NAIROBI (Reuters) &#8211; A Kenyan court convicted two men on Wednesday for helping al Qaeda-linked gunmen storm Nairobi’s Westgate shopping mall and kill at least 67 people in a 2013 assault that proved Somali militants could strike at the heart of the capital.



The attack on the upscale mall &#8211; a favourite with the country’s growing middle class and foreign workers &#8211; came two years after the East African nation sent troops into Somalia following a series of kidnappings and raids on Kenyan soil.



A third defendant, also charged under a national terrorism prevention act, was acquitted in the trial, the only prosecution Kenya mounted over the assault by Somali al Shabaab militants.



Four gunmen died during the attack in one of the most secure areas of the Kenyan capital.



The three defendants &#8211; all ethnic Somalis, two of whom are Kenyan citizens &#8211; were accused of assisting the attackers.







“The prosecution has proved its case against the accused on charges of conspiracy of committing a terrorism act and supporting a terrorist group,” Chief Magistrate Francis Andayi said as he read the verdict.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-harrowing-testimony">HARROWING TESTIMONY</h2>



During his judgment, Andayi referred to harrowing testimony from witnesses: bodies slumped behind the wheels of cars whose windscreens were shattered with bullets, their engines still running, a man attending a children’s cookery event who was shot several times before he crawled under a car and passed out.



Andayi said the prosecution’s case hinged on evidence of phone communication in the months before the attack between the accused and the gunmen.Slideshow&nbsp;( 4 images )



The two convicted men will be sentenced on Oct. 22. Andayi was one of four different magistrates who presided over the case over seven years; there was no jury.



The authorities’ disastrous response to the Westgate attack deeply damaged Kenya’s reputation.



Soldiers and police fired at each other during a chaotic four days and footage emerged of soldiers looting the complex amid bodies sprawled on the bloodstained floor.



The trial provided little comfort for the loved ones of victims because it shed very little light on what happened during the bloody standoff.







Years later, questions such as whether the attackers’ forensic remains were ever correctly identified remain unanswered. No one from the security forces has ever been held responsible for the pillaging of the mall.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-questions-linger">QUESTIONS LINGER</h2>



“For as long as the authorities remain reluctant or unwilling to investigate the conduct of the security forces, questions will persist as to whether justice has indeed been served in this case regardless of how the judges decide,” Otsieno Namwaya of Human Rights Watch said.



Al Shabaab has continued to mount major attacks in Kenya, including a 2015 assault on Garissa University that left 166 people dead and a 2019 attack on a Nairobi hotel and office complex that killed 21 people. The 2019 attack was the first led by a Kenyan gunman who was not an ethnic Somali, a result of al Shabaab’s intensive efforts to recruit more foreigners.



East Africa has long been plagued by Islamist militancy. Twin attacks by al Qaeda on the U.S. embassies in Tanzania and Kenya in 1998 killed 224 people. Some of those responsible later found refuge with al Shabaab in Somalia.

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Kenya court convicts two for helping deadly jihadist attack on shopping mall

How Trump’s Covid-19 diagnosis affected his polling in swing states: CNBC After Hours

Nigerian equities watch: Bulls go all-out for 12th straight session

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The property sector has faced headwinds and uncertainty, caused by COVID-19. However, Growthpoint has decided to go ahead with a final dividend of 40c per share for the year to ended June. This is to meet requirements to retain its status as a Real Estate Investment Trust. The total dividend for the year will amount to 146 cents per share. And shareholders will be entitled to re-invest the net cash dividend, in return for Growthpoint shares. Growthpoint CEO, Estienne de Klerk joins CNBC Africa for more.

Growthpoint re-investment of dividend: What are the tax implications?

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Prominent Ugandan Mogul, Ham Kiggundu is currently in court with Diamond Trust Bank Uganda and DTB Kenya for the institutions allegedly removing over $23 million illegally from his business accounts over the course of a decade. As the case gains attention, CNBC Africa spoke to Kenneth Agutamba, Analyst and Chief Strategist of Impact Communication Strategies about what a case like this could mean for the way VIP clients interact with their banks in the future.

DTB vs HAM: How the case impacts Uganda’s banking system

Mentoria Economics on how to tackle illicit financial flows in Kenya

How to attract investment for African start-ups post-COVID-19

BENGALURU/JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) &#8211; Volatility in emerging market currencies will not let up in the next six months as U.S. presidential election jitters mount and domestic economic growth tapers off, a Reuters poll of market strategists showed.



Most emerging market currencies were forecast to weaken or at best cling to a range over the next three to six months but will rise about 2% on average in a year, supported by a weaker dollar, the Sept. 28-Oct. 5 poll found.



Reuters surveys since the global shutdown in activity in March have been consistently concluding emerging market currencies will not recoup even half their coronavirus-induced 2020 losses within a year.



Still, a steep dollar selloff, which just posted its worst quarter in three years as expectations for a swift recovery from the COVID-19 recession made investors exit safe havens, has helped currencies in less developed countries rise. That comes despite deep economic troubles from the pandemic.



“EM currencies are running on empty without capital inflows or a resounding macro narrative. The large output gap and lower level of economic activity will have a disproportionately negative impact on currencies,” said Jason Daw, head of emerging markets strategy at Societe Generale.



“EM FX has tended to weaken in the lead up to and for several months after a challenger victory in the contest for the White House. A Democratic sweep, our central scenario, could result in weaker EM currencies.”







A Reuters/Ipsos poll on Sunday found 51% of voters were backing Democrat Joe Biden while 41% said they were voting for President Donald Trump.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-event-risk">EVENT RISK</h2>



The Chinese yuan&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/quote/CNYUSD">CNY=CFXS</a>, the most actively traded emerging market currency but also tightly managed by its local authorities, was predicted to edge up about 1% to 6.70 per dollar in a year from now.



“We expect CNY to continue to gain ground against a backdrop of broad USD weakness and a favourable external balance. However, in the near term, the upcoming U.S. presidential election on Nov. 3 is a key event risk,” said Irene Cheung, senior strategist at ANZ.



“We however see the risk of volatility in the coming weeks &#8230; Any delay in or contest of the U.S. election result could see a prolonged period of uncertainty.”



All but one of 68 FX strategists who answered an additional question said already-high volatility in emerging market currencies would increase rapidly or remain the same over coming months.







South Africa&#8217;s rand&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/quote/ZARUSD">ZAR=D3</a>, which has been on a rollercoaster ride since April, is expected to gain nearly 0.5% to 16.5 per dollar in 12 months. The rand&#8217;s appeal has been enhanced by the lack of alternative high-yielding currencies as growing geopolitical risks diminished the appetite for assets in Turkey and Russia.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="740" height="416" src="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/103026087-Rand.jpg" alt="Waldo Swiegers | Bloomberg | Getty Images" class="wp-image-381748" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/103026087-Rand.jpg 740w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/103026087-Rand-300x169.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/103026087-Rand-696x391.jpg 696w" sizes="(max-width: 740px) 100vw, 740px" /><figcaption>Waldo Swiegers | Bloomberg | Getty Images
</figcaption></figure>



The increase in forward volatility in the rouble&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/quote/RUBUSD">RUB=</a>&nbsp;and lira&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/quote/TRYUSD">TRY=</a>&nbsp;is more pronounced for key events and dates that occur later in the election process, Barclays wrote in a note to clients.



“The move is consistent with a lower likelihood of a contested and delayed result, but resulting in outsized moves in the rouble and lira as the race, according to prediction markets, has moved in favour of Biden in recent days.”



Turkey&#8217;s lira&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/quote/TRYUSD">TRY=</a>&nbsp;slumped to a record low last month and Russia&#8217;s rouble&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/quote/RUBUSD">RUB=</a>&nbsp;returned to levels last seen in March on fears the countries would get dragged into military conflict in the South Caucasus.



The lira, which has plunged nearly 30% this year, is set to depreciate 3.2% more to 8.0 per dollar in the next 12 months, the poll showed.



But the Russian rouble, which has lost over 25% of its value against the dollar this year will gain over 9.0% to 71.0 per dollar by this time next year.



“Apprehensions around potential new international sanctions and the uncertainties related to the U.S. elections may keep the rouble on the defensive with higher volatility likely until the end of the year,” said Lee Hardman, currency analyst at MUFG.

101416618-rand

More trouble ahead for erratic emerging market currencies – Reuters poll

LONDON (Reuters) &#8211; World stock markets neared a more than two-week high on Tuesday after U.S. President Donald Trump’s return to the White House from hospital where he was treated for COVID-19, and expectations of a new U.S. stimulus package being agreed rose.



Europe saw a stuttering start with London&#8217;s FTSE&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/quote/.FTSE">.FTSE</a>&nbsp;dipping and not much traction from France&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/quote/.FCHI">.FCHI</a>, Italy&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/quote/.FTMIB">.FTMIB</a>&nbsp;or Germany&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/quote/.GDAXI">.GDAXI</a>, despite a &#8220;remarkable&#8221; jump in German industrial orders.



Wall Street and most of Asia rallied overnight after Trump’s return from the Walter Reed Medical Center military hospital outside Washington eased nerves about possible disruption to next month’s Presidential election.



Gold, bonds and the dollar suffered losses amid the modestly improved risk appetite, though Wall Street futures had slipped into the red and oil was losing its strong overnight momentum.



“The market is slightly short of oomph,” said Societe Generale’s Kit Juckes, pointing to Europe’s subdued start.



“It has not managed to get a meaningful lift from it (Trump leaving hospital) and I think it is threatening to take a time out and wait for what comes next,” he added.







<figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/gettyimages-642093036-594x594-2.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-352574" width="698" height="518" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/gettyimages-642093036-594x594-2-80x60.jpg 80w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/gettyimages-642093036-594x594-2-265x198.jpg 265w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/gettyimages-642093036-594x594-2-485x360.jpg 485w" sizes="(max-width: 698px) 100vw, 698px" /><figcaption>WASHINGTON, DC &#8211; FEBRUARY 16: U.S. President Donald Trump stands during a news conference announcing Alexander Acosta as the new Labor Secretary nominee in the East Room at the White House on February 16, 2017 in Washington, DC. The announcement comes a day after Andrew Puzder withdrew his nomination. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>



Trump returned to the White House on Monday after a three-night hospital stay and said he felt “real good”, although one of his doctors cautioned that he may not be out of the woods until later in the week.



MSCI&#8217;s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/quote/.MIAP00000PUS">.MIAP00000PUS</a>&nbsp;had risen 0.7% to a two and a half week-high, with Hong Kong&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/quote/.HSI">.HSI</a>&nbsp;climbing 0.8% and Japan&#8217;s Nikkei&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/quote/.N225">.N225</a>&nbsp;adding 0.5%. China&#8217;s markets remained closed for a public holiday.



U.S. stimulus hopes were still bubbling in the background after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin spoke by phone for about an hour and said they were preparing to talk again on Tuesday.



“If we do see some form of stimulus coming through, I think the market will take it in a positive light,” said J.P. Morgan Asset Management’s Chief Asia Market Strategist Tai Hui.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-central-focus">CENTRAL FOCUS</h2>



S&amp;P 500 futures were a touch weaker after the best daily gain on the S&amp;P 500 index&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/quote/.SPX">.SPX</a>&nbsp;in a month overnight, while the optimism hit gold and other safe haven assets.



Spot gold fell 0.1% to $1,911 per ounce, after hitting a two-week peak on Monday, and U.S. gold futures were down 0.21%.



Bond markets also joined in, as a sharp selloff in U.S. bonds on Monday carried over into Asia and Europe.



Benchmark 10-year German government bond yields, which move inverse to price, hit their highest in over a week. Japanese government bond futures fell to a one-month low in the steepest drop in more than five weeks and South Korean yields jumped.



However, analysts said selling in other Asian markets was more subdued than in the U.S. market because regional investors are beginning to price in a victory for Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden in the Nov. 3 election.







European Central Bank president Christine Lagarde and U.S. Federal Reserve chief Jerome Powell were also scheduled to speak later in the day, giving traders extra reason for patience.



“The selloff in U.S. yields is more driven by Trump getting out of hospital,” said DBS rates strategist Duncan Tan in Singapore. “That narrows some of the uncertainties around the election process. In the short term, at the very least, it removes the tail risk of having to consider if Trump or Biden is unable to participate in the election.” U.S. 10-year yields were steady at 0.77% while in the currency markets, the dollar was under pressure from most other majors with the exception of the safe-haven Japanese yen.



The dollar gained on the yen to reach 105.62 yen, not far short of its highest levels in three weeks.



The Australian dollar gained briefly after the Reserve Bank of Australia left rates on hold, as expected, but later fell back, and the potential for further monetary easing capped gains.



Oil jumped more than 5% overnight and edged higher still in Asia, supported by the Trump news and a supply squeeze as a strike shut six Norwegian offshore oil and gas fields.



U.S. crude last stood at $39.15 a barrel, up 0.2% and, Brent crude rose 0.1% to $41.35.

wall street

World stocks inch to two-week high after Trump leaves hospital

ABUJA (Reuters) &#8211; The Nigerian unit of oil major Chevron&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/companies/CVX.N">CVX.N</a>&nbsp;plans to cut its local workforce by 25% to reduce costs, it said on Saturday, due to weak demand for oil in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.



The company, which operates a joint venture with Nigeria’s state-owned NNPC, said it needed to make the adjustments to remain competitive in light of the prevailing business climate. It did not say how many jobs would be affected but said the cuts would affect workers across its operations.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="640" height="360" src="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/1571595826001_6129464868001_6129473455001-vs.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-355059" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/1571595826001_6129464868001_6129473455001-vs.jpg 640w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/1571595826001_6129464868001_6129473455001-vs-300x169.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px" /><figcaption>Here’s how Coronavirus outbreak impacts oil markets and Nigerian economy</figcaption></figure>



It added in a statement there were no plans to move jobs abroad and it was engaging with its workforce on the plan. Employees will retain their jobs until the reorganisation is completed.



Prices of oil, Nigeria&#8217;s main export, fell sharply early this year and in April global benchmark Brent&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/quote/LCOc1">LCOc1</a>&nbsp;hit a 21-year low below $16 as the coronavirus outbreak hit demand, though oil markets have recovered since then.



The International Energy Agency (IEA) trimmed its 2020 oil demand forecast in September, citing caution about the pace of economic recovery from the pandemic.

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Chevron Nigeria plans to cut 25% of staff after oil price drop

(Reuters) &#8211; Investors are gauging how a potential deterioration in President Donald Trump’s health could impact asset prices in coming weeks, as the U.S. leader remains hospitalized after being diagnosed with COVID-19.



So far, markets have been comparatively sanguine: hopes of a breakthrough in talks among U.S. lawmakers on another stimulus package took the edge off a stock market selloff on Friday, with the S&amp;P 500 losing less than 1% and so-called safe-haven assets seeing limited demand. News of Trump’s hospitalization at a military medical center outside Washington, where he remained on Saturday, came after trading ended on Friday.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/396x27611.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-383035" width="678" height="488"/></figure>



Many investors are concerned, however, that a serious decline in Trump’s health less than a month before Americans go to the polls on Nov. 3 could roil a U.S. stock market that recently notched its worst monthly performance since its selloff in March while causing turbulence in other assets.



If the president’s health is in jeopardy, there’s “too much uncertainty in the situation for the markets just to shrug it off,” said Willie Delwiche, investment strategist at Baird.



The various outcomes investors currently envision run the gamut from a quick recovery that bolsters Trump’s image as a fighter to a drawn-out illness or death stoking uncertainty and drying up risk appetite across markets.



Should uncertainty persist, technology and momentum stocks that have led this year’s rally may be particularly vulnerable to a selloff, some investors said. The tech-heavy Nasdaq fell more than 2% on Friday, double the S&amp;P 500’s decline.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/gettyimages-642093036-594x594-2.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-352574" width="674" height="500" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/gettyimages-642093036-594x594-2-80x60.jpg 80w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/gettyimages-642093036-594x594-2-265x198.jpg 265w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/gettyimages-642093036-594x594-2-485x360.jpg 485w" sizes="(max-width: 674px) 100vw, 674px" /><figcaption>WASHINGTON, DC &#8211; FEBRUARY 16: U.S. President Donald Trump stands during a news conference announcing Alexander Acosta as the new Labor Secretary nominee in the East Room at the White House on February 16, 2017 in Washington, DC. The announcement comes a day after Andrew Puzder withdrew his nomination. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>



“If people &#8230; get nervous right now, probably it manifests itself in crowded trades like tech and mega-cap being unwound a bit,” Delwiche said



A record 80% of fund managers surveyed last month by BofA Global Research said that buying technology stocks was the market’s “most crowded” trade.



The concentration of investors in big tech stocks has also raised concerns over their outsized sway on moves in the broader market.



The largest five U.S. companies – Google parent Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Microsoft – now account for almost 25% of the S&amp;P 500’s market capitalization, according to research firm Oxford Economics.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-fiscal-stimulus-talks">FISCAL STIMULUS TALKS</h2>



Trump’s diagnosis has intensified the spotlight on the fiscal stimulus talks in Washington, with investors saying agreement on another aid package could act as a stabilizing force on markets in the face of election-related uncertainty.



U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat, said on Friday that negotiations were continuing, but she is waiting for a response from the White House on key areas.



Fresh stimulus could speed economic healing from the impact of the pandemic, which has put millions of Americans out of work, and benefit economically-sensitive companies whose stock performance has lagged this year, investors said.



For those who are underweight stocks, “we would be using this volatility as an opportunity to increase equities because we think we’re in an early-stage economic recovery,” said Keith Lerner, chief market strategist at Truist/SunTrust Advisory.



Market action on Friday suggested some investors may have been positioning for a stimulus announcement in the midst of the selloff.







The S&amp;P 500 sectors representing industrials and financials, two groups that are more sensitive to a broad economic recovery, rallied 1.1% and 0.7%, respectively, while the broader index declined.



Even with worries over Trump’s condition, “the fiscal program has been the loudest noise in the market,” said Arnim Holzer, macro and correlation defense strategist at EAB Investment Group.



Investor hedges against election-related market swings put in place over the last few months may have softened Friday’s decline and could, to a degree, mitigate future volatility, said Christopher Stanton of hedge fund Sunrise Capital Partners LLC.



Despite Trump’s illness, futures on the Cboe Volatility Index continued to show expectations of elevated volatility after the Nov. 3 vote, a pattern consistent with concerns of a contested election.



Nagging doubts over whether the Republican president would agree to hand over the keys to the White House if he loses have grown in recent weeks. During his first debate with Democratic challenger Joe Biden on Tuesday, Trump declined to commit to accepting the results, repeating his unfounded complaint that mail-in ballots would lead to election fraud.



“If Trump’s health does not recover &#8230; then he might give up on contesting the election,” said Michael Purves, chief executive of Tallbacken Capital Advisors. But “markets are not shifting off the contested election thing right now.”

396×276(5)

Trump’s diagnosis fuels uncertainty for skittish U.S. stock market

LONDON (Reuters) &#8211; When Boris Johnson caught COVID-19 in March, the overweight British prime minister tried to work through the illness “in denial” &#8211; but ended up wearing an oxygen mask in an intensive care unit and was ultimately out of action for almost a month.



He later said he had fought for his life as the state prepared for the unthinkable: the possible death in office of a prime minister.



Johnson’s experience of trying to stay in charge while struggling with the disease may offer clues about the potential dangers ahead for U.S. President Donald Trump, now that he has tested positive.



After being accused of initially failing to appreciate the gravity of coronavirus crisis for Britain, Johnson, then 55, felt mild symptoms on March 26 while answering questions in the House of Commons chamber.



A few hours later, he received a positive test result, and the next day he made a video statement in which he said he was self-isolating, but would continue to work and lead Britain’s coronavirus response.



But during the next nine days, as he worked in isolation in an apartment above his official Downing Street residence and office, his condition deteriorated, with persistent symptoms including a high temperature.



Later, he said he had been in denial and continued to work despite feeling groggy and “pretty rough”, until doctors told him firmly to go to hospital.







Being a national leader has offered little protection against the new coronavirus.



Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro spent weeks in quarantine after testing positive in July 7, and said he had taken antibiotics for an infection that left him feeling weak.



Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez needed hospital treatment, and former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi developed double pneumonia and spent 10 days in hospital, being treated with the antiviral drug Remdesivir.



The 84-year-old was allowed home on Sept. 14 saying he had survived “the most dangerous challenge” of his life, and has made no public appearances since.



“THE BAD MOMENT”



Johnson’s sudden deterioration after continuing to work may hold a warning for the 74-year-old Trump, now in full campaigning mode for the U.S. presidential election on Nov. 3.



RELATED COVERAGE<a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-usa-trump-johnson/uk-pm-johnson-says-sure-trump-will-stage-a-very-strong-recovery-idUSKBN26N1U9"></a><a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-usa-trump-johnson/uk-pm-johnson-says-sure-trump-will-stage-a-very-strong-recovery-idUSKBN26N1U9">UK PM Johnson says sure Trump will stage &#8216;a very strong recovery&#8217;</a>



Johnson was admitted to St Thomas’ Hospital in the evening of April 5. The next day he was moved to intensive care, where he received oxygen support but was not put on a ventilator.



“The bad moment came when it was 50-50 whether they were going to have to put a tube down my windpipe,” Johnson said later.



“The doctors had all sorts of arrangements for what to do if things went badly wrong &#8230; The bloody indicators kept going in the wrong direction.”



He later said he owed those doctors his life.



While Johnson was ill, his duties were assumed by Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab.



“They had a strategy to deal with a ‘death of Stalin’-type scenario,” Johnson later said. “It was a tough old moment, I won’t deny it.”







Johnson left hospital on April 12, but continued his recuperation at his official country residence northwest of London, and did not return to work until April 27 &#8211; a month after announcing that he had tested positive.



When Johnson’s fiancée Carrie Symonds gave birth to their son two days later, he was given a middle name of Nicholas partly in tribute to two of the intensive care doctors who had treated the prime minister.



Since then, Johnson has repeatedly dismissed concerns about his recovery, and said the virus has convinced him to slim down from his previous, portly 17st 6lb (244 lb, 112 kg).



As recently as Tuesday, he told a reporter: “I’m fitter than I was before, it may irritate you to know &#8230; I’m fit as a butcher’s dog, thanks basically to losing weight.”

UK PM Johnson’s battle with COVID-19 may be a warning for Trump

CHICAGO/WASHINGTON (Reuters) &#8211; American Airlines and United Airlines, two of the largest U.S. carriers, said they were beginning furloughs of over 32,000 workers on Thursday as hopes faded for a last-minute bailout from Washington.



Both airlines told employees, however, in memos seen by Reuters on Wednesday that they stood ready to reverse the furloughs, which affect about 13% of their workforces before the pandemic, if a deal was reached.



Tens of thousands of other employees at those airlines and others including Delta Air Lines and Southwest Airlines have accepted buyouts or leaves of absence aimed at reducing headcount as carriers battle a health crisis that has upended the global travel industry.



U.S. airlines have been pleading for another $25 billion in payroll support to protect jobs for a further six months once the current package, which banned furloughs, expires at midnight EDT.







Earlier, U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said talks with House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi had made progress on a bipartisan aid plan, although no deal was reached and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell called a $2.2 trillion coronavirus relief proposal “outlandish.”



In a memo to employees, American Chief Executive Doug Parker said Mnuchin told him that he and Pelosi were continuing to negotiate on a bipartisan COVID-19 relief package that would include an extension of aid for airlines and could reach an agreement in coming days.



“Unfortunately, there is no guarantee that any of these efforts will come to fruition,” Parker said.



RELATED COVERAGE<a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-american-airline-j/american-airlines-ceo-leaves-door-open-to-delaying-oct-1-furloughs-cnn-idUSKBN26L2P3"></a><a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-american-airline-j/american-airlines-ceo-leaves-door-open-to-delaying-oct-1-furloughs-cnn-idUSKBN26L2P3">American Airlines CEO leaves door open to delaying Oct 1 furloughs: CNN</a>



American will furlough 19,000 employees, including some 1,600 pilots. More than 13,000 United employees will be on furlough, but not any pilots following an agreement reached this week.



“Tomorrow, tens of thousands of essential aviation workers will wake up without a job or healthcare and tens of thousands more will be without a paycheck,” Association of Flight Attendants-CWA President Sara Nelson said in a statement that urged lawmakers to reach a deal.



Nick Calio, who heads the airline trade group Airlines for America, said earlier that the industry was still pursuing all potential avenues for new assistance as time runs short.







“People keep talking, but we need results,” Calio told Reuters. “We are hopeful but not confident about them reaching a deal on a larger bill.”



U.S. airline shares ended flat on Wednesday.



Weeks of intense airline lobbying has won over many but not all Washington lawmakers, while drawing attention to the plight of other pandemic-hit industries as the crisis persists.Slideshow&nbsp;( 2 images )



U.S. airlines are operating about half their 2019 flying schedules and suffering a 68% decline in passenger volumes.



The impact of the coronavirus on travel may cost as many as 46 million jobs globally, according to projections published on Wednesday by the Air Transport Action Group.



Airlines have argued they need trained employees to help drive an economic recovery as the pandemic subsides. American Airlines’ Parker told CNN he believed one more round of aid would be sufficient.

How Airlines Park Thousands Of Planes

Top U.S. airlines starting 32,000 furloughs as bailout hopes fade

Over the last 10 years one of the few constants has been the growth of technology and the impact it has had in, not just our personal lives but also, our professional lives. One would be hard-pressed to remember that at the very beginning of the last decade social media was barely as pervasive as it is today. Social media was at the time just becoming a mainstay in many people&#8217;s lives across Europe and the United States, and yet to become as big on the African continent. Fast forward to the year 2020 and we have the privilege of being able to look back and trace the growth experienced by social media platforms. Social media has grown in leaps and bounds connecting people across the world from one continent to the other, reuniting friends and family and opening up many to worlds unknown to them prior.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/IMG_1684-683x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-383120" width="558" height="833"/><figcaption>Terryanne Chebet</figcaption></figure>



However, the biggest impact that has been experienced may be the growth of social media as a viable business platform. Gone are the days when social media was simply just to keep up with your favourite celebrities or message your friends, it has now become a bustling marketplace where businesses can not only grow but also start with the simplest of ease.



Today, in Kenya, many businesses have used platforms such as Instagram to drive them towards success. This has been aided by the swift uptake of technology by most of the population – supported by the fact that it is largely youthful, as well as a willingness to take up the entrepreneurial mantle and start sustainable businesses. Nearly all established businesses prior to the age of social media have accepted the value of being present on social media and have opened pages across all the platforms &#8211; hence its conduciveness as a marketplace. Many businesses in Kenya today have begun on platforms like Instagram, whilst some even operate exclusively on the platform.



One such business that is slowly growing through the use of the platform is Keyara Organics, a platform owned and run by Kenyan media maven Terryanne Chebet. Her business was inspired by the need for a product that could help her deal with her daughter&#8217;s skin condition, eczema. She looked among the existing businesses and was unable to find a suitable product that met her needs. This inspired her to develop the solution on her own and come up with a range of products that filled the gap that she had stumbled upon. Her business is therefore one born of necessity.



“When my oldest daughter was young, I was looking for some suitable products to use for her skin that would not aggravate her condition. That, for me, meant skincare products that were organic and made from natural products. However, as I conducted my search, I was unable to find the kind of products I was looking for – at least locally,” says Chebet. She further adds, “That inspired me to take up the mantle and begin developing the products myself. It is only later that I began to see it as a business opportunity”.



<figure class="wp-block-image alignfull size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1110" height="740" src="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/PHOTO-2020-03-19-21-39-10-1110x740.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-383118" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/PHOTO-2020-03-19-21-39-10-1110x740.jpg 1110w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/PHOTO-2020-03-19-21-39-10-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/PHOTO-2020-03-19-21-39-10-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/PHOTO-2020-03-19-21-39-10-696x464.jpg 696w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/PHOTO-2020-03-19-21-39-10-1068x712.jpg 1068w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/PHOTO-2020-03-19-21-39-10.jpg 1280w" sizes="(max-width: 1110px) 100vw, 1110px" /><figcaption>Keyara Organics</figcaption></figure>



Social media has simply acted as a catalyst for the adoption of online platforms for making sales. It is now becoming the general consumer behaviour to peruse a business’ offering online and make your order without visiting a physical shop. Many small businesses today have experienced a spike in sales from their online platforms. “About 90% of our sales today come from orders made online. There are very few customers who still insist on physically coming to a shop, especially for those of us in the beauty industry where our products don’t require someone to try them before making the purchase,” says Chebet.



It isn&#8217;t just social media that has helped businesses go digital in Kenya but also payment platforms such as Visa. To support a business’s ability to operate without having a physical premise has also meant that payments must follow suit.&nbsp; With the evolution of technology in the payments sector, such as the addition of chip and pin cards as well as contactless cards, more and more customers are looking to make payments using their debit cards. That is supported by three key aspects &#8211; ease-of-use, security and no surcharge. The relevance of digital payments has also been boosted by the Covid-19 pandemic that started in March 2020. To avoid the spread of the disease and flatten the curve, many customers are shying away from making cash payments. These trends have forced businesses to adopt digital payment platforms such as Visa to ensure that they continue to grow their customer base as well as their business.



Once a business is on-boarded onto the Visa platform, they are provided with a point-of-sale (POS) machine that facilitates the process of card payments. They also connected with a financial partner who will execute the payments via their system. Currently, as part of Visa’s Where You Shop Matters campaign, merchants who sign up on the Visa Small Business Hub turn the chance to win USD 200 worth of advertising, if they are among the first 100 to sign up.



“Our local communities thrive when small businesses are successful. Now more than ever small businesses need all the support that we can offer to promote sustainable growth. The global economy won’t bounce back until small businesses bounce back. At Visa, we are proud to support merchants and recognize that many small businesses have been most adversely affected by the pandemic. From eCommerce to security, our “Where You Shop Matters” initiative aims to help support them and champion the local small businesses that serve as the backbone of our communities” said Visa’s General Manager for East Africa, Corine Mbiaketcha. The growth of social media and the digitisation of payments have therefore played a key role in the evolution of the beauty industry in Kenya. Players in the beauty industry must therefore embrace digitisation so as to continue experiencing the benefits and growing their businesses to maximise their potential.

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Digital Payments and their Impact on Small Businesses in the Beauty Industry

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Sasfin has reported a headline loss per share of 151 cents, compared to headline earnings per share of 501 cents previously. The financial services provider has decided not to declare a final dividend, as it braces for further pressure on South African businesses. Sasfin CEO, Michael Sassoon joins CNBC Africa for more.

Sasfin withholds final dividend as COVID-19 weigh on earnings

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Ghana delayed the review of its investment act until 2021. According to the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre, the delay is important as it awaits the completion of AfCFTA’s multilateral investment framework, which falls under phase two of the treaty, scheduled to be agreed upon by December. Only then can Ghana complete its own investment code review, incorporating the relevant aspects of the pan-continental one. Yofi Grant, CEO of GIPC joins CNBC Africa for more.

What’s holding back Ghana’s investment law revision?

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Real Estate Advisory firm, Broll says there has been a slowdown in the general office market, as the new leases signed in the A-grade market significantly dropped by 87 per cent decline relative to the H2 numbers in 2019. They also note that demand for retail space in Nigeria is likely to remain flat. Nnenna Alintah, Executive Director for Occupier services at Broll Nigeria joins CNBC Africa for more.

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Newsletter

Kenya court convicts two for helping deadly jihadist attack on shopping mall

How Trump’s Covid-19 diagnosis affected his polling in swing states: CNBC After Hours

Nigerian equities watch: Bulls go all-out for 12th straight session

Growthpoint re-investment of dividend: What are the tax implications?

DTB vs HAM: How the case impacts Uganda’s banking system

Mentoria Economics on how to tackle illicit financial flows in Kenya

How to attract investment for African start-ups post-COVID-19

More trouble ahead for erratic emerging market currencies – Reuters poll

World stocks inch to two-week high after Trump leaves hospital

Chevron Nigeria plans to cut 25% of staff after oil price drop

Trump’s diagnosis fuels uncertainty for skittish U.S. stock market

UK PM Johnson’s battle with COVID-19 may be a warning for Trump

Top U.S. airlines starting 32,000 furloughs as bailout hopes fade

Digital Payments and their Impact on Small Businesses in the Beauty Industry

Sasfin withholds final dividend as COVID-19 weigh on earnings

What’s holding back Ghana’s investment law revision?

How resilient is Nigeria’s property market to COVID-19 shocks?

News Tips

Advertise With Us

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