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 …

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 …

Soweto, South Africa | AFP | Cyril Ramaphosa’s victory in the ANC leadership battle has sparked renewed hope among many in South Africa’s Soweto township where he grew up — and where frustration with the party has been mounting. “He is a model because he is one person that came …

Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso | AFP | Burkina Faso is banning imports from North Korea to comply with tough UN economic sanctions punishing Pyongyang’s weapons programmes, the government said Wednesday. The decision comes after an inquiry by the United States in October showed that Burkina Faso was still trading with North …

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 …

Madrid, Spain | AFP | Often symbolised as pitting the pride of Catalonia against Spain’s capital, the ‘El Clasico’ between Barcelona and Real Madrid is a match laced with political and social as much as sporting tension. Even more so this week when the sides face off in Madrid on Saturday …

Miami, United States | AFP | Serena Williams says she has struggled with her baby daughter’s teething pain even as she tweeted a photo hinting she might be working on a comeback to defend her Australian Open title. The 23-time Grand Slam singles champion and former world number one drew sympathetic …

United Nations, United States | AFP | US Ambassador Nikki Haley on Tuesday warned countries that she will report back to President Donald Trump with the names of those who support a draft resolution rejecting the US decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. The UN General Assembly will hold an …

Gbarnga, Liberia | AFP | Dekergar Duko, a lean father-of-two who crushes rocks for a living, often reminisces during his days of backbreaking labour about his life under Liberia’s warlord-turned-president, Charles Taylor. Living in a hovel metres (yards) away from the so-called “College of Knowledge” where the dreaded strongman trained child …

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 …