Abidjan, Ivory Coast | AFP |  The cocoa crop of Ivory Coast, the world’s biggest producer, increased 28.5 percent to a record 2.15 million tonnes in the 2016-17 season, the national Coffee and Cocoa Council said Friday. Exports increased by 23.3 percent to 1.9 million tonnes, helping to raise the …

New Delhi, India | AFP |  India’s Tata Motors has won a bid to manufacture thousands of electric cars for the government as part of a push to promote battery-powered vehicles as the nation grapples with soaring pollution levels. State-owned energy efficiency services limited (ESSL) will procure 10,000 cars from …

Nairobi, Kenya | AFP |  The director of a Burundi radio station said Friday his outlet is being temporarily taken off air after criticising the government over the killings of dozens of refugees in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). CCIB FM+, which is run by Burundi’s chamber of commerce, …

Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP |  Government shutdowns of the internet have cost sub-Saharan Africa about $237 million since 2015, according to a study released Friday, as authorities increasingly implement planned disruptions. At least 12 countries have had internet shutdowns, often before elections or when protests erupt, with mobile internet …

Nairobi, Kenya | AFP |  Former marathon world record holder Paul Tergat was named president of Kenya’s strife-hit Olympic committee on Friday, hoping to end months of controversy and infighting. “Since Paul Tergat is unopposed, he is now the new president of the National Olympic Committee of Kenya,” said Omweri …

Rome, Italy | AFP |  Libyan military strongman Khalifa Haftar asked Europe for helicopters and drones to fight rampant migration on the southern border of the war-wracked country. The request came after the commander, who backs a Tobruk-based administration that controls much of the east and south of Libya, travelled …

The Independent UGANDA – Issue 489 by The Independent Magazine on Scribd The Independent ISSUE 289, Sept 29 – Oct 95, 2017   Share on: WhatsApp

  Kampala, Uganda | JULIUS BUSINGE |  The National Social Security Fund (NSSF) has declared 11.23% interest rate on members’ savings for the financial year 2016/2017, lower than the 12.3% paid out for FY2015/2016. Officials said the lowering of interest rate was because of a bad economy that affected its …

Amsterdam, Netherlands | AFP |  A Dutch ad-free news website, which actively seeks contributors’ help in its reporting and foregoes breaking news in favour of deeper analysis, is about to expand across the Atlantic. Amid the blaring headlines, the breathless drama of 24-hour TV news, the lure of clickbait and …

Kampala, Uganda | PPU | President Yoweri Museveni has met the European Union (EU) Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and presented a raft of concerns raised by East African Community (EAC) member states on the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPA). Leading a delegation of EAC trade ministers to the meeting at the EU …