainable Development Goals
United Nations | XINHUA | United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday called for political will and bold action to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Public appetite for transformative change is growing, he said in his opening remarks at the SDG Moment 2020. “But one critical ingredient is …
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