Features

LONDON (Capital Markets in Africa) – The U.K.’s departure from the European Union frees it from parts of the bloc’s trademark law that British courts have viewed skeptically, attorneys say. EU laws that provide guardrails for national statutes, and EU court precedents that for decades have created the binding case law guiding trademark conflicts, won’t apply in the U.K. British judges may continue to look to EU case law, but there are parts of trademark…

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – When Donald Trump was running for president in 2016, one of his central campaign promises was to enact “a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States.” Shortly after he took office, he issued an executive order that was quickly dubbed the “travel ban,” triggering months of court cases and a series of amended orders. The U.S. Supreme Court upheld Trump’s third version of the policy, issued…

NEW YORK (Capital Markets in Africa): The Trump administration is going ahead with controversial new rules that would clear the way for the U.S. to start applying punitive tariffs on goods from countries accused of having undervalued currencies, the Commerce Department said Monday. The move would give new muscle to U.S. complaints about currency manipulation that have in the past targeted economies like China and Japan and thus turn the more than $6 trillion-a-day global…

SUDAN (Capital Markets in Africa): Sudan’s military leader met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and agreed to work toward normalizing relations, in what would be a historic step for the Arab League member that’s never officially recognized the Jewish state. The surprise meeting between Netanyahu and Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the head of Sudan’s sovereign council, came Monday at the end of a visit by the Israeli leader to Uganda that was part of his latest drive to build…

NEW YORK (Capital Markets in Africa) – For a few tumultuous years, Tesla Inc. gave the bulls reason to believe and bears reason to doubt. Sure, Elon Musk was pulling off what legacy automakers tried and failed to do — make electric cars cool — but he was presiding over an inexperienced enterprise, and the old guard would catch up. As Tesla observers try to understand how and why the stock has tripled in a little more than three…

Cape Town, 4th February 2020; Africa’s move towards solar energy is rapidly underway. Many African nations have employed solar energy as a solution to tackling climate change, keeping abreast of their development and ensuring food security. Extensive research from some of the world’s most renowned energy experts has elucidated that no other energy source, including hydro and wind, can provide power and have an impact as sustainable, reliable, and efficient as solar. According to industry…

JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa)- South African President Cyril Ramaphosa defended his track record on reform and said policy measures being implemented by the government will yield stronger economic growth in time. Ramaphosa, 67, is facing a growing chorus of criticism that he’s taking too long to reverse nine years of misrule by his predecessor Jacob Zuma that hobbled the economy. The state’s inability to undertake reforms has been constrained by infighting over policy direction within the ruling African…