The World Bank agreed a new six-year $540 million finance package to support Uganda’s urban development. The funding aims to enhance all-weather roads, stormwater drainage, street lighting, and public markets to improve transport connections, reduce flooding, and boost public safety, while also stimulating the local economy. The package targets 10 ...
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Senegal bans non-essential government travel due to fuel price surgeSenegal bans non-essential government travel due to fuel price surge
Senegal banned government ministers from all non-essential foreign travel, part of efforts across Africa to grapple with surging fuel prices because of the Iran war. The West African country, which depends heavily on imported energy, has been hit by the growing cost of oil — crude prices are up around ...
Cuba releases 2,000 political prisonersCuba releases 2,000 political prisoners
Cuban authorities began releasing more than 2,000 political prisoners, a possible olive branch for Washington as the nation grapples with a crippling economic blockade. The Trump administration has raised the specter of regime change in Havana and tightened an embargo on the country since ousting the president of Venezuela, a ...
Italy’s population stabilizes on increased migrationItaly’s population stabilizes on increased migration
New data showed that Italy’s population stabilized after 12 years of decline, mainly due to increased immigration. The figures may seem surprising given right-wing Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s hard line against migration — including by pioneering the practice of setting up “return centers” in which prospective migrants are sent to ...
Riyadh evacuates main business hub over Iran threatRiyadh evacuates main business hub over Iran threat
The News Saudi Arabia told businesses not to send staff into Riyadh’s main financial zone after concerns that the area could be targeted in Iranian missile or drone attacks. The order to empty office towers in the King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD) is one of the clearest signs yet that ...
Taiwan faces tenuous defense future, ex-official warnsTaiwan faces tenuous defense future, ex-official warns
Taiwan is failing to adequately plan for its own defense, a former senior official warned, as the island faces a political deadlock over a military spending bill and an upcoming visit by the opposition leader to Beijing. In an op-ed for Nikkei, a former lawmaker and one-time spokesperson for the ...
Maryland’s biggest newspaper is going after the governor’s 2028 campaignMaryland’s biggest newspaper is going after the governor’s 2028 campaign
The Scoop The owner of Maryland’s biggest paper and TV stations is keeping close tabs on his outlet’s investigation of the state’s governor. In recent months, The Baltimore Sun has brought on a team of investigators from sister television station Sinclair to comb through Gov. Wes Moore’s records as he ...
US inflation likely spiked in March, economists predictUS inflation likely spiked in March, economists predict
The Iran war likely drove up US consumer prices in March, economists predicted ahead of key inflation data expected this week. The inflation spike could be the largest one-month jump since 2022, Bloomberg wrote, as the closure of the Strait of Hormuz caused gas prices to surge. The price hikes ...
Trump issues expletive-laden threat against IranTrump issues expletive-laden threat against Iran
US President Donald Trump, in an expletive-laden post on Sunday, threatened to bomb all of Iran’s power plants and destroy its bridges if Tehran didn’t reopen the Strait of Hormuz. He told Axios he is open to striking a deal with Iran by Tuesday, but otherwise, “I am blowing up ...
AI startups boost Hong Kong IPOsAI startups boost Hong Kong IPOs
Listings on Hong Kong’s stock exchange reached a five-year high in the first quarter of 2026, driven by investor appetite for AI and chips. The two best-performing IPOs this year, Zhipu and MiniMax, are among China’s “AI tigers,” a group of top-tier firms. Beijing has looked to cool, but not ...