By Wenjie Chen and Andrew Tiffin IMF PODCASTS With sub-Saharan Africa soon to have one of the largest working-age populations in the world, removing barriers to business growth and encouraging higher productivity industries will help provide the employment opportunities it needs. But reforms don’t come easy. Wenjie Chen and Andrew Tiffin are economists in the IMF’s Africa Department and produce the Regional Economic Outlook for sub-Saharan Africa. In this podcast, they say addressing development needs while realizing reforms that create sufficient jobs will help garner public support and improve regional prospects. Transcript Source link
Author: THE CONNECTING NEWSPAPER
Chad has granted Starlink, Elon Musk’s satellite internet provider, a license to operate, aiming to improve internet accessibility across the country. With only 12% of Chad’s population online as of 2022, Communications Minister Boukar Michel highlighted Starlink’s potential to bridge gaps in fiber optic coverage, particularly in remote areas. The enhanced internet access is expected to facilitate the digitalization of public services and foster the growth of tech start-ups. Starlink’s launch in Chad follows regulatory negotiations since 2021, overcoming hurdles similar to those faced in other African nations. While Starlink operates in several African countries, it has faced regulatory challenges,…
The United States Men’s National Team will take on Jamaica in a two-legged CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinal this week. The games are coach Mauricio Pochettino’s first competitive matches in charge of the USMNT, as his debut matches against Panama and Mexico were both friendlies.Jamaica is a familiar foe for the USMNT: the teams have faced off 33 times since 1988. They last met in March of 2024, when the USMNT scored some fortuitous late goals to pull off a 3-1 win. That victory—and the team’s genuine struggle to achieve it—sheds some light on how the USMNT might fare in its…
Federal police in Brazil are investigating after a pair of explosions rocked the heart of the country’s capital Brasilia, just steps away from the Federal Supreme Court (STF). At least one person was reported dead. The court itself was evacuated, as plumes of smoke and fire were visible from the air. “At the end of the [Supreme Court] session on Wednesday, two loud bangs were heard, and the ministers were safely removed from the building,” the court said in a press release. In a separate statement, the federal police indicated it had deployed a rapid intervention group and a bomb…
The commissioner of the Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS) appears to have given misleading testimony to the City Council in attempting to justify why his agency made a last-minute switch to lease office space in a building owned by a big donor to Mayor Eric Adams.With questions around the deal intensifying, the mayor’s office has informed the Council that it’s moving to “pause” the lease to move the city Department for the Aging to 14 Wall St., owned by billionaire and Adams donor Alex Rovt.Testifying last month at a Council committee hearing on questions surrounding DCAS leases, Commissioner Louis…
KINGSTOWN, St Vincent – The St Vincent and the Grenadines Environment Fund (SVGEF) was thrilled to host biology students from the St Vincent and the Grenadines Community College (SVGCC) for an educational field trip focused on sea turtle conservation. This interactive session was designed to support their ongoing research by providing hands-on knowledge about sea turtle preservation and the environment. The group, consisting of 14 biology students and two lecturers, spent two hours with our conservation team along the coastline. They observed sea turtle habitats, learned about the threats these marine animals face, and understood the ongoing efforts needed to protect…
As Senegal’s snap legislative elections draw near, political tensions are escalating, especially in the capital, Dakar. Opposition activists are canvassing neighborhoods, hoping to sway voters, while government supporters rally with cultural events. Both sides seem confident that their side will come out on top following the election on November 17. The ruling Pastef party, led by President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, came to power following a landslide victory in April. Six months later, Faye dissolved the opposition-led parliament, citing a lack of cooperation in implementing promised reforms, prompting these early elections. The biggest challenge to Pastef’s dominance comes from a coalition…
Zion Williamson played a career-high 70 games last season and showed up to this year’s training camp in his best physical condition as a pro. The expectation was for the Duke alum to finally shed the “injury-prone” label that has plagued his young career and lead the Pelicans back to prominence. In an unfortunate turn of events, the Pelicans announced Williamson suffered a hamstring strain last week, just six games into his new season. The report immediately raised red flags since Williamson missed 53 games due to a hamstring strain in the 2022-23 season and dealt with a hamstring injury during…
Sri Lankans will cast ballots in a snap parliamentary election on Thursday, months after electing a Marxist-leaning president in the Indian island nation’s first election since the 2022 economic meltdown and political crisis. The election was called by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who won the September election after blaming the country’s traditional ruling elite for the economic collapse that led to the country defaulting on its loans. Dissanayake’s National People’s Power (NPP) alliance has just three seats in the outgoing parliament, but opinion polls give the bloc an edge over parties that have ruled the island nation since its independence…
At least two brush fires broke out at an upper Manhattan park, FDNY officials said, one of which was not yet under control as of Wednesday evening. That fire was located inside Inwood Hill Park at West 218th Street, the fire department said. Crews were battling the flames after 5 p.m. as smoke poured into the sky, and officials described the scene as very active. Just a few blocks south in the same park, another brush fire was under control just after 4 p.m. That blaze broke out around 2:30 p.m., with the FDNY receiving reports of smoke coming from…