- NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan 17 – Economist Ashish Chadda has faulted Treasury’s 2025 budget proposal, calling on the government to review the Draft 2025 Budget Policy Statement for the fiscal year 2025/26 to 2027/28. Chadda, in a letter addressed to Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi, lists five major…
- JAN 17 – A looming TikTok ban has connected Chinese and American citizens like never before, as they swap jokes and memes in what one user described as a “historic moment”. It’s all unfolding on a popular Chinese social media app called RedNote, or Xiaohongshu (literally translates as Little Red…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan 17 – The Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KNCCI) is set to host the World Chambers Federation (WCF) Summit in Nairobi, marking a first for Africa. The event, slated to run from April 9 to 11 and themed “Africa’s Global Future: Integrated, Innovative, and…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan 17 – Leading health experts have condemned remarks by Public Health Principal Secretary Mary Muthoni, describing her statements about smoke-free alternatives as ‘unfounded and misleading.’ Michael Kariuki, Secretary General of the Harm Reduction Society of Kenya (HRS),…
- JAN 17 – Apple has suspended a new artificial intelligence (AI) feature that drew criticism and complaints for making repeated mistakes in its summaries of news headlines. The tech giant had been facing mounting pressure to withdraw the service, which sent notifications that appeared to come from…
- JAN 17 – Toyota subsidiary Hino Motors has agreed to pay $1.6bn (£1.3bn) and plead guilty to deceiving US regulators about the amount of emissions produced by its diesel engines. The truck company will also be banned from exporting its diesel engines to the country for five years. It comes after…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan 17 – CMC Motors Group has announced its exit from Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania, citing economic pressures, currency depreciation, and rising operational costs that have rendered operations unsustainable. The firm stated it will wind down operations in compliance with local…
- JAN 17 – China’s economy rebounded in the last three months of last year, allowing the government to meet its growth target of 5% in 2024, Beijing announced on Friday. But it is one of the slowest rates of growth in decades as the world’s second largest economy struggles to shake off a protracted…
- NAIROBI, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) — Kenya’s economy is projected to grow by 5.3 percent in 2025, according to the National Treasury. In its Budget Policy Statement for 2025, released Wednesday evening in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi, the Treasury said this growth would represent an increase from 4.6…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan 16 – KCB Bank Kenya has unveiled the ‘Revvvisha na KCB’ campaign, aimed at promoting financial empowerment and instilling a savings culture among Kenyans. Running from December 27, 2024, to April 2025, the campaign aligns with the 2025 World Rally Championship (WRC) Safari…
- JAN 16 – Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’s space company has blasted its first rocket into orbit in a bid to challenge the dominance of Elon Musk’s SpaceX. The New Glenn rocket launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 02:02 local time (07:02 GMT). It firmly pits the world’s two…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan 16 – The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has reiterated the significance of customs bonds in securing customs duties and ensuring smooth cross-border trade. Bonds are essential in various scenarios, including goods transit and temporary imports, and involve importers, exporters,…
- JAN 16 – The US has banned the use of a synthetic dye typically added to foods and beverages to give them a bright, cherry-red hue. Manufacturers will no longer be allowed to use the dye, called red No 3 or red dye 3, after studies linked it to cancer in male laboratory rats, the […]
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan 16 – Telecommunications service provider Safaricom has been ranked the top employer in 2025. The ranking done by the Top Employer Institute (TEI) also placed the telco top in Africa for the fourth year running. According to TEI, the ranking is based on Safaricom’s human resource…
- OTTAWA, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Wednesday outlined retaliatory tariffs covering about 150 billion Canadian dollars (105 billion U.S. dollars) worth of U.S. goods, local media reported. Trudeau met with provincial and territorial premiers in Ottawa to discuss the…
- NAIROBI, Kenya Jan 16 – Biotech and pharmaceutical company Pfizer has announced plans to reorganise its activities in Kenya amid emerging market dynamics. A company spokesperson said the reorganisation will target certain aspects of its operations to maintain a multi-function commercial presence in…
- JAN 16 – A US-based short-seller which had published reports accusing top financial entities in India and abroad of financial wrongdoings and fraud is set to shut down. Nate Anderson, the founder of Hindenburg Research, announced on Wednesday that he was disbanding the company almost eight years…
- CANBERRA, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) — Australia’s unemployment rate rose slightly in December to 4.0 percent from 3.9 percent in November, as participation in the workforce reached a record high. According to official labor force data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) on Thursday, the…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan 16 – Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has announced the imposition of a new sugar development levy effective February 1. According to Duale, the move is aimed at boosting the local sugar industry through revenue generation that will be directed towards supporting the…
- By Dr Solomon Mutual JAN 15 – In 2020, the World Health Organization launched a global strategy to eliminate cervical cancer by 2030. It is the fourth-most common cancer among women, with an estimated 350,000 deaths worldwide in 2022. More than 80,000 of these deaths occurred in sub-Saharan Africa…
- JAN 15 – Timothy Munyao, an IT Solutions Architect Consultant at Kitsilano Technologies, recently made history by becoming the first Kenyan to earn the coveted Amazon Web Services (AWS Golden Jacket. This prestigious award recognizes individuals who achieve all 12 active AWS certifications,…
- JAN 15 – UK inflation unexpectedly dipped in December, raising expectations of an interest rate cut next month. Prices rose 2.5% in the year to December, down from 2.6% the month before, marking the first fall in inflation for three months. The drop was driven by hotel prices falling and smaller…
- NAIROBI, Kenya Jan 15 – Equity Bank Chief Executive Officer (CEO) James Mwangi has joined the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) as a member. Mwangi’s appointment to the Global Board of Advisors is a big milestone for the African continent, which will greatly benefit from the Council, which…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan 14 – A group of parents have moved to court seeking to block a controversial school fee hike at St. Philip Neri Primary School, arguing that the increase was implemented without proper consultation and violates their legal rights. In an urgent application filed at the Kangundo…
- NEW YORK, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) — The United States is facing high inflation and increasing debt, and the economy is in a fragile place, according to David Soloman, the chief executive officer (CEO) of Goldman Sachs. U.S. consumers were still powering the economy last year. But they have really felt…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan 15 – Jubilee Health Insurance Limited (JHIL) has launched its inaugural Center of Excellence and Agency Office at the Jubilee Exchange building on Mama Ngina Street, Nairobi. This initiative seeks to address Kenya’s low insurance penetration rate, currently at 2.3 percent of…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan 15 — The National Construction Authority (NCA) has rolled out Stakeholders’ Sensitization Programs for the National Building Code 2024, targeting engineers, architects, contractors, and policymakers. The initiative aims to streamline and transform Kenya’s construction industry…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan 15 – Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has reminded commercial vehicle owners to pay their advance tax for the 2025 income year by January 20, 2025. Advance tax rates vary depending on the type of vehicle. Vans, pick-ups, trucks, prime movers, trailers, and lorries are taxed at Sh2…
- LOS ANGELES, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) — Disinformation and conspiracy theories abound during crises, often overshadowing the truth with a flood of politically charged falsehoods. These narratives, also emerging after the wildfires in Los Angeles, gain traction due to their emotional appeal and the inherent…
- BUENOS AIRES, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) — Argentina recorded an annual inflation rate of 117.8 percent in 2024, following a monthly price increase of 2.7 percent in December, the National Institute of Statistics and Censuses (INDEC) reported on Tuesday. After the first year of a stringent fiscal adjustment…
- NAIROBI, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) — Kenya’s horticulture export earnings declined in 2024 due to reduced shipments to key markets in Europe and Asia, a government official said Tuesday. The East African nation earned 137 billion shillings (about 1.06 billion U.S. dollars) from horticulture exports in 2024…
- SINGAPORE, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) — Singapore has announced plans to upgrade 10 streets across the island by 2026 to enhance walking and cycling commutes, particularly for seniors and young children. Work on these “Friendly Streets” will commence progressively in the first half of 2025, with completion…
- NAIROBI, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) — African countries should accelerate policy and legislative reforms aimed at fostering cross-border trade in manufactured goods and services, unlock growth and new jobs for the continent’s youth, Kenyan business leaders said Tuesday. Currently, intra-African trade stands…
- NAIROBI, Jan.15 (Xinhua) — Kenya’s tourism ministry said on Tuesday that it aims to attract about 200,000 travelers over the next five years by tapping into the adventure tourism market. Rebecca Miano, cabinet secretary in the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife, said the East African country has…
- NAAIROBI, Kenya, January 15 – Global cloud communications platform Infobip has been recognized as the number one provider among Established Leaders in the Artificially Inflated Traffic (AIT) Fraud Prevention market by Juniper Research. The analyst firm has ranked Infobip first of 18 vendors in its…
- COLOMBO, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) — The Maldives plans to offer tax and land rent concessions to attract investors to less-visited regions of the country, local media reported on Tuesday, quoting Minister of Tourism Ibrahim Faisal. Faisal stated that the primary challenge in expanding tourism to more…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan 14 – The Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) has announced an increase in fuel prices effective midnight. A litre of super petrol will rise by Sh0.29, diesel by Sh2 and kerosene by Sh3. Therefore, a liter of petrol will rise to Sh176.58 in Nairobi. While a liter of…
- Jan 14 – Spain is planning to impose a tax of up to 100% on the value of properties bought by non-residents from countries outside the EU, such as the UK. Announcing the move, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said the “unprecedented” measure was necessary to meet the country’s housing emergency. “The…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan 14 — Hong Kong-based energy solutions provider Neosun Energy has announced its entry into the Kenyan market, marking a significant step towards providing sustainable and cost-effective energy solutions for Africa’s commercial and industrial sectors. Neosun plans to offer…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan 14 — The National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) has issued a public notice urging all importers of refrigeration and air conditioning (RAC) gases to apply for their 2025 annual import licenses. This reminder comes as 2025 marks Kenya’s final year to import…
- JAN 14 – TikTok users in the US are migrating to a Chinese app called RedNote with the threat of a ban just days away. The move by users who call themselves “TikTok refugees” has made RedNote the most downloaded app on Apple’s US App Store on Monday. RedNote is a TikTok competitor popular with […]
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan 14 – Most of the funds raised by African startups in 2024, including in Kenya, came from entities owned by men, highlighting a stark gender disparity in the continent’s startup funding ecosystem. According to the latest Africa: The Big Deal newsletter, female CEOs secured just $…
- Nairobi, Kenya — The Africa Media Festival (AMF) is set to return for its third edition on February 26-27, 2025, at the National Museums of Kenya in Nairobi. The festival has become a cornerstone for media professionals, storytellers, and innovators across the continent, fostering collaboration and…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan 14 – The High Court has appointed Mark Gakuru as the liquidator for Countryside Dairy Limited, a move that marks a step in the company’s insolvency proceedings. The appointment, made via Gazette Notice, took effect on November 21, 2024, under the provisions of the Insolvency…
- JAN 14 – TikTok has called a report that China is considering allowing a sale of the social media company’s US operations to Elon Musk “pure fiction.” The firm’s comments came in response to a report by Bloomberg that Chinese officials are weighing an option that could see its business in America…
- JAN 14 – Starbucks says it is reversing rules for its cafes in North America that allowed people to use their facilities even if they had not bought anything. The changes, which are set to come into force from 27 January, are a U-turn from a policy introduced six years ago that allowed people to […]
- By Mercy Mwelu, JAN 14 – Saving is a positive step in your journey towards financial independence. However, saving without a predefined target can feel daunting due to the lack of motivation to achieve a specific “goal” within a set me. Goal-based saving aligns a purpose with a financial target, in…
- SYDNEY, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) — Australian researchers have found that DNA repair may determine how cancer cells die following radiotherapy in a new study that may help improve cancer treatment and cure rates. To understand how cancerous tumor cells die after being subjected to radiotherapy, scientists…
- NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan 14 – KCB to address technical Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB) has announced plans to address technical challenges facing its mobile wallet service Vooma following complaints from customers. In a response to a user complaint on LinkedIn, the financial institution said that the…
- BRUSSELS, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) — European Commission officials on Monday expressed concern over new U.S. measures restricting access to advanced artificial intelligence (AI) chip exports to select European Union (EU) member states and their companies. “We are concerned about the US measures adopted…
