The News South Africa’s Standard Bank aims to be Kenya’s biggest lender by 2030, its regional chief told Semafor, a rare public shot at climbing East Africa’s banking hierarchy as the International Monetary Fund warns that the region’s economic buffers are dangerously fragile. The target is likely to sharpen competition ...
Category: Semafor
Category Added in a WPeMatico Campaign
South Africa’s proposed power pricing plan to end Eskom monopolySouth Africa’s proposed power pricing plan to end Eskom monopoly
The News South Africa unveiled a sweeping new pricing blueprint to introduce competition in the country’s electricity sector, a move that would directly affect more than $14 billion in private international investment reshaping the nation’s grid. The proposed overhaul, outlined in the National Energy Regulator of South Africa’s website, is ...
The Gulf’s other postwar challengeThe Gulf’s other postwar challenge
Mohammed’s view On Friday, the US and Iran are expected to sign an interim agreement, providing space for more detailed discussions to end the war. After 111 days of conflict — most of it spent under a ceasefire — little will change on the surface. Tehran remains under the same ...
Iran war is region’s costliest in decadesIran war is region’s costliest in decades
The Iran war has had a broader impact on the economies of the Middle East than any other conflict in the past 50 years, striking 10 countries that together account for 70% of the region’s economic output, according to analysis by Semafor columnist Alaa Shahine Salha in Asharq Business. Past ...
Oman property fends off Iran war ripplesOman property fends off Iran war ripples
Residential land prices in the Omani capital Muscat rose by 43.6% year-on-year in the first quarter, data from the National Centre for Statistics and Information showed. The market has continued to climb during the US-Iran war, helped by the fact that Oman’s ports lie outside the Strait of Hormuz, meaning ...
How Washington fell for Nord Stream conspiracy theoriesHow Washington fell for Nord Stream conspiracy theories
Ben’s view After someone blew a hole in the Nord Stream Pipeline deep under the Baltic Sea in September 2022, the global media debated a geopolitical whodunnit. The American media, bolstered by official statements from unnamed officials, suggested Russia was behind the attack. “US and Europe condemn ‘sabotage’ as suspicion ...
New York Times’ Kristof quoted former campaign donors in columnsNew York Times’ Kristof quoted former campaign donors in columns
The Scoop When The New York Times announced that columnist Nick Kristof would return following a scuttled 2021 bid for governor of Oregon, the paper made a promise to readers. In a response to questions about Kristof’s return from Rolling Stone in 2022, the Times said that Kristof would refrain ...
New York Knicks celebrate their historic winNew York Knicks celebrate their historic win
The New York Knicks beat the San Antonio Spurs in five games to become NBA champions on Saturday, delivering New York City’s first basketball title in 53 years and ending one of the longest losing streaks in US sports history. In a city where “mass unifying events tend to imply ...
Ukraine’s defense clout grows as NATO members seek its expertiseUkraine’s defense clout grows as NATO members seek its expertise
A German arms company is in talks to build Ukraine’s Flamingo cruise missile, a sign of Kyiv’s growing clout in the defense industry as NATO members seek its expertise. The cruise missile has been used in attacks on Russian industry more than 100 miles from the frontline. The rise of ...
Trump announces peace deal with IranTrump announces peace deal with Iran
President Donald Trump on Sunday announced that the US and Iran had finalized a deal to extend their ceasefire and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Pakistan said the agreement would be signed on Friday, and while there was no immediate confirmation from Tehran, Trump struck an optimistic note, saying, “Ships ...