National security looms large for foreign investment
By Stephen Kirchner
Tuesday April 20, 2021
Foreign investment uncertainty nearly doubled for the four quarters of 2020 compared to the average for 2019. (Image: Adobe/Dilok)
There was a significant slowdown in foreign direct investment (FDI) in Australia during 2020. Gross inbound transactions fell from nearly $60 billion in the year-ended 2019 to only $33.6 billion for the year-ended 2020, about half the average pace seen in recent years.
Uncertainties related to the pandemic weighed on investment decisions and cross-border capital flows globally. In Australia, the government instituted a temporary zero-dollar screening threshold for foreign acquisitions, fearing the opportunistic acquisition of distressed Australian businesses by foreign interests.
Australian military prepares for worst case scenario of war with China over Taiwan in five years dailymail.co.uk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from dailymail.co.uk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
KCCA could lose $288m grant over questionable Chinese contractor
April 16, 2021 Written by OUR REPORTER KCCA executive director Dorothy KIsaka during an impromptu visit to check on the road works progress in Kampala
Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) executive director Dorothy Kisaka’s grand dream to turn Kampala into a smart city has hit a snag due to KCCA’s failure to pronounce itself on the status of a controversial contractor, China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC),
The Observer has learnt.
At stake is a $288m (about Shs 1 trillion) grant from the African Development Bank (ADB) to reconstruct city roads but the sticking point revolves around the competence of CSCEC, whose rec
Contractors on the spot as Road Fund prepares to release users survey
April 14, 2021 Dott Services contractors engaging Mbale local government officials
The ongoing nationwide survey to compile views of road users is set to put the competence of road contractors to the test.
The Uganda Road Fund (URF) is conducting a month-long survey by interviewing road users about the status of roads in the country.
The survey, which was broken down into five regions of Kampala, northern, western, eastern and central, started in March 23 and is expected to end on April 30.
A sample of 5,460 road users from seven road user groups, namely pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists, passengers SUV/saloon car drivers, bus/matatu drivers, and truck drivers, are being interviewed during the survey.
Former defence minister Christopher Pyne (pictured) has issued a stark warning of an impending war between Australia and China
Australia could be thrown into a military conflict with China in a matter of years, a former defence chief has warned.
War may be inevitable with the authoritarian state as it becomes more aggressive and belligerent with its neighbours, Christopher Pyne said.
Australia s relationship with its biggest trading partner began to drastically deteriorate in April last year when Prime Minister Scott Morrison called for an independent inquiry into the origins of coronavirus, which first appeared in Wuhan at the end of 2019.