Uganda said the African Development Bank has tentatively allocated about $650 million to partly fund the construction of a railway linking the capital, Kampala, to Malaba at the Kenyan border. Abdul Kamara, the bank’s vice president in charge of regional development, integration and business delivery, announced the pledge at a meeting with a Ugandan delegation at the lender’s annual meeting in Bra...
Uganda said the African Development Bank has tentatively allocated about $650 million to partly fund the construction of a railway linking the capital, Kampala, to Malaba at the Kenyan border. Abdul Kamara, the bank’s vice president in charge of regional development, integration and business delivery, announced the pledge at a meeting with a Ugandan delegation at the lender’s annual meeting in Brazzaville, in the Republic of Congo, Uganda’s Finance Ministry said on X. The final project financing arrangement will be concluded during a mission appraisal next month, it said. Uganda has struggled to raise financing for the 272-kilometer standard gauge railway project. It awarded the €2.7 billion contract to Turkish firm Yapi Merkezi Insaat VE in 2024, following the cancellation of a deal with China Harbour Engineering Co. after eight years of trying and failing to secure Chinese loans. Uganda Plans €405 Million Debut Sukuk for Rail Shunned by China Railways Emerge as a New Investment Frontier: Next Africa Uganda, Yapi Merkezi Rail Deal to Take Full Force in Early 2026 Uganda expects to fund the construction of the railway using loans from export credit agencies and development finance institutions. Last year it said the Islamic Development Bank had pledged $400 million for the project.
Former Scottish first minister says she will not apologise for actions of her ex- husband found guilty of embezzlement Nicola Sturgeon has said feels like she is “serving a sentence for a crime I did not commit” after her former husband and former Scottish National party chief executive, Peter Murrell, admitted embezzling more than £400,000 from the party. Murrell pleaded guilty this week to embez...
Former Scottish first minister says she will not apologise for actions of her ex- husband found guilty of embezzlement Nicola Sturgeon has said feels like she is “serving a sentence for a crime I did not commit” after her former husband and former Scottish National party chief executive, Peter Murrell, admitted embezzling more than £400,000 from the party. Murrell pleaded guilty this week to embezzling the sum from the SNP between 2010 and 2022 to fund a lavish personal lifestyle. Continue reading...
Members of Asean might have conflicting claims in the South China Sea but mutual trust exists in the bloc, Philippine defence chief Gilberto Teodoro Jnr said on Sunday, singling out Beijing as the biggest obstacle to a code of conduct in the disputed waterway. Teodoro delivered strong words for China in the final panel of the Shangri-La Dialogue security forum in Singapore, taking aim at Manila’s ...
Members of Asean might have conflicting claims in the South China Sea but mutual trust exists in the bloc, Philippine defence chief Gilberto Teodoro Jnr said on Sunday, singling out Beijing as the biggest obstacle to a code of conduct in the disputed waterway. Teodoro delivered strong words for China in the final panel of the Shangri-La Dialogue security forum in Singapore, taking aim at Manila’s long-time maritime rival for disregarding an international arbitral tribunal which ruled in favour...
Fab Four are still making waves 60 years on – and upcoming Sam Mendes films are expected to turn the hype up to 11 If anyone needed a reminder of the enduring cultural clout of the Beatles, the past few weeks have provided a glut. Firstly, there’s the small matter of The Boys of Dungeon Lane , Paul McCartney’s 20th solo album, billed as “an adventurous and limber take on guitar music” by the Guard...
Fab Four are still making waves 60 years on – and upcoming Sam Mendes films are expected to turn the hype up to 11 If anyone needed a reminder of the enduring cultural clout of the Beatles, the past few weeks have provided a glut. Firstly, there’s the small matter of The Boys of Dungeon Lane , Paul McCartney’s 20th solo album, billed as “an adventurous and limber take on guitar music” by the Guardian. When England announced their World Cup squad, the soundtrack was Come Together, played alongside a film of fashionable young people in New York and a clip of a young, puckish John Lennon. The same week Stephen Colbert was played off from his final episode of the Late Show by a Paul McCartney rendition of Hello Goodbye . Continue reading...
The Radiohead guitarist once serenaded a girl with the Smiths and thinks George Michael was a genius. But what is his favourite football song? The first single I bought Ally’s Tartan Army, the 1978 Scottish World Cup song, because England hadn’t qualified. I loved that Scottish team – Alan Rough, Martin Buchan, Gordon McQueen, Kenny Dalglish – and the 10-year-old me got completely swept up in Worl...
The Radiohead guitarist once serenaded a girl with the Smiths and thinks George Michael was a genius. But what is his favourite football song? The first single I bought Ally’s Tartan Army, the 1978 Scottish World Cup song, because England hadn’t qualified. I loved that Scottish team – Alan Rough, Martin Buchan, Gordon McQueen, Kenny Dalglish – and the 10-year-old me got completely swept up in World Cup fever. The first song I fell in love with When I was 17, I fell in love with a girl called Mary, who was this huge Smiths fan. I bought Hatful of Hollow so I could serenade her with William, It Was Really Nothing. I don’t think she adored me quite as much as she adored the Smiths. Continue reading...
A Chinese woman said she was nearly killed by a fishing line while riding past a crowded bridge, sparking safety concerns online. The woman surnamed Wang, from Hangzhou, eastern China’s Zhejiang province, shared her hair-raising experience on the night of May 23. She and her friend were riding electric bikes on a bicycle lane of the Fuxing bridge in the city, when a fishing line suddenly wrapped a...
A Chinese woman said she was nearly killed by a fishing line while riding past a crowded bridge, sparking safety concerns online. The woman surnamed Wang, from Hangzhou, eastern China’s Zhejiang province, shared her hair-raising experience on the night of May 23. She and her friend were riding electric bikes on a bicycle lane of the Fuxing bridge in the city, when a fishing line suddenly wrapped around her throat. It happened too fast that she did not have time to stop the bike. The line kept...
Hong Kong could welcome the astronauts of the Shenzhou-23 mission, including the city’s history-making payload specialist, as early as the first half of next year, the technology chief has said. Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry Sun Dong also said on Sunday that the government would establish a new space manufacturing research centre under InnoHK by this year, focusing on using 3D ...
Hong Kong could welcome the astronauts of the Shenzhou-23 mission, including the city’s history-making payload specialist, as early as the first half of next year, the technology chief has said. Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry Sun Dong also said on Sunday that the government would establish a new space manufacturing research centre under InnoHK by this year, focusing on using 3D printing and artificial intelligence (AI) to support future space development. “I hope that after...
sasha85ru/iStock via Getty Images Introduction IperionX ( IPX ) is one of the more interesting strategic materials stocks on the market, but that doesn't necessarily make it attractive at the current price. The company is trying to build a domestic US titanium supply chain using its HAMR and HSPT technologies, with applications across defense, aerospace, industrial components, consumer products, a...
sasha85ru/iStock via Getty Images Introduction IperionX ( IPX ) is one of the more interesting strategic materials stocks on the market, but that doesn't necessarily make it attractive at the current price. The company is trying to build a domestic US titanium supply chain using its HAMR and HSPT technologies, with applications across defense, aerospace, industrial components, consumer products, and potentially robotics. The problem is that the stock is no longer priced like an undiscovered development-stage company. After a rally of nearly 80% over the last year, IperionX is already being valued as a success story. Strategic Titanium Story With Real Government Support The strongest part of the IperionX bull thesis is the strategic backdrop. Titanium is used in defense, aerospace, naval systems, industrial equipment, and other high-performance applications. It is lightweight, strong, corrosion-resistant, and difficult to replace in many use cases. That gives the metal direct relevance to national security and high-end manufacturing. Management argues that the existing US titanium supply chain remains vulnerable because the country depends heavily on imported titanium sponge and a complex legacy supply chain. In the traditional process, sponge is imported, remelted, forged, rolled, ground, and machined before reaching final products. This results in long lead times, high-energy use, waste, and foreign supply chain exposure. That’s why IperionX is trying to position itself more as a domestic titanium manufacturing platform. Its Virginia facility is meant to produce titanium powder and then convert that powder into finished or semi-finished products. If this works at scale, IperionX could reduce part of the dependence on imported sponge and legacy processing. The government support gives the story more credibility than many speculative materials names. Management stated that IperionX has already received more than $60 million in grants and has an IDIQ Phase III contrac...
Capture of Beaufort castle near the city of Nabatiyeh comes despite a nominal ceasefire and shortly before talks due in the US Israeli troops have captured a mountain topped with a Crusader-built castle in southern Lebanon in their deepest incursion into the country in more than a quarter of a century. The capture of Beaufort castle near the city of Nabatiyeh came after days of intense fighting an...
Capture of Beaufort castle near the city of Nabatiyeh comes despite a nominal ceasefire and shortly before talks due in the US Israeli troops have captured a mountain topped with a Crusader-built castle in southern Lebanon in their deepest incursion into the country in more than a quarter of a century. The capture of Beaufort castle near the city of Nabatiyeh came after days of intense fighting and airstrikes in nearby villages where Israeli troops fought Hezbollah members in the rugged area. Israel has expanded the scope of its operations in Lebanon sending troops across the Litani River, which previously served as a de facto boundary. Israel has designated the area from the Litani up to the Zahrani River a combat zone. Some residents have already left the area due to the intense strikes in recent days, but people remain in many of the area’s towns. Hezbollah overnight claimed two attacks targeting Israeli troops and a Merkava tank in the southwestern town of Bayada near the border. In recent days, the group has said it has clashed with Israeli troops in several towns just north of the river near Nabatiyeh and the castle. The Lebanese Health Ministry said the death toll in the country since March was 3,371, including civilians and combatants. The Israeli army announced Sunday that one of its soldiers had been killed the previous day by a Hezbollah explosive drone in southern Lebanon, bringing to 25 the number of Israeli military deaths since early March. US president Donald Trump said he had secured guarantees from Iran that it would not develop nuclear weapons, as reports emerged he had sent a tougher peace proposal back to Tehran. Trump has said his priorities for any deal include stopping Iran from any nuclear weapon development and re-opening the blockaded strait of Hormuz. Benjamin Netanyahu said he has given orders to the Israeli army to seize control of 70% of the Gaza Strip in a move that threatens to torpedo an already fragile ceasefire and create catastro...
Bloom Energy (NYSE: BE) shares have been on an absolute tear lately. This clean energy stock and artificial intelligence (AI) power superstar was trading at about $20 per share this time last year. Before the market opened on May 27, shares were at $302 -- a 1,430% gain over the past year. Of course, any time a stock's price gains that much within a year, investors would do well to stand back and ...
Bloom Energy (NYSE: BE) shares have been on an absolute tear lately. This clean energy stock and artificial intelligence (AI) power superstar was trading at about $20 per share this time last year. Before the market opened on May 27, shares were at $302 -- a 1,430% gain over the past year. Of course, any time a stock's price gains that much within a year, investors would do well to stand back and examine it with a level head. Does Bloom's business support this much growth, or are fundamentals getting crowded out by market hype? Bloom Energy makes solid oxide fuel cell systems for on-site power generation. These giant boxes convert fuel, like natural gas, into electricity through an electrochemical process rather than by burning it. Bloom has been developing this technology for over 25 years, but its business has only recently taken off. Can you guess why? If not, here's a hint: artificial intelligence . Continue reading