Africa/International

Egypt has received a loan totaling $70 million from the African Development Bank (AfDB) to finance an agriculture project, the Reuters reported citing the (AfDB). The project is expected to create some 60,500 jobs. The loan is to be used…

China’s foreign exchange reserves rose to a record high in December 2009. A Bloomberg news report citing information on the Bank of China website said the country’s reserves rose 23% to $2.4 trillion, making it the world’s largest. In…

Nigeria's parliament has reached an agreement with the finance ministry to increase planned budgetary spending for 2010 above the president's proposed $27 billion, two sources involved in talks said on Friday. President Umaru Yar'Adua in…

The hype that preceded the launch of Google's Nexus One seems to have fizzled. The gadget that was hailed before it debuted as Google's long-awaited answer to Apple's über-popular iPhone has seen disappointing sales. Google sold just…

Some of Cadbury's biggest shareholders, led by Legal & General, continued to reject Kraft Foods' 10.5 billion pound ($17.2 billion) bid and will look for an increased offer over the next four days. The British confectioner has been…

Cellphone users in the United States have contributed more than $11 million to Haitian earthquake relief through text messages in what is being hailed as an unprecedented mobile response to a natural disaster. The Mobile Giving Foundation…

The CDC estimates that 55 million Americans became sick with H1N1 swine flu between April and mid-December 2009 and roughly 11,000 people died of the disease. These numbers represent a middle range in CDC estimates. The actual number of…

A Ghanaian woman who is a US immigration lawyer found guilty of marrying illegally to gain permanent US residence is awaiting sentencing and deportation to Ghana, the Washington Post reports. The lawyer, Lilian Asante’s sentencing has been…

Royal Bank of Scotland has announced a £1 billion finance fund to support embattled manufacturers hit hard by the recession. The dedicated fund comes as banks face calls to lend more and help lift the economy out of the worst recession…

Gold prices were a touch softer on Friday as the dollar reversed earlier losses, while palladium marked a fresh 18-month high, extending the previous day's gains on strong demand due to the launch of a new investment tool. Gold futures got…