Newscast - Africa: Recent Episodes
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Tesla CEO, Elon Musk, has joined several others in calling for the temporary halt of Artificial Intelligence experimentation.
An Open Letter,” 1,332 signatories, including Musk, and Apple’s co-founder Steve Wozniak, called on AI labs to pause the training of advanced AI systems for at least six months.
The letter sounded a note of warning regarding the possible costs of the continued creation of “AI systems with human-competitive intelligence
The signatories raised the alarm that AI systems were currently poised to automate human jobs, flood information channels with untruths, and ultimately replace the human race.
Britain’s Charles III will address the German parliament on Thursday, becoming the first monarch to do so, on the occasion of his inaugural state visit as king.
Germany marks the first trip abroad for Charles since ascending the throne and is being interpreted as a “strong gesture” to build post-Brexit ties with the continent.
Arriving for his three-day trip on Wednesday, he and Queen Consort Camilla were greeted with military honours at the Brandenburg Gate, the first time the iconic site had lent the backdrop for such a ceremony.
The two countries’ joint support for Ukraine in its battle against Russia’s unprovoked aggression epitomised their commitment to “protecting and advancing shared democratic values.
The United States has announced hikes in fees for certain Non-Immigrant Visa application processing fees.
The increment, published in the Federal Register on March 28, 2023, will be effective from May 30, 2023.
The US government in the document says, “The fee for B-1/B-2 visitor visas, Border Crossing Cards for Mexican citizens aged 15 and above, and student and exchange visitor visas will increase from $160 to $185. Also, the fee for certain petition-based non-immigrant visas for temporary workers (H, L, O, P, Q, and R categories) will increase from $190 to $205.
It says the NIV fees are set based on the actual cost of providing NIV services and are determined after conducting a study of the cost of such services.
South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir has appointed a new defence minister replacing Angelina Teny, who he sacked earlier this month.
The appointment of Gen Chol Thon Balok has announced in a presidential decree read on the national broadcaster, the South Sudan Broadcasting Corporation (SSBC), on Wednesday night.
Gen Thon is from the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) of President Salva Kiir
Ms Teny is from the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM-IO) of First Vice-President, Riek Machar.
The President of the National Institute of Credit Administration, Mr Andy Ojei, has announced the inauguration of committees set up by the governing council of the institute.
A statement said that during the inauguration event in Lagos, the president thanked its members for accepting to serve the institute voluntarily, honourably, and consciously through the various committees.
The committees are the education, training and research committee, membership and subscription committee, publication and events committees, government, and corporate relations committees.
According to him, the committees are key to the successful operation of the National Institute of Credit Administration.
The Federal Government began an online registration of medical laboratories in Nigeria to enhance service delivery.
Dr Tosan Erhabor, the Registrar of the Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria made this known in Abuja at a meeting with stakeholders and the agency’s consultants on automation led by Prof. Effiong Akpan of the University of Calabar.
He called on stakeholders to avail themselves of the great opportunities offered by the new framework to enhance service delivery.
Erhabor said that the registration would scale up efficiency, effectiveness, transparency, speed of service delivery, as well as data collation and management.
Dangote Industries has completed its listing of the firm’s N200bn series 1 and 2 Bonds on Nigerian Exchange Limited.
The Chief Executive Officer, Dangote Industries Limited, Mr Olakunle Alake, speaking at the closing-gong ceremony to commemorate the listing of the bond held at the Exchange on Wednesday, expressed delight after the listing.
Alake, who was represented by the Group’s Chief Finance Officer, Mustapha Ibrahim further noted that the listing of the bond recorded participation from a wide range of investors including domestic pension funds, asset managers and insurance companies and further demonstrates investors’ confidence in Nigeria’s credit reality.
The listing is the largest aggregate local currency bond issued in the capital market so far, within the year.
Utah has become the first US state to require social media firms get parental consent for children to use their apps and verify users are at least 18.
The governor says he signed the two sweeping measures to protect young people in the state.
The bills will give parents full access to their children's online accounts, including posts and private messages.
The move comes amidst heightened concern over the impact of social media on children's mental health.
The bills also impose a social media curfew that blocks children's access between 22:30 and 06:30, unless adjusted by their parents.
The US and Canada have reached a deal to reject asylum seekers at unofficial border crossings, officials say.
US President Joe Biden and Canadian PM Justin Trudeau will announce the pact on Friday during Mr Biden's visit to Ottawa.
The accord is expected to allow officials on both sides of the border to turn back such asylum seekers heading in either direction.
Canada will create a new refugee programme for 15,000 migrants fleeing persecution and violence in South and Central America.
Kenya’s interior ministry is proposing changes to security laws that will make it more difficult for people to hold protests.
The constitution gives Kenyans the right to assemble, demonstrate and picket, but the participants must be peaceful and unarmed.
The changes proposed by the ministry seek to limit the number of people holding protests on any occasion and make protesters pay the costs of cleaning up.
Protesters must also seek consent from the people affected by the protests.
The demonstrators will also be liable for paying damages to those harmed by their activities.
The interior ministry also seeks the demarcation of areas where people can assemble and hold protests.
A Ugandan MP who voted in favour of a bill that targets homosexual people has told the BBC that if the US withdrew funding in protest it would amount to modern genocide.
The US government says there could be repercussions should the measure be signed into law by President Yoweri Museveni.
MP Charles Ayume says that Uganda's sovereignty should be respected. He added that there were things he objected to in the US, but he did not want to interfere in the politics of that country.
Dr Ayume says that in backing the measure, he was representing the views of his constituents.
A court in Kenya's capital Nairobi has barred Meta, Facebook's parent company, from laying off its content moderators pending the determination of a lawsuit that is challenging their planned dismissal.
The labour court also barred Meta and its outsourcing firm, Sama, from hiring other moderators to replace the sacked ones.
The lawsuit was filed by 43 Facebook moderators in Kenya, hired by Sama on behalf of Meta. They allege that the redundancy exercise being undertaken was unlawful.
The International Monetary Fund says that subsidies, tax incentives, infrastructure development and protective regulations will help fast-track the growth of industries in Nigeria and other emerging market economies.
The Washington-based lender noted that when implementing industrial policy as part of their growth strategy, countries were often faced with competing objectives, such as securing sustainable economic growth, maintaining financial and fiscal stability, and establishing national champions.
The report says establishing national champions was often a distinct objective of a nation’s growth strategy.
The Federal Executive Council has approved over four billion nairas for the construction of barracks to accommodate the personnel of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency.
The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami says the project became necessary because of the unprecedented threats and attacks on personnel, officers, men and other ranks of the agency.
He says the need has arisen for the Federal Government to consider the possibility of security measures that will now provide the prerequisite protection to the officers and men of the agency for commission.
The French government has narrowly survived a vote of no-confidence, which was triggered when it forced through an increase in the pension age to 64.
It sparked new anti-government protests in Paris, where 101 people were arrested after stand-offs with police.
The vote, tabled by centrist MPs, had 278 votes in favour, falling short of the 287 votes needed.
China's anti-fraud watchdog has accused chip tycoon Zhao Weiguo of corruption, in the latest sign of trouble faced by the country's semiconductor industry.
The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection alleges that Mr Zhao took the state-owned company he managed as his private fiefdom.
The regulator says he handed profitable businesses to his relatives and friends and purchased goods and services from companies managed by his associates at prices significantly higher than the market.
Ethiopia's government has rejected a statement by the US alleging that members of its forces, along with Eritrean and Amhara forces, committed war crimes during the two-year war.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs called the US statement selective and inflammatory saying The partisan and divisive approach from the US is ill-advised.
It says that it was untimely, coming shortly after Ethiopia launched a national consultation on transitional justice policy aiming to bring peace and reconciliation.
It says the US statement would be used to advance highly polarised campaigns pitting one community against others in the country.
The Chief Economist at the Economic Commission for Africa, Hanan Morsy, says Africa currently accounts for more than half of the World’s poor 54. 8 per cent.
Morsy says the continent faced a tsunami of global shocks that have exacerbated existing socioeconomic operations and equity. Africa, as a result of these shocks, currently accounts for more than half of the world’s poor at 54.8 per cent.
Morsy says the situation was further exacerbated by existing inequalities, noting that even in times of high economic growth in Africa, the rate of inequality still rose.
She explained that several recommendations, both domestic and international, had been put in place to help tackle this.
President Vladimir Putin says that deepening ties between Russia and Africa was a key goal for the Kremlin, as Moscow seeks to expand its influence on the continent.
He added that Russia would continue supplying the continent with grain if Moscow exits a landmark agreement with Ukraine to allow exports from the country’s Black Sea ports.
Putin’s comments come as Moscow is seeking deeper political, economic and military ties in Africa and Asia as Russia becomes increasingly isolated on the international stage over the conflict in Ukraine.
The Monetary Policy Committee of the Central Bank of Nigeria has voted to increase the benchmark interest rate by 50 basis points to 18. per cent.
The CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, says the committee voted to keep the asymmetric corridor at +100 and -500 basis points around the MPR.
The governor stated the slight increase is to mitigate the effect of inflation and other economic issues.
He says the MPC committee voted to raise the MPR by 50 basis points to 18 per cent, and retain the asymmetric corridor at +100 and -500 basis points around the MPR.
Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has increased the salaries of workers in the state by 20 per cent, shortly after he secured a second term in office.
The Head of Service, Hakeem Muri-Okunola, says the governor reiterated his administration’s determination to improve the welfare and well-being of public servants in Lagos State.
Those affected by the increment were officers in the mainstream public service, local governments and local council development areas, and the State Universal Basic Education Board by 20 percent with effect from January 1, 2023.
He says that the arrears for the month of January 2023 will be paid along with salaries for the month of March 2023, while the arrears for the month of February 2023 will be paid together with the salaries of April 2023.
The Federal Government has announced the removal of its proposed five per cent excise duty on telecommunication services.
The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, Pantami, says Muhammadu Buhari, has approved the exemption of the digital economy sector from the five per cent excise duty to be paid and this is because of the strength of the argument presented to him by the Committee that additional burden on telecom sector will increase the sufferings of Nigerians and that other sectors that are not making as much contribution to the economy should be challenged to do more and pay the five per cent excise duty.
Pantami stated that the telecoms sector was already paying 41 categories of taxes, levies, and charges. He noted that the tax exemption will be upheld by the incoming administration.
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp says New York Community Bank has agreed to buy a significant chunk of the failed Signature Bank in a $2.7bn deal.
The FDIC says the 40 branches of Signature Bank will become Flagstar Bank, starting Monday. Flagstar is one of New York Community Bank’s subsidiaries.
The FDIC said $60bn in Signature Bank’s loans will remain in receivership and are expected to be sold off in time.
The FDIC says it expects Signature Bank’s failure to cost the deposit insurance fund $2.5bn, but that figure may change as the regulator sells off assets.
Central banks have moved globally to keep credit flowing after an unsettled period in the US banking sector and the Credit Suisse merger.
Six central banks, including the Bank of England, announced they would boost the flow of US dollars through the global financial system.
The Bank of England, Bank of Japan, Bank of Canada, the European Central Bank, the US Federal Reserve and the Swiss National Bank launched the coordinated action to enhance the provision of liquidity.
The announcement says it served as an important backstop to ease strains in global funding markets" and to lessen the impact on the supply of credit to households and businesses.
Troubled bank Credit Suisse has been rescued by its Swiss rival UBS in a government-backed deal.
Sunday's announcement came after a weekend of emergency talks in Switzerland between the two banks and the country's financial regulators.
The Swiss National Bank says the deal was the best way to restore the confidence of financial markets and to manage risks to the economy.
Credit Suisse says it was not expecting any disruption to client services.
Kenya's Cooperatives and SMEs Cabinet Secretary Simon Chelugui says the government is collecting over Sh100 million every day after the digitization of services on the E-citizen platform.
He says 5,318 services can now be accessed via mobile phones with the government targeting a doubling of the figure by the mid this year.
The CS further says that the roll-out of the Hustler Fund has transformed the previously unbankable young Kenyan into a millionaire through their savings on the platform.
The United Kingdom has earmarked a £10 million grant for innovators in Sub-Saharan Africa, South Africa and Southeast Asia to address the energy situation in the benefitting countries.
Knowledge Transfer Manager for Innovate UK Nigeria, Mr Joshua Adedeji, says the programme was designed to ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all.
Adedeji says the mission of the energy catalysts was to accelerate the intervention needed to meet Sustainable Development Goal 7 by providing financial and advisory support to innovators.
He explained that transforming energy access was to speed up access to affordable, clean energy services for poor households, enterprises and social institutions in Official Development Assistance-eligible countries.
The currency in circulation in the country dipped by 235.03 per cent to N982.09bn at the end of February from N3.29tn at the end of October 2022, on the back of the naira redesign policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria.
The CBN says the currency in circulation moved from N3.16tn to N3.29tn and N1.38tn in November 2022, December 2022 and January 2023 respectively.
The governor decried the challenges associated with currency management, including the hoarding of banknotes by members of the public, with statistics showing that over 80 per cent of currency-in-circulation was outside the vaults of commercial banks.
The Federal Government has raked in N10.1tn from the collection of Value Added Tax under the regime of President General Muhammadu Buhari.
The National Bureau of Statistics showed that VAT earnings continued to rise annually throughout the eight-year period.
The country earned N759.4bn in 2015, N777.5bn in 2016, N972.4bn in 2017 and N1.1tn in 2018.
VAT collections in 2019 amounted to N1.2tn, N1.5tn in 2020, N2.1tn in 2021 while N2.5tn was paid in 2022.
The Kano State Government has imposed a dawn-to-dusk curfew with a view to avoiding a breakdown of law and order, following tensions generated from the collation of results of the governorship and state Assembly elections.
The state Commissioner for Information and Internal Affairs, Muhammad Garba, says the decision was to prevent hoodlums from to causing chaos in the already made situation tense.
The commissioner called on people in the state to remain indoors as security agents would not spare anyone or a group bent on causing trouble.
The country’s foreign ministry says China will once again start issuing a range of visas to foreigners in a major easing of travel restrictions in place since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The move marks the latest step towards reopening China to the outside world, as Beijing breaks with the strict zero-Covid strategy that defined its pandemic response until a few months ago.
The updated policy will also allow for the resumption of visa-free travel for those arriving on cruise ships to Shanghai as well as for certain tourist groups from Hong Kong, Macau and countries within the ASEAN regional grouping.
US President Joe Biden is set to issue an executive order that aims to increase the number of background checks conducted before firearm sales.
The Democratic president will sign the measure however Action on gun control appears unlikely in a divided Washington.
Biden's call for an assault weapons ban, universal background checks on gun sales and repealing gun manufacturers' immunity from prosecution are unlikely to make headway while Republicans control the US House of Representatives.
Argentina's inflation rate has soared past 100% for the first time since the end of hyperinflation in the early 90s.
Inflation hit 102.5% in February, the country's statistics agency said, meaning the price of many consumer goods has more than doubled since 2022.
Argentina has been in economic difficulty for years, and most of the population now lives in poverty.
Argentinian media said that this increase could partly be due to a sharp hike in the price of meat, which rose by almost 20% in the space of a month.
The US has accused Russia of reckless behaviour after an American drone crashed into the Black Sea following an encounter with Russian fighter jets.
Russian jets are said to have dumped fuel into the path of the drone, which the US says was in international airspace.
The US says the MQ-9 Reaper drone was downed on Tuesday after a confrontation lasting 30-40 minutes.
Russia has denied its two Su-27 fighter jets made any contact.
The World Bank has temporarily suspended its future engagement talks with Tunisia amid uproar over recent statements by the country's president against migrants.
Outgoing World Bank President David Malpass attributed the decision to recent statements about migrants by Tunisian President Kais Saied.
The statements triggered tension between Tunisia and the African Union Commission with its chairperson terming Saied's comments as "shocking".
The Central Bank of Nigeria has scheduled the next Monetary Policy Committee meeting between Monday and Tuesday next week.
The apex bank said the 290th meeting would be held at the CBN Headquarters in Abuja.
The MPC is the highest policy-making committee of the apex bank with the mandate including to review economic and financial conditions in the economy and determine the appropriate stance of policy in the short to medium term.
It is also empowered to review regularly, the CBN monetary policy framework and adopt changes when necessary, communicate monetary/financial policy decisions effectively to the public and ensure the credibility of the model of the transmission mechanism of monetary policy.
The president of the African Development Bank Group, Dr Akinwumi A. Adesina, says the size of Africa's digital economy will rise from $115 billion to $712 billion by 2050.
Adesina says it was estimated that the size of digital global wealth would expand from $217 billion in 2022 to over $1 trillion by 2031 with most of this growth already being driven by four countries -Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya and Egypt.
He says the creative industry in Nigeria is growing rapidly, in line with similar trend in Africa.
The creative industry in Africa generated over $14 billion in revenue annually between 2015 and 2018 and is projected to help create close to three million jobs by 2025.
No fewer than 12.9 million cyberattacks have been recorded from within and outside the country during the just-concluded Presidential and National Assembly polls.
The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof Isa Pantami, says over 6.9 million attacks were recorded on election day alone.
Pantami says the attacks were successfully blocked owing to the sophisticated infrastructure on the ground by different agencies of government charged with the responsibility of protecting the nation’s cyberspace.
The Minister stated that in the build-up to the presidential elections, threat intelligence revealed an astronomical increase in cyber threats to Nigeria’s cyberspace.
US President Joe Biden has approved a major oil and gas drilling project in Alaska that faced strong opposition from environmental activists.
The company behind the Willow project, ConocoPhillips, says it will create local investment and thousands of jobs however the $8bn proposal faced a torrent of online activism in recent weeks, particularly among youth activists on TikTok.
Opponents argued it should be halted over its climate and wildlife impacts.
The US Bureau of Land Management estimates, that it will generate up to 278 million metric tonnes of CO2e over its 30-year lifetime - the equivalent of adding two million cars to US roads every year.
Bank shares in Asia and Europe have slumped, despite reassurances from the US president that America's financial system is safe following the collapse of two US lenders.
The falls come after authorities moved to protect customer deposits when the US-based Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank collapsed.
Joe Biden promised to do whatever is needed to protect the banking system.
But investors fear other lenders may still be hit by the fallout.
Rwandan authorities have banned traders from selling meat that has not been refrigerated for at least 24 hours, according to a report.
The National Agency for Quality Control, Competition and Consumer Protection says fresh meat that has not been refrigerated contains cells that may transmit diseases to consumers.
Some local traders, however, said the order would cause them losses because some customers prefer fresh meat.
The largest oil and gas field financing transaction of about $1.1bn – Oil Mining License 17, owned by billionaire business tycoon, Tony Elumelu, is currently under investigation following the uncovering of an illegal oil bunkering facility connected to it.
The investigation was necessitated after the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps uncovered an illegal local refinery at Otamiri-Etche, Etche Local Government Area of Rivers State.
The illegal refinery steals crude from OML17 fields operated by Heirs Holding Oil and Gas Limited.
The National Identity Management Commission says Nigerians applying for passports will be charged N1000 in Nigeria for the verification of their National Identification Number.
The Head, of Corporate Communications, Kayode Adegoke, says the fee is to improve the quality of service, accuracy, and speed of passport services through timely verification of NIN.
It stated that it agreed on this framework with the Nigerian Immigration Service.
The commission says Nigerians will pay N1000 for NIN verification in Nigeria, $5 in other African countries, and $15 in other countries.
The Federal Government through the Ministry of Aviation is looking at ways of collecting landing fees from helicopters operating in Nigerian airspace.
The Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika inaugurated the latest batch of trained Helicopter Monitoring Officers at the International Wing of the Port Harcourt International Airport in the Rivers State capital.
The minister reiterated the resolve of the Federal Government to improve revenue collection of helicopter landing charges.
The Central Bank of Nigeria says old N200, N500, and N1,000 banknotes remain legal tender till December 31, 2023.
The apex bank’s Acting Director of Corporate Communications, Isa AbdulMumin says in compliance with the established tradition of obedience to court orders Deposit Money Banks operating in Nigeria have been directed to comply with the Supreme Court ruling of March 3, 2023.
The highest court of the land had on March 3 ordered that old N200, N500 and N1000 notes remain valid till December 31, 2023.
This was after 16 states of the Federation instituted a suit to challenge the legality or otherwise of the introduction of the policy.
China's parliament approved changes to a law that would allow it to pass emergency legislation more quickly.
The amendment to the Legislation Law, which governs how legislation is enacted, gives the highest body of the national parliament, the roughly 170-member National People’s Congress Standing Committee, special powers to pass laws after just one review session.
The French Senate has approved President Emmanuel Macron’s unpopular pension reform plan as hundreds of thousands of protesters rallied in cities across the country to oppose the changes.
Senators voted late on Saturday to adopt the reforms by 195 votes to 112, bringing the package whose key measure is raising the retirement age by two years to 64 closer to becoming law.
Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne says she was totally committed to ensuring the text will be definitively adopted in the coming days.
The US government says People and businesses who have money deposited with failed US bank Silicon Valley Bank will be able to access all their cash from Monday.
A statement from the US Treasury, the Federal Reserve and Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation said depositors would be fully protected.
The statement says the taxpayer will not bear any losses from the move as SVB was shut down by regulators who seized its assets on Friday.
The Federal Reserve says it would offer assistance through a new Bank Term Funding Program, making it easier for banks to borrow from it in a crisis.
South Africa's anti-corruption watchdog says there is no evidence of wrongdoing by President Cyril Ramaphosa linked to the theft of $580,000 in cash from his farm.
The public protector, Kholeka Gcaleka, concludes that Mr Ramaphosa did not violate an ethics code or abuse his role as head of state.
The report says the president declared the theft within weeks of it taking place three years ago.
it however says the head of the presidential protection service, Maj Gen Wally Rhoode, acted improperly by carrying out an unofficial investigation into the crime.
The authorities in Malawi have closed schools in 10 districts over safety concerns after Cyclone Freddy wreaked devastation in neighbouring Mozambique.
Heavy rains pounding southern Malawi have washed away roads and disrupted power generation, with more rainfall expected in the next few days.
Physical classes have been suspended for Monday and Tuesday in all learning institutions in the area.
The education ministry says teachers and learners have been encouraged to use available online platforms and radio lessons,
The death toll in Mozambique is at least 28 since the storm first made landfall.
Seplat Energy, a leading oil and gas supplier in Nigeria, has denied racism and discrimination accusations against its chief executive Roger Thompson Brown calling them vindictive".
This comes after the Nigerian government revoked the work and residence permit of the British executive, following the allegations.
Nigeria's interior ministry also alleged that Mr Brown was fraudulently in possession of an expatriate residence permit.
The energy firm says it will be engaging with the ministry to reject the impressions created by these allegations.
A new report by an economic think tank, Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise says Nigeria’s economy is grinding to a halt and has lost about N20tn following the over 70 per cent mop-up of cash by the Federal Government through the Central Bank of Nigeria.
It says the protracted acute cash scarcity had not only crippled economic activities across the country but was now a significant risk to the livelihoods of most Nigerians.
The Director, CPPE, Dr. Muda Yusuf, stated that millions of citizens have slipped into penury and poverty due to the disruptions and tribulations perpetrated by the currency redesign policy, especially the mopping up of over 70 per cent of cash in the economy.
Nigeria spent at least N2.4tn to import raw materials from other countries in 2022, according to data collated from Foreign Trade Statistics of the National Bureau of Statistics.
The data also showed that Nigeria exported raw materials to the tune of N1tn, leaving a deficit of N1.4tn during the period under review.
Statistica also reported that raw materials imported into Nigeria amounted to over N1.9tn in 2021, amounting to about $4.6bn.
The NBS data says major imports during this period included cane sugar from Brazil, odiferous substances from Ireland and Swaziland, as well as milk preparations from Ireland and Malaysia.
The Independent National Electoral Commission says over 170,000 polling unit results of the February 25 presidential and National Assembly elections have been uploaded on its Result Viewing Portal.
The Commission says the reconfiguration of the Bimodal Voter Registration Systems would be completed by Tuesday in preparation for the March 18 governorship and state assembly elections.
INEC National Commissioner, Festus Okoye, stated that any BVAS that was used for the presidential and National Assembly elections that do not push to the accreditation backend, the data relating to the conduct of the presidential and National Assembly elections will not be reconfigured.
The Biden administration has backed a bipartisan bill that would give Washington the power to ban the Chinese-owned video app TikTok in the United States.
The bill, introduced by a dozen Republicans and Democrats in the Senate, would allow US President Joe Biden to ban technologies deemed by the US Commerce Department to pose an undue or unacceptable risk to national security.
US government and law enforcement officials have claimed that TikTok, owned by Chinese company ByteDance, could be used to spy on Americans, syphon off sensitive personal data, and manipulate public opinion.
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan says the so-called RESTRICT Act, which would also apply to technology from other US adversaries such as Russia, North Korea and Iran, would address technology-based threats to the security and safety of Americans.
Authorities have used tear gas and water cannon outside the Georgian parliament building against protesters who oppose a proposed law some see as stifling freedom of the press.
The law, which has received initial approval, would require media outlets and NGOs that receive more than 20 per cent of their funding from foreign sources to register as agents of foreign influence.
A majority of lawmakers in the parliament approved the draft law dubbed “On Transparency of Foreign Influence” in a first reading.
The UK government has put forward controversial new legislation seeking to stop tens of thousands of migrants reaching the country illegally in boats every year.
Interior Minister Suella Braverman says the migrants would be detained on arrival and swiftly deported.
Ms Braverman says this was the only way to stop people from coming to the UK.
Rights groups have said the law risks criminalising thousands of genuine refugees.
The minister has admitted the legislation may break human rights laws.
South Africa’s gross domestic product shrank by 1.3% in the fourth quarter of 2022, much more than was expected.
Analysts had predicted a decline of just 0.4% and blamed the record blackouts for taking a significant toll on productivity.
Seven of South Africa’s 10 industries experienced a decline in the last three months of 2022. The agriculture and mining industries were the most prominent victims, contracting by over 3%.
Overall the South African economy grew by 2% in 2022 but is still well below the 5 to 6% target band that economists say will make a dent in the country’s 33% unemployment rate.
A German company has signed a memorandum of understanding for a $34bn green energy project in Mauritania.
Egyptian and Emirati firms are also part of the deal.
The facility will produce up to eight million tonnes of green hydrogen and other hydrogen-based products annually in Mauritania.
The first phase is due to be completed in five years' time.
Germany is involved with a number of clean energy projects in Africa as it moves away from dependency on fuel imports from Russia and tries to meet climate targets.
Kenya has imposed an indefinite ban on milk powder imports to cushion local processors and farmers from surplus production and low prices in anticipation of the long rains.
The Kenya Dairy Board says it would continue to monitor the production and demand dynamics of the commodity before lifting the ban.
The board has also suspended the issuance of import permits.
The move is seen to go against the East Africa Community free-trade agreements on the free movement of goods and services and the common market.
Uganda and Rwanda are the two leading African countries which Kenya imports its milk products from.
MTN Nigeria has raised N125bn through the issuance of commercial papers to boost its short-term working capital and funding requirements.
The company said that it had completed the Series 4 & 5 Commercial Paper issuance under its N150bn Commercial Paper issuance programme.
The notice signed by Company Secretary, Ufo Ukpanat, revealed that MTN Nigeria sought to raise N100bn, and the transaction was 125 per cent subscribed, with N125bn increased.
The commercial papers included a 188-day CP at a yield of 11.00 per cent and 267-day commercial paper at 12.50 per cent.
Ekiti State Government has approved the establishment of a fund designed to receive, manage and invest in a diversified portfolio of medium- and long-term assets for the state, and for future generations of indigenes and residents.
The Special Adviser to the Governor on Media, Yinka Oyebode, says that approval for the establishment of the Fund, named Ekiti State Wealth Fund, was one of the decisions reached at the meeting presided over by Governor Biodun Oyebanji on Wednesday.
Oyebode, says that the bill on the establishment of the state wealth fund would be presented to the State House of Assembly for legislative processing and subsequent passage into law.
The Independent National Electoral Commission has postponed the governorship and state house of assembly elections scheduled for Saturday, March 11.
INEC National Commissioner for Voter Education, Festus Okoye, says the elections will hold on Saturday, March 18.
He says following the ruling by the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal on the reconfiguration of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System used for the February 25 Presidential election, the Commission met to assess its impact on its preparations for the governorship exercise.
Okoye stated that though the tribunal’s ruling would enable INEC to commence the preparation of the BVAS for the governorship and state assembly elections, it is too late for the reconfiguration to be concluded.
China’s National People’s Congress has kicked off its annual parliamentary session, announcing a modest target for economic growth of about 5 per cent.
The session is also set to hand President Xi Jinping a third term in office and implement the biggest government shake-up in a decade.
Outgoing Premier Li Keqiang says it was essential to prioritise economic stability and set a goal of economic growth at around 5 per cent, one of the country’s lowest in decades.
Li also announced a target of creating about 12 million urban jobs this year, up from last year’s mark of at least 11 million.
France is set for disruption to transport and public services, as unions protest against plans to raise the pension age from 62 to 64.
Most train and metro services are cancelled on Tuesday, and many schools will be closed.
More than one million people are expected at demonstrations in Paris and other cities.
With the government showing no sign of backing down on its pension plan, one union leader has said there is talk is of escalation and bringing the country to its knees.
In the days ahead, there will be calls to extend the strikes in key sectors like power generation and gas terminals.
South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa has appointed a former mayor, Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, to the newly created position of electricity minister in an effort to address the country's long-running power crisis.
The new minister faces two vast challenges. Power cuts of up to 12 hours a day - the government has declared a national disaster- and allegations of high-level corruption at the state-run energy giant Eskom.
Eskom is massively in debt - almost $24bn in the red.
Mr Ramaphosa also appointed the deputy head of the ANC Paul Mashatile as deputy president.
The Tanzanian government has banned boarding at nursery and lower years at primary schools, saying their aim is to give children the opportunity to bond with their families - understanding the traditions, cultures and values of the country.
Education Commissioner Lyabwene Mtahabwa says boarding services for children up to the age of 10 will end next month, and they will remain as day scholars until they reach the next grade - known in Tanzania as standard five.
She did however say exceptions can be made for pupils whose parents or guardians obtain a special permit exempting them from the change in rules.
Ms Mtahabwa says any school found to be violating the directives will face disciplinary measures, including striking pupils from their books.
The World Bank has suspended talks over its future engagement with Tunisia following President Kais Saied's recent criticism of sub-Saharan migrants.
The outgoing head of the bank, David Malpass, says Mr Saied's remarks had triggered racially motivated harassment and even violence in Tunisia.
He described the situation as deeply concerning but added that recent steps by the Tunisian government to support migrants were positive.
President Saied denounced racism, despite making comments last month that African immigrants were part of a plot to change Tunisia's demographic profile.
The Central Bank of Nigeria revealed that the Federal Government recorded N7.34tn fiscal deficit between January 2022 and November 2022.
A member of the Monetary Policy Committee, Mike Obadan, says these have continued to elicit serious concerns considering the growing yearly fiscal deficits and their implications for public debt accumulation and inflation in view of the Ways and Means Advances financing.
He says the Nigerian economy was highly challenged in 2022 as reflected by weakening growth performance, high and escalating inflation, foreign exchange market pressure and depreciating exchange rate, ballooning fiscal deficits and public debt and expanding money supply among others.
The Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Clem Agba, has disclosed that the Federal Government plans to establish a basket fund to collect donations for the 2023 population and housing census.
Agba noted that a total of N869bn is needed for the census, adding that the government committed N291,5bn with the need for an additional N327.2bn.
He says the total requirement for the census is N869bn census requirement – N626bn which is about $6 per capita (just slightly above the threshold of up to $5 per capita); Post-Census is N243bn.
Agba further disclosed that the census exercise was to be conducted last year but rescheduled for March 2023, but there is a recommendation that it should be held in May 2023.
The Independent National Electoral Commission is asking the Presidential Election Petition Court to vary the orders which were earlier granted to the candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar and Labour Party (LP)’s Peter Obi to inspect materials used for the last presidential election.
The electoral body is praying to the court to vary the order which restrained it from tampering with materials used for the election.
The commission says it needed to reconfigure the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System for the next round of elections.
President Muhammadu Buhari has urged developed and developing nations to grant duty-free and quota-free market access for products from the world’s 46 least-developed countries to ensure their integration into regional and global value chains.
The President criticised the current structure of the global financial system which places an unsustainable external debt burden on the most vulnerable countries.
He cautioned that such debt burdens would make it extremely difficult for LDCs to meet the 2030 Agenda for Seventeen Sustainable Development Goals.
President Buhari underpinned the need for reforms of the international financial architecture that prioritizes the need of Least Developed Countries.
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak says asylum seekers arriving in Britain on small boats through the English Channel will be prevented from staying.
Under pressure from his own lawmakers to find stop the arrival of asylum seekers in Britain, Sunak has made stopping small boats one of his five key priorities.
Home Secretary Suella Braverman says that the only way into Britain would be a “safe and legal route.
Sunak says the new powers are a step towards fulfilling his pledge to “stop the boats once and for all.
UN member states have finally agreed to a text on the first international treaty to protect the high seas, a fragile and vital treasure that covers nearly half the planet.
After years of negotiations, negotiators from more than 100 countries completed the UN treaty – a long-awaited step that environmental groups say will help reverse marine biodiversity losses and ensure sustainable development.
Ethiopia's Tigray People's Liberation Front rebels have denied establishing a transitional administration in the northern region in accordance with the peace agreement signed in November last year.
A local news website reported that the TPLF had finalised the process of forming a 28-member interim regional administration, which needed approval by the federal government.
TPLF spokesperson Getachew Reda however says the Tigray interim administration would only be established after mutual consultations between the parties to the Pretoria agreement.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa will announce changes to his cabinet on Monday, his spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said on Sunday.
The changes were widely expected after Mr Ramaphosa was re-elected as leader of the ruling African National Congress party in December.
Mr Ramaphosa is expected to name a new deputy president following the resignation of David Mabuza.
Mr Ramaphosa is also expected to fill the newly created position of electricity minister as the country battles a power crisis.
The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Mr Iyorchia Ayu, will lead some governors elected on the platform of the party on a protest march to the Independent National Electoral Commission headquarters, Abuja, over the outcome of the February 25 presidential election.
The development has, however, sparked apprehension in the Federal Capital Territory as residents feared the march may result in violence following the anger over the conduct and outcome of the polls.
The PDP and Labour party rejected the outcome of the election, with both laying claims to victory and vowing to challenge the result in court.
The Central Bank of Nigeria has disbursed N114.17bn to beneficiaries under its 100-for-100 Policy on Production and Productivity since the commencement of the intervention.
The CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, stated that the funds were expended on 71 projects across healthcare, manufacturing and agriculture sectors.
He says under the 100 for 100 Policy on Production and Productivity, the Bank has disbursed the sum of N20.78 billion to nine projects in healthcare, manufacturing, and services.
The CBN fixed the maximum loan amount that a participant could get at N5bn.
The Federal Government has approved the disbursement of N308 billion worth of Promissory Notes to 199 exporting companies under the Export Expansion Grant Scheme.
The Executive Director of the Nigeria Export Promotion Council, Dr Yakusak, commended the Federal government and the National Assembly for their prompt response in approving the payment of the outstanding claims to the beneficiaries.
The NEPC’s head of corporate commissions, Ndubueze Okeke, shows that the sum of N193, 456, 239, 386.40 was approved for 133 beneficiaries of the scheme in respect of EEG outstanding claims for the period of 2017 to 2020 while the sum of N108,317, 269, 008.76 was approved for 35 beneficiaries in respect of EEG backlogs of claims for the period of 2007 to 2016 respectively.
The financial scandal - named after a 2019 Wikileaks release called the "Fishrot Files" - stretches from Namibia to Iceland, taking in government ministers and involving at least $20m.
Namibia is now preparing for the biggest corruption trial in its short history.
In the Fishrot scandal, a number of prominent politicians and businessmen are accused of running schemes to get control of valuable fishing quotas, for example, those held by the state fishing company Fishcor.
It is alleged that they then diverted them to the Icelandic fishing company Samherji in return for kickbacks.
Ten suspects, including former Fisheries Minister Bernard Esau and ex-Justice Minister Sakeus Shangala, are alleged to have benefitted.
French President Emmanuel Macron reiterated that France harboured no desire to return to past policies of interfering in Africa after he began a four-nation tour of the continent.
Macron said the age of Francafrique is well over while referring to France’s post-colonisation strategy of supporting authoritarian leaders to defend its interests.
Macron gave some details of the redeployment of French forces, after their departure from Mali and the Central African Republic in 2022 and from Burkina Faso last month.
He said there would be a noticeable reduction in the French troop presence in Africa in the coming months and a greater focus on training and equipping allied countries’ forces.
The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa says e-commerce in Africa will grow by 50 per cent by 2025.
The Acting Executive Secretary, UNECA, Mr Antonio Pedro, explained that investing in the capacity building would be critical to delivering on the growth of e-commerce in the continent.
The acting executive secretary, says a large-scale infrastructure investment must be accompanied by viable policies and strategies both nationally and regionally, adding that digital technologies will also fuel Africa’s accelerated transformation.
Pedro says the African Continental Free Trade Area agreement is the framework under which Africa could ensure an African-owned transformation.
President Muhammadu Buhari inaugurated the Maiduguri Emergency Power Project, describing the feat as another testament towards achieving a stable, uninterrupted power supply aimed at improving the economy and lives of Nigerians.
The President says his administration has worked hard to fulfil the promise of tackling the nation’s electricity challenges and has succeeded in laying the foundation for a rich and prosperous country through the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan.
He noted that a critical execution priority of the ERGP is ensuring national energy sufficiency for Nigerians.
The Nigerian Economic Group Summit says Nigeria’s weak manufacturing is a significant factor fuelling the shortage of foreign exchange
The NESG Senior Economist, Dr Wilson Erumebor, stated that the last seven years for the country had been plagued with hardship especially after battling two economic recessions.
He says Nigeria Is not producing enough for local consumption and export. The consequences of having a weak manufacturing base for a country with such a large population are evident in its foreign exchange shortages, the limited number of jobs created to accommodate workforce entrants, and an import bill that can hardly be met (nor sustained) by current export earnings.
Erumebor noted that 90 per cent of workers are employed in sectors with low productivity levels—agriculture and non-tradable services.
The total amount of currency-in-circulation in the country dropped from N3.29tn as of the end of October 2022 to N1.38tn as of the end of January 2023 as a result of the naira redesign policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria.
The banking sector regulator says all Deposit Money Banks currently holding the existing denominations of the currency may begin returning these notes back to the CBN effective immediately.
He decried the challenges associated with currency management including significant hoarding of banknotes by members of the public, with statistics showing that over 80 per cent of currency-in-circulation was outside the vaults of commercial banks.
Huge rallies have been held in several Mexican cities against what protesters say are government attempts to undermine the electoral authorities.
Lawmakers last week voted to slash the budget of the National Electoral Institute and cut its staffing.
President Andrés Manuel López Obrador accuses the INE of being partisan.
But opponents describe the recent vote as an attack on democracy, pressing the Supreme Court to overturn them as unconstitutional.
Massive crowds gathered in Mexico City's historic Zocalo Square.
A newly updated classified report from the United States Department of Energy obtained by the Wall Street Journal newspaper shows that COVID-19 was probably the result of a leak from a laboratory.
The new coronavirus — SARS-CoV-2 — first emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in late 2019 and quickly spread around the world, so far killing nearly 7 million people.
The Journal reported that the judgement for the latest classified report arose out of new intelligence and was made with low confidence.
Four US intelligence agencies believe with low confidence that COVID-19 took place through natural transmission, while two others remain undecided.
Israeli and Palestinian officials have pledged to implement measures to de-escalate surging violence after talks in Jordan.
Israeli and Palestinian officials say that they would work closely to prevent further violence and that they reaffirmed the necessity of committing to de-escalation on the ground.
The joint statement came at the end of a meeting also attended by US, Egyptian and Jordanian officials amid growing concerns over an escalation of violence in the run-up to the holy Muslim month of Ramadan that begins in late March
The International Monetary Fund report says the failure to get emissions on the correct course by 2030 may lock global warming above two degrees and risk a catastrophic tipping point at which climate change becomes self-perpetuating.
It noted that those who were more concerned about climate change tend to be female, more educated, followers of news, and more accepting of the government’s role in regulating the economy.
Data shows that public transport users and those that rely less on cars are also more concerned about climate change.
IMF says while governments have ambitious goals, the world has yet to be on track to contain global warming to 1.5 to two degrees Celsius, adding that public support for climate action relies on policy awareness.
The United Nations Human Rights Council begins a mammoth five-week session in Geneva starting on Monday.
The council promotes human rights worldwide and investigates violations.
It's expected to focus on Russia’s actions in Ukraine. The agenda also covers alleged war crimes in Ethiopia and the suppression of women in Afghanistan and Iran.
The council will also look at Myanmar, South Sudan, North Korea and Belarus.
Member states however decided not to discuss China's alleged abuses against its Muslim Uyghur community.
The National Assembly has passed a bill to exempt its workers from the scheme, 18 years after operating the Contributory Pension Scheme.
The Pension Fund Operators Association of Nigeria however says that the passage of the bill sets a dangerous precedent for Nigerian workers.
PenOp says the statement was to draw the attention of the public to the “Bill for an Act to amend the Pension Reform Act, 2014, to exclude/exempt the National Assembly Service from the Contributory Pension Scheme and establish the National Assembly Service Pension Board; and for Related Matters (HB 2025) which was recently passed by both chambers of the National Assembly.
The Lagos State government has listed an N137,328,000,000 series IV bond on the Nigerian Stock Exchange.
NGX says the bond is a 10-Year 13.00 per cent fixed rate unsecured bond due in 2031 under the N500bn debt issuance programme.
The bond was listed on Friday. The bond was issued at 100 per cent of par (N1,000).
Nigeria announced some early results from national elections on Sunday, though a victor in the race to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari is not expected till later today.
The vote in the nation went ahead mostly peacefully, despite some ransacked polling stations and late starts at many others.
Votes in presidential and parliamentary elections are collated in each of Nigeria’s 36 states before the count is transmitted to the electoral commission’s central tallying centre in the capital Abuja.
Norwegian parties backed an aid package worth 75 billion Norwegian kroner for Ukraine to be spread out over five years.
All parties in the Storting, Norway’s parliament, backed the plan that the centre-left government first presented on February 6 apart from Rodt (The Red Party), a small far-left grouping.
The plan pledges 15 billion kroner annually in civilian and military aid between 2023 and 2027.
Most Norwegian parties also approved the government’s proposal to increase aid to developing countries most affected by the war in Ukraine by 5 billion kroner, in particular, because of the increase in food prices
Ukraine reported a new wave of overnight Russian missile and drone strikes, which killed at least one and damaged many buildings.
The Ukrainian army says it shot down 16 of the 36 missiles Russia launched overnight from planes and ships in the Black Sea.
Presidential chief of staff Andriy Yermak says unfortunately, there were hits in the north and west of Ukraine, as well as in the (central regions of) Dnipropetrovsk and Kirovograd.
Dnipropetrovsk regional governor Sergiy Lysak posted images on Telegram of firefighters working in the debris of partially destroyed residential homes.
World Bank President, David Malpass says that he would step down by the end of June from his position heading the development lender.
Malpass says after a good deal of thought decided to pursue new challenges adding that it is an opportunity for a smooth leadership transition as the Bank Group works to meet increasing global challenges.
His tenure at the World Bank, spanning four years, saw the group face global crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, as well as an international economic slowdown.
Zambia’s President Hakainde Hichilema says the country needs to double its power generation to grow the economy.
The country, Africa’s second-biggest copper producer, has an electricity generation capacity of 3,500 megawatts and last month signed a $2bn deal with the United Arab Emirates to build solar plants.
President Hichilema says they were only able to invest in 3,500MW in 57 years after he commissioned a 33MW solar plant in the northern town of Kitwe.
The head of Zambia's power supplier, Copperbelt Energy Corporation, said the country has the potential to become a hub for regional power trade.
The International Organization for Migration says illegal migration is now back to pre-pandemic levels, with Djiboutian authorities rescuing 383 undocumented Ethiopian migrants whose boat was at risk of capsizing in the Gulf of Aden in the past week alone.
The UN migration agency says the rise in immigration around the world is being driven by the impact of climate change as well as conflict and loss of livelihoods.
It reports that last year there were 150,000 crossings along the "eastern route" - through Yemen and into Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states.
He says many set off on perilous journeys, attracted by the “illusion” of a better life abroad but are oblivious to the dangers that lie along the way.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced the resignation of his deputy, David Mabuza, thanking him for his unwavering support over the last five years.
Local reports say it comes as no surprise because Mr Mabuza had already announced earlier this month that he would be stepping down.
He will stay in the post until Mr Ramaphosa announces his successor, widely expected to be new ANC Deputy President Paul Mashatile.
A cabinet reshuffle is expected next week once South Africa's annual budget is announced.
The United States Government has returned $954,000 stolen by the former Governor of Bayelsa State, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, to the state government through the Federal Government.
US Ambassador to Nigeria, Mary Beth Leonard says the official salary of the former governor during his tenure as a public servant from 1999 to his impeachment in 2005 did not match the said amount.
She says during that time, he accumulated millions of dollars through abuse of office, money laundering.
The United Kingdom, through its Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, has issued safety advisories to its citizens in Nigeria and those travelling into Nigeria following the Central Bank of Nigeria naira redesign policy.
The country urged its citizens in Nigeria and those travelling into the country to take extra precautions around banks and Automated Teller Machines.
This is as the United Kingdom government also informed her citizens of the coming general elections in Nigeria, warning them of possible pockets of violence in some parts of the country.
The President, Muhammadu Buhari has approved the continued use of the old N200 as legal tender till April 10.
He also apologized to Nigerians for the difficulties experienced in accessing the scarce new naira notes.
He says to further ease the supply pressures on the citizens, the old N200 bank notes be released back into circulation and that it should also be allowed to circulate as legal tender with the new N200, N500, and N1000 banknotes for 60 days.
Economics professor Kazuo Ueda has been nominated as the Bank of Japan’s next governor, tasked with navigating a way forward after a decade of extraordinary monetary easing.
The respected economist, described as careful and cautious, was a surprise pick for the change of guard after the outgoing governor’s deputy reportedly turned down the job.
Japan's gross domestic product expanded just 0.2 per cent in the last quarter of 2022, a smaller rebound than expected despite the long-awaited reopening of the country to tourists.
New Zealand has declared a national state of emergency for only the third time in its history after Cyclone Gabrielle swept across the country’s north, bringing widespread flooding and leaving tens of thousands of people without power.
Local media reports showed people stranded on their roofs amid the rising waters, houses swept away by landslides and roads submerged by water.
Kieran McAnulty, minister of emergency management, signed the declaration as emergency services struggled to cope. The decision means more resources can be directed to the six most badly affected regions.
The US military says the sensors from the first suspected Chinese spy balloon shot down over the US have been recovered from the Atlantic Ocean.
US Northern Command says search crews found significant debris from the site, including all of the priority sensor and electronics pieces identified.
The FBI is examining the items, which the US says were used to spy on sensitive military sites.
US officials says the high-altitude balloon originated in China and was used for surveillance, but China said it was merely a weather-monitoring airship that had blown astray.
The authorities in Equatorial Guinea say the country had reported its first outbreak of the Marburg virus, a highly infectious disease in the same family of viruses that cause Ebola.
The World Health Organization says 16 people are now under quarantine as suspected contact cases. The health body has deployed a team of experts to the area to support health workers.
The country’s Health Minister Mitoha Ondo'o Ayekaba earlier said preliminary investigations linked the deaths to people who attended a funeral ceremony.
Movement has been restricted around two villages where most cases have been reported.
South Africa declared a national disaster after heavy rains left seven of its nine provinces flooded, destroying roads and bridges and leaving farmers suffering losses.
The government declared a national state of disaster to enable an intensive, coordinated response to the impact of floods.
It says the heavy rains were brought by the La Niña global weather phenomenon, which occurs in the Pacific Ocean.
Nigeria’s first deep-water exploration and production vessel, Bonga, hit a one-billion-barrel oil export mark.
The Managing Director of Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Limited, Elohor Aiboni, described the milestone as a celebration of excellence and focused delivery that has brought significant benefits to Nigeria and Nigerians.
SNEPCo’ s first female Managing Director, Aiboni says the integrated delivery approach, continuous improvement and the support lever offered by Shell Group are the pillars of SNEPCo’s achievement.
The Debt Management Office has announced that it raised N724.9 billion in February 2023 Federal Government bond auction.
DBO say it was a 100% increase compared to the previous year.
The auction saw a total of 577 bids worth N724.9 billion received for the total amount offered of N360 billion.
The total amount allotted was N771.56 billion, with successful bids allotted at marginal rates of 13.99%, 14.90%, 15.90%, and 16.00%.
The DMO’s says the auction was part of its efforts to raise funds for the implementation of the Federal Government’s 2023 budget and to finance critical infrastructure projects across the country.
Ex-depot price of Premium Motor Spirit otherwise known as petrol has risen by 110 per cent in four months.
The data showed that the ex-depot price rose from N148 per litre last October to an average of N312 per litre on February 3 this year.
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited had set the price at which products can be sold to oil marketers at depots at N148 per litre.
It noted that N303/litre was recorded at Apapa depots, while N305/litre was recorded at Ibafon depots. The product was sold at the highest price of N312/ltr at the Satellite depot- all in Lagos State.
DAPPMAN also cited illegal levies and the high cost of daughter's vessels as other factors fuelling the price hikes.
A proposal for the creation of new agencies to monitor and evaluate Federal Government projects by the National Institute of Peace and Strategic Studies has been rejected by the Federal Government.
The Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, argued this at the opening session of the Dialogue on the National Monitoring and Evaluation Policy and Women’s Economic Empowerment at the State House, Abuja.
Ahmed says the Federal Government had upgraded its monitoring and evaluation framework by involving citizens in its projects.
Germany Government says People affected by the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria will be allowed to stay temporarily with relatives in Germany.
German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser says it is emergency aid and they want to allow Turkish or Syrian families in Germany to bring their close relatives from the disaster area to their homes without bureaucracy.
She says this would be done with regular visas, which would be swiftly issued and remain valid for three months.
The decision comes as the death toll from the earthquakes surpassed 29,000 on Sunday. Millions have been displaced in both countries.
Residents in Auckland, New Zealand’s biggest city, are hunkering down at home as they brace for heavy rain, flooding and gale-force winds from Cyclone Gabrielle.
People in the city and its surrounding areas were asked to stay home for all but essential trips as train services were cancelled, flights suspended, and libraries and most schools closed.
Rachel Kelleher, deputy controller of Auckland Emergency Management, says they expect the impacts of Cyclone Gabrielle to get, unfortunately, worse before they get better.
The cyclone comes two weeks after a record-breaking storm swamped Auckland and killed four people.
Burundi has deployed a specialised team of ten to Turkey to help in the rescue and recovery operations following last week's devastating earthquake.
Burundi Foreign Affair Minister Albert Shingiro says they will be deployed by Turkish authorities to areas where they need them most.
Burundi did not deploy a team to Syria because access to affected areas is difficult, but the minister added that they sympathise with the suffering brotherly people of Syria.
Malawi has dropped criminal charges against the head of the anti-corruption agency following pressure from the country’s main donors and local civil society groups.
Martha Chizuma was facing charges of criminal defamation over a leaked audio in which she allegedly made remarks suggesting that a number of senior government officials and some judicial officers were hindering the fight against corruption.
The Director of Public Prosecutions says he discontinued the cases following a review and consultation with the attorney general. Ms Chizuma's lawyer however told Voice of America that the charges have not been formally dropped.
The Nigerian Export Promotion Council has expressed its commitment to ensure that in 2023, Nigeria makes more than $4.82bn it generated from non-oil export business in 2022.
Ekiti State Coordinator, NEPC, Mrs Iyabode Abe, says over $4.82bn was generated from the non-oil export business in the year 2022 as a result of the Council’s effort in promoting non-oil export which jacked up the Gross Domestic Product economy of the country by 15 per cent.
She says that the Council was committed to stepping up efforts to promote non-export through training programmes, that will expose SMEs to some technicalities of export business for them to have clear competitive edge in the global market.
President Muhammadu Buhari approved a work plan for the National Council on Climate Change.
The President also approved the deployment of staff from key Ministries, Department and Agencies to the Council to ensure its effective take-off.
President Buhari approved the proposed Institutional Arrangement for the Council while eesponding to a number of requests by the Director-General of the Council, on ensuring a smooth take-off and operationalization of the Council.
The Nigeria Governors’ Forum has warned that the continuous scarcity of the N200, N500 and N1,000 new notes may lead to economic recession as well as severe food inflation.
The Forum lamented that though the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami said the Federal Government would comply with the order of the Supreme Court of Nigeria nullifying the February 10 deadline for the validity of three old notes, Nigerians have not experienced any change so far.
The Chairman of the Forum and Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal called on the Federal Government and the CBN to respect the Rule of Law and listen to the voice of reason expressed by Nigerians and several other stakeholders including the Council of State, before the damage to the economy becomes too great to fix by the next administration.
Australia’s defense department will strip its buildings of Chinese-made security cameras to ensure they are completely secure.
It follows similar moves in the United States and Britain, which have taken measures to stop government departments from installing Chinese-made cameras at sensitive sites.
Both countries have expressed fears that Chinese companies could be forced to share intelligence collected by the cameras with Beijing’s security services.
At least 913 Chinese-made cameras have been installed across more than 250 Australian government buildings, according to official figures compiled by opposition politician James Paterson.
Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles says officials would hunt down and remove all Chinese-made security cameras within its buildings.
The death toll from the massive earthquake in Turkey and Syria 7.8-magnitude quake is expected to rise sharply as rescue efforts near the 72-hour mark that disaster experts consider the most likely period to save lives.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan conceded shortcomings after criticism of his government’s response to the massive earthquake, which is one of the deadliest this century.
The White Helmets, leading efforts to rescue people buried under rubble in rebel-held areas of Syria, have appealed for international help in their race against time.
The authorities in Ethiopia have banned parallel rallies by supporters of the Orthodox Church and those backing a breakaway group that was planned to be held in the capital, Addis Ababa.
The Security and Intelligence Task Force said no permissions were issued for the rallies and warned citizens to keep off the venues.
Its highest decision-making body, the synod, had called for the rally in Addis Ababa’s main square to protest against the alleged government's support to breakaway clergy.
The breakaway group also announced it would also hold rallies on the same day.
The breakaway clergy accuses the church of maintaining a system of linguistic and cultural hegemony in which congregations in Oromia are not served in their native languages.
A high court in Malawi has rejected a bid by the government to uphold the suspension of the head of the Anti-Corruption Bureau, Martha Chizuma.
Ms. Chizuma was interdicted on grounds that she was facing criminal charges whereby she is accused of defaming some high-ranking government officials.
The alleged defamatory remarks are contained in a secretly recorded private conversation that she had with a person not employed by her office.
The president however says he would not sack her because he considered the recording and its circulation to be corruption fighting back.
Kenya's former interior minister Fred Matiang’i has sought anticipatory bail, saying he fears he could be arrested and arraigned in court for political reasons.
His lawyer filed an application at a high court in the capital, Nairobi, seeking to bar the police from arresting or harassing the former minister. The court has not ruled on the request.
Inspector General of Police Japheth Koome says the police force had not deployed any officer to the home of the former minister however Mr Matiang’i's family said that a group of men who declined to identify themselves arrived at their home on Wednesday night and did not explain their mission.
The Nigeria Customs Service says that the Benin Republic trade policy was hostile to Nigerian traders.
The Customs Area Controller in charge of Seme command, Dera Nnadi blamed the Benin Republic trade policy for the dearth of imports through the command.
Nnadi also said the command recorded five import declarations with a total duty paid value of N13m paid in 10 days.
He says within the period under review, 122 trucks carrying 3.77 metric tons of made-in-Nigeria products were exported.
Nnadi added that the exported products had a free onboard value of N523m and the National Export Supervision Scheme fee of N2m.
The Zamfara State Governor, Bello Mattawalle, has described the comments trailing the decision of the Supreme Court to listen to and act on the demand of the governors on the Naira swap as mere political vendetta.
Matawalle, says he was fully convinced that those against the gov’s action and subsequent triumph at the court were either misguided or blinded by political chauvinism.
The governor expressed his dismay that due to myopic political rivalry, some political parties and disgruntled politicians were challenging the decision of the apex court which was rightfully taken in the interest of the ordinary Nigerian and the survival of Nigeria’s micro-economy.
The Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu has announced the reduction of transportation fares in the state by 50 percent.
He says the price reduction in all state public transportation on the road, and waterways system would take effect next week.
Sanwo-Olu noted that the BRT buses, first and last-mile buses have been directed to charge 50 percent of the current fare to reduce the hardship of the naira swap on residents.
The governor stated palliative items will be distributed to residents as of tomorrow through religious leaders, and non-governmental organizations, to assist those affected by the current situation.
The Supreme Court restrained the Federal Government from implementing the Friday deadline for the currency swap.
The International Monetary Fund and the World Bank urged the CBN to extend the time limit. The advice of the international organizations was in line with the Supreme Court ruling against the Friday deadline.
The IMF and the World Bank stated that the short timeframe for the currency was causing hardships in the country.
He urged the apex court to grant the application in the interest of justice and the welfare of Nigerians.
International offers to help Turkey and Syria with rescue efforts poured in on Monday after a massive earthquake killed around 1,800 people and wreaked devastation.
The European Union has mobilized search and rescue teams for Turkey after the stricken country requested EU assistance.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell and EU crisis management commissioner Janez Lenarcic say ten urban search and rescue teams from various member states will support first responders on the ground.
UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi voiced solidarity with those affected in both countries, saying the UN agency was ready to help provide urgent relief to the survivors through our field teams wherever possible.
India says it would immediately send rescue and medical teams as well as relief equipment to Turkey.
The Treasury and the Bank of England say a state-backed digital pound is likely to be launched later this decade, Both institutions want to ensure the public has access to safe money that is easy to use in the digital age.
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt says the central-bank digital currency could be a new trusted and accessible way to pay however it will not be built until at least 2025.
Mr. Hunt says they want to investigate what is possible first, whilst always making sure we protect financial stability.
The Treasury and the Bank of England will formally start a consultation for the digital currency.
Google is launching an Artificial Intelligence powered chatbot called Bard to rival ChatGPT.
The firm says Bard will be used by a group of testers before being rolled out to the public in the coming weeks.
Bard is built on Google's existing large language model Lamda, which one engineer described as being so human-like in its responses that he believed it was sentient.
The tech giant also announced new AI tools for its current search engine.
Google boss Sundar Pichai says Bard seeks to combine the breadth of the world's knowledge with the power, intelligence, and creativity of our large language models," Mr Pichai stressed that he wanted Google's AI services to be "bold and responsible" but did not elaborate on how Bard would be prevented from sharing harmful or abusive content.
Social media giant Meta, which owns Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram, has failed to stop a Kenyan court from hearing a case that alleges poor working conditions at the company.
Meta wanted the case dismissed, saying that Kenyan courts have no jurisdiction because Meta is not domiciled in, nor does it trade from, Kenya, but a judge rejected the argument.
Former content moderator Daniel Motaung, who worked for local outsourcing company Sama, says he was paid about $2.20 per hour to review posts including beheadings and child abuse.
He says it will also open the door for content moderators to be protected in a court of law in the countries in which they live
Kenya’s Prime Cabinet Secretary, Musalia Mudavadi, has refuted reports that the families of former presidents Jomo Kenyatta and Daniel Moi were being targeted for tax evasion.
Mr. Mudavadi says President William Ruto had not mentioned any names in his push for tax compliance and claimed the reports were inferences made by the media.
He however insists that everyone must pay taxes to help the government run its activities.
She added that she was ready to be investigated for tax evasion and would pay up any arrears if claims of unpaid taxes can be substantiated.
A new UN report has suggested the most common factor driving people to join extremist groups in sub-Saharan Africa is not religion, but the need for work.
The report by the UN Development Programme surveyed thousands of people in eight African countries, including Mali, Nigeria, and Somalia.
Only 17% of respondents said that religion was the reason for joining radical groups, whereas 40% said poverty was their main motivation.
Education is also important, with one extra year of education significantly reducing a person's likelihood of joining an extremist group.
Justice Eneojo Eneche of the Federal Capital Territory High Court has stopped the Central Bank of Nigeria, President Muhammadu Buhari, and 27 commercial banks from suspending or interfering with the currency redesign terminal date of February 10 or issuing any directive contrary to the said date.
The court also granted an order directing the Chief Executive Officers of the banks, to show cause why they should not be arrested and prosecuted for the financial sabotage of the country, by illegally hoarding and not disbursing the new N200, N500, and N1000 bank notes, despite the supply of such notes by the central bank.
The CBN maintained it would not extend the deadline.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has arrested a bank’s operations manager in Abuja for hoarding N29m worth of new naira notes.
Nigeria’s apex bank, the Central Bank of Nigeria fixed February 10 as the deadline for swapping the old naira notes with the new ones. But there is a scarcity of banknotes, a development that led to the intervention of security agencies.
The EFCC, which is one of the agencies, said it arrested the unnamed bank staff in one of its operations.
Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court Abuja ordered the Peoples Democratic Party not to take any action aimed at suspending or expelling Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike from the party.
The order was made upon an ex parte motion filed by Wike against the entire hierarchy of the PDP.
Wike also asked for an order of the Court granting him leave to serve the motion on notice, originating motion, and all other processes of the Court in the suit on the 1st to 5th Respondents by substituted means which is pasting all the said processes of Court on the PDP National Secretariat.
The Rivers state Governor equally sought an order deeming such service as made above as proper service.
A California utility giant must face trial for manslaughter for its role in a 2020 wildfire that killed four people.
It is the latest legal trouble for Pacific Gas & Electric, which has been blamed for a series of deadly wildfires in the state in recent years.
A judge found prosecutors had presented enough evidence during a preliminary hearing for the company to stand trial.
An investigation revealed it began when a pine tree fell on power lines belonging to PG&E. The utility giant says that it recognized its equipment had caused the fire but denied criminal wrongdoing.
Tesla co-founder Elon Musk has been cleared of wrongdoing for a tweet in which he says he had funding secured to take the electric carmaker back into private ownership.
Shareholders argued he misled them with his posts in August 2018, and they had lost billions of dollars because of them.
The proposed $72bn buyout never materialized and If found liable, Musk could have been ordered to pay out billions in damages.
Mr. Musk - who had wanted the trial moved to Texas, where Tesla is based, arguing he could not get a fair trial in San Francisco - welcomed the outcome.
Mali's military government has given the head of the UN peacekeeping mission's human rights division 48 hours to leave the country.
A government spokesman says Guillaume Ngefa-Atondoko Andali had committed subversive actions in his selection of witnesses to testify at UN Security Council briefings on Mali.
A Malian civil society activist who gave evidence at a UN meeting accused the government's Russian military partners of serious human rights violations.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is due in Mali on Monday for a visit aimed at boosting defence and security ties.
Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko is exploring ways of forging economic ties with Mozambique and Zimbabwe in the agricultural sector.
Lukashenko ended his three days long visit to Zimbabwe and flew out of the country through the resort town of Victoria Falls.
The Belarusian head of state explained that President Emmerson Mnangagwa is on good terms with the leadership of Mozambique and can assist in this matter.
He promised to discuss with the president of Mozambique ways to apply the experience of cooperation between Zimbabwe and Belarus with regard to Mozambique.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has asked his deputy, David Mabuza, to remain in his position until a transition is finalized.
Mr. Mabuza says that the president had accepted his resignation and that an announcement on his departure was coming.
He says he believed it was logical for him to give way to Paul Mashatile, who was elected in December as the ruling ANC party’s deputy president.
The presidency spokesman however says the president wanted Mr. Mabuza to remain until the transition process was finalized.
The Minister of Finance, Budget, and National Planning, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed, says the federal government is currently working to create fiscal incentives to encourage private sector investment in education.
The minister says the recent increase in attacks on educational institutions had made it imperative that the federal government prepares a holistic national plan, with inputs from states and key relevant sectors to create a safe learning environment in the country.
Ahmed pointed out that it was crucial to secure the education of the children as this remained vital for the economic progress and attainment of the much-needed social development indices in the country.
Telecommunication consumers under the aegis of the National Association of Telecoms Subscribers have dragged the Federal Government to court over its plan to implement a five percent excise duty on telecom services.
The National President, NATCOMS, Adeolu Ogunbanjo, says the suit is against the imposition and implementation of excise duty and the continued imposition and implementation of Value Added Tax on telecom services.
The suit is praying the court declare VAT on telecom services as unconstitutional and illegal, and declare the implementation of excise duty on telecoms as null and void.
The Minister of Finance Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, the tax will help boost the government’s revenue.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives Femi Gbajabiamila says the lawmakers may reconvene if the hardship occasioned by the naira swap continues.
He says while the lawmakers are on break and are expected to resume after the general elections, the scarcity of the new naira notes and the attendant consequences may force the House of Representatives to reconvene.
Gbajabiamila says the House made several efforts to intervene in the naira swap crisis by inviting the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria Godwin Emefiele.
The Governor of the Central Bank, Godwin Emefiele insisted that the apex bank will not extend the deadline for swapping old naira notes with the newly redesigned ones.
He says that the CBN and other stakeholders are already looking to address areas where there are pressures.
He says they have had cases where some bank branches have some cash in their vaults and because there was no demand for them and asked central bank officials to move that money where there is pressure.
The firm behind the popular AI chatbot ChatGPT is trialing a subscription service in the US.
chatbot creator OpenAI says for $20 per month, subscribers will get access to the platform even at peak times when it can be hard to log in, and also priority access to new features. It plans to extend the trial more widely but initially, it will only be offered to those on a waiting list.
The firm says the free version will still be available.
OpenAI says it hoped the subscription would support free access. It currently costs the firm a small amount of money every time the chatbot is used.
British Gas has suspended the force-fitting of prepayment meters after a report said it imposed them on vulnerable customers.
The Times reported a company employed by British Gas had broken into homes to fit the meters, despite signs children and disabled people were living there.
Business Secretary Grant Shapps says he was horrified by the findings.
British Gas's owner Centrica says it would suspend the use of court warrants that allow forced installations.
Centrica says the suspension would last "until at least after winter" and that protecting vulnerable people was its priority.
The US central bank has raised interest rates again as it continues its fight to stabilize prices in the world's largest economy.
The Federal Reserve says it was raising its key rate by 0.25 percentage points.
That marks the smallest increase since last March, after a series of aggressive rate hikes last year.
Officials however warned that they did not think they were finished raising rates, despite signs that price increases in the US are slowing.
The bank's moves are closely watched around the world as the US drives a global shift after years of low-interest rates that followed the financial crisis.
Australia central bank says the country will erase the British monarch from its banknotes, replacing the late Queen Elizabeth II’s image on its $5 note with a design honoring Indigenous culture.
The Reserve Bank of Australia says it would consult Indigenous people on a new design that honors the culture and history of the First Australians.
The central bank says its decision was supported by the center-left Labor government of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who favors an eventual move to an Australian republic.
The head of Malawi's Anti-Corruption Bureau, Martha Chizuma, has been suspended over leaked audio in which she made comments that could potentially prejudice people accused of corruption.
The audio leaked more than 12 months ago with President Lazarus Chakwera describing it at the time as corruption fighting back.
He also suggested that the audio was being circulated to force him into sacking her.
Ms. Chizuma remained in the job with the president’s backing and went ahead to indict several high-profile officials, including Vice-President Saulos Chilima and a cabinet minister, on various corruption-related charges.
The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission has disclosed that it has issued 11 new electricity generation licenses.
The approval of 11 new GenCos takes the country’s electricity generating plants to 40 as it had 29 of them- 26 gas plants, and three hydro plants- before the latest addition.
The 29 existing plants have a combined 13,461MW capacity, but they have been unable to generate up to 5000MW for some years.
Experts say Nigeria needs at least 30, 000MW to reach electricity sufficiency.
The NERC also stated in the report that it also renewed two of the existing licenses and transferred one on-grid generation license.
The Central Bank of Nigeria says it has engaged the microfinance banks and point-of-sale operators to swap the old currency across troubled communities in Zamfara State to boost the availability of the new naira notes,
The areas are located in the Zurmi, Shinkafi, Birnin Magaji, and Maru local government areas.
The CBN Branch Controller, Abbas Buhari, insisted on a maximum of N10,000 to be swapped per individual.
The apex bank however maintains that there is enough of the redesigned currency notes in circulation across the country.
President Muhammadu Buhari has officially launched the Ministry of finance incorporated which was originally set in 1959 through an act of parliament, as a custodian of the Federal government’s investments in various Government-linked companies and Government owned Enterprises.
President Buhari tasked the new Governing Council and the Board to raise the value of the MoFI’s portfolio from the current 18 trillion naira to 100 trillion nairas by 2033.
The President stated that the new leadership takes steps to mobilize capital and invest same in assets that are critical to the Federal Government’s revenue drive, to primarily convert the nation's current assets into cash-flow generating entities.
The US government has stopped approving licenses for American firms to export most items to Chinese technology giant Huawei.
It comes as the Biden administration continues to tighten its rules on exports of US technology to China.
Washington has previously accused Huawei of being a threat to US national security and of working with the Chinese Communist Party.
The US Commerce Department has told some American firms that it would no longer issue licenses for US technology exports to Huawei.
The International Monetary Fund says the UK economy will shrink and perform worse than other advanced economies, including Russia, as the cost of living continues to hit households.
The IMF says the economy will contract by 0.6% in 2023, rather than grow slightly as previously predicted.
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt says the UK outperformed many forecasts last year however shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves says the figures showed the UK lagging behind its peers.
The IMF says it had downgraded its forecast for the UK because of its high energy prices, rising mortgage costs, and increased taxes, as well as persistent worker shortages.
The government is announcing measures to robustly regulate the cryptocurrency industry.
It says the proposals, being published will give consumers confidence while allowing the sector to thrive.
Ministers say the measures will mitigate the most significant risks of crypto technologies while harnessing their advantages.
Economic Secretary to the Treasury Andrew Griffith says the government remained steadfast in its commitment to grow the economy and enable technological change and innovation and this includes crypto-asset technology.
The leaders of Zimbabwe and Belarus have signed agriculture and defence agreements.
This includes a deal to supply the southern African country with $60m (£49m) worth of tractors.
President Alexander Lukashenko says relations between the two countries had developed as a result of the western sanctions they are both under.
Mr Lukashenko accused the West of using economic sanctions to suppress both countries.
Zimbabwe has maintained a neutral stance since Russia invaded Ukraine almost a year ago.
Fuel prices in Cameroon will rise by about 15% after the government agreed to pressure from the International Monetary Fund to cut fuel subsidies.
A litre of diesel will rise from 575 CFA francs to 720 CFA francs, while petrol will sell for 730 CFA francs from 630 CFA francs.
The prime minister's office also announced a 5.2% pay rise for public service workers as a cushion to the impact of the increase in fuel prices.
Many unions had urged the government to increase the minimum wage for the private sector.
Malawi President Lazarus Chakwera has reduced the size of his cabinet in a reshuffle that also saw the appointment of seven new faces including an opposition lawmaker.
The list of ministers and deputy ministers has been reduced from 33 to 27, but critics say it is still too large.
The reshuffle was expected following reports that a number of ministers were implicated in a corruption investigation being carried out by Malawi's Anti-Corruption Bureau and the UK's National Crimes Agency.
The House of Representatives has approved the requested restructuring of N1 trillion additional Ways and Means advances for implementation of the 2022 Supplementary Appropriation Act passed by the National Assembly.
President Muhammadu Buhari had requested approval of N23.7 trillion, but the House is seeking further engagement with the executive to allow for thorough and detailed work and submissions on the larger part of the advances which amounts to N22.72 trillion.
The House says it will consider the N22.72 trillion after properly engaging the executive.
The Federal Government has opened a new passport office in the Alimosho area of Lagos State.
Interior Minister Raul Aregbesola explained that it is part of a move to address the shortage gap” in passport processing.
He says Applications have been increasing every year at an unprecedented rate, due to the tendency of many Nigerians wanting to travel outside the country & those who want to use it as means of identification.
The Independent National Electoral Commission says that the current fuel scarcity in the country might affect logistic arrangements for the February 25 and March 11 general elections.
INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, shares his concern about the fuel situation in the country and its impact on transportation on election day.
He says the commission will meet the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited to look into ways to ameliorate this situation.
The electoral chief also urged the transporters to be neutral and non-partisan as they commute INEC staff to and from polling units.
He said inter-state trips won’t be allowed, saying all INEC and ad-hoc staffers must not be moved beyond their local government areas.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has signaled that Ankara could accept Finland into NATO before taking any action on the membership of its Nordic neighbor Sweden.
Erdogan says they may deliver Finland a different message on their NATO application and Sweden would be shocked when they see the message.
Sweden and Finland applied last year to join NATO after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, dropping their longstanding military nonalignment.
Erdogan’s main complaint has been with Sweden’s refusal to extradite dozens of people that Ankara has linked to the banned Kurdistan Workers’ Party and a failed 2016 coup attempt.
Mining giant Rio Tinto says it is working with authorities to try to find a radioactive capsule that went missing in Western Australia this month.
The casing contains a small quantity of radioactive Caesium-137, which could cause serious illness if touched.
Rio Tinto's Iron Ore chief executive Simon Trott says as well as fully supporting the relevant authorities, we have launched our own investigation to understand how the capsule was lost in transit.
He says as part of this investigation they are working closely with the contractor to better understand what went wrong in this instance.
Key Libyan political figures have rejected an $8bn gas production deal overseen by the Tripoli-based Government of National Unity and the Italian government.
The GNU's outspoken oil and gas minister Mohammed Aoun after the gas deal was signed, calling it illegal and saying it lacks equality between the Libyan and Italian sides.
He says his ministry was bypassed on the deal which he reiterated was illegal and pledged to rectify.
The ministry released an official statement reiterating Mr Aoun's points, further criticising the deal for increasing the Italian side's shares from 30% to 37%.
The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Pantami has urged the Nigerian Data Protection Bureau to investigate banks and data-processing firms on data privacy and protection compliance.
The minister says Banks have been sanctioned, Operators in the sector have been sanctioned and many more operators are being investigated.
Pantami also asked Nigerians to report any data breach to the NDPB so that a proper investigation can be done.
He also noted that the bureau has a portal to receive any complaints about a data privacy breach.
Economic Commission for Africa says intra-African trade in agri-food, industry, and services sectors will increase by nearly 35 percent by 2045 through the African Continental Free Trade Agreement.
The Director of Regional Integration and Trade at ECA, Stephen Karingi says Africa’s private sector accounts for 80 percent of total production, two-thirds of investment, and three-quarters of credit, and employs 90 percent of the working-age population,”
The commission urged governments at all levels to fully and effectively implement the agreement for the projections to come to fruition.
He noted that Africa’s weak productive capacity and consequent excessive reliance on imports for essential products exposed it to external shocks such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war.
The Economic Community of West African States Regional Electricity Regulatory Authority has approved critical policies for the development of the sub-regions power market.
It also announced its commitment to protecting the interests of investors and participants in the regional power market, stressing that the body would ensure that there were conducive investments in the industry.
The Chairman, ECOWAS Regional Electricity Regulatory Authority, Kokou Tossou, noted that electricity production is vital to the viability of the market, and ERERA has approved critical documents for the development of the regional power market, adding that they will also be conducive to investments in the energy sector.
The House of Representatives Adhoc Committee on the redesign of three naira notes has rejected the 10 days extension granted by the Central Bank of Nigeria for the swap of old N200, N500, and N1,000 bank notes.
The Chairman of the Committee and the Majority Leader of the House, Alhassan Ado Doguwa, said the green chamber will proceed and sign an arrest warrant to compel the CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele to appear before the committee.
He says the new naira redesign policy is capable of frustrating the forthcoming 2023 general elections.
He described the extension as a mere political gimmick to further deceive Nigerians and worsen their economic and social livelihood, insisting that the CBN governor must appear before or stand the risk of being arrested on the strength of legislative writs signed earlier by Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila.
The Central Bank of Nigeria has extended the deadline for the use of the old notes till February 10.
CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, explained that the apex bank has sought approval from President Muhammadu Buhari to extend the deadline for the use of the old notes by 10 days.
The CBN Governor also solicited the cooperation of all Nigerians in ensuring a hitch-free process for the implementation of the policy.
Before the apex bank extended the use of the naira note, many Nigerians experienced difficulty in lodging their old banknotes.
The US Department of Justice and eight US states have filed a case against Google alleging it has too much power over the online ad market.
US Attorney General Merrick Garland says Its anti-competitive actions had "weakened if not destroyed the competition in the ad tech industry", Google accused the DOJ of doubling down on a flawed argument.
The Firm says the case attempted to "pick winners and losers" in a competitive industry.
Online advertising accounts for the lion's share of Google's multibillion-dollar revenue.
Social networking giant Meta announced it would soon reinstate former president Donald Trump’s accounts on Facebook and Instagram with new guardrails, two years after he was banned over the 2021 US Capitol insurrection.
Meta’s president of global affairs, Nick Clegg, says they will be reinstating Mr. Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts in the coming weeks, adding that the move would come with new guardrails in place to deter repeat offenses.
Clegg says going forward, the Republican leader could be suspended for up to two years for each violation of platform policies.
A summit on food security across Africa has heard calls for the continent to feed itself, rather than relying on aid or imports.
The current African Union chairman - Senegalese President Macky Sall - told the meeting in Dakar that Africa had huge potential that was not exploited.
The head of the African Development Bank, Akinwumi Adesina, two-thirds of the world's uncultivated arable land is in Africa adding that Africa can and must feed itself.
Tens of millions of people in East Africa and the Sahel region face hunger because of drought, conflict and a rise in the cost of food and fuel.
Angola has expressed concern over the use of heavy military equipment in the war in Ukraine as Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov visits the oil-rich southern African country.
The Angola foreign affairs ministry says the use of increasingly sophisticated equipment might lead to greater involvement of the different parties to the conflict, and eventually lead to a third world war.
The statement also highlighted Angola's historic friendship ties with Russia and its good cooperation ties with Ukraine.
France has agreed to a request from Burkina Faso's military leaders to withdraw all its troops from the country.
Burkina Faso says it wants to defend itself.
France says it would also recall its ambassador to the country for consultations. Last year French troops also left neighbouring Mali, where they had spent eight years fighting jihadists.
France has kept close military links with many of its former colonies in West Africa and has been helping several of them fight jihadists who are active across the region under the now-terminated Operation Barkhane.
The United States Government declared that people involved in undermining the electoral process in Nigeria will be slapped with visa restrictions.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, says his country supports Nigeria’s democratic process and desire to uphold the rule of law. To support Nigeria’s upcoming elections, today I am announcing visa restrictions for those involved in undermining democracy in Nigeria.
Blinken says the United States supports Nigerian aspirations to combat corruption and strengthen democracy and the rule of law.
The US Embassy and Consulate in Nigeria, in a statement, says the visa restrictions are specific to certain individuals and are not directed at the Nigerian people or the Government of Nigeria.
The UK Government has launched the Developing Countries Trading Scheme in Nigeria, which will enable the country to benefit from free-duty trade on exported goods.
The British Deputy High Commission, Lagos, says the DCTS offers one of the most generous sets of trading preferences in the world and demonstrates the UK’s commitment to building long-term, mutually beneficial relationships with countries like Nigeria.
The commission says the work is part of a wider push by the UK to drive a free trade, pro-growth agenda across the globe, using trade to drive prosperity and help eradicate poverty.
The Federal Executive Council in Abuja approved the National Child Online Protection Policy and Strategy.
The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isah Pantami, says that the strategy aims at protecting children from the harmful side of the digital environment. The meeting was presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.
Pantami says the policy was in line with the International Telecommunication Union’s policy document for all its member countries.
He says the cabinet also approved the Nigeria Data Protection Bill to ensure the privacy and confidentiality of data being submitted to the government and to other institutions.
President Muhammadu Buhari, has unveiled Tertiary Education Trust Fund’s sponsored yearly intervention projects at the nation’s foremost military university, Nigeria Defence Academy, Nigerian Airforce Institute of Technology, Kaduna Polytechnic as well as Kaduna State University.
The Chairman, Senate Committee on Defence, Senator Aliyu Wamakko, noted that the projects at NDA gulped over N685 million, AFIT over N604 million, KASU over N491 million, and Kaduna Polytechnic over N450 million for the 2020/2021 annual intervention and merged projects.
Senator Wamakko stressed the importance of education in the nation’s development, adding that inaugurating the projects, would in no small measure enhance teaching and learning in the country.
President Muhammadu Buhari, in Senegal, lauded the provision of $538.05m by the African Development Bank, the Islamic Development Bank, and the International Fund for Agricultural Development for the first phase of the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones for Nigeria programme.
He urged his counterparts to allocate at least 10 percent of their nations’ budgets to agriculture as agreed in the Malabo Declaration of the African Heads of State and Government.
Buhari says the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones for Nigeria, which is in the first phase will cover seven States in the Federation.
Iraq’s prime minister has replaced the governor of the country’s Central Bank following a weekslong plunge of the Iraqi dinar.
Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani made the move after Central Bank of Iraq Governor Mustafa Ghaleb Mukheef told him he no longer wishes to stay on the job.
Mukheef, who was in the post since 2020, was replaced by Muhsen al-Allaq, the agency added.
al-Sudani says that the successors for the key posts were known for their experience, their abilities and their integrity.
The United States has joined its allies in Europe in issuing fresh sanctions against Iranian officials and entities over Tehran’s crackdown on ongoing anti-government protests.
The US Treasury Department says that its sanctions, taken in coordination with the European Union and the United Kingdom, targeted the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Cooperative Foundation and five of its board members, as well as four senior IRGC commanders.
Iran’s Deputy Minister of Intelligence and Security Naser Rashedi was also blacklisted.
United States law enforcement says North Korean hackers were behind the theft of $100m worth of digital assets from a US crypto firm last year.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation says the North Korean hacking groups Lazarus Group and APT38 carried out the cyber heist on crypto firm Harmony last June.
Harmony, which has its headquarters in California, announced in June that hackers had stolen $100m in digital coins from Horizon bridge, a so-called blockchain bridge used to move cryptocurrencies between different blockchain networks.
The FBI, which previously issued an advisory about a malware campaign used in the heist dubbed “TraderTraitor”, says it had frozen some of the funds with the cooperation of some of the virtual asset service providers.
US President Joe Biden called for Congress to act quickly to ban assault weapons, as California reeled from two deadly mass shootings in less than 48 hours.
A group of senators reintroduced a federal Assault Weapons Ban and legislation that would raise the minimum purchase age for assault weapons to 21.
A suspected gunman was in custody Tuesday over the killing of seven people in a rural community in northern California, just two days after a mass shooting at a Lunar New Year celebration near Los Angeles.
A law banning assault rifles expired in 2004 and Congress has repeatedly failed to renew it even as the country endures repeated mass shootings.
The global nurses’ federation says Britain’s recruitment of nurses from poorer countries as a quick fix for its own underinvestment in the profession is a serious cause of concern.
The International Council of Nurses says wealthy countries recruiting nursing staff from some of the world’s most fragile health systems was extremely hard to justify and perhaps should be stopped entirely.
The ICN says seven or eight wealthy countries notably Britain, the United States, and Canada were driving around 80 percent of international nurse migration, to try to address their domestic shortages.
ICN chief executive Howard Catton cited talks between Britain and Ghana whereby London will pay Accra £1,000 per nurse recruited.
The ICN says international recruitment focused largely on experienced, specialised nurses, rather than the myth that only newly-qualified nurses were being targeted.
The US Treasury Secretary, Janet Yellen, is visiting South Africa on the latest stage of a three-nation African tour aimed at boosting US influence.
The tour - which also included Senegal and Zambia - comes as Washington faces growing competition in the region with Russia and China.
South Africa has recently taken over the chair of the BRICS economic group - made up of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa - which was set up as a counterweight to US global dominance.
While in South Africa, Ms. Yellen is expected to push President Cyril Ramaphosa to pursue plans for a gradual transition away from heavy reliance on coal to cleaner energy.
The European Union has allocated €102.5 million in humanitarian aid to help vulnerable communities in Nigeria, Niger, Chad, and Cameroon, as the humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate in the Lake Chad region.
The organization, says violence in the region, where the civilian population is increasingly the victim of targeted attacks, is resulting in large-scale displacement, disruption of livelihoods, and lack of access to basic services.
The total amount for 2023, it added, will be distributed as follows: Nigeria (€34 million), Niger (€25 million), Chad (€26.5 million), and Cameroon (€17 million).
The maximum lending rate in the banking sector hit 29.13 percent while savings deposit rates were 4.13 percent as of the end of December 2022.
The report from the Central Bank shows that the prime lending rate was 13.85 percent, while the interbank call rate was 12 percent.
The Treasury bill rate was 4.35 percent, the one-month deposit rate was 8.15 percent, three months deposit rate was 3.79 percent, six months deposit rate was 8.68 percent, while 12 months deposit rate was 8.22 percent.
The National Institute of Credit Administration stated in its report blueprint report for the growth, development, and sustainability of micro, small, and medium-size enterprise sector in Nigeria that there was a need to support businesses with single-digit loans as high-interest rates was affecting economic growth.
The Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, says though the World Health Organisation and other world health bodies had not informed Nigeria of any deadly flu from China, the Federal Government is on the lookout for any occurrence.
He says when there is an outbreak of any flu or disease anywhere in the world, WHO will announce it to the world and send an advisory on how it can be handled, but there is no such alert in the case of the strange flu.
The minister says that foreign media outlets were also silent about the flu from China, an indication that the news making the rounds is a fabrication.
He, however, says that the Federal Government is on the lookout for anything suspicious.
The Federal Inland Revenue Service generated a record N10.1 trillion in revenue in 2022.
Executive Chairman, Mr. Muhammad Nami, says this is the highest tax collection ever recorded in its history.
The Service disclosed this in a “FIRS 2022 Performance Update,” report that the FIRS, in the year 2022 collected a total of N10.1 trillion in both oil and non-oil revenues as against a target of N10.44 trillion,” the report added.
The report added that Company's Income Tax contributed N2.83 trillion; Value Added Tax N2.51 trillion; Electronic Money Transfer Levy N125.67 billion and Earmarked Taxes N353.69 billion.
President Muhammadu Buhari inaugurated the Lekki Deep Sea Port, Imota Rice Mill, and Bestaf Lubricant at MRS Holdings Company Limited all located in Lagos State.
The projects are part of a series of facilities being commissioned by Buhari during a two-day visit to the state.
The Lekki Deep Sea Port which encompasses investment in excess of $1.5 billion is a joint venture between the Federal Government through the Nigerian Ports Authority, Lagos State Government, the Tolarams Group and China Harbour Engineering Company.
The President led Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State; the Minister of Transportation, Muazu Sambo; the Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, Ciu Jianchun; top government officials; and traditional rulers, to witness the overloading from the container ship, sailing under the flag of Malta.
New Zealand’s former minister for COVID-19, Chris Hipkins, has been confirmed as the country’s next prime minister.
Hipkins got the unanimous support of legislators from the ruling Labour Party on Sunday after he was the only candidate to replace the charismatic Jacinda Ardern, who shocked the nation last week when she announced she was resigning after more than five years as prime minister.
Hipkins immediately acknowledged Ardern’s leadership, who he called one of New Zealand’s greatest prime ministers and an inspiration to women and girls everywhere.
Spotify Technology, the Swedish audio streaming giant, is preparing to announce layoffs as soon as this week.
Bloomberg reports that the number of job cuts under consideration at the popular streaming service is not clear, citing unnamed people who are familiar with the matter.
Tech firms have cut thousands of jobs in the last year as slowing advertising revenues and recession fears prompt reassessments of headcounts that ballooned during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The OPEC Fund for International Development, a development institution established by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries' member governments, has raised $1 billion by selling its first-ever bond.
The three-year bond which will pay investors an interest rate of 4.5 percent, will also be classed as a 'sustainable development' bond.
The OPEC Fund's head of Funding, Martine Mills Jansen, says the bond pricing is a major milestone for the OPEC Fund and the culmination of several years of intensive work.
A breakdown of subscriptions showed that central banks from the Middle East, Europe, and Asia and other types of official institutions, including from the United States, accounted for 62 percent of the bond's buyers.
The government of Cameroon and different groups involved in the separatist conflict in the country have agreed to take part in a process aimed at resolving the situation, the Canadian government says.
Canadian newspaper La Presse quotes an anonymous source in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's office as saying that there had already been three secret meetings.
The Canadian government announced that it had accepted the role of facilitator.
A Russian warship armed with hypersonic cruise weapons will take part in joint exercises with the Chinese and South African navies in February.
Russia’s state-owned Tass news agency reports that Admiral Gorshkov will call at the logistics base in the Syrian port of Tartus, following which it will participate in joint drills with the Chinese and South African navies.
South Africa's military announced it would next month hold joint military drills with Russia and China off its coast.
The drills will run for 10 days from 17 February to 27 February in the port city of Durban and Richards Bay.
The Nigerian consulate in Johannesburg has complained to the South African government after city authorities disconnected the consulate’s electricity supplies over unpaid bills.
City officials went to the consulate, in an upmarket northern suburb, to cut off supplies over 400,000 rand in outstanding charges, according to a city official.
The consulate denied the officials access, describing them in a statement as an invasion squad.
Supplies were remotely switched off.
South Africa’s foreign ministry spokesman Clayson Monyela says that the consulate has dispatched a diplomatic note to us.
Yobe State Governor, Mai Mala Buni, has appealed to the Central Bank of Nigeria to extend the January 31 deadline for the phasing out of the old notes.
Buni however urged the apex bank to give a special concession and alternatives to Yobe residents for the change of the naira notes.
He explained that only four out of the 17 local government areas in the state have banks, making it difficult for people in the remaining 13 local government areas to access banking services.
He says CBN should also ensure commercial banks open branches in the local government council headquarters now that there is improved peace and security across the state.
The Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit says that its ban on cash withdrawals for all federal and state accounts is to help governors and not to fight them.
The NGF also set up a six-member committee to engage the Central Bank of Nigeria in addressing anomalies in the country’s monetary management and financial system”.
The NFIU says that the entire financial system suffered excess liquidity and liquidity ratio infringements which put hedging pressure on demand for foreign currency and gradually destroyed the value of the Naira and above all created wide room for money laundering and terrorism affecting significantly the rural populace on top of general inflation in the open market place.
Microsoft says it will cut 10,000 jobs in the latest round of staff redundancies to hit the tech industry which will affect up to 5% of its global workforce and cost the business $1.2bn in severance and reorganization costs.
Microsoft chief executive Satya Nadella says that while customer spending had grown during Covid, more people were now choosing to exercise caution
He says the firm would continue to hire in key areas.
Mr. Nadella says many parts of the world were in a recession or anticipating one, while at the same time, the next major wave of computing is being born, with advances in AI.
Ukraine’s interior minister and other officials were among more than a dozen people killed in a helicopter crash near a kindergarten outside Kyiv, in a blow to the war-battered nation’s government.
Ukraine did not claim direct Russian involvement, but President Volodymyr Zelensky said the tragedy was a consequence of the war.
Officials initially said that 18 people died but revised the toll down to 14 — including Interior Minister Denys Monastyrsky, other ministry officials and a child — after search operations ended.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, a global figurehead of progressive politics, announced that she would resign from office in a matter of weeks.
She says she no longer had enough in the tank.
Ardern says she would step down no later than February 7, less than three years after winning a landslide election to secure her second term in office.
Ardern’s government has struggled – its popularity hampered by soaring inflation, a looming recession, and a resurgent conservative opposition.
UN peacekeepers in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo have found dozens of bodies in mass graves.
The discovery comes after a series of attacks by armed groups in the region of Ituri.
A UN spokesman, Farhan Haq, says the bodies of 42 people including women and children had been discovered in the village of Nyamamba, and a further seven men in the village of Mbogi.
The peacekeepers had launched patrols in the area after reports of attacks by Codeco militias.
The Tigray People’s Liberation Front has refuted remarks by African Union mediator Olusegun Obasanjo that Eritrean forces have withdrawn from Ethiopia's northern Tigray region following a truce to end two years of civil war.
Mr. Obasanjo says that all Eritrean forces who had been fighting alongside Ethiopian federal troops in the Tigray war that broke out in November 2020 had pulled back to the Eritrean border.
Mr. Obasanjo's comments were refuted by TPLF spokesperson Getachew Reda who says AU officials should do their job first before such remarks are made.
South Africa's military has announced it will next month hold joint military drills with Russia and China off its coast.
The drills will run for 10 days from 17 February to 27 February in the port city of Durban and Richards Bay.
The South African National Defence Force says the aim is sharing operational skills and knowledge, South Africa was among African countries that abstained from taking sides in Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The country assumed the chairmanship of the BRICS group of nations - which brings together Brazil, Russia, India, and China - last month.
The Lagos State Government has declared a four-day work-free day for public servants to enable them to collect their Permanent Voter Cards at their respective local government/local council development areas in the state.
The Head of Service, Hakeem Muri-Okunola, explained that the work-free day would commence on Tuesday, January 24, and end on Friday, January 27, 2023, for different grade levels of workers in the public service.
The dates include Tuesday, January 24, 2023, for grade levels 01, 03, 07, and 15; Wednesday, January 25, 2023, for grade levels 02, 04, 08, and 13; Thursday, January 26, 2023, for grade levels 05, 09, 12, and 17; and Friday, January 27, 2023, for grade levels 06, 10, 14 and 16.
The Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission to ensure Nigerians’ votes count during the forthcoming polls.
He added that the electoral umpire must ensure that votes counted and announced results reflect the true decision of Nigerians.
He says the election season is an opportunity to also tell the electoral umpire, INEC, to allow people’s votes to count.
The Director of the Legal Services Department of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr. Kofo Salam-Alada, says the agency will go tough on banks that continue to fill their ATM machines with old naira notes as the deadline to phase out the notes nears.
He says the CBN was already monitoring banks that were still dispensing old naira notes from their ATMs.
The director says anyone caught selling the new notes or any denomination of the naira would be jailed.
Germany’s embattled defense minister, who was criticized over the pace of a massive project to modernise the military and for Berlin’s stuttering response to the Ukraine war, has resigned.
Christine Lambrecht says that months of media focus on my person had stood in the way of a factual debate about the military and Germany’s security policy.
She says the valuable work of the soldiers and many people in the department must stand in the foreground.
A spokesperson for Chancellor Olaf Scholz said he had accepted Lambrecht’s resignation and a replacement would be announced soon.
China's economy grew last year at the second slowest rate in almost half a century - a sign of how the country's strict coronavirus regulations have affected businesses.
Official figures show the gross domestic product of the world's second-largest economy rose by 3% in 2022.
The policy had a major impact on the country's economic activity last year but the sudden relaxation of the rules has led to a jump in Covid cases that threatens to also drag on growth in the early part of this year.
Jacqueline Rong, deputy China economist from the BNP Paribas bank says the data came in stronger than our expectation. Nevertheless, it reveals the hard hit to the Chinese economy from a zero-Covid policy and a property rout in 2022.
Experts have voiced caution over China's economic numbers - with some warning that the trajectory of the data rather than the figures themselves are a useful guide to how the country's economy is performing
Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon warned London against any bid to block a controversial Scottish gender recognition law, adding her devolved government is prepared to vigorously defend its powers all the way to the UK’s top court.
The looming standoff over the law to make it easier for people to change gender ratchets up London’s tense relations with Scotland’s regional government, less than two months after the ruling Scottish National Party saw its efforts to hold a new independence referendum stymied by the UK Supreme Court.
Sturgeon says that her government is prepared to “rigorously” defend the gender legislation all the way to the UK’s top court if Prime Minister Rishi Sunak steps in to block it.
Industrial action looked set to intensify after Britain’s largest teaching union announced a series of strike days over pay next month in England and Wales.
The National Education Union says its members voted overwhelmingly to walk out as part of calls for an above-inflation pay rise.
The announcement came as public sector workers hold a wave of walkouts for salaries to take into account double-digit inflation.
NEU joint general secretary Kevin Courtney says they believe the government knows there needs to be a correction on teacher pay.
It said each school will only be affected for four days.
South African opposition groups, a trade union and business owners have threatened to sue the government over the crippling blackouts in the country.
They have given the government up to Friday to stabilise electricity supply or face legal action for contravening its duty to provide electricity.
They have written a demand letter to the Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan and the chief executive of the state utility firm Eskom, Andre de Ruyter, saying the state was in breach of its obligation to provide electricity.
The blackouts have persisted for more than a decade, amid poor management and corruption at state firm Eskom South Africa Faces Legal Action Over Power Crisis
The Federal Government announced that the licensing round for seven deep offshore open oil blocs, which commenced on January 3, 2023, would last for four months.
The Chief Executive, of Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, Gbenga Komolafe, says the approval of the exercise by President Muhammadu Buhari was the first in the last 15 years.
He explained the commission had announced the commencement and launched the bid round portal which was officially opened on January 3, 2023.
He noted that in compliance with the provisions of the PIA 2021 and regulations made pursuant to the Act, the commission issued a licensing round guideline and published a licensing round plan for a total of seven deep offshore open blocs.
Nigeria’s inflation rate eased to 21.34% in December 2022 from 21.47% in November 2022, first drop in about 11 months.
The National Bureau of Statistics showed a decline of 0.13% between November and December.
The NBS reports say In December 2022, the headline inflation rate eased to 21.34% compared to November 2022 headline inflation rate which was 21.47%.
This shows that the headline inflation rate increased in the month of December 2022 when compared to the same month in the preceding year.
The percentage change in the average CPI for the twelve months ending December 2022 over the average of the CPI for the previous twelve months period was 18.85%, showing 1.89% increase compared to the 16.95% recorded in December 2021.”
The United Kingdom government plans to revise the law to give police more powers to crack down on protests, after demonstrations that have seen some people blocking roads or marching slowly.
The amendments to the Public Order Bill, to be tabled on Monday, will broaden the legal definition of serious disruption”, giving police greater flexibility and “absolute clarity” over when they can intervene in a protest.
The moves against the right to protest followed a series of demonstrations that have blocked the M25, the London orbital motorway that is the busiest road in the country, and closed down parts of the capital.
Belarus says the joint air force drills it will begin with Russia on Monday are defensive in nature, but the exercises are taking place as concerns grow that Moscow is pushing Minsk to join the war in Ukraine.
Pavel Muraveyko, first deputy state secretary of the Belarusian Security Council, says the exercise is purely defensive in nature
Muraveyko added that the exercises, which will continue until February 1, will involve training for aerial reconnaissance, deflecting air strikes, and air cover of important objects and communications.
Oxfam says the world’s top 1 percent grabbed nearly two-thirds of the $42 trillion in new wealth created since 2020, in a new report released to coincide with the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
Oxfam’s “Survival of the Richest” report released says the share was almost twice as much money as the amount obtained by the bottom 99 percent of the world’s population.
Oxfam says a 5 percent tax on the world’s multi-millionaires and billionaires could raise $1.7 trillion a year, enough to lift 2 billion people out of poverty.
A court in London has dismissed an attempt by Friends of the Earth to get the British government's financial support for a gas project in Mozambique to be declared unlawful.
The environmental group had argued that the $1bn funding in the form of loans and guarantees would contravene the UK's climate change commitments under the Paris accords.
Friends of the Earth says the judgment was extremely disappointing.
The $20bn liquified natural gas project in northern Mozambique is being led by France's Total.
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni over the weekend called for a ban on overseas travel by Members of Parliament and civil servants to save money for priority areas.
He made the remarks while commissioning facilities at Uganda Petroleum Institute-Kigumba where the country intends to train local experts in oil exploration.
The president also suggested a freeze on all allowances, according to the Daily Monitor news site.
A $3.5bn (£2.7m) crude oil pipeline that will connect Uganda's oil fields to a port in neighboring Tanzania has been opposed by climate activists. The two East African countries say their priority is economic development.
A British charity will on Monday morning seek permission from the High Court in London to appeal against a controversial government plan to send some asylum seekers to Rwanda.
Asylum Aid will argue that the court erred in its ruling in December that the scheme was lawful and will challenge the judgment that the country is a safe destination for migrants.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Home Secretary Suella Braverman have made curbing immigration via the English Channel a political priority.
The World Bank stated that technical problems, insecurity, rising production costs, theft, lack of payment discipline in joint ventures, etc. were responsible for the 40 percent decline in Nigeria’s oil production last year.
The apex bank in its January global economic prospects report says that the fall when compared to its 2019 level, lowered economic growth to 3.1 percent from 3.6 percent the prior year.
The report says Annual inflation surpassed 21 percent in 2022 for the first time in 17 years, disrupting activity and consumer demand adding that persistent fuel and foreign exchange shortages, with the country’s currency depreciating by over 30 percent last year in the parallel market, further dampened economic activity.
World Bank also projected that the country’s growth will decelerate to 2.9 percent in 2023 and 2024.
Figures from the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission showed that International and bilateral power consumers that get supply from Nigeria owe the country about N4.71bn,
The NERC revealed this in its first and second quarter reports of 2022, as it named the debtors to include Odukpani-CEET, Paras-SBEE, Ajaokuta Steel, and Mainstream/Inner Galaxy.
Others include Mainstream/KAM Industries, Mainstream/KAM Integrated, KAM Steel Shagamu, NDPHC/Sunflag, North South/OAU, and Mainstream/Adefolorunsho Ventures.
The commission pointed out that the indebtedness by the power firms were to the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Company Plc and the power Market Operator.
It stated that in the first quarter, moribund Ajaokuta Steel Company Limited failed to pay N0.45bn, while Odukpani-CEET did not remit $3.42m.
The National Salaries Incomes and Wages Commission says it has initiated the process for the review of the National Minimum Wage.
NSIWC’s Head of Public Affairs, Mr. Emmanuel Njoku, says as part of the process to review the minimum wage, which would be due in 2024, the commission had held a series of meetings and training towards nationwide monitoring of the Minimum Wage Act 2019.
He says the monitoring billed to begin on Jan. 23, would help ascertain the compliance level of public and private employers and organisations.
Njoku says the monitoring team for the exercise would be drawn from key stakeholders including the Ministry of Labour and Employment, and the Ministry of Finance and National Planning.
Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, says the Federal Government is empowered by law to fix the prices of kerosene and other petroleum prices.
The Senior Advocate of Nigeria says the government is backed by Section 4 of the Price Control Act and section 316 of the Petroleum Industry Act to determine and fix the prices of petroleum products Including petrol motor spirit, kerosene and cooking gas.
He countered a claim made by the Minister of State Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, that the government could not intervene in the rising price of kerosene.
Falana however accused the Buhari government of illegally pushing out the deregulation of kerosene on Nigerians.
Cryptocurrency exchange FTX has located more than $5bn of assets, an attorney for the firm says.
A US bankruptcy court however was told that the extent of losses to customers is still not known.
Prosecutors have accused FTX's former chief executive Sam Bankman-Fried of orchestrating an epic fraud that may have cost investors, customers and lenders billions of dollars.
Mr Bankman-Fried has pleaded not guilty to charges that he cheated investors.
President Vladimir Putin removed Russia's top commander in Ukraine, just three months after he was installed.
Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov will now lead what Mr. Putin terms a special military operation.
Gen Gerasimov replaces Sergei Surovikin who has overseen recent brutal attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure.
The reshuffle comes as Russians claim they are making progress in eastern Ukraine after suffering a series of military defeats in recent months.
Aviation authorities are trying to figure out what caused the outage of a crucial alert system that forced the temporary halt on all US domestic takeoffs, triggering thousands of delays and cancellations.
The US Federal Aviation Administration says normal operations were being restored but the early morning halt created knock-on effects that snarled travel throughout the day.
The grounding order was issued after the FAA identified an issue with the Notice to Air Missions system which provides information to pilots about hazards, changes to airport facilities, and information that can affect flights.
Wednesday’s nationwide order was believed to be the first time since the attacks of 9/11 that such a broad command had been issued, according to aviation experts cited in US media.
The Democratic Republic of Congo has condemned Rwanda for saying it will no longer take in people fleeing conflict in the eastern part of DR Congo.
A spokesman for the Congolese government says the remarks by Rwanda's President Paul Kagame proved that human rights were of no value to him.
He accused Kigali of blackmailing the international community by using refugees for political purposes.
Patrick Muyaya says even though President Kagame had attempted to walk back on his remarks on the subject, he had revealed his true intentions.
The French and German foreign ministers have arrived in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, to support the peace agreement that's ended two years of fighting in the northern Tigray region.
Germany's Annalena Baerbock, says the pair would be discussing the need for lasting peace and accountability, food security in the region as well as the wider partnership between the European and African Unions.
Tens of thousands of combatants and Tigrayan civilians died during months of brutal fighting, marked by numerous allegations of war crimes.
The Democratic Republic of Congo's army has denied the presence of fighters from Russia's mercenary Wagner Group in the country, in response to claims by a rebel group.
The army has been struggling to contain the M23 rebel group that has in recent months captured swathes of territory in the eastern part of the country.
Reports have suggested the presence of Russian mercenaries in North Kivu province on the government’s invitation to help deal with the rebel group.
M23 spokesperson Willy Ngoma says that they had fought a joint team of the Congolese army and the mercenaries last week in Tongo and Nyamilima fronts in the Rutshuru area.
Ukrainian Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food, Mykola Solskyi, says the Ukrainian government expressed its readiness to establish grain hubs in Nigeria and other African countries to boost bilateral ties.
Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama lauded Ukraine for the grain donation, adding that the gesture was coming even when the country is still at war. at the meeting.
Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Abubakar, says that Nigeria is very willing and ready to provide the appropriate ports for the grain hub in the country.
Abubakar added that the purpose of the grain hubs is to have a center where Ukraine would be bringing grains and Nigeria will be helping other African countries, which would be useful in case of emergency and even for donations to other countries.
The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Mahmood Yakubu met with the leadership of the 18 political parties at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja.
The commission chairman presented the 2023 voter register to the parties ahead of the elections as required by the 2022 Electoral Act.
The commission presented a register containing 93,469,008 voters for the 2023 general elections. The voter distribution also reveals that 44,414,846 registered voters are females, and 49,054,162 are males.
The INEC chairman says with the presentation of voter register, the commission has successfully implemented 11 out of the 14 activities scheduled for the 2023 general elections.
The Federal Government has assured Nigerians that the 2023 general elections will hold across the country.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed says the position of the Federal Government remains that the 2023 elections will be held as planned and nothing has happened to change that position.
He says they are aware that INEC is working with the security agencies to ensure that the elections are successfully held across the country.
The minister’s assurance followed killings by gunmen and bandits in several parts of the country.
The Church of England says it will spend £100m over the next nine years on communities affected by historic slavery.
The announcement comes after the Archbishop of Canterbury apologized last year, following research that showed that the Church of England's investment fund had links to the slave trade.
The Church of England says the £100m would be in a new investment fund that would hopefully "grow over time, reinvesting returns to enable it to have a positive legacy that will exist in perpetuity.
The fund, known in the 18th Century as Queen Anne's Bounty, had developed into a £10.1bn investment trust.
The leaders of Brazil’s three branches of government have issued a rare joint statement condemning the storming of government buildings by supporters of former far-right President Jair Bolsonaro.
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva joined the heads of the Supreme Court and the two houses of Congress to reject the acts of political violence that shook the capital, Brasilia, a day earlier.
The leaders called for calm in defence of peace and democracy and said they reject the terrorist acts and criminal, coup-mongering vandalism that occurred” in the statement shared on social media.
Donors from around the world have pledged more than $9bn to help Pakistan recover from the devastating floods that hit the country last year.
It amounts to more than half of the estimated $16.3bn Pakistan needs to recover from the disaster.
The pledges come as Pakistan continues negotiations over the next installment of an international bailout.
Hina Rabbani Khar, Pakistan's minister of state for foreign affairs says the world will stand by those who go through any national calamity.
The World Bank cuts its economic forecast due to a perilous close to falling into recession.
BBC reports that it expects the world economy to grow by just 1.7 per cent this year – a sharp decrease from the 3 per cent it predicted in June.
World Bank president David Malpass says the downturn would be broad-based and growth in people’s earnings in almost every part of the world was likely to be slower than it was during the decade before Covid-19.
The World Bank says the US, the Eurozone and China – the three most influential parts of the world for economic growth – were all undergoing a period of pronounced weakness, a downturn that was worsening the problems faced by poorer countries.
Ethiopian Airlines has disclosed that it negotiated for a 15-year tax moratorium and other incentives from the Federal Government during the botched national carrier project, the Nigeria Air deal.
The airline stated this in its defence as the second defendant in the case in the suit filed by the Airline Operators of Nigeria at the Federal High Court in Lagos.
Ethiopian Airlines declared its bid for the purchase of shares in the national carrier, like other Nigerian shareholders.
Rwandan President Paul Kagame says his country will no longer offer refuge to people fleeing conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Decades of instability in the east of the country have forced scores of refugees across the border into Rwanda.
He says the rest of the world had completely missed the point when it came to eastern DR Congo.
Rwanda is being accused of backing the M23 rebel group - which the country has always denied.
The rebel group has captured swathes of territory in recent months, sending tens of thousands of refugees across the border into Rwanda.
South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa is scheduled to convene a meeting of the National Coronavirus Command Council to discuss a new variant detected in the country this week.
The new Covid sub-variant, known as XBB.1.5, has also been recorded in the US and UK.
It is an offshoot of the globally-dominant Omicron Covid variant and is highly transmissible.
President Ramaphosa says they are agile enough to want to have that meeting tomorrow, and thereafter there will be information that will be shared with the rest of the country.
Nigeria's Independent National Electoral Commission has warned that the general election could be canceled if nothing is done to tackle insecurity in the country.
INEC chairman Mahmood Yakubu says the commission was ensuring that election personnel, materials, and process have the highest level of protection especially "given the current insecurity challenges in various parts of the country.
He says if it was not dealt with decisively, the insecurity could ultimately culminate in the cancellation or postponement of elections in sufficient constituencies to hinder declaration of elections results and precipitate a constitutional crisis".
He called for the strengthening of security outfits to ensure the polls are held successfully across the country.
Five south-eastern states and four north-western states, Lagos, Kano, Benue, Plateau, Taraba, and Borno states were named as areas likely to witness election-related chaos.
The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, says the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited is selling Premium Motor Spirit, popularly called petrol, at a loss because of its mandate from the Federal Government as regards PMS subsidy.
Sylva insisted that subsidy had been a burden, but stressed that it was a mandate on NNPC which had made the oil firm to continue selling PMS at a loss.
He says the management of the supply situation under this subsidy regime is not easy
The cash withdrawal limits set by the Central Bank of Nigeria become effective January 9, 2023 amid concerns over the slow spread and quality of three newly redesigned naira notes.
The CBN says the new policy was sequel to the launch of the redesigned N200, N500 and N1,000 notes by President Muhammadu Buhari on November 23, 2022.
The directive created controversy and outrage from millions of Nigerians and members of the National Assembly who disapprove of the policy.
Many PoS operators had said the policy would strangulate their activities and rob them of employment while politicians said it was targeted at opposition parties ahead of the 2023 general elections.
Israel’s new far-right Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir has instructed police to remove Palestinian flags from public spaces, calling the Palestinian national symbol an act of terrorism.
Israeli law does not outlaw Palestinian flags but police and soldiers have the right to remove them in cases where they deem there is a threat to public order.
Sunday’s directive from Ben-Gvir, who heads the ultranationalist Jewish Power party in Benjamin Netanyahu’s new far-right government appears to signal a hardline and uncompromising attitude towards Palestinian expressions of identity and free speech and pro-Palestinian demonstrations.
The display of the Palestinian flag in Israel has, in practice, long been clamped down on by Israeli authorities, with Palestinians regarding such moves as an attempt to suppress Palestinian identity.
Netanyahu says the presence of the Palestinian flag at the Tel Aviv protest was “wild incitement”.
Sweden’s prime minister says Sweden is confident that Turkey will approve its application to join the NATO military alliance, but it will not meet all the conditions that Ankara has set for its support.
Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson says Turkey both confirms that we have done what we said we would do, but they also say that they want things that we cannot or do not want to give them.
Finland and Sweden signed a three-way agreement with Turkey in 2022 aimed at overcoming Ankara’s objections to their membership of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
The billionaire founder of Ant Group, Jack Ma, is to give up control of the Chinese fintech giant after a regulatory crackdown.
Ant Group says that after the change no-one would have overall control.
The formerly flamboyant Mr Ma has seldom been seen in public since criticising China's financial sector in 2020.
Mr Ma, who founded e-commerce giant Alibaba, directly and indirectly controls more than 50% of Ant Group however, after the changes in governance structure, he will control just over 6%, according to an Ant Group statement.
The President of the Republic, H.E. Dr. George Manneh Weah, has issued two Executive Orders affecting critical national issues germane to the security and wellbeing of citizens.
The President issued Executive Order #113 suspending the import tariff on rice and Executive Order #114 establishing the West African Police Information System.
Executive Order #113 is in consideration of the expiration of Executive Order #105 and the government's commitment to ensuring that the prices of certain basic commodities on the market are affordable and do not impose an unnecessary burden on the citizens.
President Weah says based on the findings of the assessment, the government has seen the need to curb the continuous increase in the price of rice, in order to make it affordable to the public for purchase.
The Zambian government announced that it has halted electricity exports to some neighboring countries due to reduced power generation capacity the southern African country was facing.
Minister of Energy Peter Kapala, however, said the government will not completely do away with exports in order to maintain existing power markets.
The minister says that the government was alive to the disruptions caused by the ongoing load shedding but was cautious to ensure that there was no complete shutdown.
President Hakainde Hichilema says discussions were ongoing to find short-term solutions to the ongoing electricity crisis in order to avoid reversing the gains made so far in reviving the economy.
The Federal Government paid interests of N4.12tn between 2019 and 2022 on the loans it got from the Central Bank of Nigeria through Ways and Means Advances.
Data from the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Papers and the public presentation documents of the approved budgets by the Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning.
The interest payments rose to N912.57bn in 2020 and N1.22tn in 2021.
The interest payments hit N1.64tn in 2022, indicating the payments rose by 384.14 per cent between 2019 and 2022.
Nigeria’s Tax experts have faulted the Academic Staff Union of Universities’ proposed increase in the Tertiary Education Tax from three per cent to 10 per cent tax.
They said toeing this path would hurt private firms which were already overburdened with taxes.
The ASUU President, Prof Emmanuel Osedeke, recently proposed an increase in the education tax from three to 10 per cent to fund infrastructure in Nigeria’s universities.
Fiscal Policy Partner and Africa Tax Leader, PwC, Taiwo Oyedele, disagreed with ASUU, saying there was just an increase in education tax one year ago.
Oyedele argued that when companies income tax, technology tax, the police tax, science and engineering tax, among others, were computed, a firm would effectively be paying over 40 per cent tax.
President Muhammadu Buhari has been urged to immediately reverse what has been described as the unlawful, unjust and unreasonable increase in electricity tariff, which reportedly occurred in December 2022.
SERAP’s Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, wants Buhari to ensure the investigation of the spending of public funds as ‘investments and bailouts’ by successive governments to electricity distribution companies (DisCos) and generating companies (GenCos) since 2005, and prosecution of cases of corruption and mismanagement.”
The rights group stated that the increase in electricity tariff failed to follow due process. It is entirely inconsistent and incompatible with the provisions of the Nigerian Constitution of 1999 [as amended], the Electric Power Sector Reform Act and the country’s international human rights obligations.
Bloomberg News has reported that China is planning to relax restrictions on borrowing for property developers to support the troubled sector by dialing back the three red lines policy.
The “three red lines” policy was unveiled in August 2020 to tackle property developers’ unbridled borrowing by restricting the amount of new borrowing they can raise each year.
Beijing may allow some property firms to add more leverage by easing borrowing caps and pushing back the grace period for meeting debt targets set by the policy.
Regulators could also extend the deadline by at least six months, which was originally June 30.
A court in the southeastern United States has struck down South Carolina’s so-called fetal heartbeat law, which bans abortions as early as six weeks into pregnancy.
The South Carolina Supreme Court issued its decision calling the ban an unreasonable restriction that violates a woman’s constitutional right to privacy”.
The law was overturned in a narrow three-to-two vote, with the majority siding with the plaintiffs: two South Carolina physicians, a women’s clinic in the city of Greenville, and the healthcare nonprofit Planned Parenthood.
Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a temporary ceasefire in Ukraine on Orthodox Christmas, celebrated this week by both countries.
The announcement comes following a request for a ceasefire during the religious holiday from Russia’s 76-year-old Orthodox leader Patriarch Kirill.
The Kremlin says “Given the fact that a large number of citizens professing Orthodoxy live in the areas of combat, we call on the Ukrainian side to declare a ceasefire and give them the opportunity to attend church services on Christmas Eve, as well as on the Day of the Nativity of Christ.
Afghanistan's Taliban government is to sign a contract with a Chinese firm to drill for oil in the country's north.
The 25-year deal underscores China's economic involvement in the region.
Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid says the oil extraction agreement would see Xinjiang Central Asia Petroleum and Gas Company drilling for oil in the Amu Darya basin.
A Chinese state-owned company is also in talks over the operation of a copper mine in the east of the country.
US authorities are seeking to outlaw agreements that allow companies to limit the ability of staff to leave for work at competitors.
The Federal Trade Commission says non-compete clauses were exploitative and unfairly limited the opportunities of an estimated 30 million Americans.
The US Chamber of Commerce, one of the most powerful business lobbies, called the proposal blatantly unlawful.
The FTC says non-compete clauses have become embedded in the US labour market, estimating that they affect roughly one in five workers.
The government in Chad says security forces have foiled an attempt by a group of army officers to destabilize the country.
The government says security services had been arresting people linked to the plot since 8 December.
It says the head of the plot was the president of the Chadian Human Rights Organisation, Baradine Berdei Targuio.
Chad has been relatively unstable since April last year when the long-time ruler Idriss Déby died after visiting the front line to fight rebels.
The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission issued a seven-day ultimatum for all lease and license holders operating in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector, to disclose the real owners of their companies.
Chief Executive, Gbenga Komolafe, says the commission demanded that the information to be disclosed must include the identity of the beneficial owner the level of ownership, and details of how control is exerted.
He stressed that the full list of real owners of their companies is submitted to the commission.
Komolafe says the NUPRC is fully committed to working with NEITI to deepen Nigeria’s implementation of contract transparency and beneficial ownership disclosures in the country.
The Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines, and Agriculture has called on the government to review policies that suffocated business establishments last year.
The president of the association, John Udeagbala, noted that 2022 was a year with significant economic complications, marked by a post-covid-19 recovery and the lingering Russia-Ukraine war that has added to the spiraling global inflation.
He says the country in 2022 witnessed a high cost of energy; a general rise in the cost of doing business; an astronomical rise in prices of goods and services; a rise in government debts with tepid growth in GDP and high-interest rates, which had an adverse impact on the private sector.
He added that the resultant harsh economic environment has negatively impacted many businesses and made a lot of them be struggling to survive.
Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege, says that the Local Government Autonomy Bill is one of the biggest challenges facing the ongoing review of the 1999 Constitution and remains a priority to the executive arm.
Senator Omo-Agege says the expectation is that the state houses of assembly would take an independent stance on the matter rather than align with the positions of their state governors.
He, however, expressed optimism that there will be more votes in favor of this bill, particularly because the President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, is actively working to find a resolution.
The Independent National Electoral Commission has again commenced the distribution of Permanent Voters’ Cards to registrants at the 8,809 electoral wards across Nigeria.
INEC National Commissioner, Festus Okoye says the devolution of PVC collection to the wards commences tomorrow 6th January 2023, and all validly registered voters who are yet to collect their PVCs are encouraged to seize the opportunity of the devolution to the wards to do so.
Okoye says all those who applied for the replacement of lost, damaged, or defaced PVCs can collect their PVCs at the wards during the same period.
He noted that the PVCs of those that applied for transfer are available for collection in the local governments and registration areas where they intend to vote and not in the state or local government where they carried out the transfer.
The Central Bank of Nigeria says that the sale of Polaris Bank followed due process and has urged the public to disregard what it described as a misleading online publication stating otherwise.
The apex bank says contrary to online reports, the divestment from Polaris Bank was supervised by a Divestment Committee comprising senior representatives of the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria and the CBN as well as reputable legal and financial advisers.
The CBN added that the divestment mode, process, and decision received requisite board and regulatory approvals.
The Federal Government says that it will stop the payment of fuel subsidy by the end of June 2023.
The Minister of Finance, Budget, and National Planning, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed, says that in the 2023 fiscal period, the government has made provisions of N3. 36 trillion naira for fuel subsidy payments to cover the first six months of this year.
The minister noted that the nation’s revenue performance as of November 2022 stood at 6. 5 trillion nairas, representing 87 percent of the set target of 7. 8 trillion naira for the year.
An analysis of the key contributors to the revenue collection includes a 586 billion collection from the Federal Government, Customs – N15 billion, an independent revenue collection of N1.3 trillion as well as a N3.7trillion collection from other sources of revenue.
The head of the International Monetary Fund has warned that a third of the global economy will be in recession this year.
Kristalina Georgieva says 2023 will be tougher than last year as the US, EU and China see their economies slow.
It comes as the war in Ukraine, rising prices, higher interest rates and the spread of Covid in China weigh on the global economy.
Ms Georgieva says countries that are not in recession would feel like recession for hundreds of millions of people.
US regulators have issued their first-ever joint warning to banks over the risks associated with the cryptocurrency market.
The watchdogs told financial institutions to be wary of potential fraud, legal uncertainty, and misleading disclosures by digital asset firms.
The US Federal Reserve, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency said they were closely monitoring the crypto activities of banking organizations.
The regulators also said that issuing or holding crypto tokens, which are stored on public, decentralised networks was highly likely to be inconsistent with safe and sound banking practices.
The former boss of collapsed cryptocurrency exchange FTX has officially denied charges that he defrauded customers and investors.
Sam Bankman-Fried pleaded not guilty in a US court to claims that he took customer deposits at FTX to fund his other firm, Alameda Research, buy a property and make political donations.
Two of Mr Bankman-Fried's closest colleagues have pleaded guilty already and are cooperating with the investigation, which has shaken the entire cryptocurrency industry.
Prosecutors accused Mr Bankman-Fried of misappropriating FTX customer funds to pay debts at his other company, Alameda, and to make other investments.
Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu Hassan has lifted a ban after six years on opposition political rallies outside of election campaigns.
President Samia made the announcement during a meeting with leaders from all 19 of the country’s registered political parties.
Ms. Samia says their duty as a government will be to offer protection for the rallies which are going to be conducted in a civil and mature way and avoid trading insults.
The lifting of the ban is part of the president’s political reconciliation and reform drive which she initiated after taking power in 2021 following MagufuIi’s death.
President Samia says her government would try to restart a stalled constitutional review process.
Mozambique replaced Kenya at the UN Security Council with a promise to prioritise the fight against terrorism and will serve at the council as a non-permanent member for the next two years.
Mozambican ambassador to the UN, Pedro Comissário says they are going to deal a lot with terrorism.
Mr Comissário says the country would also push for reforms at the Security Council to address African concerns.
Mr Comissário says It is necessary to pay attention to reforming the Security Council to reflect African concerns, a region that has suffered historical injustice. We have no permanent member on the Security Council.
The Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit is set to announce new guidelines on cash withdrawals from all government accounts on Thursday, January 5, 2023.
The Director and Chief Executive Officer, NFIU, Modibbo Tukur says because of the consistent devaluation of the naira and the introduction of a new naira policy, section one of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act is automatically activated.
Tukur further stated that most cash withdrawals from government accounts including payments for estacode are often more than the cash withdrawal limit provided by the Money Laundering Act.
He says this exposed innocent public servants to be liable to imprisonment.
President Muhammadu Buhari met with Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma at the State House in Abuja.
The Imo governor revealed that President Buhari approved the deployment of technology to combat insecurity in the South-East.
He stated that the approved technology expected to be deployed immediately consists of surveillance equipment among other things to potentially control crime and insecurity, with minimal collateral damage.
Uzodinma maintained that he is not responsible for the insecurity in Imo, saying the challenge is not peculiar to the state.
He says those fighting him simply instigate an atmosphere of insecurity out of desperation and not because of underdevelopment or corruption.
President Muhammadu Buhari has given assurances that Nigeria will support the Republic of Burundi in diverse ways as necessary in the spirit of African solidarity and brotherliness.
Buhari acknowledged the feeling of suffering from energy shortage, promising that the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited would be drafted to look into the request.
The Special adviser to the President on media and publicity, Femi Adeshina, says the Nigerian President affirmed that he was looking forward to the polls and retirement, having satisfied the constitutional requirement of two terms in office
President Muhammadu Buhari has signed into law the Appropriation Bill, 2023 totalling N21.83 trillion.
The President said the aggregate expenditures of N21.83 trillion, is an increase of N1.32 trillion over the initial Executive Proposal for a total expenditure of N20.51 trillion.
President Buhari explained that the 2022 Supplementary Appropriation Act would enable the administration to respond to the havoc caused by the recent nationwide floods in the infrastructure and agriculture sectors.
He also said the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning will subsequently provide more details of the approved budget and the supporting 2022 Finance Act.
TSB has been fined nearly £49m for an IT meltdown in 2018 that caused chaos and left its customers unable to access online accounts for several weeks.
The UK's financial regulator says the failings were widespread and serious and led to significant disruption.
All areas of TSB's services were affected, including branch, telephone and online banking.
The Financial Conduct Authority says the problems were not fully resolved for eight months and a significant proportion of its 5.2 million customers were affected by the initial issues.
Japan’s central bank tweaked its longstanding monetary easing programme on Tuesday, in a surprise move that saw the yen strengthen quickly against the dollar and prompted falls on Tokyo bourses.
The bank says it would widen the band in which it would allow rates for 10-year Japan government bonds to move, saying it would improve market functioning.
The Bank will expand the range of 10-year JGB yield fluctuations from the target level: from between around plus and minus 0.25 percentage points to between around plus and minus 0.5 percentage points.
The bank left the rest of its longstanding loose monetary programme intact, including its years-old inflation target of two percent.
Elon Musk says he will resign as Twitter's chief executive officer when he finds someone foolish enough to take the job.
The billionaire promised earlier to abide by the result of a Twitter poll which saw 57.5% of users vote "yes" to him quitting the role.
He says he will still run the software and servers teams after his replacement is found.
Changes on the platform since his takeover have been much criticised.
Civil liberties groups have also criticised his approach to content moderation, accusing him of taking steps that will increase hate speech and misinformation.
Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers banned university education for females nationwide, as the hard-line Islamists continue to crush women’s right to education and freedom.
The Taliban have ratcheted up restrictions on all aspects of women’s lives, ignoring international outrage.
The spokesman for the ministry, Ziaullah Hashimi, who tweeted the letter, confirmed the order.
State Department spokesman Ned Price in Washington says the Taliban should expect that this decision, which is in contravention to the commitments they have made repeatedly and publicly to their own people, will carry concrete costs for them.
The ban on higher education comes less than three months after thousands of girls and women sat university entrance exams across the country, with many aspiring to choose teaching and medicine as future careers.
Tanzania signed a $2.2-billion contract with a Chinese company to build the final section of a railway line aimed at linking the country’s main port with its neighbours.
The 2,561-kilometre line will link the Indian Ocean port of Dar es Salaam to Mwanza on Lake Victoria, with eventual spurs to Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Uganda.
President Samia Suluhu Hassan, says the construction of the final section of the Standard Gauge Railway from Tabora to Kigoma in western Tanzania would be completed in 2026, nine years after it began.
She says the new railway would reduce cargo transportation costs between the Dar es Salaam port and the DRC from a minimum of $6,000 per tonne to about $4,000 once it becomes fully operational.
The Commercial Bank of Ethiopia says that it has resumed financial services in Shire, Alamata and Korem, allowing people to deposit money and receive funds from abroad.
The announcement comes after the federal government and Tigrayan rebels signed a peace deal on 2 November that would reopen access to Tigray, which has been severely limited during the two-year conflict.
The United Nations says the conflict has displaced more than two million people and driven hundreds of thousands to the brink of famine.
The UN World Food Programme, says more than 13 million people in northern Ethiopia now depend on humanitarian aid, including more than 90 percent of Tigray's population of six million.
Nigerian Lawmakers insisted that the Central Bank of Nigeria must not proceed with its cash withdrawal policy.
Although the CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, for the second time, failed to appear before the House, the lawmakers said their December 8 directive to the apex bank to put the policy on hold had not changed.
The CBN indicated that beginning from January 9, 2023, the amounts individuals and corporate organisations could withdraw per week would not exceed N100,000 and N500,000, respectively.
The Deputy Governor, Corporate Services, CBN, Edward Adamu, told the lawmakers that Emefiele was part of the entourage of President Muhammadu Buhari on an official trip to the United States.
The Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho, has declined an application by the Department of State Services to arrest and detain the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr. Godwin Emefiele.
Justice Tsoho, while declining the motion ex-parte filed by an applicant in the absence of the respondent, says the secret police did not provide any concrete evidence to substantiate its claims that Emefiele was involved in terrorism financing and economic crimes.
The Judge noted that the name of the respondent was given simply as ‘Godwin Emefiele’ without a material disclosure that he is the same person as the CBN Governor.
The World Bank has slashed its growth outlook for China’s economy, as nearly three years of zero-COVID” curbs and a real estate slump weigh on the world’s second-largest economy.
The Washington, DC-based institution cut China’s expected growth for 2022 to 2.7 percent, down from 4.3 percent in June.
China’s projected growth for next year was slashed from 8.1 percent to 4.3 percent.
The World Bank said in a statement says Economic activity in China continues to track the ups and downs of the pandemic – outbreaks and growth slowdowns have been followed by uneven recoveries.
Mara Warwick, World Bank country director for China, Mongolia, and Korea, says China’s continued adaptation of its pandemic policies would be crucial to the country’s economic recovery and public health.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered the strengthening of Russia’s borders and instructed security services to keep greater control of society and root out “traitors, spies and saboteurs.
Putin instructed his security officials to protect the borders, increase control of society, and maximise their “use of the operational, technical and personnel potential” to prevent risks coming from abroad and internal traitors.
Putin says Work must be intensified through the border services and the Federal Security Service.
The US state of Washington is considering banning the use of TikTok for government business, potentially extending a Republican-led campaign against the Chinese-owned app to one of the most liberal parts of the United States.
Washington state would become the first Democratic stronghold to ban TikTok, owned by Beijing-based ByteDance, over data privacy and national security concerns if it prohibits the use of the app on government devices.
At least 19 states, including Texas, Alabama, Georgia, Idaho, New Hampshire, Maryland, North Dakota and Utah, have banned or restricted the use of the app on government devices over data privacy and national concerns.
Louisiana’s Republican Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin called on Democratic Governor John Bel Edwards to ban the app on all state government devices.
The maker of popular video game Fortnite has agreed to pay $520m to resolve claims from US regulators that it violated child privacy laws and tricked users into making purchases.
The Federal Trade Commission says the firm duped players with deceptive interfaces that could trigger purchases while the game loaded.
It also accused it of using "privacy-invasive" default settings.
The company says no developer creates a game with the intention of ending up here while adding that they accepted this agreement because they want Epic to be at the forefront of consumer protection and provide the best experience for our players.
The FTC says that the game, which matches strangers around the world for interactive battles, was aimed at children and teens, but despite that, its developers failed to comply with rules regarding parental consent - even after making changes to address internal and public concerns.
The congressional panel probing last year’s deadly assault on the US Capitol branded Donald Trump unfit for any office as it prepared to vote on whether to recommend criminal charges against the former president.
The decision will be the culmination of an 18-month probe that interviewed more than 1,000 witnesses and held explosive public hearings on the storming of Congress on January 6, 2021.
The committee is expected to urge the Justice Department to pursue Trump on at least three charges related to the violence–inciting an insurrection, obstructing an official proceeding, and conspiring to defraud the United States.
European Union nations have agreed to cap soaring wholesale gas prices to protect consumers across the bloc.
It follows weeks of wrangling in which Germany and others sought safeguards to ensure the cap would be suspended if it had negative consequences.
Gas prices have spiked as EU countries seek ways to import less Russian gas following its invasion of Ukraine.
Jozef Skiela, the Czech minister of industry and trade says the EU had succeeded in finding an important agreement that will shield citizens from skyrocketing energy prices.
Kremlin spokesman Dimitri Peskov called the cap "unacceptable" and said it was an attack on market pricing.
Corporate Council on Africa announced that in June 2023, the Government of the Republic of Botswana will be the national host of the Corporate Council on Africa's 15th U.S.-Africa Business Summit.
The Summits address all major economic sectors that are critical to the continent's development including infrastructure, ICT, health, energy, mining, manufacturing, and the creative industries.
Florie Liser, President and CEO of Corporate Council on Africa says the 2023 US-Africa Business Summit will be a momentous occasion to present Africa as a strong trade and investment partner for U.S. companies and to build on what CCA anticipates will be a successful U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit and Business Forum later this month.
Ghana announced the suspension of payments on most of its external debt, effectively defaulting on its debt obligations as it faces its worst economic crisis in decades.
The country suspended payments on its Eurobond, commercial term loans, and most of its bilateral debt, a week after a $3 billion agreement with the International Monetary Fund.
The IMF had demanded a comprehensive debt restructuring as a condition for support.
Ghana's finance ministry called the decision an interim emergency measure.
It said the government stands ready to engage in discussions with all of its external creditors to make Ghana's debt sustainable.
Data from the country’s local bourse revealed that retail transactions in Nigerian Exchange increased by 10.69 per cent to N26.62 billion in the month of November.
The data from the Nigerian Exchange indicated that retail transactions added N26.62bn in the month from N24.05bn in October 2022.
Institutional investors with N63.33bn outperformed retail investors (N26.62bn), as market observers believed that the appreciation was a positive indicator for Nigerian stocks, considering the current economic environment.
A capital market analyst, Ayotunde Alabi, says more Nigerians are becoming investment wiser by the day.
He attributed the past decline of the market to the capping of stocks and investors’ drive to make quick returns.
The World Bank has warned the newly redesigned naira which went into circulation last week may have a negative effect on economic activity, especially for poor Nigerians due to its timing and short transition period.
The World Bank, in its report, however, says the new policy would negatively affect small businesses, especially those who have day-to-day cash transactions.
The report says while periodic currency redesigns are normal internationally and the naira does appear to be due for it since naira notes have been redesigned for two decades, the timing of and short transition period for this demonetization may have negative impacts on economic activity, in particular for the poorest households.
The shareholders of MTN Nigeria Plc have approved the cancellation of 7.5 billion unissued shares, the company has disclosed.
The telecoms company’s shareholders also approved the cancellation of over 402 million preference shares of $0.005 each.
President Mohammed Buhari in August 2020, signed the amended Companies and Allied Matter Act, mandating all listed companies in Nigeria to have only issued shares against the current system of operating issued and authorised share capital.
Former US President Donald Trump has launched a collection of digital trading cards depicting him in various guises including a superhero, astronaut and Nascar driver.
Mr Trump says these limited edition cards feature amazing ART of my Life & Career!"
Last month, the billionaire launched his third bid for the White House.
The clip featured an animated version of the former president in front of the Trump Tower in New York, who rips open his shirt to reveal a superhero costume emblazoned with the letter T as lasers shoot from his eyes.
Mr Trump says the non-fungible tokens were very much like a baseball card, but hopefully much more exciting.
He added that the cards, costing $99 each, would make a great Christmas gift.
The United States House of Representatives has passed a bill to allow Puerto Rico to vote on a binding referendum on whether to become a state or gain independence – a largely symbolic measure unlikely to pass in the Senate.
The House passed the proposal, dubbed the Puerto Rico Status Act, in a 233-191 vote The proposal calls for a vote in November of next year to resolve Puerto Rico’s political status.
The measure would give Puerto Rican voters a chance to choose between independence, sovereignty in free association with the US or statehood.
The referendum would not include Puerto Rico’s current status as a US commonwealth.
The United States Congress is considering legislation that would restrict the use of TikTok by government employees over security concerns that user data could be passed along to the Chinese government.
The US Senate passed a bill earlier that would ban federal workers from using TikTok on government-owned devices, and conservative lawmakers in states such as Georgia have passed similar legislation.
US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi signalled that she was receptive to the bill but had not decided whether the House, the second body in the US Congress, would take it up before the expected end of the current congressional session next week.
A large drop in the water levels at Lake Kariba, the key supply for Zambia's hydroelectric power plants, has forced the country to begin rationing power supply.
Lake Kariba is the biggest source of power for both countries but Zimbabwe has already used up its annual water allocation to produce power and was eating into Zambia’s share.
Zambia is now restricted to producing 800MW of power and Zimbabwe 300MW daily.
Water levels have dropped to critical levels at Kariba due to successive droughts with low rainfall and excessive use of water for power generation.
Zambia says it will continue to export power despite the rationing.
US President, Joe Biden, has announced that he supports the African Union joining the G20 club of nations permanently.
He says Africa belongs to the table in every room where challenges are being discussed and in every institution where discussions are taking place.
A member of the National Security Council, Judd Devermont says they need more African voices in international conversations that concern the global economy, democracy and governance, climate change, health and security.
Other topics discussed at the summit, which concludes on Thursday, included investment, trade and energy, among others.
South Africa's former President Jacob Zuma says he has launched a private prosecution against his successor Cyril Ramaphosa.
The announcement made by the Jacob Zuma Foundation said President Ramaphosa was charged with serious crimes but did not specify the alleged offense.
The foundation says President Cyril Ramaphosa has been charged in a private prosecution with the criminal offense of being accessory after the fact in the crimes committed by among others Advocate Downer namely, breaching the provisions of the [National Prosecuting Authority] NPA Act.
It added that the crimes carry a sentence of 15 years imprisonment.
Mozambique’s parliament has approved a bill legalising the involvement of local forces in the fight against jihadists in the northern Cabo Delgado province.
Local militias have been assisting the army and its allies from Rwanda and the southern African regional bloc in the fight against jihadists in the province.
Defence Minister Cristovao Chume, admitted that the Mozambican army was not strong enough to tackle jihadist activities alone.
He says there was an urgent need to establish local forces to strengthen the army “in combating and containing the spread of jihadist incursions”.
He says they would protect community settlements and public and private infrastructure, similar to strategies used in other jurisdictions where national security was compromised.
The Federation Account Allocation Committee shared a total sum of N902.053 billion to the three tiers of government, as Federation Allocation for the month of November 2022.
From this stated amount, inclusive of Gross Statutory Revenue, Value Added Tax (VAT), Exchange Gain and Electronic Money Transfer Levies (EMTL), the Federal Government received N358.515 billion, the States received N270.836 billion, the Local Government Councils got N204.130 billion, while the Oil producing states received N68.572 billion as derivation, (13% of Mineral Revenue).
The distribution is as follows; Federal Government got N30.426 billion, the States received N101.420 billion, Local Government Councils got N70.994 billion.
Shareholders of Dangote Cement unanimously authorised the management of the company to undertake a share buy-back of up to 10 per cent of its issued shares.
The company had stated interest to buy back 10 per cent of its issued shares to improve return on equity and shareholders’ value and facilitate future long-term growth.
The shareholders, who unanimously approved the share buyback through voting at the company’s Extraordinary General Meeting in Lagos, described the exercise as laudable and a win-win situation for them.
The shareholders also authorised the board to amend the Articles of Association of the company to reflect the company’s share capital, following the cancellation (if any) of the shares acquired and/or otherwise held by the company.
The Managing Director, NDPHC, Chiedu Ogbo, says the indebtedness of the power sector to the Niger Delta Power Holding Company is now over N100bn.
The NIPP was conceived in 2004 and developed to address the issues of insufficient electric power generation and excessive gas flaring from oil exploration in the Niger Delta region.
Ugbo says that the NDPHC had diversified into renewable energy, as it had installed 20,000 solar home units and plans to add another 100,000 units across the country.
He outlined the 10 thermal plants that were designed under the NIP to include the Ihovbor Power Station Benin, Edo State; Calabar Power Station, Cross River State; Egbema Power Station, Imo State; Gbarain Power Station, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.
The Federal Government will complete the concession of the $1.3bn Zungeru Hydroelectric Power Plant next year and will commence operations by the second quarter of the same year.
The agency had closed up the submission of bids from investors on November 24.
The winner of the bid will operate the plant for 30 years before transferring it to the government.
The enterprise says that after the release of the RFQ, it would release a shortlist of prospective investors; the issue of RFQ; evaluation of technical proposals; and shortlist prospective investors for financial bid opening; as well as set a date for the financial bid opening, all within a short timeframe.
US media reports says the US is planning to send Patriot air defence missiles to Ukraine,
President Joe Biden is likely to announce the move this week, according to unnamed officials.
Ukraine has been requesting further air defence support for some time, as Russian attacks have continued to kill civilians and cause major blackouts.
Patriot is one of the most advanced US air defence systems but supplies to Ukraine are likely to be limited.
Multi-billionaire Elon Musk has sold another 22 million shares, worth $3.58bn (£2.9bn), in the electric car maker Tesla.
The shares were sold on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday this week, according to a filing with a US financial regulator.
It brings the total of Tesla stocks sold by Mr. Musk over the past year to almost $40bn.
Earlier this week Mr. Musk lost his position as the world's richest person.
Financial market data provider Refinitiv says the reason for the latest share sales has not been disclosed. He remains Tesla's biggest shareholder with a 13.4% stake,
The US central bank has hiked interest rates again, and warned more rises will be necessary to rein in the rapid pace of price increases.
They agreed to lift the bank's key interest rate by 0.5 percentage points.
That pushed the target range for the Fed's benchmark rate to 4.25% - 4.5% - the highest rate in 15 years. But it was a smaller increase than in recent announcements.
Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell says the bank wanted to slow down to see how the economy is responding to the cumulative impact of the hikes, which have increased the cost of mortgages, car and business loans, and credit card debt.
He however warned that Wednesday's rise was still a historically large increase and we still have some way to go."
Rwandan President Paul Kagame says nobody is going to bully us when it comes to internal Rwandan affairs, in response to the US request to release government critic Paul Rusesabagina.
Mr Kagame was asked if the US’s Antony Blinken advocacy on Mr Rusesabagina was helping or hurting his case.
Mr Kagame says that somebody in America wanted the case to be nullified because this person is a celebrity.
The US has stated that Mr Rusesabagina is being “wrongfully detained” in Rwanda.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Human Affairs says that over 4.4 million people have been affected by the floods since July 2022.
The OCHA Flash also noted that at least 2.4 million people were displaced in the country due to flooding.
It also stated that more than half of the displaced persons were residents of Bayelsa State. The report also accounted for the destruction of farmlands and lamented that this may lead to high food insecurity in the country.
The agency advised that Priority humanitarian needs remain shelter, access to clean water and sanitation, food, health care, and interventions to prevent or address disease outbreaks such as cholera.
The Federal Government says Nigeria is nowhere in the map of countries that export yam despite being a leading producer of the crop.
It, however, stated that this must be addressed, stressing that it was currently collaborating with relevant stakeholders to resuscitate yam export from Nigeria to boost wealth creation and food security.
The Director of the Federal Department of Agriculture, Abdullahi Abubakar, the permanent secretary says the aim of the meeting was to resuscitate the nation’s consciousness on the export of yam.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has disclosed that it has so far recovered over N30 billion out of the N109 billion allegedly siphoned by the suspended Accountant-General of the Federation, Idris Ahmed.
The Chairman of the Commission, Abdulrasheed Bawa, stated this while appearing at the Ministerial Media Briefing organised by the Presidential Communications Team at the Presidential Villa, Abuja on Thursday.
Idris was nabbed by operatives of the EFCC on May 16, 2022, in connection with a series of frauds that was initially thought to be N84 billion.
The EFCC boss announced that the nationwide auction of forfeited automobiles will be followed by the disposal of over 150 houses to interested buyers.
The Federal Government approved a new whistleblower draft bill.
It also lamented that the existing whistle-blowing policy launched on December 21, 2016, was losing momentum.
The Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Dr. Zainab Ahmed, says the Council approved the draft bill to strengthen the fight against corruption and protect whistleblowers that provide helpful information to the FG.
The newly redesigned naira notes will go into circulation with Deposit Money Banks releasing the bills to their customers via over-the-counter payments.
The President unveiled the redesigned notes across the N200, N500 and N1,000 denominations.
The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, had in October announced that apex bank would release re-designed naira notes by December 15, 2022.
He also disclosed that the old notes would cease to be regarded as legal tender by January 31, 2023. Emefiele pointed out that the redesigning of the naira notes would help to curb counterfeit notes and reduce ransom payments to terrorists and kidnappers.
The UK economy will get worse before it gets better, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has said after figures revealed it shrank further between August and October.
The economy contracted by 0.3% during the three months as soaring prices hit businesses and households and the UK is forecast to be heading into a recession.
He says these figures confirm that this is a very challenging economic situation here and across the world.
Mr. Hunt says the UK was already in recession while adding that this is expected to be officially confirmed at the beginning of next year when economic figures for October to December are released.
It also means that the government receives less money in tax to spend on public services such as health and education.
The country's attorney general says Sam Bankman-Fried, founder of the collapsed cryptocurrency exchange FTX, has been arrested in The Bahamas.
He is scheduled to appear in a magistrates' court in the Caribbean country's capital, Nassau.
Police says Mr Bankman-Fried was arrested for financial offences against laws in the US and The Bahamas.
According to a court filing last month, FTX owed its 50 largest creditors almost $3.1bn.
It is unclear how much people who have funds in the exchange will get back at the end of bankruptcy proceedings - though many experts have warned it may be a small fraction of what they deposited.
The US has imposed financial sanctions on four Zimbabweans, including the son of President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
It accuses Emmerson Mnangagwa Junior of being linked to the businessman, Kudakwashe Tagwirei, who is already under US sanctions for alleged corruption.
The Treasury Department says over the last five years, Mr Tagwirei has used a combination of opaque business dealings and his ongoing relationship with the president to grow his business empire dramatically and rake in millions of dollars.
President Mnangagwa is already under US sanctions.
The Treasury Department urged Zimbabwe's government to address what it called the root causes of many of the country's ills, including corrupt elites abusing institutions for their personal benefit.
The Nigeria Immigration Service announced that Nigerians returning to Nigeria can be admitted into the country with their expired Nigerian passport.
The memo which was signed by the Special Assistant to the Comptroller General (Foreign Desk), DCI BM Lawal for the Comptroller-General of the Immigration Service, Muhammed Babandede, all airlines were requested to allow holders with expired Nigerian passport to board without any hindrance.
The Comptroller General of Nigeria Immigration Service and notify all relevant authorities that the Federal government of Nigeria has approved that Nigerians returning home can be admitted into the country with their expired Nigerian passports.
The Deputy Governor of the Financial System Stability Directorate of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Aishah Ahmad, has expressed concerns over the poor repayment of loans provided by the bank, which she noted might affect the sustainability of the bank’s initiatives.
She urged beneficiaries of the CBN loans to pay back to enable others to benefit from the interventions.
She says the efforts and interventions of the CBN have ushered in a lot of growth and impact. It helped us combat extreme poverty, food insecurity and grow the agricultural sector and manufacturing base.
Senator Matthew Urhoghide says the upper chamber has not taken any decision on the cash withdrawal limit recently announced by the Central Bank of Nigeria.
Senator Uroghide says that the upper legislative chamber is waiting for a recommendation from its committee that was asked to look into the matter.
The Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee of the Senate says they are waiting for the committee to report back this week on their findings on whatever contributions that were made by those two directors that were screened by the committee for confirmation of appointment.
The lawmaker added that the Edo lawmaker said that if the move is not meeting the aspirations of the people, the legislators will review it.
The Federal Government has approved the immediate relaxation of the COVID-19 safety measures and travel advisory, including the suspension of all pre-departure, pre-boarding, and post-arrival PCR test requirements.
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation and Chairman of the Presidential Steering Committee on COVID-19 (PSC), Boss Mustapha says President Muhammadu Buhari’s approval follows the recommendations of the PSC based on clinical and laboratory evidence of a sustained reduction in COVID-19 infection/transmission across the country.
He says appeals to Nigerians to ensure that they take their COVID-19 vaccinations as well as booster doses.
Taiwan’s premier accused China of violating international trade rules and discriminating against the island after it halted more Taiwanese imports.
Taiwan’s finance ministry, says Chinese customs authorities suddenly suspended imports of certain alcoholic beverages from the island on Friday.
It says the move was related to a regulation Beijing imposed on January 1 that requires all food and alcoholic beverage exporters to the mainland to be registered with Chinese customs. Some Taiwanese companies had still been under review.
Premier Su Tseng-chang accused Beijing of violating World Trade Organisation norms by making its own rules and meddling in trade through administrative means.
Finance Minister Su Jain-rong says Taiwan has asked state-owned banks to appropriately handle their exposure to China, amid trade and political tensions between Taipei and Beijing.
Taiwan’s financial regulator earlier said that Taiwanese banks’ exposure to China had hit their lowest-ever level, at a time when China has been pressuring the self-ruled island militarily and diplomatically to accept Beijing’s sovereignty.
Su says State-owned banks have already been required to actively handle their China exposure appropriately.”
Taiwan’s big state-owned banks include Bank of Taiwan, Taiwan Cooperative Bank Ltd, and Land Bank of Taiwan Co Ltd.
The World Trade Organization has found that tariffs on steel and aluminum imports that were imposed by the US under former President Donald Trump violate global trade rules.
The WTO rebuffed that argument, saying the duties did not come at a time of war or another emergency.
Assistant US trade representative Adam Hodge says the US strongly rejects the ruling and has no intention of removing the measures.
He says the Biden administration is committed to preserving US national security by ensuring the long-term viability of our steel and aluminum industries adding that the reports only reinforce the need to fundamentally reform the WTO dispute settlement system.
National Grid has ordered two coal plants to begin warming up in case electricity supplies to the UK are disrupted because of the cold weather.
The company says it had asked power station operator Drax to prepare two coal-fire units for use.
National Grid says that while the two plants will not necessarily be used, this measure should give the public confidence in Monday's energy supply.
The UK receives electricity via subsea cables from European countries including France, Norway, Belgium and the Netherlands.
National Grid says it has these tools for an additional contingency to operate the network as normal and the public should continue to use energy as normal.
Twitter's paid-for verification feature is rolling out once again on Monday. It was paused last month after being swamped by impersonators.
It is still $8 per month - but there is now an increased fee of $11 for those using the Twitter app on Apple devices.
Twitter's owner Elon Musk has previously said in tweets that he resents the commission fee Apple charges on in-app purchases.
Twitter Blue's additional features include an edit button.
Blue-tick subscribers will also see fewer ads, have their tweets amplified above others, and be able to post and view longer, better-quality videos.
Rwanda and Nepal are expected to sign an air service agreement to operate flights connecting both countries.
The agreement will be under the liberal skies policy which Nepal has adopted.
It includes a provision for code sharing, such as third-country code share, where airlines of both countries can partner with other airlines to facilitate services to each other's markets.
Mukesh Dangol, an official at the Tourism Ministry of Nepal, says that this follows a proposal from Rwanda Civil Aviation Industry to establish air links between both countries to strengthen tourism and trade.
The South African rail agency and the Department of Transport recently launched new trains to revive the rail system that almost collapsed following vandalism, arson, and the theft of railway lines and cables.
The agency says Preaching, gambling, and trading in these trains are no longer permitted.
The agency added that abusing Prasa personnel and playing in the passageways or blocking them will also be a thing of the past.
The Comptroller General, of Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service, Dr. Vincent Isegbe, says the country is expected to earn about $3 billion annually from hibiscus exports to Mexico.
Isegbe, noted that the framework was designed to future-proof bilateral trade in hibiscus between Nigeria and the largest importer of Nigerian hibiscus against avoidable disruptions.
Isegbe pointed out that agro-export intensification will boost the country's overall agricultural productivity, generate sustainable wealth, and improve household incomes among the large swath of the 70 per cent population that is engaged in agriculture and agro-allied industries.
The World Bank has projected that debt servicing will gulp 123.4 percent of the Federal Government’s revenue in 2023.
A presentation by the new World Bank Lead Economist for Nigeria, Alex Sienaert, projected that debt servicing would gulp 100.2 percent of Federal Government revenue by the end of 2022.
The Washington-based bank says that Nigeria’s debt service to revenue ratio could stand at 102.3 percent by the end of 2022.
It described the public debt in Nigeria as concerning due to the rising debt service-to-revenue ratio.
Political parties have kicked against the new cash withdrawal limits introduced by the Central Bank of Nigeria, stating that it could choke the political process.
Parties including the Peoples Democratic Party, Social Democratic Party, Africa Democratic Congress and African Democratic Party contended that the policy would affect the fundraising required by the candidates to sustain their campaigns ahead of the 2023 elections.
Governor Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa State had accused the CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, of targeting the political class with the new cash withdrawal limit which restricts over-the-counter cash withdrawal by individuals and companies to N100,000 and N500,000, respectively, per week.
The CBN’s Director of Banking Supervision, Haruna Mustafa, says withdrawals above the thresholds would attract processing fees of five per cent and 10 per cent, respectively, for individuals and corporate entities going forward.
The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar; and his running mate, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa disclosed some of their plans to solve Nigeria’s major challenges if elected in 2023.
The PDP running mate says he will quell separatist agitations in the South-East through negotiation and restructuring.
Okowa says strategic inclusion in security architecture is important to give South-Easterners a feeling of being part of the nation.
Atiku says he won’t scrap security votes for governors and others but will rather advocate accountability for security votes, insisting that government officials must not expend security votes the way they liked.
The UK has agreed to double imports of US gas over the next year as it tries to stabilize soaring energy prices.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak says the plan would bring down prices for British consumers and help end Europe's dependence on Russian energy".
The UK does not import gas from Russia directly but has been hit by rising wholesale prices on the Continent.
The UK aims to double imports of liquefied natural gas from the US to 9-10 billion cubic meters over the next year.
The two countries will also boost collaboration over the development of new nuclear and green energy technologies.
The World Health Organization says that malaria cases and deaths remained stable last year, after a worrying rise during the first year of the Covid pandemic.
The WHO however warned of new challenges including mosquito resistance to insecticides and parasite resistance to drugs used to treat malaria.
Despite the ongoing disruption to health services caused by Covid-19, malaria deaths fell last year by 6,000, to 619,000.
The WHO says the relatively good results are due to countries strengthening their response to malaria prevention, testing, and treatment.
A prominent Ethiopian opposition party, Ethiopian Citizens for Social Justice has called on the government to arm civilians so that they can defend themselves from attacks by rebels of the Oromo Liberation Army in the Oromia region.
Ezema is one of the main opposition parties that agreed to work with the government, and its leader, Prof Berhanu Nega is the minister of education.
Its call follows attacks that have claimed the lives of hundreds of civilians, destroyed property, and displaced millions in western Oromia.
The spokesman of the rebel Tigray People's Liberation Front in northern Ethiopia, Getachew Reda, in a Twitter post accused federal authorities of fanning the conflict in Oromia.
Uganda has received 1,200 experimental vaccine doses designed to work against the Sudan strain of the Ebola virus that will be used in scientific trials.
The country has confirmed 142 cases of the Sudan strain, with 56 deaths, since it announced an outbreak of Ebola in September.
The vaccine will be administered to people who have been in contact with those who tested positive for the virus, in what is called ring vaccination.
Researchers hope to recruit at least 3,000 people, aged six years and above, to take part in the study, which will be conducted by a team of Ugandan scientists.
A UN investigation has found that at least 131 people were killed at the end of November in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo at the hands of the M23 rebel group.
It says investigations have confirmed the deaths of the civilians in two villages - Kishishe and Bambo - in the Rutsuhuru district of North Kivu province.
The UN says the victims were executed in what appears to be a reprisal to the current government offensive.
It says the violence was carried out as part of a campaign of murders, rapes, kidnappings and looting against two villages in the Rutshuru territory as reprisals for the clashes between the M23" and other groups.
Promoters of the African Continental Free Trade have said that the agreement has the potential to grow trade value in Nigeria to the tune of $12bn between 2023 and 2027.
They said that the agreement could also reduce trade costs by 20 percent by facilitating the enactment of an omnibus bill on the AfCFTA.
The manual also said that the agreement would execute trade facilitation and infrastructure programs to improve competitiveness.
The manual also described plans to grow the production capacity of Nigeria’s top imports to protect the domestic market, noting that AfCFTA was poised to capture 10 percent of its global imports to double Nigeria’s export revenue by 2035.
The Senior Adviser, United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, Adeyinka Adeyemi, says that the principle for success lay in strategy.
The Labour Party says it would implement a minimum wage of N80,000-N100,000 if the party wins next year’s presidential election.
The party’s Deputy National Chairman Ayo Olorunfemi said the LP is looking at implementing a new minimum wage of between N80,000-N100,000 as against the N30,000 obtainable presently.
He says the present N30,000 minimum wage does not reflect the realities, adding that the Labour Party would pluck holes and exploit new ways to ensure the new wage structure is implemented if the party wins next year’s polls.
The Federal Government says it had recovered over N120bn from the proceeds of crime following the implementation of the Proceeds of Crime (Recovery and Management) Act, 2022.
It says the fund would be deployed for the construction of major highways, adding that the administration’s fight against corruption was very much on track.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, disclosed this at the 8th edition of the ‘PMB Administration Scorecard Series (2015-2023)’, where the Minister of Environment made a presentation on achievements by the environment ministry.
The House of Representatives has criticized the new policy introduced by the Central Bank of Nigeria which, among others, sets limits to cash withdrawals at Deposit Money Banks and other financial institutions.
The House summoned the Governor of the CBN, Godwin Emefiele, to come and explain the policy to the parliament.
This is based on a motion of urgent public importance moved by a member of the House, Aliyu Magaji, at the plenary on Thursday. Several lawmakers warned that the policy would have serious consequences and adverse effects on businesses and Nigerians who have no access to the banking system.
President of the United States of America, Joe Biden, has invited 49 African heads of state and the head of the African Union for a three-day US-Africa Leaders Summit.
The summit, scheduled for 13-15 December 2022, will take place in Washington DC, the US capital.
Biden believes that U.S. collaboration with African leaders, as well as civil society, business, diaspora, women, and youth leaders, is essential to address these shared challenges.
The goal of this historic summit will be to build and expand vital political, economic, and strategic partnerships, as well as people-to-people dialogue, based on mutual interests and shared priorities in Africa.
Indonesia has passed a controversial new Criminal Code that includes outlawing sex outside marriage and cohabitation, in changes that critics contend could undermine freedoms in the Southeast Asian nation.
The new laws apply to Indonesians and foreigners and also restore a ban on insulting the president, state institutions or Indonesia’s national ideology known as Pancasila.
The new criminal code replaces a framework that had been in use since independence in 1946 and was a mix of Dutch law, customary law known as hukum adat, and modern Indonesian law.
The Swiss-based mining company, Glencore, says it will pay $180m to the Democratic Republic of Congo to settle corruption claims.
The agreement covers an 11-year period from 2007 to 2018.
It is the latest in a series of corruption cases that has seen Glencore agree to pay out more than $1.6bn in fines this year.
In May it admitted to bribing officials in several African nations including DR Congo (DRC).
It followed an investigation by American, British and Brazilian authorities that also covered corruption claims in Latin America.
Meta has threatened to remove news content from Facebook in the US.
It objects to a new law that would give news organizations greater power to negotiate fees for the content shared on Facebook.
Meta claims their platform, in fact, provides increased traffic to struggling news outlets.
It says publishers put their content on Facebook because "it benefits their bottom line."
The legislation, known as the Journalism Competition and Preservation Act (JCPA) was introduced in Congress by Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar and has bipartisan support.
Media companies argue that Meta generates huge sums of money from news articles shared on the platform.
Apple presents itself as a white knight on the subject of privacy, but critics say its own advertising ambitions are built on anti-competitive practices.
Two developers going by the name ‘Mysk’ claimed last month that Apple was tracking users’ every tap on the App Store, with no way of disabling the function.
A class action lawsuit was subsequently filed in California, claiming that Apple’s promises regarding privacy are utterly false.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg earlier said that Apple’s approach was a conflict of interest since it was designed to undermine rivals.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says he had a productive conversation with Rwandan President Paul Kagame to emphasize the need for peace and security in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
Rwanda however says that despite the good discussions there are still differences in understanding of the issue.
Foreign Minister Vincent Biruta says a wrong and misguided approach by the international community had made the problem worse.
The US urged Rwanda to end its support for the M23 rebel group in DR Congo, in line with resolutions made during the talks on the conflict held recently in the Angolan capital, Luanda.
Libya’s Tripoli-based government of national unity has invited international oil companies holding contracts with the state oil firm to resume working in the country.
Production has been frequently halted over the last decade following invasions of oil sites by armed groups and protesters.
Libya has Africa’s largest crude oil reserves and is desperate to increase production to fund much-needed investment in housing, transport, and electricity networks.
A parliamentary sitting set to debate a damning report that found that South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa may have violated the constitution has been postponed by a week.
The report says Mr Ramaphosa allegedly covered up a theft at his farm. He has denied any wrongdoing and his spokesman says the report was flawed.
Parliament’s programming committee met on Monday night and unanimously agreed to hold the debate on 13 December to allow members of parliament to travel to Cape Town where parliament sits.
The president had on Monday moved to court to seek an order declaring any steps taken by parliament following the release of the report as invalid and unlawful.
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited has signed five memoranda of understanding with the national oil companies and relevant entities of five African countries on the Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline Project.
The five national oil companies and relevant entities were from Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau and Sierra Leone.
The signing ceremony, according to a statement from NNPC on Monday, was held in Morocco and was attended by the Group Chief Executive Officer NNPC, Mele Kyari; Dr. Amina Benkhadra, General Director of Morocco’s National Office of Hydrocarbons and Mines; Mr Baboucarr Njie, Managing Director of the Gambia National Petroleum Corporation, Gambia; and Celedonio Placido Viera, General Director of PETROGUIN, Guinea Bissau.
The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami says that the Federal Government of Nigeria is committed to the domestication of the Rome Statute.
Malami disclosed that the National Assembly is working assiduously with his office to achieve the domestication drive of the Rome Statute.
The minister says Nigeria firmly believes in the rule of law as a panacea to a just and equitable world, noting that the country has continued to uphold her obligations under international law.
Malami pointed out that the Federal Government has not reneged on its pledge to extend maximum cooperation to the Office of the Prosecutor of the Court in addressing the allegation of crimes against humanity committed within its territory.
The Peoples Democratic Party presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar has pledged to privatize the nation’s refineries if elected as President next year ahead of the 2023 general elections.
The PDP candidate says he will earmark $10 billion from the refinery sales to empower the small and medium-scale enterprises of young Nigerians.
He identified the refineries to be sold as the Port Harcourt refinery, Warri refinery, and Kaduna refinery which have not been functioning for years now.
The former Vice President pledged that his administration will restructure Africa’s most populous nation while promising to allocate more powers and resources to both state and local governments, asking the people to hold their leaders accountable.
The presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi says the vast number of unemployed youths in the North-East region is the biggest contributing factor to insecurity in the region, as thousands of youths wake up every morning without food or shelter.
Obi says with the enormous amount of arable land in the North-East, the region has the potential not only to feed the country but also produce enough cash crops for export. He pledged that his administration will bring that to reality if he wins the presidential elections next year.
He says insecurity will be a thing of the past when idle youths become engaged in legal activities, ranging from agriculture to commerce which will ensure the country moves from consumption to production.
French oil giant TotalEnergies says it will cut North Sea investment by 25% next year after the windfall tax on oil and gas firms in the UK was extended.
The company will cut £100m of spending on new wells in the region.
The windfall tax - the Energy Profits Levy - was raised from 25% to 35% in last month's Autumn Statement and will now stay in place until March 2028.
The government says the levy strikes a balance between funding cost of living support while encouraging investment.
A Treasury spokesperson says they have been clear that we want to encourage reinvestment of the sector's profits to support the economy, jobs, and our energy security, which is why the more investment a firm makes into the UK, the less tax they will pay.
A leading adviser to Ukraine's president has warned that BP stands to receive "blood money through its investments in Russia.
Oleg Ustenko says BP is entitled to hundreds of millions of pounds from its stake in Russian energy giant Rosneft.
BP says it was no longer receiving any profits from Rosneft.
It added that It still planned to sell its shareholding in Rosneft, a move it announced immediately after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Russian energy firms have made bumper profits this year, despite sanctions against the country, because the invasion of Ukraine, and subsequent sanctions, have pushed up the price of oil and gas on the global market.
FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried has announced he will testify before the United States Congress after taking time to review the implosion of his cryptocurrency exchange.
Bankman-Fried says he would appear before the US House Committee on Financial Services after he finished learning and reviewing the events that led to FTX filing for bankruptcy last month.
Bankman-Fried wrote the tweet in reply to Maxine Waters, the Democratic congresswoman who chairs the committee, after she invited him to appear at a hearing scheduled to examine FTX’s collapse.
Bankman-Fried, who once ranked among the world’s richest men, last week denied he had ever intended to defraud anyone while acknowledging he had made a “lot of mistakes” in his handling of the crypto company.
Bankman-Fried says he had no knowledge of being the subject of a criminal investigation and denied knowingly commingling investors’ funds with affiliated trading firm Alameda.
The bloc's chief, Von Der Leyen says the EU must address distortions created by a $430bn US plan to incentivize climate-friendly technologies,
Some EU members have criticized the US Inflation Reduction Act, raising fears of a trade war.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen says the EU should adjust its own rule while adding that competition is good but the competition must respect a level playing field.
US President Joe Biden has called it the most aggressive action his country has taken to tackle the climate crisis.
Ms von der Leyen says the EU had to work with the US to address some of the most concerning aspects of the law.
Major oil-producing countries led by Saudi Arabia and Russia agreed on Sunday to maintain their current output levels in a climate of uncertainty and ahead of fresh sanctions against Moscow coming into force next week.
The representatives of the thirteen members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries led by Riyadh, and their 10 allies headed by Moscow, decided to stick to their course agreed in October of a production cut of two million barrels per day until the end of 2023.
The alliance says that its October decision to cut output was purely driven by market considerations adding that it had been the necessary and right course of action towards stabilizing global oil markets.
Rwanda Agriculture and Animal Resources Development Board, Director General Solange Uwituze says Rwanda will be producing 1,250,000 tonnes of milk every year by 2024, so as to satisfy milk demand.
The increment represents a 33.9 per cent compared to the current production, The target will also be aimed at catering for a milk powder plant that is under construction in Nyagatare District.
Uwituze, says as of 2021/22, Rwanda was producing 932, 951 tonnes of milk per year.
She says farmers are being mobilized and supported to increase milk production to satisfy demand.
She says that various interventions have been initiated to increase milk production countrywide.
The Central Bank of Nigeria says it offered treasury bills amounting to N7.33 trillion in the first half of the year while total public subscriptions amounted to N10.94 trillion.
The bank also stated that the total outstanding FGN domestic debt stock amounted to N20.91 trillion, representing an increase of N3.28 trillion or 18.59 per cent outstanding as of June 2022, which was higher than the N17.63 trillion recorded in June 2021.
The CBN explained that it sustained its intervention in the foreign exchange market during the review period to enhance supply, moderate demand pressures, and preserve the value of the naira, stressing that intervention was made through sales for invisibles, small and medium enterprises and at the Investors’ & Exporters’ window and interbank secondary market intervention sales.
The CBN further disclosed that it made purchases from autonomous sources, particularly from oil-producing and servicing companies.
President Muhammadu Buhari has performed the official ground-breaking ceremony of the new ECOWAS Headquarters complex also known as the Eye of West Africa, to be constructed by the Chinese Government.
President Buhari declared that the edifice will strengthen the brotherhood of African countries.
The building which comes in the aftermath of engagements and an agreement between the Peoples's Republic of China and ECOWAS was envisioned as an all-inclusive architectural phenomenon.
It would represent the three hundred and eighty million West African Citizens and would house the three major ECOWAS Institutions, including the ECOWAS Commission.
Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, faulted the recent endorsement of the naira redesign by President Muhammadu Buhari, saying the policy may be declared illegal in court.
The Central Bank of Nigeria earlier said it will redesign the N200, N500, and N1,000 notes to take control of the currency in circulation.
The Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, said she wasn’t consulted by the apex bank on the initiative, Buhari backed the CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, saying he is fully in support of the policy.
Falana, says the President is expected to present a money bill to the National Assembly for approval before the actualisation of the policy.
Donald Trump's tax returns have been handed over to a committee of the US House of Representatives after the former president lost a long legal battle to keep them sealed.
The Treasury Department says it had complied with a Supreme Court order that the records should be given to a panel in the Democrat-controlled House.
It is not clear if the returns will be made public, or what they will reveal.
He declined to release the documents during his 2016 presidential run or subsequently - breaking a decades-old presidential custom.
China is softening its tone on the severity of COVID-19 and has begun easing some coronavirus restrictions even as its daily case toll hovers near record highs after anger over the world’s toughest curbs fuelled protests across the country.
Health authorities announcing the relaxation of measures did not mention the protests, which ranged from candle-lit vigils in Beijing to clashes with the police on the streets of Guangzhou and at an iPhone factory in Zhengzhou last week.
The demonstrations marked the biggest show of civil disobedience in mainland China since President Xi Jinping took power a decade ago as the economy is set to enter a new era of much slower growth than seen in decades.
Vice Premier, Sun Chunlan, who oversees COVID efforts, says the ability of the virus to cause disease was weakening.
The Rwandan president has accused his Democratic Republic of Congo counterpart of trying to find a way to have the next elections postponed by implicating Rwanda in the country’s crisis.
President Paul Kagame accused the Congolese leader Félix Tshisekedi of creating grounds for an emergency so that next year’s elections don’t take place.
Mr. Kagame says it was a shame many parties and countries "claim to want to resolve the problem that has remained for decades.
He cautioned powerful countries, mentioning the US, UK, France, and the UN, against accusing or believing that Rwanda was to blame for the instabilities in eastern Congo.
He accused UN forces of failing to eradicate the Rwandan rebel group - FDLR - and others operating in DR Congo.
He also denied claims that Rwanda was stealing minerals from DR Congo.
The Ethiopian ambassador to Kenya says that the rebel Tigray People's Liberation Front will surrender its heavy weapons on Saturday following talks between the senior army and TPLF commanders.
Ambassador Bacha Debele, says the TPLF were supposed to surrender them on 17 November, but this was not implemented it has now been decided for them to surrender them on 3 December.
Mr. Bacha says the field commanders are meeting every day to discuss the disarmament process and TPLF combatants are being assembled in designated areas.
More than a million Kenyans have registered for a government loan scheme targeting the youth and informal traders just a day after its launch
The scheme, known as the Hustler Fund, was launched by President William Ruto on Wednesday and has already disbursed over 400m shillings ($3.3m; £2.7m) to borrowers.
Local media reports that the minister for co-operatives as citing an uptake of the loans, with up to 600 transactions per second, hours after the launch – which eased later.
Borrowers are able to access the money by dialling a USSD code or using an application on their mobile phones.
The loans start from between $4 and $408 for individual borrowers. Loans for groups and small enterprises will be launched at a later date.
Borrowers are expected to repay the loan within 14 days, and an annual interest of 8% calculated per day will be charged.
The Federal Executive Council has approved a new National Language Policy making the various mother tongues compulsory medium of instruction from primary one to six.
The Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, noted that the policy takes immediate effect.
He stated that the government is aware that its implementation will be difficult but it is necessary to promote the cultivation and use of all Nigerian languages.
He revealed that 29 languages have become extinct, leaving the country with 625 languages.
Adamu says even though the policy has officially taken effect, it can only be fully implemented when government develops instructional materials and qualified teachers are available.
The Power generation, distribution, and transmission companies, gas suppliers, and consumers, among others, will conduct electricity transactions through an automated energy trading platform in 2023.
The government says the platform would facilitate an automated and transparent marketplace and would serve as a system for the consummation of bilateral contracts for energy using standard template contracts.
Managing Director, Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Plc, Nnaemeka Ewelukwa stated that the platform would also serve as a spot market for real-time energy trading as the market developed further.
Nigeria's free trade zones attracted over $46.6 billion in investment into the nation’s economy.
Managing Director of the Nigeria Export Processing Zones Authority, Adesoji Adesugba, says trade zones being regulated by NEPZA attracted over $30 billion in investments since the inception of the scheme in 1992, while Kaura put the investments attracted by OGFZA since 1996 at $16.6 billion.
He says that the global business model was meeting its objective of fast-tracking economic growth and industrialization.
He says the decision of the Federal Government to key into this concept has remained legendary as the model has become a key driver of the nation’s economy.
The National Boundary Commission and its Benin Republic counterpart, have embarked on a joint campaign towards cementing the bond between both countries, prior to colonial rule.
The Director-General of NBC, Mr. Adamu Adaji, and issued by the Head of Information Unit, Mrs. Efe Ovuakporie, says socio-cultural activities such as sports were featured as part of its efforts to promote peaceful co-existence between the dwellers along the boundary of the two countries.
Adaji noted that the lack of a clear-cut demarcation of the boundary between the two countries had contributed to the issues of claims and counterclaims by border communities.
He enjoined the communities to continue to play pivotal roles in ensuring the welfare and protection of the border residents.
Controversial measures which would have forced big technology platforms to take down legal but harmful material have been axed from the Online Safety Bill.
Culture Secretary Michelle Donelan denied weakening laws protecting social media users and said adults would have more control over what they saw online.
The bill - which aims to police the internet - is intended to become law in the UK before next summer.
The bill previously included a section that required the largest, highest-risk platforms" to tackle some legal but harmful material accessed by adults.
Tech giants are told to introduce a system allowing users more control to filter out harmful content they do not want to see.
The troubled crypto firm BlockFi has filed for bankruptcy in the US, as the dramatic collapse of FTX continues to reverberate across the industry.
The company had already halted most activity on its platform, citing significant exposure to FTX.
BlockFi says it was seeking court protection to restructure, settle its debts and recover money for investors.
BlockFi received a rescue deal from FTX earlier this year as the values of cryptocurrencies plunged.
Elon Musk says Apple has halted most of its advertising on Twitter and accused the company of threatening to remove the platform from its app store.
The feud comes as many companies have halted spending on Twitter amid concerns about Mr Musk's content moderation plans for the site.
Mr. Musk says Twitter has seen a massive drop in revenue, blaming activists for pressuring advertisers.
He accused Apple of censorship and criticized its policies, including the charge it levies on purchases made on its app store.
Zimbabwe has been ordered to suspend power generation from its main source of electricity, the Kariba hydroelectric dam.
The Zambezi River Authority says water storage levels were too low for power generation.
It added that Zimbabwe had already used up its annual allocation of water for electricity, and It was eating into neighboring Zambia’s share.
Zimbabwe will only be able to resume generating power from Kariba in January.
Zimbabwe has faced rolling power cuts due to drought, and breakdowns at its aging power plants.
The World Health Organization has announced a new preferred name for the monkeypox virus, saying it would refer to it as mpox.
The WHO says it had received complaints the current name was "racist and stigmatizing and that, after consultations with experts, mpox would be used simultaneously with monkeypox for one year.
The WHO urged other medical organizations and the media to adopt the new name as well.
Ethiopia is hosting the UN's annual internet forum despite an internet blackout of more than a year in the war-devastated region of Tigray.
More than 2,500 delegates from all over the world are attending the forum, which is focusing on ''connecting all people and safeguarding human rights''.
The UN's decision to host the event in Addis Ababa has however raised eyebrows among internet and human rights campaigners.
Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed defended blackouts, saying the internet is not water, the internet is not air'' and shutdowns were aimed at saving lives.
He added that decisions were made to save lives during conflicts.
The Osun House of Assembly says the state will continue to be known as the “State of Osun” as against “Osun State”.
The Osun Assembly countered the move, maintaining that the adoption of the State of Osun is a matter of law.
The Assembly says the usage of the state anthem, crest, and flag is an enactment of the law and as such, its usage is a matter of law and not choice.
The enactment of the state of Osun anthem, crest, and flag law, 2012’ assented to on the 18th of December, 2012, contained in Schedule I, II, III, IV, and V, which carefully details every component of this law is not in ambiguity.
President Muhammadu Buhari has promised to leave a legacy of free and fair elections in Nigeria and the West African sub-region at large.
He says they are convinced that the sustenance of democracy and the rule of law should remain the norm in this promising region.
He says there will be multiple political activities in some ECOWAS member states, including Nigeria, where general elections are due to be held in February and March 2023.
He also reiterated his commitment to free, fair, and transparent elections and smooth transitions.
The United Nations announced that it had reached an agreement with the Federal Government to develop tools for monitoring public spending in agriculture.
The agreement also covers monitoring the effects of public policies on prices for farmers and producers in Nigeria.
It says the agreement was reached between the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations.
The UN says both parties had renewed their collaboration for the next five years and signed the first work plan to help repurpose budgets, incentivize producers, and speed up inclusive agricultural transformation.
The UN agency stated that it was time to rethink, repurpose and rethink the agriculture sector of the Nigerian economy.
The contributions of telecommunications to the nation’s real Gross Domestic Product increased by 10.52 percent year-on-year to hit N7.28tn in the first nine months of 2022.
The National Bureau of Statistics says the sector contributed N11.99tn to nominal GDP within the period under review, a 17.83 percent y-o-y increase from the N10.18tn it was in the corresponding period of 2021.
The NBS explained the gross output of telecoms and information services as, “Revenue from telephone, telex, facsimile, telegraph, and other income from satellite and internet services.
The statistics body categorizes telecoms under the information and communication sector which comprises telecommunications and information services; publishing; motion picture, sound recording, and music production; and broadcasting.
US authorities announced a ban on the import or sale of communications equipment deemed an unacceptable risk to national security including gear from Chinese giants Huawei Technologies and ZTE.
Both firms have been on a roster of companies listed as a threat by the Federal Communications Commission and the new rules bar future authorizations of their equipment.
Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel says the FCC is committed to protecting our national security by ensuring that untrustworthy communications equipment is not authorized for use within our borders.
The FCC says that it was also seeking comment on future action relating to existing authorizations.
Elon Musk says Twitter will provide a general amnesty to some suspended accounts from next week.
This came after he started a poll asking Twitter users whether accounts that had not broken the law or engaged in egregious spam should be let back on the social media platform.
Several accounts, such as that of former US President Donald Trump, have already been reinstated by Mr. Musk.
Musk says the people have spoken and Amnesty begins next week.
The business secretary says an extra £1bn will be spent to insulate the UK's least energy-efficient homes.
Grant Shapps says the new funding was part of a strategy of working towards an energy-independent future for the UK and would save those who benefitted around £310 a year.
The ECO+ scheme will target homes that have a low energy efficiency rating and are in the lower council tax bands.
The Department for Business, Energy, Industry, and Skills says households who currently did not benefit from any other government support would be able to upgrade their homes under the expansion of the scheme.
Zimbabwe Stock Exchange-listed diversified group Meikles Limited says it is seeking shareholder approval to delist from the London Stock Exchange.
The company says that the company cancels the listing of its 4 556 899 ordinary shares on the official list of the financial conduct authority and the trading on the main market of the London Stock Exchange.
Other key issues to be discussed at the AGM as highlighted are to receive, consider and adopt the Group Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2022 together with reports of the Directors and Auditors thereon.
Rwanda and Eni, an Italian energy company, have signed four cooperation agreements to develop innovative joint initiatives in agriculture, the protection of unique forest ecosystems, technology, and health.
The four agreements were signed with the Rwanda Development Board, the Health Ministry, the National Industrial Research and Development Agency, and the Ministry of ICT and Innovation on November 24.
The project, which represents the first 'open-air laboratory' on the African continent, according to officials, will use the most advanced precision farming techniques to produce quality seeds in Rwanda.
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project has filed a lawsuit against the government of President Muhammadu Buhari over the failure to probe the operations of illegal oil pipelines between 2001 and 2022, to name and prosecute those suspected to be involved, and to recover proceeds of crime.
The suit was filed by SERAP following recent reports of the discovery of at least 58 illegal oil pipelines used to steal the country's oil wealth.
The plaintiffs are also seeking an order directing and compelling the Buhari government to fully recover any proceeds of crime, and to respect, protect, and fulfill the human rights of the people of the Niger Delta that have continued to suffer the effects of oil theft by non-state actors.
The Project Coordinator, Nigeria Digital Identification for Development, Solomon Odole, says that the project is addressing the inadequate infrastructure of the National Identity Management Commission alongside other issues with identity management.
He says the project has made adequate provisions for financing institutional capacity development, aimed at building trust and credibility within the country’s ID ecosystem.
He also noted that the project was committed to creating a robust foundational ID system for Nigeria that would involve NIMC and the Civil Registration system under the National Population Commission.
He added that the project had begun engagement with the NPC for areas of support, including digitizing the registration of births and deaths, capacity building, and a review of their legal and institutional frameworks.
Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State has frozen all government accounts and also reversed the state’s name.
He made the decision in his inaugural speech as the governor of the South-West State on Sunday, saying the move will be backed by the right orders.
He accused his predecessor Gboyega Oyetola of taking some malicious actions against him including the appointment of permanent secretaries.
Governor Adeleke thus issued the directives which will be backed up with appropriate Executive orders
The Federal Government has pledged to continue skills acquisition programs across Nigeria to deepen the economy estimated at $420bn.
Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment, Mariam Katagum, says nations confronted the challenges of poverty, soaring unemployment, and related challenges with skills acquisition, noting that Nigeria must do the same.
Katagum says though agencies like the Industrial Trust Fund had taken advantage of relevant government policies to train hundreds of thousands of Nigerians through various skills intervention programs, more still needed to be done for the rapid growth and development of the nation’s economy.
Presidential aide Femi Adesina believes his principal President Muhammadu Buhari has done enough to leave a safer nation.
He maintained that the government had done much to curtail the challenges and would end on a high note.
Adesina admitted, however, that one administration cannot fully tackle the country’s security challenges and wants the next government to continue from where President Buhari would stop.
The European Environment Agency says no fewer than 238,000 people in the European Union died prematurely in 2020 due to exposure to airborne pollutants in spite of an improvement in air quality.
Analysis by the agency shows that air pollution is the largest environmental health risk in Europe and significantly impacts the health of the European population, particularly in urban areas, in spite of declining emissions of all key air pollutants in the EU.
The EEA’s latest estimates show that no fewer than 238,000 people died prematurely in the bloc in 2020 due to exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5), with about 96 percent of the urban population exposed to levels above World Health Organisation guidelines.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres held a meeting with Morocco's King Mohammed VI on Wednesday, where they discussed the disputed Western Sahara region.
Morocco controls 80% of the territory and the rest is held by the Polisario movement - which fought with Morocco for years after Spanish forces withdrew in 1975.In October, the UN Security Council called on both sides to resume negotiations
The two leaders met on the sidelines of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations held in the Moroccan city of Fez.
King Mohammed reaffirmed Morocco's position that the dispute is resolved on the basis of the autonomy initiative, within the framework of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom.
South Africa's prison service says it will challenge a court decision that sent former president Jacob Zuma back to jail.
The Department of Correctional Services says having carefully studied the judgment, Correctional Services is convinced that another court may arrive at a different conclusion.
The Supreme Court of Appeal had on Monday ordered Mr. Zuma to return to prison after upholding an earlier ruling that his medical parole had been unlawful.
The 80-year-old was given a 15-month sentence last year for contempt of court over his refusal to testify during an investigation into corruption.
African leaders have declared a cessation of hostilities to start on Friday in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo where M23 rebels have been making substantial gains in recent months.
The statement was signed at the end of a mini-summit in Angola's capital, Luanda, attended by the Rwandan foreign minister and the presidents of DR Congo, Angola, and Burundi.
The signatories agreed an East African regional force would attack M23 positions if the rebels did not withdraw immediately from occupied areas.
The US has welcomed the roadmap outlined in the Luanda summit and urged Rwanda to end its support to the M23.
The Federal Government has called on the Nigerian Ports Authority, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, and other stakeholders to synergize with the Nigerian Customs Service to achieve 15, 000 monthly scanners’ capacity.
The Minister of Finance, Budget, and National Planning, Dr. Zainab Ahmed, urged the management of the Nigeria Customs Service to collaborate with contractors of the scanners for easy maintenance.
Ahmed says that the newly commissioned scanners had the capacity to detect prohibited imports concealed in cargoes, adding that the scanners would also help to boost the revenue of the service.
The Appellate Court in Abuja has upheld the conviction of Faisal, the son of Abdulrasheed Maina, for conspiracy and money laundering.
Maina, the former chairman of the defunct Pension Reform Taskforce Team, is serving an eight-year jail term at Kuje Prison in Abuja for pension fraud to the tune of N2 billion and his son has been named an accomplice.
In the judgment by Justice Ugochukwu Anthony Ogakwu, the court held that Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court, Abuja was right to have convicted Faisal.
The British High Commission, says it was committed to a successful general election in 2023 because the world would be watching Nigeria.
The BHC says the execution of the 2023 election would be a significant milestone for Nigeria while admitting that worsening economic crisis and security challenges would be potential threats to the election,
The chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, says the commission was mobilizing every national institution to track campaign financing and combat the illicit flow of funds.
The Convener of NCSSR, Ene Obi, says the forum would critically assess the current political environment and make recommendations and suggestions in the preparations and conduct of the 2023 general elections.
The Nigerian parliament has passed a bill seeking to establish a bank that can grant loans to students in higher institutions of learning - which include universities and colleges.
The sponsor of the bill and speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, says that the Nigerian Education Bank will offer interest-free loans to higher education students in Nigeria.
If signed into law, it is expected to enable students get more financial support from the government. The bill says the bank shall have the powers to approve and disburse the loan to qualified applicants.
It will also monitor the students’ loan account/fund and ensure compliance in respect of disbursement.
The loan beneficiaries are expected to start paying back the loan as soon as they gain employment, upon completion of their studies and mandatory national service.
President Muhammadu Buhari unveiled the re-designed Naira Notes as proposed by the Central Bank of Nigeria.
The CBN Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele debunked insinuations suggesting that the early unveiling of the new notes is a means to target some Nigerians.
Mr. Emefiele appealed to members of the public, urging them to desist from making such speculation, adding that there is no need to perpetuate any such information.
He says the CBN will intensify the monitoring process and interrogate the process of withdrawals.
The president appealed to Nigerians and urged them to embrace the new policy to re-design the naira.
The Federal Government says it has made a recovery of one billion dollars since the inception of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration in May 2015 till date.
The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami noted that the recovered assets, deployed to various sectors of the economy particularly to address poverty alleviation, have made a huge impact on poverty levels and the nation's economy.
He declared that the Council has given approval for an anti-corruption strategy document to strengthen the anti-graft fight in the country.
The AGF expressed the Federal government’s worry over recurrent cases of budget padding, asserting that necessary measures would be explored to tackle it.
The European Union’s foreign policy chief has warned of escalation and violence after emergency talks between Kosovo and Serbia failed to resolve their long-running dispute over car license plates used by the ethnic Serb minority in Kosovo.
The EU’s high representative, Josep Borrell, invited Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti to Brussels for emergency talks on Monday.
Borrell says that there is an important responsibility on the sides of both leaders for the failure of the talks today and for any escalation and violence that might occur on the ground in the following days.
Serbs in the northern part of the country have resisted, sometimes violently, but Kosovo has said it will start issuing fines from Tuesday.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak says the UK will not pursue any post-Brexit relationship with the EU that relies on alignment with EU laws.
It follows reports that some in government want to move towards a Swiss-style deal, with less trading friction and more migration.
Mr. Sunak told business leaders that control of migration was one of the immediate benefits of Brexit.
He argued that the UK was now able to have proper control of its borders.
He says the UK was free to pursue trade deals with the world's fastest-growing economies.
Publishing giant Penguin Random House has scrapped a $2.2bn planned takeover of rival Simon & Schuster.
Penguin's parent company Bertelsmann says Paramount Global, the owner of Simon & Schuster, decided not to appeal the ruling.
The proposed deal would have cemented Penguin Random House's position as the world's largest book publisher.
The US government argued that Penguin and Simon & Schuster combined would control nearly half the market for publishing rights of blockbuster books.
The military rulers in Mali have banned all non-governmental organisations that are funded or supported by France from operating in the country.
Humanitarian groups are included in the ban.
The junta says the move followed France's decision to stop development aid over Bamako's alleged use of paramilitaries from the Russian Wagner group.
Mali's interim Prime Minister Colonel Abdoulaye Maïga denied those allegations, saying they were aimed a destabilizing the country.
Mali's foreign ministry described the French government as dehumanizing aid for their people and said France was using the funds to blackmail governments and support the terrorist groups in Mali.
The Bank of Ghana has stated that it will no longer provide foreign exchange support to importers for the importation of some products into the country.
It says the items include rice, poultry, vegetable oil, toothpicks, pasta, fruit juice, bottled water, ceramic tiles, and other non-critical goods - items that can be locally produced in the country.
The President says the government would review the current import regime to help bring stability to the economy.
He says the country will reduce its dependence on imported goods, and enhance self-reliance, as demanded by the overarching goal of creating a Ghana beyond Aid.
The Federal Government announced that it would award contracts for the provision of broadband infrastructure in various sectors across the six geopolitical zones on Thursday.
It stated that the projects about to be awarded were approved recently by the Federal Executive Council, following the presentation by the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami.
Director, of Public Affairs, Nigerian Communications Commission, Reuben Muoka, says, the projects are expected to be completed within six months from the date of the award.
The average price of 5kg cooking gas increased from N4,474.48 in September to N4,483.75 in October, representing a 0.21% rise.
The National Bureau of Statistics says on a year-on-year basis, the increase was 70.62 percent from N2,627.94 in October 2021 to N4,483.75 in October 2022.
The report shows that Kwara recorded the highest average price at N4,955 for 5kg of cooking gas, followed by Niger at N4,950 and Adamawa at N4,940.29.
The report states that Abia recorded the lowest price at N4,045.45, followed by Kano and Delta at N4,100 and N4,139.29, respectively.
The International Monetary Fund has faulted the Central Bank of Nigeria’s monetary policy, saying that it has been ineffective in the fight against rising inflation.
The IMF advised the Federal Government to tighten up its fiscal policy through investments in critical sectors capable of putting the economy on a better path in the long term.
The IMF says While monetary policy has the tools to subdue inflation, fiscal policy can put the economy on a sounder long-term footing through investment in infrastructure, health care, and education; fair distribution of incomes and opportunities through an equitable tax and transfer system; and provision of basic public services.
The Federal Government is targeting zero rejection of Nigerian products in the global market to drive foreign exchange earnings and boost revenue.
The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Niyi Adebayo, says practitioners in the non-oil export value chain should adhere to global best practices for their products to receive acceptability with zero export rejection.
He stressed that Nigerian products must be competitive in the international market to drive foreign exchange earnings and provide a buffer against externalities.
Adebayo says there was no gainsaying the fact that with the Export4Survival campaign, significant mileage would be gained in the volume and value of exported Nigerian products and services.
The World Bank says that subsidies benefit only rich households and reduce government spending on poor Nigerians.
The bank says Nigeria’s resources had been consumed by inefficient and regressive subsidiaries on petrol, electricity, and foreign exchange.
It added that the subsidies were far more than what was spent on education, health, and social protection in 2021.
It further noted that Nigeria had one of the lowest public expenditure and revenue levels in the world, undermining the government’s ability to improve service delivery.
Malaysia’s stock market and currency dipped after a national election produced the Southeast Asian nation’s first hung parliament, setting off a scramble to form a coalition before a Monday afternoon deadline.
Kuala Lumpur’s benchmark index fell as much as 1.5 percent.
Malaysia’s national election on Saturday failed to produce a clear winner, with neither the Pakatan Harapan (PH) nor Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalitions securing the required 112 seats to form the government.
Malaysia’s King Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah extended by 24 hours a deadline for legislators to notify the palace of their preferred government, shortly before the original deadline was set to expire at 2 pm.
Twitter's new owner Elon Musk says Donald Trump's account has been reinstated after running a poll in which users narrowly backed the move.
Twitter's previous management acted just days after Donald Trump's supporters stormed the US Capitol in Washington DC on 6 January.
Hundreds of rioters entered the complex as the US Congress attempted to certify Joe Biden's victory in the presidential election. The ensuing violence led to the deaths of four civilians and a police officer.
Earlier this week, the Republican announced that he would once again run for the US presidency in 2024.
Cryptocurrency exchange FTX owes its 50 largest creditors almost $3.1bn.
The embattled firm, which filed for bankruptcy in the US last week, says it owes about $1.45bn to its top 10 creditors but has not named any.
The collapse of the world's second-largest crypto exchange shook confidence in the already troubled cryptocurrency market.
FTX's previous bankruptcy filings revealed more than one million people and businesses could be owed money following its collapse.
FTX says it had launched a review of its global assets and was preparing for the sale or reorganisation of some businesses.
The leaders of French-speaking countries have held a summit on the Tunisian island of Djerba to discuss growing instability in Francophone African countries.
The head of the group, Louise Mushikiwabo, says there were long debates about the main conflict zones.
She says the group could support and quicken efforts to mediate between parties in conflict.
The prime minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Jean-Michel Sama Lukonde, refused to pose for a group photo next to the Rwandan president, Paul Kagame.
Kinshasa has accused him of supporting M23 rebels fighting in eastern DR Congo.
Rwanda has always denied the allegations.
Authorities in the United Arab Emirates have announced a visa ban slapped on Ugandans and 20 other nationalities seeking to visit Dubai with immediate effect.
Other countries affected by the visa ban include Ghana, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Cameroon, Nigeria, Liberia, Burundi, Republic of Guinea, Gambia, Togo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Senegal, Benin, Ivory Coast, Congo, Rwanda, Burkina Faso, Guinea Bissau, Comoros, and the Dominican Republic.
In a notice issued to trade partners including travel agents, authorities indicated that all applications should be rejected.
Lawmakers want to place eight federal revenue-generating agencies on a cost-of-collection percentage to stop the agencies from spending their revenue arbitrarily
Federal lawmakers are proposing a drastic measure to help the country out of the fiscal hole by placing eight revenue-generating agencies on financial autonomy.
The National Assembly has moved to stop the agencies from spending their revenue arbitrarily by placing them on the cost of collection percentage.
In 2023-2025, Medium Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper passed by the lawmakers, the Nigerian Communications Commission, Corporate Affairs Commission, Nigerian Port Authority, Joint Admission and Matriculation Board, National Upstream Petroleum Regulation Commission, the National Midstream and Downstream Regulatory Authority, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, and Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency will henceforth operate under the 'cost of collection.
The Independent National Electoral Commission has reiterated its assurance to the Nigerian electorate that citizens who have yet to attain the legal voting age will not be allowed to participate in the polls.
The Director of Voter Education and Publicity, INEC, Victor Aluko, says that the register will be cleaned up completely and no underage voter will vote in 2023.
Aluko stated that after collating the complaints, INEC’s revision officers at various levels could work on them.
The National Commissioner, INEC, Festus Okoye, however, assured Nigerians that it was committed to cleaning up the register and punishing those found guilty of tampering with its integrity.
Nigeria now ranks seventh on the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries’ crude oil production list, according to the organisation’s Monthly Oil Market Report for November, which examined oil production performance in October.
Nigeria’s output was a mere 1.014 million barrels per day in October, ranking seventh after Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Iraq, Angola, and Algeria.
While Nigeria’s production was 1. 014mb/d in October, Angola produced 1. 051mb/d; Algeria, 1.060mb/d; Kuwait 2.811mb/d; UAE, 3.188mb/d; Iraq, 4.651mb/d; and Saudi Arabia, 10. 957mb/d.
While Venezuela’s production was 711b/d, Equatorial Guinea’s was 57b/d. The likes of Gabon, Libya, and Iran did not produce a barrel in the month.
The Nigerian Export Promotion Council says Nigerian businesses exported 36 percent of value-added products in the first six months of 2022.
The Chief Executive Officer, of NEPC, Ezra Yakusak, says the export of primary products was valued at 33 percent while semi-processed and manufactured products constituted 36 percent.
He says the situation showed that Nigerian firms are imbibing the value-addition culture in exports, noting that his agency would continue to sensitize exporters on the need to ship out more value-added products.
He says the export week would provide a path for business and sector-led activities to thrive while helping entrepreneurs, particularly SMEs, to look out for new opportunities in the sector.
The International Monetary Fund says that Nigerians should brace up for higher food prices/ risks in 2023 due to recent floods and high fertilizer prices.
The National Bureau of Statistics says food inflation hit 23.72 percent on a year-on-year basis in October 2022, with inflation on certain food items rising to between 50 – 100 per cent.
The IMF added that the volatility in the value of the naira, the Federal Government’s continued dependence on the Central Bank of Nigeria for financing its budget deficit, and climate change were also risk factors.
The Washington-based lender says the effects of recent flooding and high fertilizer prices could become more entrenched impacting negatively both agricultural production and food prices in 2023.
Elon Musk has told Twitter staff that they must commit to working long hours at high intensity or else leave the company.
The social media firm's new owner says workers should agree to the pledge if they wanted to stay.
He says those who do not sign up will be given three months' severance pay.
Mr Musk says that Twitter will need to be extremely hardcore in order to succeed.
Food prices are rising at their fastest rate for 45 years, with the cost of basics such as milk, cheese, and eggs surging.
Food price inflation hit 16.2% in the year to October, up from 14.5% in September.
Energy and fuel costs also rose sharply, pushing the overall inflation rate to its highest level since 1981.
The Office for National Statistics says it was hitting poorer households hardest, as they spent around half of their income on food and energy, compared to about a third for those on middle incomes.
Officials say Fresh Russian strikes hit cities across Ukraine the latest in a series of attacks that have crippled Ukrainian energy infrastructure.
Kyiv regional officials announced that Two cruise missiles were shot down over Kyiv.
Prime Minister Denys Shmygal says they are shelling our gas production and our enterprises in Dnipro at an economic forum in Kyiv, the Interfax.
Ukrainian energy company Ukrenergo warned about power outages throughout Ukraine, as consumption increased due to temperatures falling sharply.
Serbia is introducing visas for Tunisian and Burundian citizens, responding to EU criticism that the country is a backdoor into the bloc for migrants. Turks and Indians are expected to join them shortly.
The EU Commission says it would consider suspending Serbia’s own visa-waiver rights to the bloc if it failed to curtail migrants using it as a gateway to the European Union.
President Aleksandar Vucic held talks with Austrian and Hungarian leaders and agreed to deploy more police resources along Serbia’s southern border, a major route for undocumented migrants.
Ethiopia's Government Communication Service Minister Legese Tulu says that all forces fighting in the Tigray region who are not part of the federal army will withdraw as soon as the Tigrayan rebels disarm.
Amhara and Afar regional forces, as well as Eritrean troops, have been fighting alongside the federal forces in the two-year war against the rebels of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front.
The government and the TPLF signed a peace agreement on 2 November in Pretoria, South Africa, to end the war in the north of the country, and the army and rebel commanders also signed a cessation of hostilities agreement in Nairobi, Kenya, on 12 November.
The Egyptian president of the UN climate conference, Sameh Shoukry, has told delegates that time is not on their side if a deal is to be concluded before the scheduled close of the conference on Friday.
There have been warnings that negotiations are progressing too slowly because of deep divisions on some central issues.
A draft agreement published does not include directions for the launch of a loss and damage fund to assist the most vulnerable countries.
This has been a demand of many developing nations. Nor does the draft introduce a broad commitment to phase down all fossil fuels, rather than just coal, as has been proposed by India and the European Union
A new study has found that climate change severely worsened the heavy rains that caused large-scale flooding across swathes of Nigeria and Niger this year, killing hundreds of people.
The floods were recorded as the worst-ever in the two countries.
The report by World Weather Attribution says extreme seasonal rainfall and the release of water from dams caused the flooding from June to October.
They concluded the event was made 80 times more likely by climate change.
Almost 1.5 million people were displaced, hundreds of thousands of homes were swept away and over half a million hectares of farmland was devastated by the floods.mistake
The hearing of the N20bn suit filed by the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, against the Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, has been discontinued.
Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja had fixed November 18 for the hearing of the suit, which also named the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency, Ahmed Abubakar, as a defendant.
Kanu’s lawyer, Aloy Ejimakor, says the case had been discontinued. Kanu, through Ejimakor, had filed a writ of summons.
The country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration says Ghana is not aware of any threat targeted at its nationals living in Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory in Abuja.
The Ghanaian ministry also disowned a security update advising against non-essential trips to Abuja.
The United States and the United Kingdom had in October warned of possible terror attacks in Abuja, especially at government buildings, places of worship, schools and other centers where large crowds gather.
Both countries also commenced the evacuation of their citizens from the Nigerian political capital.
Nigerian Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed however dismissed the terror alerts, saying the government won’t be stampeded and that Nigeria is safer than in May 2015 when President Muhammadu Buhari came into office.
The Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria has signed a memorandum of understanding with Tiamin Rice Company for the processing and sale of rice locally and internationally.
The Deputy Managing Director of Tiamin Rice Company, Mr. Aliyu Ibrahim, says the initiative was aimed at the cultivation of quality rice paddy by RIFAN, while Tiamin processes and packages with state-of-the-art milling technology for sale locally and internationally, particularly to Egypt.
He says the MoU, which would be operational for a period of two years was signed at the company’s 600-metric tonnes per hour capacity mill in Bauchi State.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged world leaders to back a plan to end the war in his country, saying now was the time to push for peace after Russia’s defeat in the southern city of Kherson.
Zelenskyy says Ukraine would not allow Russian forces to regroup after their withdrawal from Kherson, and said there would be more fighting until Ukraine reclaims control of all of its occupied territory.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has warned the G20 against the weaponization of food and energy, in a possible veiled criticism of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Xi says they must firmly oppose politicization, instrumentalization, and weaponization of food and energy problems.
Amazon is preparing to cut thousands of office jobs amid slowing sales and concerns about an economic downturn.
US media reported that the reductions could affect roughly 3% of the office staff at the e-commerce giant - or about 10,000 people.
The cuts are expected to affect divisions such as personal devices and e-commerce.
Amazon did not respond to a request for comment.
The company had already introduced a hiring freeze and halted some of its warehouse expansions, warning it had over-hired during the pandemic. It has also taken steps to shut some parts of its business, cancelling projects such as a personal delivery robot.
Google agreed to settle a landmark privacy case with 40 US states over accusations that the search engine giant misled users into believing location tracking had been switched off on their devices.
A statement says it was the largest multi-state privacy settlement by state authorities in US history and included a binding commitment for improved disclosures by Google.
New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin says Digital platforms like Google cannot claim to provide privacy controls to users and then turn around and disregard those controls to collect and sell data to advertisers against users’ express wishes and at great profit.
South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa will step aside if charged over an alleged cover-up of a robbery at his private farm, according to his spokesman.
Presidential spokesman Vincent Magwenya says should the president be charged he would gladly step aside - should it be the case,"
He added that as things stand there are no criminal charges against the president and he's fully cooperating with and he will continue to do so.
The president is accused of kidnapping, bribery, and acting unlawfully by allegedly authorizing the pursuit of the suspects who stole an estimated $4m from his farm. He denies any wrongdoing.
A Commonwealth team led by Assistant Secretary-General Prof Luis Franceschi has begun a series of meetings in Zimbabwe to assess its readiness to be readmitted into the 56-member group.
Foreign Affairs Minister Frederick Shava says the country was determined to rejoin the group.
The delegation will assess the progress made in several areas, including judicial independence, electoral reforms, and the protection of human rights including the freedom of association and media freedoms.
Harare believes it has complied with the conditions.
Prof Francheschi says that Zimbabwe's readmission was not a political issue and should not be treated as such.
Tanzania’s cabinet has pledged to strengthen the country’s disaster response services a week after 19 people died in a plane crash in the north-western lakeside town of Bukoba.
The government also instructed local officials to collaborate with experts from abroad in the ongoing investigation into the cause of the crash.
The state spokesperson, Gerson Msigwa, says the emergency cabinet meeting chaired by President Samia Suluhu, issued instructions to find the cause of the crash and recommendations on changes that should be made.
Precision Air’s management says it has started compensation procedures for the affected families, and that the exercise would be conducted secretly according to national insurance procedures.
Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addofired his junior finance minister over corruption allegations made in an upcoming documentary on illegal gold mining.
The president has terminated the appointment of the Minister of State at the Ministry of Finance, Mr Charles Adu Boahen, with immediate effect.
The presidency’s statement says Akufo-Addo’s decision came after being made aware of the allegations against Boahen in the documentary Galamsey Economy.
Governing party lawmaker Davis Opoku however says the sacking of Charles Adu Boahen is meaningless unless it is linked to the resignation of Ken Ofori-Atta.
The governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, says he will outsource the maintenance of the newly built Dr. Peter Odili Cancer, Cardiovascular Diagnostic Treatment Centre to foreign partners.
The governor says he cannot leave the facility under the care of the state’s Ministry of health as they are not capable of managing a facility of that magnitude.
He says the Consular General of the American Embassy has agreed to partner with the state and has made contact with those who run hospitals very well overseas to come and partner with us in this.
The Debt Management Office says that it has been difficult for Nigeria to borrow from the international markets as global lenders and investors are shunning countries with Category ‘B’ economic ratings.
The Director-General of the DMO, Patience Oniha, says Nigeria must gear up its revenue drive while looking for alternative sources of funds internationally.
Oniha noted that the Federal Government had not been able to meet its external borrowing target, noting that it was now looking at lenders in the United States and Europe.
The Management of Air Peace suspended flights to Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, over the non-issuance of visas to Nigerians.
Emirates, the UAE carrier, had earlier suspended its flights, citing the inability to repatriate ticket funds in addition to the reduced passengers on the route.
Nigeria’s indigenous carrier, Air Peace, however, says it would be suspending operations with effect from Tuesday, November 22, 2022, till further notice.
Air Peace says it has been operating in UAE even with the country’s recent travel restrictions, but given the heightening hurdles Nigerian travelers are facing in accessing the country, it has become imperative that we halt their operations to that destination.
Changpeng Zhao, chief executive of dominant cryptocurrency exchange Binance, has called for new but stable and clear regulations for the industry in light of recent developments and participants cutting corners.
His comments come as crypto industry peers and partners outline steps to deal with the collapse of rival exchange FTX, founded by Sam Bankman-Fried.
FTX filed for bankruptcy on Friday after a week of seeing customers pull assets and Binance abandoning a rescue offer.
Zhao says the industry collectively has a role to protect consumers, to protect everybody adding that regulators have a role but it’s not 100% their responsibility.
United States Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has announced new US sanctions targeting networks accused of supplying military technology for Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Yellen says the measures would target 14 individuals and 28 entities.
Yellen declined to provide details of the identity or location of the alleged network or the technologies involved but said a more detailed announcement would be made later on Monday.
The US has already rolled out a raft of sanctions against Russia in response to its war in Ukraine, including measures focusing on Russian military suppliers and US-based manufacturers of components used by Moscow in its military hardware.
Mozambique has started exporting liquefied natural gas for the first time, in a move the country’s President Filipe Nyusi has described as historic.
The gas has been produced at an off-shore plant run by Italian energy firm Eni, but British oil giant BP has the purchasing rights over it.
Mozambique hopes to become one of the world's biggest exporters of natural gas, following its discovery in the northern Cabo Delgado province in 2010.
The government believes the discovery of gas will boost the economy, but Mr. Nyusi says Mozambique would continue to focus on traditional activities such as agriculture, fishing, and tourism, to achieve development.
Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni has accused Western countries of reprehensible double standards when it comes to commitments to stop climate change.
Mr. Museveni highlighted the partial dismantling of a wind farm in Germany to make way for the expansion of a coal mine.
He says the move made a mockery of Western commitments towards climate targets.
The Ugandan leader also said European countries were happy to take Africa's resources for their own energy needs but were against the development of fossil fuel projects which were for the benefit of Africans.
The Chief of Army Staff Lieutenant General Faruk Yahaya has assured the nation, that the Nigerian Army will not fail Nigerians in delivering on its constitutional mandate to defend the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the nation, as well as provide support to civil authority in mitigating threats to national security.
Gen Yahaya says that it is only through training that troops could internalise, practice and perfect the employment of skills and competences, along with requisite equipment, communication and other enablers for the effective conduct of operations and discharge of the constitutional mandate of the NA.
Gen Yahaya urged the troops to put lessons learnt from the exercise into practice in their respective formations and units, as they tackle threats to national security.
The head of Nigeria's electoral commission, Mahmood Yakuba, says that he's worried about attacks intensifying as the country prepares for February's upcoming presidential elections.
There are concerns that next year’s tightly contested race could be more turbulent than usual, with Mr. Yakuba adding that the commission had already tracked 50 attacks related to the polls in the first month of campaigning alone.
Last month, the US embassy evacuated all non-essential staff from Abuja, citing an elevated risk of a terror attack in the capital.
The Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, says Nigeria must work for all its citizens.
Obi noted that Nigerians must be able to dwell securely and safely irrespective of where they live.
He says Nigeria works for a small minority of people; Nigeria must work for ALL Nigerians. Nigerians must be able to dwell securely and in safety wherever they live.
The Central Bank of Nigeria has pledged to protect Nigerians in the unbanked, underserved, and rural areas as it plans to redesign the naira.
The apex bank says that it had been collaborating with relevant agencies and other stakeholders in the financial system to ensure that vulnerable citizens were not disenfranchised.
The bank says that some progress had been as there had been increased currency deposits across banks and other financial institutions.
European countries are making plans to ramp up gas importation from Nigeria to the tune of 22 million tons per year, providing an opportunity for Africa’s most populous nation to earn revenues.
A document from the Global Gas Monitor says Africa was the next gas hub for European countries.
The document put Nigeria as the country attracting the biggest European interest after Algeria (29 million tons).
Apart from Nigeria and Algeria, the report identified eight other African countries to also benefit from the plan including Mauritania, 10 million tons; Mozambique, 19 million tons; Democratic Republic of Congo, 1.2million tons; and Tanzania, 4 million tons.
The Central Bank of Nigeria revealed that Nigeria’s educational sector suffered massive capital flight during the regime of President Muhammadu Buhari.
The CBN’s balance of payment statistics, Nigerians have spent a hefty sum of $3.5bn on foreign education in the past seven years (June 2015 to August 2022).
Data gathered from the CBN from the amount spent on educational services under the sectoral utilization for transactions valid for foreign exchange, a sum of $375.99 million was released by the apex bank between June 2015 and December 2015,
Further analysis of the data revealed that a total of $269.1 million was released in 2016.
The most senior US general estimates that around 100,000 Russian and 100,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed or injured in the war in Ukraine.
Gen Mark Milley, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, says that around 40,000 civilians had died after being caught up in the conflict.
He says that signs Kyiv were willing to re-enter talks with Moscow offered a window for negotiations.
Ukraine has signaled a willingness to hold some discussions with Moscow after President Volodymyr Zelensky dropped a demand that his opposite number, Vladimir Putin, must be removed from power before negotiations could resume.
Gen Milley added that for any talks to be successful, both Russia and Ukraine would have to reach a mutual recognition that a wartime victory is maybe not achievable through military means, and therefore you need to turn to other means.
Securities and Exchange Commission filings showed that Tesla chief Elon Musk sold nearly $4 billion worth of shares in the electric car company.
Musk has been pushing for ways to pay for the massive deal, for which he took on billions of dollars in debt and earlier sold $15.5 billion worth of shares in Tesla.
Documents filed with the United States SEC indicated that he had disposed of more than 19 million shares, in excess of $3.9 billion.
Musk took control of Twitter and fired its top executives in late October after a drawn-out back-and-forth between the world’s richest person and the influential social media company.
German sportswear giant Adidas slashed its earnings forecast saying the end of its partnership with rapper Kanye West would cut this year’s net income in half.
The group now expects a net profit from continuing operations of 250 million euros for 2022, down from a 500-million-euro estimate last month, which was a downgrade from previous forecasts partly because of slowing sales in China.
Adidas says its full-year revenues are forecast to grow at a low-single-digit rate, compared with the mid-single-digit rate it had still expected last month.
Burkina Faso's transitional prime minister has replaced two ministers, only two weeks after the formation of a new government.
The minister for industry and trade, as well as the one in charge of lands and housing, were replaced through a decree read out on national television on Wednesday.
Donatien Nagalo’s appointment as trade minister had faced opposition from traders’ associations, who accused him of malpractices as a former head of the country’s national union of traders.
He has now been replaced by Serge Gnaniodem Poda, an executive of BCEAO, the central bank of the common regional currency.
The leader of a military movement in the country says there is a risk Sudan could split because the current military junta in charge of the country is not ready for a peaceful settlement and want to stay in power,
The leader of the Sudan People's Liberation Army, Abdelaziz al-Hilu, says that his group will opt for independence if the government in Khartoum does not change.
The SPLA-North is in control of a large swathe of land in the Nuba mountains in the country’s south, as well as part of the Blue Nile in the southeast.
Mr. Al-Hilu says his group prefers unity but warned that if Khartoum wants to maintain the old Sudan of segregation and oppression then “we will opt for independence.
Thousands of public workers in South Africa downed tools in a nationwide strike over wages after talks with the government hit a deadlock threatening to affect essential services.
The wage stalemate between the government and its employees escalated after Labour Minister Thulas Nxesi last week declared he would unilaterally implement a three per cent increase across the board.
Unions want a 6.5 percent hike.
Union members including nurses, immigration workers, and some police officers picketed outside the Treasury office in Pretoria waving black placards reading public servants are bleeding.
The PSA had warned that the strike would have a serious impact on the home affairs, transport, and border control departments.
The UNESCO International Center for Higher Education Innovation has trained 50 lecturers across five tertiary institutions in digital education.
Malam Auwalu Umar, Director of Public Affairs Directorate, at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, says the initiative was in collaboration with the International Institute for Online Education.
Umar says that the training was aimed at strengthening the digital transformation of higher education teaching and learning.
He further explained saying that it was a training of trainers program, which was basically an online course in design, development, and production.
He says the training was focused on general courses in three thematic areas of engineering/computing, medical/bioscience, as well as humanities/social sciences.
The Federal Government is targeting a 6.3 percent rate, 7 percent economic growth, and a 0.3 percent poverty rate by 2050.
The Minister of Budget and National Planning, Clem Agba, says the Nigeria Agenda 2050, which was developed by the current administration, was designed to transform the country into an upper middle-income developing country with a per capita income of $33,000.
He says the National Development Plan 2021-2025 had the vision to unlock the potential of the country in all sectors of the economy for sustainable, holistic, and inclusive national development.
He says the Nigeria Agenda 2050 would be implemented through a series of medium-term plans and annual budgets.
The Minister of Environment, Mohammed Abdulahi, says the Federal Government is spending nine percent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product to address climate change in Nigeria.
Nigeria’s GDP was worth $440.78bn in 2021, according to official data from the World Bank. Nine percent of this figure is $39.67bn; hence, Nigeria may spend around this amount in tackling climate change, based on the disclosure of the Federal Government.
Abdulahi disclosed this while addressing African leaders during the inauguration of the African Carbon Market Initiative, a side event organized by Climate Action at the ongoing COP27 in Egypt.
Greece’s government says it will introduce a bill to ban the sale of spyware following media reports of a state-sponsored phone-tapping scandal that targeted at least 30 people, including politicians and business people.
Government spokesman Giannis Oikonomou says they won’t allow any shadow to remain on issues that poison Greek society adding that a bill will soon be submitted to parliament.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis slammed the accusations as an incredible lie”, adding that the report was unfounded as it presented no evidence that his cabinet was behind the surveillance.
Oikonomou says the Greek state had not used or bought any such spyware and added that judicial authorities would investigate the latest report.
A cybercriminal or cybercrime organization has threatened to leak customer data from Australia’s largest health insurer within 24 hours after the company refused to cooperate with its extortion attempt.
Australia’s Medibank says it was aware of the threat after announcing the previous day it would not pay a ransom for the personal information of almost 10 million current and former customers.
Medibank Chief Executive Officer David Koczkar says they knew the publication of data online by the criminal could be a possibility, but the criminal’s threat is still a distressing development for our customers.
Koczkar urged customers to remain vigilant and warned they could be contacted by the criminal directly.
Two satellites built by Zimbabwean and Ugandan engineers respectively have been launched into space.
Zimbabwe’s satellite, named ZimSat-1 was designed and assembled by three of the country’s scientists who were supported and trained in Japan.
Uganda’s satellite, the PearlAfricaSat-1 was also built by three of its own country’s aerospace engineers with the ambition that Uganda will set up its own command station to manage the satellite within the country.
Once in orbit, both satellites will collect images of the countries from space to help support research into weather forecasting, as well as monitoring border security and disaster prevention.
There is evidence of significant division between countries at the UN climate conference in Egypt about the future role of natural gas.
Several African countries want to exploit the resource at a time when Europe is struggling to find supplies.
The former US vice-president Al Gore told the conference the dash for gas was a bridge to nowhere.
The International Energy Agency says new gas fields are not compatible with global aims to achieve net zero emissions by the middle of this century.
For the first time, the summit is debating whether richer nations should provide financial support to help developing countries combat the effects of climate change.
The UK has downgraded a warning to its citizens against travel to the Nigerian capital, Abuja.
The US had gone further to order the evacuation of its diplomatic staff members.
The travel warnings prompted a strong response from the Nigerian authorities who described the alerts as unnecessary and irresponsible.
The UK High Commission in Nigeria says the travel advisory to British citizens for Abuja has been changed from Amber to Green.
It says the UK government no longer advises against all but essential travel to the city but that some risks remain
It added that the travel warning against all travel to seven other states in Nigeria remains unchanged.
The Federal Government’s expenditure in the first six months of 2022 exceeded revenue by N6.23tn.
The Federal Government recorded N3.2tn and N2.74tn fiscal deficit in the first and second quarters of 2022.
It however exceeded the Federal Government’s fiscal deficit budget of N1.6tn for the period under review.
A breakdown revealed that recurrent expenditure, capital expenditure, and transfers accounted for 81.0 percent, 13.3 percent, and 5.7 percent of total expenditure, respectively.
It noted that the fiscal operations of the Federal Government in the second quarter of 2022 remained aligned with the extant fiscal frameworks, which sought to achieve macroeconomic stability, improve revenue generation, and create fiscal space to boost infrastructural development, among other objectives.
The Pan Niger Delta Forum has urged President Muhammadu Buhari not to cancel the Presidential Amnesty Programme.
The group made the call in an open letter addressed to the President and signed by its leader Edwin Clark and other executives.
The group argued that If the programme is cancelled chaos could descend on the Niger Delta.
PANDEF says Buhari should halt the unilateral delisting of beneficiaries of the Presidential Amnesty Programme and the immediate reinstatement of youths purportedly delisted.”
The Federal Government says train services on the Abuja-Kaduna rail line will resume this November.
The Minister Of Transportation, Mu’azu Sambo says adequate security has been put in place to ensure the safety of passengers but did not give any specific date for the resumption.
Sambo says the ministry has learned enough lessons from the attack in March that led to the suspension of train service on the Abuja-Kaduna route.
The minister also noted that a system has been put in place that will ensure prompt monitoring of movements on the rail tracks.
The House of Representatives is making arrangements for an N170 billion fund for the Academic Staff Union of Universities in the 2023 budget.
Speaker of the House, Femi Gbajabiamila, says the move will provide a level of increment in the welfare package of university lecturers.
He says the efforts were ongoing to find lasting solutions to all the issues raised by ASUU. He stated that the budget included an additional N300 billion revitalization fund to improve the infrastructure and operations of the federal universities.
The Speaker explained that President Muhammadu is interested in looking into the latest issues and concerns raised by the varsity teachers.
He says the decision is based on the government’s legitimate interest in preventing moral hazard and discouraging disruptive industrial actions.
A United States court in Los Angeles, California, sentenced international fraudster, Ramon Olorunwa Abbas popularly known as Hushpuppi to over 135 months over 11 years in federal prison.
The US District Judge Otis D. Wright II ordered the 40-year-old convict to pay $1,732,841 in restitution to two fraud victims.
The judge says Hushpuppi conspired to launder tens of millions of dollars through online scams and flaunted his luxurious, crime-funded lifestyle on social media.
Hushpuppi has remained in US federal custody since his expulsion from the UAE.
United States Attorney Martin Estrada says Abbas bragged on social media about his lavish lifestyle; a lifestyle funded by his involvement in transnational fraud and money laundering conspiracies targeting victims around the world.
The world climate change summit in Egypt is to hear from heads of state and government looking to galvanize global action to tackle climate change.
Richer nations are to outline their programs for reducing carbon emissions.
Poorer countries have welcomed the prospect of a debate on setting up a compensation fund, with the issue included on the agenda for the first time since the United Nations adopted its climate convention.
The UN's new climate change chief, Simon Stiell, says there was still time to limit global warming to less than 1.5 degrees since the start of the industrial era - the target adopted at earlier summits
Elon Musk says he will remove Twitter accounts that impersonate others amid a backlash over the billionaire’s decision to offer the platform’s blue check mark to all users for a monthly fee.
Musk says that any accounts engaging in impersonation would be permanently suspended after some high-profile accounts changed their name to Elon Musk to protest the Tesla CEO’s shake-up of the platform’s verification standards.
Musk tweeted that widespread verification would democratise journalism and give voice to the public.
The Namibian minister of industrialization and trade, Lucia Iipumbu, launched an economic partnership agreement implementation plan at the Southern African Development Community European Union EPA Trade Forum.
She says the EPA Implementation Plan for Namibia which we are also launching is geared towards attaining the objectives of the SADC - EU EPA and ensuring that the potential benefits that can accrue from it are fully utilized by the intended beneficiaries, which include exporters, importers, consumers, and the entire business fraternity.
Lipumbu says the Namibian EPA Implementation Plan was developed with the support of financial assistance from the EU.
She says the Forum will have several interactive engagements and presentations focusing on opportunities for Namibian and EU traders, agriculture and agro-processing, manufacturing, and trade facilitation and logistics.
Kenya's transport minister has made public documents about a massive Kenyan railway project signed with China after years of secrecy.
The $3bn Chinese-funded and operated railway line is Kenya's biggest infrastructure project since independence in 1963 and Its viability has been repeatedly questioned since it was launched.
Minister Kipchumba Murkomen says copies of the agreement had been given to the majority leaders in Kenya's parliament and also shared with the media.
The agreements were signed by the Kenyan government, represented by the national treasury, and the Export and Import Bank of China in 2014.
Tanzania's Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa will on Monday lead mourners in paying their respects at a funeral service for 19 people killed after a passenger plane crashed into Lake Victoria in Tanzania.
The plane crashed on Sunday morning near the shore at the end of the Bukoba airport runway.
The operator Precision Air reporysthat of the 43 people on board, there were 24 survivors.
Human rights lawyer Femi Falana has advised President Muhammadu Buhari to direct public universities to pay members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities their full salaries.
The Federal Government had paid half salaries for October 2022 insisting that the varsity teachers cannot be paid for not working.
The Ministry Of Labour and Employment says they were paid in pro-rata for the number of days that they worked in October, counting from the day that they suspended their industrial action.
Falana, however, says the no work, no pay’ policy does not apply to ASUU members.
The African Development Bank has drawn $31 billion in investment interest from African and global investors.
AfDB President, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, commended the forum’s outcomes and the partners’ commitment.
He says the AIF’s focus was to attract more foreign direct investment to Africa and ensure the private sector remained the driving force of that transformation.
Adesina says the private sector is Africa’s growth accelerator and they must mitigate real and perceived risks and persuade the private sector that investing in Africa is safe.
The Federal Government says Nigeria will require $1.9trn or N834trn to attain net zero by 2060 as part of its support to the global fight against climate change and meeting the country’s Energy Transition Plan.
The Energy Transition Plan says Nigeria would require $1.9trn to get to net zero by 2060, including $410bn above projected usual spending, which translates to about $10bn or N4trn annually over the coming decades.
The Federal Government says Nigeria would raise an initial $10bn support package ahead of the COP27 holding in Egypt, adding that a $23bn investment opportunity had also been identified based on current in-country programs and projected that were directly related to just the energy transition.
Elon Musk says Twitter will charge $8 monthly to Twitter users who want a blue tick by their name indicating a verified account.
Mr. Musk says it was essential to defeat spam/scam as part of changes after a $44bn (£38bn) takeover of the social media site,
A blue tick symbol next to a username - normally for high-profile figures - is currently free.
Critics say the move could make it harder to identify reliable sources.
Mr. Musk, the world's richest person, added that paid users would have priority in replies and searches, and half as many advertisements.
The Bank of England has warned the UK is facing its longest recession since records began, as it raised interest rates by the most in 33 years.
The Bank says the country would face a very challenging two-year slump and unemployment will nearly double.
It lifted UK interest rates to 3% from 2.25%, the biggest jump since 1989.
Interest rates have been rising since last December as the cost of living has accelerated, leaving many UK households facing hardship.
The Bank now believes the economy already entered a "challenging" downturn this summer, which will continue next year and into the first half of 2024 - a possible general election year.
The South Korean air force has said it would extend ongoing joint air drills with the United States after North Korea’s recent provocations.
The force revealed that the joint air drills, the largest ever of such exercises, had become imminent as a result of recent missile testing by North Korea.
The joint air forces have agreed to extend the Vigilant Storm drill that kicked off on October 31 with respect to the North’s recent provocations.
The United States intends to exclude Burkina Faso from a trade deal that gives exporters in Africa tariff-free access to the American market.
President Joe Biden cited Burkina Faso’s lack of progress toward protecting the rule of law and political pluralism for terminating the country as a beneficiary of the African Growth and Opportunity Act.
US trade representative Katherine Tai says that the US was deeply concerned by the unconstitutional changes in government in Burkina Faso.
She asked the government to take necessary actions to meet Agoa’s criteria and return to elective democracy.
World leaders have hailed the deal signed by the two sides in Ethiopia’s civil war ending hostilities in the two-year conflict.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has welcomed the truce and has urged all Ethiopians and the international community to support the bold step taken by the two warring parties.
Mr. Guterres says the agreement is a critical first step towards ending the devastating two-year-old conflict in which the lives and livelihoods of so many Ethiopians have been lost.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken hailed the momentous step and noted that his country would remain closely engaged to support the continued AU-led efforts in the weeks ahead.
Turkey's president says a deal to free up grain exports from Ukraine will consider African countries struggling with supplies.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan says he and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had discussed sending grain to African countries.
Mr. Erdogan says the situation in Djibouti, Somalia, and Sudan is not good at all. If there is a problem in any other less developed countries.
The grain deal was brokered by the UN and Turkey in July, bringing to an end a five-month Russian blockade of Ukrainian ports that trapped millions of tonnes of grain and sunflower oil and sent food prices soaring.
The deal ends on 19 November and those involved still have to agree on extending it.
The warring sides in Ethiopia announced an agreement to silence their guns after two years of devastating conflict that have claimed thousands of lives and left millions needing aid in Africa’s second most populous country.
The surprise deal between Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government and Tigrayan rebels was unveiled after little over a week of negotiations led by the African Union in South Africa and was hailed by the UN and the US among others.
The breakthrough was announced by the African Union’s mediator, former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, almost exactly two years to the day since the war erupted in November 2020.
They also agreed on the restoration of law and order, restoration of services, unhindered access to humanitarian supplies, and protection of civilians among other areas of agreement.
The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management, and Social Development, Sadiya Farouq says that from the assessment carried out so far by the ministry, Bayelsa State is not among the top ten most affected states by the recent floods.
The minister says instead, Jigawa is ranked the number one most-hit state.
The ministry says the criteria used to arrive at the conclusion are based on the following indices: the number of deaths recorded and displaced persons per state, number of injuries, partially damaged, houses totally damaged, and farmlands partially a d totally damaged.
The Senate Committee on Power has summoned Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed, to over N147 billion included in the capital project of the Ministry of Power.
The Chairman of the Committee, Senator Gabriel Suswam, claimed that the committee could not explain how the funds for the multilateral projects in the power sector were being expended.
Suswam says the actual capital budget of the Ministry of power for the 2023 is N44 billion while N147 billion is meant for bilateral and multilateral projects.
A billionaire Russian banker, Oleg Tinkov, has given up his Russian citizenship because of the war in Ukraine and condemned Putin fascism.
Mr Tinkov founded the online Tinkoff Bank, one of Russia's largest lenders, with about 20 million customers.
An independent Russian news source, Sota Vision, tweeted a photo of Mr Tinkov's certificate showing his Russian citizenship terminated, as well as his tirade on Instagram against President Vladimir Putin's Russia.
The banker says it is a shame for to continue to hold this passport.
President Vladimir Putin says Russia is suspending - but not ending - its participation in a deal that allows safe passage to vessels carrying Ukrainian grain exports.
Moscow pulled out of the UN-brokered agreement on Saturday, alleging that Ukraine had used a safety corridor in the Black Sea to attack its fleet.
The UN says there were no ships inside the corridor that night.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says the deal would be honoured and accused Russia of blackmailing the world with hunger.
A US court has blocked a $2.2bn merger between the world's largest book publisher Penguin Random House and it's rival Simon & Schuster.
US District Judge Florence Pan says the deal could substantially lessen competition in the publishing industry.
The US Department of Justice filed a lawsuit to stop the deal last November.
Judge Pan says the court finds that the United States has shown that the effect of the proposed merger may be substantial to lessen competition in the market for the US publishing rights to anticipated top-selling books.
Penguin says that it would appeal against the decision, calling it an unfortunate setback for readers and authors.
The US Securities and Exchange Commission reports that Elon Musk has become Twitter’s sole director after finalizing his $44 billion purchase of the social media site and dissolving its corporate board.
The documents state that the consummation of the Merger occurred on October 27, at which point Mr. Musk became the sole director of Twitter, while the entire board, including CEO Parag Agrawal, was let go.
Musk has reassured advertisers that the site would not become a free-for-all hellscape and announced the formation of a content moderation council.
Kenyan President William Ruto has reaffirmed his government’s commitment to end extra-judicial killings in the country, by ordering a police watchdog to draw up plans for reforms with civilian oversight.
Reports say the move followed an investigation into the disappearance of two Indian nationals and their local driver in July.
Kenyan police were in the spotlight this past week over the killing of Pakistani journalist Ashrad Sharif in what they claim was a case of mistaken identity.
Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo has sought to reassure the country his government can manage an economic crisis as it negotiates a loan agreement with the International Monetary Fund.
Ghana is seeking a $3 billion credit as the country faces 35 percent inflation, a sharp fall in the cedi currency and high debt service payments.
The president said the IMF deal would not mean any so-called hair-cuts to trim the value of the country’s debt, which would mean bondholders would lose money.
He says the government would review import standards and support farmers in a bid to reduce reliance on now more costly imported goods.
The China Habour Engineering LFTZ Enterprise, a subsidiary of China Habour Engineering Company Limited that is the engineering, procurement, and construction contractor for the $1.5 billion Lekki Deep Sea Port, has announced the completion of the construction of the port.
The Vice President of CHEC, Mr. Wu Di, disclosed that the construction of the port officially started on June 15, 2020, and was completed on Monday, October 24, 2022.
Di revealed that the total contract value of the EPC for the project’s first phase was $581 million.
He added that the completion of the construction would pave the way for the container terminal operator, the Lekki Free Port Terminal, a subsidiary of the CMA/CGM group, to take over the Port in readiness for the start of port operations.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Geoffrey Onyeama, says Nigeria is working with foreign partners to achieve greater synergy through constructive rather than alarmist dialogue.
This comes on the heels of several foreign missions issuing alerts to their citizens, including warning of possible terror attacks in Abuja, providing emergency services for their citizens in Nigeria, and approving the evacuation of embassy staff.
Onyeama, in conjunction with the National Security Adviser, and the Chief of Defence Staff, noted that there were ongoing efforts to neutralize security threats.
He says there is a foreign dimension to this issue as alerts were obviously issued by foreign countries with missions here in Nigeria.
He says the Federal Government is in full engagement with foreign partners with Nigerian security personnel and agencies fully on top of the situation.
The Federal Government announced that the estimated performance of Nigeria’s domestic gas supply obligation rose by 14.14 percent to 64.8 percent in 2021.
It says this was against the 50.66 percent that was achieved in 2020, noting that efforts were being intensified to further grow the country’s gas supply volumes in 2022.
The Chief Executive of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, Farouk Ahmed, explained that Nigeria’s gas demand requirement also rose marginally by 5.9 percent to 250 million standard cubic feet per day in 2022.
The NMDPRA boss, however, noted that despite the improved performance recorded in 2021, the domestic gas market had continued to experience significant challenges.
South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo has promised a thorough investigation into the Halloween crush over the weekend that killed more than 150 people in the capital and plunged the country into mourning.
Officials say the death toll had risen to 154, with 149 people injured, 33 of them in serious condition.
Tens of thousands of people crowded into the narrow streets and alleyways of Seoul’s popular Itaewon district on Saturday for the first major Halloween festivities since the COVID-19 pandemic struck three years ago.
Many of the victims were in their teens and dressed in Halloween costumes.
Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo says his country is experiencing its worst economic crisis.
The Ghana cedi has depreciated by over 50% this year and is listed as the world’s worst-performing currency against the US dollar.
Mr. Akufo-Addo blamed speculation and illegal forex traders for the depreciation, adding that the central bank would clamp down on perpetrators.
The president says the government would maintain a 30% cut in the salaries of the president, vice president, ministers, and other government appointees.
The president assured investors in government treasury bills and other financial instruments that they would not lose their money because of the deal - amid concerns that a possible debt-restructuring agreement could affect the investors.
The African Union has called for an immediate cessation of fighting in the Democratic Republic of Congo where rebels have been advancing towards a provincial capital in the east of the country.
DR Congo has expelled the Rwandan ambassador, accusing Kigali of supporting the M23 rebels who are now threatening the city of Goma.
It follows the take-over by the rebels of a key transit town in the east of the country.
Rwanda has repeatedly denied the allegation that it supports the rebels.
The town of Kiwandja fell to rebel hands on Saturday, potentially cutting off the regional capital, Goma, from the north of mineral-rich North Kivu province.
The AU has urged all the parties to engage in a constructive dialogue and is calling them to peace talks in Kenya next month.
South Africa's tourism minister says President Cyril Ramaphosa should step aside in line with the ruling party’s rule about members linked to corruption scandals.
President Ramaphosa is embroiled in a corruption scandal dubbed farmgate.
It is about an alleged cover-up of a robbery that took place at his private farm, Phala Phala, back in February 2020.
Lindiwe Sisulu says she intended to put the scandal on the agenda of the ANC's top-organ meeting.
She says there needed to be a discussion on President Ramaphosa's fate and the application of the step-aside rule.
The Federal Government says the carbon market is a new and innovative climate change solution that will create, over the period of an energy transition, millions of new jobs in Nigeria.
Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, is a member of the recently formed international Steering Committee for the Africa Carbon Markets Initiative which is aimed at facilitating the emergence and growth of the market in Africa.
It further stated that other members of the committee, which would be announced at the COP27 meeting in Egypt, are former President of Colombia, Ivan Duque Marquez; President of the African Development Bank, Akinwumi Adesina, among others, including officials of the United Nations, USAID, Gates Foundation, and other international private sector players.
The International Monetary Fund has advised Nigeria to be careful in its plan to redesign and replace the naira.
The Central Bank of Nigeria says the move will help the bank fight money laundering and insecurity.
The governor of the bank, Godwin Emefiele, says the plan would allow the bank to mop up N2.73 trillion out of the N3.23 trillion currency in circulation that is outside the vaults of commercial banks.
A former deputy governor of the CBN, Kingsley Moghalu, says the duration allowed by the bank is short and could create huge operational pressure on banks and some traders may prematurely reject the existing currency notes once the new ones come into circulation.
President Muhammadu Buhari says he is fully in support of the Central Bank of Nigeria's move to redesign the naira notes.
The CBN had last week said it will redesign the N1,000, N500 and N200 notes, effective December 1, a development that has elicited mixed reactions.
President Buhari says reasons given to him by the CBN convinced him that the economy stood to benefit from the reduction in inflation, currency counterfeiting, and the excess cash in circulation.
He says he did not consider the period of three months for the change to the new notes as being short.
The Northern Elders Forum has called on Nigerians to question presidential candidates on how they intend to tackle the country’s challenges if elected.
The spokesman of NEF Baba Hakeem-Ahmed says Nigerians need to press their candidate and find out who among these people should be trusted.
He says the recent town hall meeting the group organised was to give the candidates a platform to tell the northern region and Nigerians what they have in store if elected in the 2023 poll.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is being urged to raise UK defense spending by a key eastern European ally.
Estonia, which borders Russia, has hosted British troops on rotation for years.
Foreign minister Urmas Reinsalu says it was vital all Nato countries spend 3% of gross domestic product on defence.
The new prime minister has previously described such targets as "arbitrary".
He however says he believed in investing in our armed forces" during his campaign to be Tory leader over the summer.
Germany's coalition government has agreed on a plan to legalize recreational cannabis use among adults.
Possession of up to 30g for personal use would be allowed. Licensed shops and pharmacies would sell it.
The plan has yet to be approved in parliament - but also receive the green light by the European Commission. Health Minister Karl Lauterbach said the plan could become law in 2024.
The German plan would also allow home cultivation of three cannabis plants per adult.
South Africa has appeared to downplay a warning by the US embassy of a possible threat of a terrorist attack over the weekend in the commercial hub, Johannesburg.
The US embassy advised its staff to avoid crowds of people and other large public gatherings in the greater Sandton area of Johannesburg”.
The South African presidency noted the US’s terror alert was part of the US government’s standard communication to its citizens.
The presidency says it was the responsibility of the South African security forces to ensure security and safety for all people in the country.
It says law enforcement agencies were monitoring any threats to the citizens and the nation.
Kenya's new 22-member cabinet is set to swear a day after they were approved by parliament.
President William Ruto has retained one minister from his predecessor's cabinet as an adviser on national security and introduced the position of a prime cabinet secretary.
Former head of the central bank, Njuguna Ndung’u, will be the new treasury secretary, while former parliament speaker, Justin Muturi, will be the new attorney general.
The president rewarded his political allies with cabinet appointments. The new cabinet's immediate focus will be to tackle the rising cost of living and the food crisis caused by failed rains.
Lawmakers from Ghana's governing party have suspended their push for Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta to be removed from office until a relief package is negotiated with the International Monetary Fund.
Ghana is facing its worst economic crisis in years. Its currency has lost 52% of its value against the US dollar since the beginning of the year and annual inflation has climbed to 37%.
The ruling New Patriotic Party said that President Nana Akufo-Addo told them their demands would be acted upon after the 2023 budget reading and culmination of ongoing IMF support talks.
A section of legislators demanded the immediate sacking of the finance minister and his deputy over the state of the economy and the depreciating cedi - the local currency.
The Federal Executive Council has approved the sum of N17.4 billion for the provision of broadband infrastructure for micro, small and medium enterprises as well as tertiary and higher learning institutions across the six geo-political zones.
This will come in the form of a supply of IT communications equipment and furniture for communication centers in the nation’s six geo-political zones by the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed added that N660.422 million was also approved for the procurement of operational vehicles for the Federal Road Safety Corps.
The Federal High Court presided by Justice Evelyn Anyadike has ordered the Federal Government to restore Nnamdi Kanu to his status quo before 19th June 2021.
She also ordered the government to pay N500m as damages to him. In Wednesday’s ruling on fundamental human rights and extraordinary rendition of the leader of the proscribed Indigenous Peoples of Biafra.
The Court in its further rulings issued an injunction restraining the Attorney General of the Federation Abubakar Malami from prosecuting Kanu consequent upon his extraordinary rendition.
Kanu had in March this year filed a suit through his special counsel Aloy Ejimakor to enforce his fundamental rights stemming from what Ejimakor had termed his extraordinary rendition from Kenya in June last year.
The Central Bank of Nigeria says it will redesign the N200, N500, and N1,000 notes.
CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, disclosed this during a special press briefing in Abuja. The new design and issues will be effective from December 15, 2022.
The CBN boss says the action was taken in order to take control of the currency in circulation,
Emefiele stated that the apex bank has secured the approval of President Muhammadu Buhari to roll out new notes to replace the existing currency in circulation.
President Muhammadu Buhari, in Seoul, invited top Korean business executives to increase their investments in Nigeria, while his regime would continue to make determined efforts to improve the enabling domestic environment for businesses to flourish.
The President noted that Nigeria remains committed to creating a stable and enabling business environment for foreign investors through the formulation of sound economic policies and improved governance, adding that the security forces have been working assiduously with local communities to ensure the security of lives and properties of Nigerians and foreign investors.
Mr. Yoon Suk-Yeol at the Presidential Palace on the sidelines of the First World Bio Summit, the President called for expansion from the long-term gas contract to other areas
Rishi Sunak will become the United Kingdom’s new prime minister after winning the ruling Conservative Party’s leadership contest, which was triggered by the resignation of Liz Truss last week.
Sunak’s win came days after Truss’s resignation after her disastrous tax cuts plans and policy U-turns plunged the markets into chaos. The unprecedented economic crisis drew a rare intervention from the Bank of England.
He says the whole list of tax cuts and ideas that frankly, according to Sunak and others, belongs to Disneyland because none of it was going to be really possible without crashing the economy more.
Western countries have accused Russia of plotting to use a threat of a dirty bomb laced with nuclear material as a pretext for escalation in Ukraine as Moscow evacuated civilians from a southern city in anticipation of a major battle.
With Ukrainian forces advancing into Russian-occupied Kherson province, top Russian officials phoned their Western counterparts on Sunday and Monday to tell them Moscow suspected Kyiv of planning to use a so-called dirty bomb.
The foreign ministers of France, the United Kingdom, and the United States said they had all rejected the allegations and reaffirmed their support for Ukraine against Russia.
British Chief of Defence Staff Tony Radakin again rejected Russia’s allegations in a call with Russian Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov.
Two Chinese nationals have been charged with paying thousands of dollars in cash and jewelry to obstruct a federal investigation into a major telecommunications company.
According to prosecutors, the two men attempted to recruit a US law enforcement official as an intelligence asset to help interfere with the probe.
The official, however, was working as a double agent for the FBI.
Eleven other Chinese citizens were also charged in two other spying cases.
The Sudanese military authorities have set up a committee to investigate recent violence in the southern Blue Nile state, where nearly 200 people were killed and thousands displaced.
The killings followed fighting between the Hausa and other local tribes, which escalated last week.
Military spokesperson Col Nabil Abdullah says the committee formed will investigate and evaluate the security situation.
The authorities have also set up a new military command for the Blue Nile state in an effort to contain the ethnic conflict.
Nigeria's Economic and Financial Crimes Commission says a federal high court has ordered the final seizure of properties owned by former petroleum resources minister Diezani Alison-Madueke.
This is the latest court ruling related to corruption allegations against her - charges she denies.
Ms. Alison-Madueke served as Nigeria's petroleum minister between 2010 and 2015 and was a key figure in the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan.
The assets being seized include houses and cars worth $3m.
Nigeria’s total external debt has risen from $10.32bn on June 30, 2015, to $40.06bn as of June 30, 2022.
A breakdown shows that in 2015, 36 states had $3.27bn external debt while the Federal Government had $7.05bn.
The debts included loans from multilateral sources such as the World Bank, the African Development bank, and the International Monetary Fund.
They also included bilateral loans from China, France, Japan, Germany, and India, as well as commercial sources including Eurobonds and Diaspora bonds.
The International Monetary Fund recently said that the long-term rate of the depreciation of the naira equated to a loss of 10.6 percent of its value annually since 1973.
The Federal Government has dismissed threats by foreign airlines to suspend operations in Nigeria over their inability to repatriate their blocked forex from the country.
The Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, says that Nigeria would fare better if foreign airlines boycott the country, as the government has developed the capacity to face the challenges.
Speaker of the House, Femi Gbajabiamila, had called the roundtable over threats by Emirates Airline and British Airways to suspend their operations in Nigeria.
The Minister says Nigeria under President Buhari has shown the capacity and audacity to stand up in difficult moments to do the right thing to help the country.
The Islamic Development Bank has sanctioned $1.8bn to finance several key projects in the country.
The President of the Saudi-based bank, Dr. Mohamed Jasser, says the Islamic Development Bank has approved a total financing of $1.8bn for Nigeria.
This includes $971m in project financing and $288m provided by our private sector affiliate and $477m in trade operation by our trade arm, International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation, and $90m by other Islamic Development Bank Group funds and operations.
Jasser disclosed that the Islamic Development Bank’s portfolio in Nigeria stood at $1.2bn, noting that the bank had completed 35 percent of those projects and looked forward to strengthening the bilateral and regional initiatives with Nigeria.
He says the bank’s portfolio covered 15 states of the federation, commending the Federal Government for its economic diversification initiatives.
Indian authorities have fined Google 13bn rupees for using its Android platform to dominate the market.
The country's competition regulator has accused the tech giant of entering into one-sided agreements with smartphone makers to ensure the dominance of its apps.
The Competition Commission of India says that Google was abusing the licensing of its Android operating system for a range of smartphones, web searches, browsing, and video hosting services.
It says that Google was entering into forced agreements with players in the space to ensure that its bouquet of apps - such as Google Chrome, YouTube, Google Maps, and others - were used.
Rishi Sunak has confirmed he will join the contest to replace Liz Truss as British prime minister and Conservative Party leader after economic turmoil forced Truss to resign after serving just 44 days in office.
Truss became the shortest-serving prime minister in the UK’s history after she resigned on Thursday following her disastrous tax cuts plans and policy U-turns plunged the markets into chaos, with the pound plunging to its lowest value.
The unprecedented economic crisis drew a rare intervention from the Bank of England.
The market turmoil forced Truss to sack her then-Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng and replace him with Jeremy Hunt who swiftly scrapped all of Kwarteng’s economic agenda.
Britain’s Boris Johnson dramatically ended an audacious bid to return to power within weeks of having been ousted, announcing he would not run to replace outgoing leader Liz Truss.
The surprise decision, which the ex-leader says he had reached reluctantly after recognizing he would not lead a united party in parliament, removes a major obstacle to his political foe, former finance minister Rishi Sunak, becoming prime minister.
Johnson says he had reached out to both Sunak and cabinet member Penny Mordaunt to come together in the national interest.
Authorities in the United Arab Emirates have announced a visa ban slapped on Ugandans and 20 other nationalities seeking to visit Dubai with immediate effect.
Other countries affected by the visa ban include Ghana, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Cameroon, Nigeria, Liberia, Burundi, Republic of Guinea, Gambia, Togo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Senegal, Benin, Ivory Coast, Congo, Rwanda, Burkina Faso, Guinea Bissau, Comoros, and the Dominican Republic.
In a notice issued to trade partners including travel agents, authorities indicated that all applications should be rejected.
The development is the latest development in efforts by UAE while tighten the noose for foreigners into the country.
President William Ruto has urged Kenyans to pay taxes to enable the government to fulfill its mandate for Kenya to be an independent nation.
The Head of State stated that will be the viable solution to steer development in the country without huge reliance on foreign debts.
President Ruto mentioned that his regime is working to solve the huge debt crisis due to the ballooning debt in the country which now stands at Sh8.2 trillion.
He revealed that the government is focused on financing development projects using taxes pointing out that the government is currently paying more than Sh1 trillion to service the huge loans currently.
Uganda and Tanzania are set to begin work on a massive crude oil pipeline a year after the International Energy Agency warned that the world risked not meeting its climate goals if new fossil fuel projects were not stopped.
The two East African countries say their priority is economic development.
Some of the inhabitants of the Chongoleani peninsula, some 18km north of Tanzania's port city of Tanga, sold their land for compensation two years ago, after the government signed a deal to construct a pipeline to transport crude oil from the shores of Lake Albert in western Uganda
Four Kenyan policemen accused of being behind a spate of murders, abductions, and torture across the country are set to go on trial on Monday in the capital, Nairobi.
They were part of an elite squad that was disbanded by President William Ruto for allegedly carrying out extrajudicial killings and disappearances of suspects over several years.
Human Rights groups say their independent investigations have linked the squad and other police units to the death of more than 600 people over the past four years.
Some of the bodies were later recovered in rivers in western and northern Kenya.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has addressed the nation detailing the steps his government will be taking in implementing a commission's report on state capture.
The six-part report sought to uncover corruption, fraud, and the weakening of state institutions under the administration of former president Jacob Zuma.
President Ramaphosa accepted the findings by the commission of inquiry led by Judge Raymond Zondo that state capture did happen.
He announced that the commission made over 300 recommendations, some of which the government was responding to ranging from criminal prosecutions of accused persons, legislative changes, as well the establishment of an anti-corruption commission.
Mr. Ramaphosa says the stolen money robbed South Africans of their future.
The Federal Government through the Nigerian Communications Commission is set to make at least $1.09bn from the sale of four 5G spectrums.
The NCC revealed in a new Information Memorandum on the 3.5 GHz Spectrum Auction that it has set the reserve price for two more 5G spectrum licenses at $273.60m a piece.
It says the reserve price is the minimum price for one Lot of 100MHz TDD for a 10-year license tenure fixed at $273.60m or its equivalent in Naira at the prevailing Central Bank of Nigeria rates at the time of the auction.
The final cost of the available spectrum is expected to rise during the actual auction. The NCC set the reserve price for the 5G licenses that MTN and Mafab won at $197.4m, but they eventually paid $273.60m each for their licenses.
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited says the Federal Government has stepped up its probe into the massive crude oil theft in the Niger Delta, as all those found guilty are going to face prosecution.
It says the oil company was also working with security agencies and the private firm contracted to carry out pipeline surveillance in the oil-rich region.
The former leader of the militant group, Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta, told journalists recently in Delta State that a 4km illegal oil pipeline was discovered in the Forcados area of the state.
The Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, NNPC Limited, Garba-Deen Muhammad, said culprits would be prosecuted.
The pound rose against the dollar and government borrowing costs dipped as investors reacted to Prime Minister Liz Truss's resignation.
One analyst says the reaction suggested investors were "relieved" by the news, despite a lot of uncertainty remaining.
Business groups said the new prime minister would have to act quickly to restore confidence.
Government borrowing costs rose sharply last month after the government promised huge tax cuts in its mini-budget without saying how it would pay for them.
Mr. Hunt is due to announce plans for spending and tax on 31 October in his economic plan, which the Treasury confirmed was set to go ahead.
Supply shortages, logistics bottlenecks, and rising costs are hitting Tesla as it rapidly ramps up the production of its electric cars.
Tesla in a financial update for investors says while the problems have improved in recent months, they remain immediate challenges, Revenue was lower than expected in the three months ending in September, as car sales fell short of expectations.
But at $21.45bn (£19.12bn), it remained more than 50% higher than a year ago.
The United Kingdom Prime Minister, Liz Truss reportedly stepped down from her role. Her resignation was coming barely two months after coming into office.
Truss, who spend 45 days in office, said she would step down after a week-long emergency contest to find her successor She announced her decision to step down on Thursday outside Downing Street.
The embattled British PM had earlier acknowledged a difficult day after a key minister resigned and MPs rebelled.
More than a dozen Conservative MPs have publicly urged Truss to resign just six weeks into office after her tax-cutting plans caused a market meltdown during an already severe cost-of-living crisis.
The Ethiopian prime minister's national security adviser, Redwan Hussien The African Union has announced a new date for peace talks between Ethiopia’s warring factions that will be held in South Africa.
Mr. Hussien says the talks with the Tigray People's Liberation Front will now be held on 24 October and confirmed the government's participation.
The TPLF has not commented on the new date but had previously welcomed peace talks with the government.
Fighting continues in the two-year-long civil war with government soldiers this week seizing three towns in the northern Tigray region from the rebels
Madagascar's president has sacked the country's foreign minister because he voted in favor of a UN resolution condemning Russian referendums to annex parts of Ukraine's territory
State TV channel TVM reports that Richard Randriamandrato pressed ahead with the vote without talking to the rest of the government.
There were 142 other countries that also voted in favour of the resolution to condemn Russia over the referendums which were viewed as a sham by much of the international community.
Until now Madagascar has taken a neutral position on the Ukraine war, as have several other African countries.
The head of the African Union, Moussa Faki Mahamat, has condemned violent clashes which have erupted in Chad between police and protesters in the capital city, as we reported earlier.
The AU's chair of the commission, Mr. Mahamat called on the parties to respect human lives and property and to favor peaceful ways to overcome the crisis. People are demonstrating against Chad's transitional military government and calling for a return to civilian rule.
The Federal Government has asked telecommunication companies to reverse their recent 10 percent hike in calls and data prices.
This decision means that telcos like MTN Nigeria and Airtel, who had initially increased the prices of their data bundles by about 10 percent, will now need to revert to their old prices.
The Nigerian Communications Commission stated that its decision to allow telcos such as MTN Nigeria and Airtel to review the prices of some of their tariffs was taken after it critically and realistically reviewed and analyzed the operational environment and the current business climate in the nation.
The NCC says that even though the tariff adjustment was provisionally approved by its Management, its Board has now overturned it.
The Federal Government, through the Minister of Water Resources, Mr. Suleiman Adamu, says that the Lagdo Dam in Cameroon was not responsible for the flooding that has devastated parts of Nigeria.
The minister attributed the flood to water flowing from tributaries of the River Benue like the River Katsina-Ala and others into the River Benue due to downpours.
Senator Adamu Aliero raised the issue of floods in the country during the ministry’s budget defense and what efforts the ministry was making about it set the stage for the disagreement mistake
The Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, has described the global energy transition as an opportunity for the preservation of the earth and a vehicle for unlocking the development potential and livelihoods of millions of people, especially those in developing countries.
He, however, noted that the transition has to be fair and sensitive to the peculiarities and priorities of Africa
He noted that to ensure a global energy transition that is favorable to us, African nations need to engage more critically and vocally on this matter.
The United States has pledged $1 million in immediate humanitarian assistance to support the people affected by unprecedented flooding in Nigeria.
The support which will come through the U.S. Agency for International Development, provides emergency shelter assistance, relief commodities, and hygiene kits to promote safe and healthy practices amid the ongoing cholera outbreak, and multipurpose cash assistance for people impacted by the devastating floods.
The U.S ambassador to Nigeria, Mary Leonard, stated the country regrets the effects of the unusual rainfall and will not renege on its obligation of providing humanitarian assistance across flood-ravaged areas.
Australia says it will no longer recognise West Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, reversing a decision taken by the government of former Prime Minister Scott Morrison in 2018.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong says the Government has reaffirmed Australia’s previous and longstanding position that Jerusalem is a final status issue that should be resolved as part of any peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian people.
Wong reiterated that Australia’s embassy would remain in Tel Aviv and that Canberra was committed to a two-state solution in which Israel and a future Palestinian state coexist, in peace and security, within internationally recognised borders.
China has delayed the release of its latest economic growth figures, which were due to be published as the Communist Party's leadership gathers.
President Xi Jinping is expected to be confirmed for a historic third term at this week's party congress in Beijing.
The decision has been described as very rare by experts and is seen by some as a sign of further weakness in the world's second-largest economy.
Zhao Chenxin, deputy head of China's National Development and Reform Commission, however, says that the country's economy had picked up significantly in the third quarter.
France braced for nationwide transport strike action as the government and unions remained in deadlock over walkouts at oil depots that have sparked fuel shortages.
Leading unions have called for strikes in their biggest challenge yet to President Emmanuel Macron since he won a new presidential term in May.
The move comes after workers at several refineries and depots operated by energy giant TotalEnergies voted to extend their strike action, defying the government which has begun to force staff back on the job.
Motorists scrambled to fill tanks as the fuel strike, which has lasted for nearly three weeks, cripples supplies at just over 30 per cent of France’s service stations.
The government, increasingly impatient with the striking workers, said it was forcing key staff back to work.
An online media company and 12 other activists have filed a legal challenge against a new Ugandan law, which punishes anybody who shares unsolicited or misleading information on social media with a hefty fine, jail time and barring from public office.
President Yoweri Museveni signed into law the Computer Misuse Amendment Act last week, but the head of Alternative DigiTalk says the law is illegal, unconstitutional and violates fundamental human rights.
Rights group Amnesty International has said the law is designed to deliberately target critics of the government and will be used to silence dissent and prevent people from speaking out.
The supporters of the new law however say it will help to stop online abuse and protect the right to privacy.
The US has blacklisted several individuals in Somalia accused of giving the Islamist al-Shabab group financial and other material assistance.
Washington says they are part of a network that has engaged in smuggling weapons from local and foreign sources.
This comes a day after the Somali authorities warned businesses in the capital, Mogadishu, against paying taxes to the al-Qaeda affiliate.
Al-Shabab frequently extorts businesses in Mogadishu raising tens of millions of dollars for their militant activities in Somalia and neighbouring countries.
President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has declared an all-out war against al Shabab and sought international support to defeat the militants.
South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa has withdrawn controversial perks for cabinet ministers and their deputies that saw their homes supplied with free electricity and water.
The benefits caused a public outcry as they were considered insensitive at a time South Africans are struggling with daily power cuts and rising costs of living.
A spokesman says the president acknowledges and appreciates the public sentiments on the matter.
He says the intention was to try and find some form of balance between what ministers could afford versus some of the costs that they have.
Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni says he plans to invite French President Emmanuel Macron for talks on how to resolve the conflict in the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo.
President Museveni says he would like really to sit down with Mr Macron and talk strategically.
DR Congo is battling rebel activity in large swathes of its eastern region. One of the main armed groups there, the M23, has recently made gains against the army to occupy a strategic border town and areas around it in North Kivu province.
President Muhammadu Buhari has reiterated that the goal to increase electricity generation to 25,000 Megawatts in six years is on course.
He says the plan, through the partnership between the Federal Government of Nigeria and German Siemens, is on course as the first batch of the transformers has arrived in Nigeria already.
He says they are also executing a number of critical projects through the Transmission Rehabilitation and Expansion Programme, which will result in achieving the national goal of improved power supply by 2025.
The leadership of the House of Representatives intervened in the ongoing dispute between Nigeria and foreign airlines over the controversial trapped funds belonging to the airlines.
The AON made a strong case for the protection of the interests of Nigerian airlines in foreign countries, especially the issue of reciprocity in the number of flight slots allocated to Nigerian operators in other countries, compared to the high number of foreign airlines enjoy in Nigeria.
The meeting also discussed the disparity in ticket prices charged by the foreign airlines in Nigeria and other countries, with Nigerians paying higher even when the distance between Nigeria and the foreign country of destination is shorter when compared to the distance from other African countries.
Nigeria’s inflation rate has surged for the eighth consecutive month, hitting a fresh 17-year-high amid rising food and energy costs, and the continued depreciation of the naira.
The National Bureau of Statistics says inflation rose to 20.77 per cent in September from 20.52 per cent recorded in August, the highest since 2005.
Food inflation rose 23.34 per cent year-on-year compared with 23.1 per cent in August, while core inflation increased to 17.6 per cent in September from 17.2 per cent in August.
The Bank of Industry has assured its customers in the Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises segment of the economy of more financing to grow their businesses.
The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the bank, Mr. Olukayode Pitan, described the theme as apt, considering the pivotal role SMEs play as the engine room of the global economy.
He noted that the bank remained committed to supporting the funding needs of its customers and assured them of sustained intervention with the successful completion of the €1bn guaranteed facility.
He explained that the facility, like previous ones, would be utilized to provide the much-needed medium to long-term Nigerian MSMEs and large enterprises with transactions at affordable naira interest rates.
Kenya's President William Ruto has disbanded an elite police unit that has allegedly been linked to extrajudicial killings in the country in recent years.
The president says the move was part of efforts to overhaul the country's security sector.
Kenya's Daily Nation newspaper says an investigation report on the disappearance of two Indian nationals and their local taxi driver precipitated the disbandment of the unit.
The Newspaper earlier reported that at least 19 unclaimed bodies had been retrieved over the past two years from the Yala river in different stages of decomposition.
Human rights organizations however have documented many cases of killings directly attributed to police officers.
The Dangote Cement Plant located in Obajana, Kogi State, has been reopened after being closed by the Kogi State Government over issues bordering on the legality of the company’s acquisition of the defunct Obajana Cement Company.
The Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, says that an agreement had been reached between the Dangote Group and the Kogi State Government on the need to reopen the factory while urging both parties to respect the agreement.
The reopening of the plant came after a 10-day disagreement by both parties over the legality of the acquisition of the cement plant.
The Commissioner of Information, Kingsley Fanwo, the Kogi State Government had maintained that the acquisition of the cement plant by Africa’s richest man did not follow due process.
Humanitarian rights lawyer Femi Falana has called for the sack of the Chief of Defence Staff General Lucky Irabor over the destruction of an illegal oil bunkering vessel.
A private pipeline surveillance team Tanita Security Services led by a former militant leader Government Ekpemupolo better known as Tompolo arrested a vessel used for crude oil theft off the creeks of the Niger Delta.
The vessel was later set ablaze by the Nigerian Navy with Irabor defending the move, saying there was no need for investigation.
Falana however says the burning of the vessel is illegal as he accused the military of cover-up.
The Academic Staff Union of Universities says it called off its eight-month strike due to a court order and appeals from Nigerians.
A court of appeal had ordered the striking lecturers to return to class after the National Industrial Court ruled against the union in a case brought to it by the Federal government. Days after the appeal court judgment, ASUU called off the strike and ordered members to resume lectures.
The union’s National President, Emmanuel Osodeke, however, says the decision was not because issues brought by the lecturers were fully addressed.
Elder statesman Edwin Clark has called on the Federal Government to act fast to avert disasters in the Niger Delta following flooding in the region.
Clark decried the flooding which has displaced thousands of people in the region and other parts of Nigeria.
He accused the Federal Government of being nonchalant over the issue, calling on the humanitarian ministry and other agencies to urgently deplore relief materials to the areas.
He noted that there is starvation on the land, no water for the people to drink, the State is cut off from all sources that supply food to her, and even the electricity supply, has been cut off.
Tigray's rebel forces in the northern Ethiopia region have called on the international community to enforce an immediate ceasefire between them and the Ethiopian government or help them defend themselves, the group said in a statement on Twitter.
The Tigray People's Liberation Front called on the international community to compel the Eritrean army to withdraw from Tigray and press the Ethiopian government to come to the negotiating table.
The TPLF say it was ready to respect an immediate cessation of hostilities if the Ethiopian government was compelled to negotiate for peace.
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt is to fast-track many billions of pounds worth of tax and spending measures from his debt plan, announcing them a fortnight earlier than expected.
The Treasury will outline details of the plans later on Monday.
It is the latest of a series of U-turns on policies announced in the mini-budget.
The move is designed to help reassure jittery markets before they open in London.
The announcement of the £18bn U-turn on corporation tax on Friday and the firing of Kwasi Kwarteng as chancellor did not calm rising UK government borrowing costs.
MTN and Airtel stunned their subscribers with a silent upward review of the cost of their data services, a development industry stakeholders fear may not only trigger similar actions by other telecom firms but could also compel subscribers to port to other operators with affordable tariffs.
Subscribers are calling on the industry regulator, the Nigerian Communications Commission to prevail on MTN and Airtel to reverse their data tariff to the status quo, insisting that the hike will further add to the economic hardship currently being faced by Nigerians and telecom subscribers.
Central Bank of Nigeria has begun an inclusive campaign for grassroots adoption of its digital currency, eNaira.
The bank engaged some commercial drivers in the Federal Capital Territory to educate them on how to use digital currency with a focus on making them ambassadors to drive the adoption campaign to the grassroots.
The apex bank says it is targeting the instalment of a minimum of 10 agent points in Nigeria's 774 local government areas to help in facilitating the visibility and nationwide adoption of the Central bank digital currency.
CBN coordinator, technical working committee on eNaira Hajiya Rekiya Mohammed says the bank was at the park to promote eNaira awareness campaign by intimating commercial drivers of the idea, aim, benefits and use of the eNaira application for the everyday transaction.
The United Nations General Assembly has voted to condemn Russia’s attempted illegal annexation of four partially occupied regions in Ukraine and urged countries not to recognize the move.
Three-quarters of the 193-member General Assembly of 143 countries backed a resolution that also reaffirmed the sovereignty, independence, unity, and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders.
Four countries joined Russia in voting against the resolution – Belarus, Nicaragua, North Korea, and Syria. Another 35 countries abstained from the vote, including China, India, Pakistan and South Africa while the rest did not vote.
BBC reports that British economic policy faced some thinly-veiled criticism by other G7 finance ministers at the crucial meeting of major economies at the IMF.
While the UK was not identified by name, multiple participants at the round table, the debut of UK Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng, raised their concerns about countries making unfunded tax cuts that threatened financial stability, at a delicate time, a clear reference to Britain.
A G7 minister said privately that the concern was really about how the UK had doubled down even after the clear financial stability implication, and that explanations would be sought.
The US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen had already said publicly on the sidelines of the IMF conference that she was "watching UK developments closely.
Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni has directed traditional healers to stop treating people during the ongoing Ebola outbreak that has so far killed 19 people in the country.
The president also directed security officials to arrest people suspected of having contracted the virus if they refuse to go into isolation.
Mr. Museveni says there were currently no confirmed cases of Ebola in Kampala, he warned the public to continue being vigilant, assuring that health workers would bring the outbreak under control.
African health ministers attending a high-level meeting following the Ebola outbreak in Uganda want two regional health bodies to set up an Africa Ebola coordination task force.
They say this would oversee preparedness and response to the current outbreak as well as other epidemics in the continent.
Acting director of the Africa Centres for Disease Control, Ahmed Ogwell, says Africa needs to stop seeking international assistance, as it is on its own during pandemics.
The Africa CDC says the continent is dealing with 11 different public health outbreaks. They are monkeypox, cholera, flooding, influenza, Lassa fever, measles, yellow fever, hepatitis E, and the Crimean - Congo hemorrhagic fever.
The central bank governor Jose De Lima Massano says Angola will keep cutting interest rates as long as inflation is kept low, forecasting that inflation will fall to 16% this year and 9-10% by the end of 2023.
De Lima Massano says they have interest rates in Angola above 20%. So those are too high. And if we have room to keep on reducing them, we’ll do it.
Angola has started to lower interest rates, delivering a rate cut in September for the first time since 2019, by 50 basis points to 19.5%.
The Nigerian Meteorological Agency has warned Nigerians to brace for more flooding.
This comes as Nigerian authorities announced the number of people killed by floods in the country has risen to more than 500, as we reported earlier.
The head of NiMet, Professor Mansur Bako Matazu, says flooding from rainfall may have reached its peak, but the opening of dams and other water-holding facilities would continue to affect many states in northern and south-eastern areas.
He explained that water-associated risks will intensify in the coming years due to climate change.
The International Monetary Fund also warned that floods in some Nigerian states could worsen food insecurity.
The Nigerian government has been urged to save up on oil revenues as fears of a global food shock rise.
The IMF Divisional Chief, Fiscal Affairs Department, Paulo Medas, noted that while Nigeria has benefited from higher oil revenues, they haven't seen an improvement in the deficits as we hoped part because of the large energy subsidies, but also other issues with the production of oil and other pressures on the budget.
Director of the Fiscal Affairs Department at the IMF, Vitor Gaspar, noted that 19 of the 35 low-income countries in Africa are in debt distress as more than 120 million people on the continent do not have enough food to eat.
The oil major says it expects that ongoing essential repairs on the facility would have been completed and begin normal export operations.
SPDC’s Media Relations Manager, Abimbola Essien-Nelson, says in addition to the repairs, they are working to remove and clamp theft points on the onshore pipelines to ensure full crude oil receipt at the terminal.
Essien-Nelson says the active illegal connections to SPDC joint venture’s production lines and facilities in the western Niger Delta as well as the inactive illegal connection to the onshore section of the 48.
The 2023 appropriation bill of N20.5 trillion passed through the second reading in the Senate and the House of Representatives.
The upper chamber referred the bill to its Committee on Appropriation for further legislative action and expressed dissatisfaction over the rise in recurrent expenditure which is up from over 6 trillion nairas this year to over 8 trillion budgeted for next year.
The lawmakers say Nigeria cannot continue to borrow to fund 1 percent of its population. Subsequently, the Senate asked its committee to report back in four weeks.
It adjourned its sitting for the next four weeks to allow its various committees to work on the 2023 budget estimates as well as a budget defense by various ministries, departments, and agencies.
The Federal Executive Council has stated that it has begun engagements with the Ethiopian Government over the controversial subject of a recent visa ban on Nigeria, in order to seek a reversal of the new policy.
The Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika however, noted that the ban does not in any way affect the agreement by the two nations on Nigeria Air.
The council also approved the ratification of International Labour Organisation Convention 181 which seeks to permit the operation of private employment agencies and ensure the protection and right of people are fully respected as well as the adoption of a revised national policy on labor migration which seeks to protect the dignity of migrants workers in the country.
President William Ruto has pledged to increase the trade volume with Tanzania so as to foster strong bilateral ties between the two neighbouring countries.
President Ruto stated that the two nations will be working to double trade from the current Sh90 billion so as ensure the trade and investors benefit from the relations.
Kenya's trade with Tanzania has grown steadily in the past years in the wake of improved relations between the two countries after years of feuds that at one point resulted in retaliatory measures such as trade bans.
The Head of State mentioned that Trade Cabinet Secretaries between the two nations alongside other officials will be having a meeting to iron out fourteen trade barriers that have stifled operations between the two states.
President Ruto outlined that the remaining barriers have locked trade between the two nations in the East Africa region.
The Banco Angolano de Investimentos announced the sale of 972,500 own shares on the Angola Debt and Securities Exchange.
The financial institution says the sale is intended for all interested investors, subject to the terms and limits stipulated by law.
It adds that the operation will be available, from October 24 to December 30, 2022, at Intermediation Agents registered with BODIVA, in the BAI Branch Network and in Internet BAI (browser: Internet Explorer, Edge, Chrome, Safari, among others).
BAI is the first Angolan bank to join the stock exchange, whose share capital stands at Kz 157.545.000,000, fully subscribed and paid up, and represented by 19. 4 billion ordinary, book-entry and nominative shares.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Joe Biden say the two leaders had a productive conversation, in which air defence was top of the agenda.
Now the White House has confirmed President Biden pledged to continue providing Ukraine with the support needed to defend itself, including advanced air defence systems.
Mr Biden also underscored his ongoing engagement with allies and partners "to continue imposing costs on Russia, holding Russia accountable for its war crimes and atrocities, and providing Ukraine with security, economic, and humanitarian assistance.
The UK's Ministry of Defence has given its daily update on the war in Ukraine.
It says the Kremlin's appointment of hard-line General Sergei Surovikin to lead forces in Ukraine is probably an effort to improve the delivery of the operation.
The MoD says however, he may have to contend with an increasingly factional and poorly resourced Russian defence ministry.
It's thought that General Alexandr Dvornikov did hold this role between April and August, although it's not clear how much control he held over the often disparate and competing groupings of forces.
Mexico has filed another lawsuit in the United States against US companies it says are fuelling a surge in homicides and the flow of illegal weapons into the country, the Mexican foreign minister announced.
Foreign Relations Secretary Marcelo Ebrard says the new lawsuit targets five US gun dealers all based in the state of Arizona that have contributed to the widespread availability of weapons in Mexico and the country’s high homicide rate.
The move comes just more than a week after a US judge dismissed a separate $10bn lawsuit Mexico filed last year against 11 US gun manufacturers.
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited along with its partners could take a Final Investment Decision on the $25 billion Nigeria-Morocco gas pipeline in 2023.
The 5,600-kilometer pipeline is meant to supply fuel to Europe, with the NNPC and the Office National des Hydrocarbures et des Mines of Morocco, signing a Memorandum of Understanding on the deal last month.
Group Chief Executive Officer of the NNPC, Mallam Mele Kyari, assured that the project was on course and remains one of the most critical for the company.
Kyari says the project will cost $20-25 billion to build and will be constructed in phases, he anticipates the first segment would take three years to finish and the others five years.
The Financial Times reports that Spain’s Cepsa has signed a deal with the Dutch port of Rotterdam to ship green hydrogen it plans to produce in Andalusia to northern Europe, citing the oil and gas group’s chief executive.
CEO Maarten Wetselaar says Cepsa, which is diversifying into green energy, plans to take advantage of relatively cheap solar energy in Andalusia to power hydrogen production.
Wetselaar says the company would start shipping the hydrogen from Algeciras port as early as 2027 to a hub in Rotterdam, without disclosing the cost of the project.
Officials at Tunisia’s powerful UGTT labour union say the country has only enough petrol to last a week.
Energy Minister Naila Nouira has denied that the fuel shortage is down to the government’s inability to pay for supplies, insisting instead that many motorists are taking more than they need.
She added that a tanker, full of petrol, is now being unloaded which will give the country several more days' supply.
The Presidential Villa plans to spend N14.8bn on Internet access, stationery and telephone charges, among others, under the Federal Government’s planned expenditure captured in the 2023 budget.
In the budget, N67.1m was budgeted for Internet access to the Villa, while stationery and computer consumables would be N79m.
A further breakdown of the budget also showed that N35.9m was allocated for electricity charges, telephone charges and water rates each got N306.2m, N6m and N40.6m respectively.
President Muhammadu Buhari presented to a joint session of the National Assembly a budget proposal of N20.51tn for the 2023 fiscal year.
The budget is about N750bn higher than the N19.76tn earlier proposed in the 2023-2025 Medium Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper.
The United States added 31 Chinese companies, including memory chip maker YMTCYangtze Memory Technologies Co, to a list of firms that U.S. officials could not inspect to verify they can be trusted to responsibly handle sensitive technology exports.
The unverified list is a potential stepping stone to tougher economic blacklists from the Commerce Department.
The World Bank says the target of eradicating extreme poverty by the year 2030 is no longer feasible, arguably the chief driver of the global process has declared.
The bank blamed this on three major developments: the COVID-19 pandemic, the Russia-Ukraine war, and the climate shocks, which it described as the greatest setback in the fight against poverty since World War 2.
This revelation comes as the bank announced that it had raised the extreme poverty line to $2.15, from $1.90, where it has been.
World Bank President, David Malpass, noted that by 2015, global extreme poverty had been reduced by more than half.
He noted, however, that since then, poverty reduction has slowed in tandem with subdued global economic growth.
The Libyan government of National Unity has offered to transport Nigerian gas to Europe through its territory.
Libyan Oil and Gas minister, Mohammed Aoun, says the distance between Nigeria's gas wells and European markets is at least 1,000 kilometers shorter than the two gas pipeline projects passing through Algeria and Morocco, thus reducing the cost of transport and therefore the gas prices.
Libya however faces many challenges to achieving this project; security, financial, technological, and market aspects. It is also working against the clock as Europe aims for carbon neutrality by 2050.
The UK has opened a new licensing round for companies to explore oil and gas in the North Sea.
They say there can be no new projects if there is to be a chance of keeping global temperature rises under 1.5C.
Both the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the global body for climate science, and the International Energy Agency have expressed such a view.
Business Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg says the new exploration will boost energy security and support skilled jobs.
The World Bank says South Sudan cannot receive infrastructure funding from international investors due to a lack of financial policies and transport sector regulations.
The bank has placed conditions to be met before the country begins receiving funding for road infrastructure development.
They said for the bank to support South Sudan’s transport sector, the government needs to put in place clear institutional regulations and financial policies.
Bernard Aritua, a World Bank official told reporters in Juba says these are the things that South Sudan needs to tackle.
The US says Russian mercenaries are exploiting natural resources in the Central African Republic, Mali, and Sudan to fund Moscow's war in Ukraine.
US Ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, says Russia's shadowy Wagner mercenary group was using the ill-gotten gains to fund Moscow’s war machine in Africa, the Middle East, and Ukraine.
She says people across Africa are paying a heavy price for the Wagner Group’s exploitative practices and human rights violations.
The cost of loans in Ghana is set to increase again for the average borrower, following an upward review of the rate at which banks can borrow money from the central bank, otherwise referred to as the policy rate.
The central bank has announced a hike in the policy rate by 250 basis points to 24.5%, from 22% in August, the highest increment since 2017.
The move, according to the central bank, is to curb the rising inflation of nearly 40%.
Inflation in the country is likely to go up significantly in the coming months following recent adjustments in utility tariffs and local currency depreciation.
Ghana is currently negotiating a $3bn IMF bailout program to run for a period of three years.
The World Health Organization says Africa has the highest rate of people dying by suicide in the world.
The agency says Africa is home to six of the 10 countries with the highest suicide rates globally.
The agency added that mental health workers are mostly located in urban areas on the continent.
The WHO Regional Director for Africa, Matshidiso Moeti, says suicide was a major public health problem, although prevention is rarely a priority in national health programs.
Google says that it had already spent over 20 percent of the budget, which covers the establishment of its first cloud region in Africa.
Managing Director, of Google Africa, Nitin Gajria, says Google had last year, committed $1 billion over five years to increase connectivity and invest in companies to accelerate Africa’s digital development, adding that this year, Google is focusing on how it is fulfilling the pledge.
He says other African projects include the connectivity to more people in Africa, with Equiano subsea cable now linked to Togo, Nigeria, Namibia, and South Africa, and operations set to begin by the end of the year.
Gajria says the new Google Cloud region would be established in South Africa, being it's first on the continent.
The Managing Director, and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Export Promotion Council, Ezra Yakusak, says the non-oil sector has contributed over two billion dollars to the Nigerian economy in the first six months of the year 2022.
Mr. Yakusak says the various non-oil products that were exported within the period stood at $2.593b as against the sum of $1.597b in the first six months of the year 2021 representing a 64.23% increase.
He says the 2021 figure was also an increase to the first six months of the year 2020 which was $981.442 million.
He says the uncertainties in the crude oil market have caused serious contractions in government revenue from oil with great consequences.
He says with the customized sacks, Nigeria onions will be easily identified and distinguished from other countries’ products in the global market.
President Muhammadu Buhari presented before the two chambers of the National Assembly, a record N20.51 trillion proposed budget for the 2023 financial year.
The N20.51 trillion budget which is the highest so far in the nation’s history is the last to be presented by the president before his tenure elapses.
The president says this 8th financial blueprint of his administration has tagged the budget of Fiscal Sustainability and transition.
Buhari noted that the 2023 transition budget was designed to address critical issues and lay a solid foundation for the incoming administration.
The president said he believes that based on these fiscal assumptions and parameters, total federally-collectible revenue is estimated at 16.87 trillion Naira in 2023.
He further stated that the total federally distributable revenue is estimated at 11.09 trillion Naira in 2023, while the total revenue available to fund the 2023 Federal Budget is estimated at 9.73 trillion Naira.
The price of Brent, the global benchmark for crude, gained $1.62 by rising to $93.4/barrel as oil producers agreed on a major production cut.
Members of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries and their Russia-led allies agreed on a major cut in oil production a move to prop up prices that could bolster sanction-hit Moscow’s coffers and irk Washington.
AFP reported that the 13-nation OPEC cartel and its 10 Russian-led allies agreed to reduce two million barrels per day from November at a meeting in Vienna,
Both sides in the two-year-long civil war in northern Ethiopia have now agreed to attend peace talks this weekend in South Africa. following an invitation by the African Union.
Tigrayan rebels confirmed they would take part after the Addis Ababa government confirmed its participation earlier.
The Tigray rebels have however raised some questions about the invited participants, observers, guarantors and the role of the international community.
The Indian health ministry says it has launched an investigation after the World Health Organization said cough syrups made in India were linked to 66 child deaths in The Gambia.
The WHO says the medicines contain dangerous substances that can cause kidney damage, and should be withdrawn immediately.
The Indian government says it has asked the WHO to share its evidence of the link between the syrups and the deaths of the children.
The manufacturer, Maiden Pharmaceuticals, says it is trying to find out from its buyer in The Gambia details about what happened.
Kenya's telecom giant Safaricom has launched its network in Ethiopia, becoming the first private operator in one of Africa's biggest markets.
Safaricom switched on its network and services in the capital Addis Ababa following network pilots in 10 cities.
Safaricom leads a consortium which includes South Africa’s Vodacom and the UK's Vodafone.
Its entry into the Ethiopian market comes after Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed took power in 2018 with a promise to liberalise the economy.
President Muhammadu Buhari will present the proposed N19.76 trillion budget for the 2023 fiscal year to the National Assembly.
Presidential aide Femi Adesina says it was virtually one item in the Federal Executive Council meeting. The budget proposal for 2023 was presented and discussed at length.
He explained that the budget proposal would be taken to the National Assembly on Friday morning by the President.
Adesina, says the hybrid FEC sessions (in-person and online participants), was in line with the country’s COVID-19 guidelines.
The Director of Google Cloud Africa, Niral Patel, says Google has spent well above $200m in Nigeria and across Africa in the last year.
The company’s Chief Executive Officer, Sundar Pichai, stated he couldn’t disclose the exact amount the company had invested and said Google had invested well over 20 percent of its commitment on the continent.
At this year’s event, the firm revealed that its subsea cable, Equiano, would launch before the end of 2022.
President Muhammadu Buhari has welcomed the safe release of 23 train passengers held hostage by gunmen since March.
Officials say the victims, who were found in terrible conditions, were being checked by doctors at a military hospital.
The military announced that a committee it set up had secured the release of the hostages, but gave no details.
The secretary of the committee, Prof Umar Yusuf, told the BBC that no ransom was paid and there was no use of military force.
He said the victims had not changed clothes since they were abducted over six months ago.
The National Coordinator of Service Compact, Mrs. Nnenna Akajemeli, has commended the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on its effective service delivery.
Akajemeli says the leadership of the EFCC has shown greater commitment to exemplary service delivery to all its stakeholders.
She commended the EFCC boss, Abdulrasheed Bawa, on his bold initiatives aimed at improving the environment of law enforcement in the fight against economic and financial crimes.
ASUU’s lawyer, Femi Falana, says the Union is set to sue the Federal Government over the registration of the Congress of Nigerian Universities Academics and the National Association of Medical and Dental Academics.
The minister of labor and employment, Chris Ngige, presented certificates of registration to CONUA and NAMDA while explaining that the two bodies will exist along aside from ASUU.
Falani says the registration of CONUA and NAMDA is illegal adding that according to the Trade Unions Act, only one unit is allowed to operate in every sector
Inflation in Turkey has climbed above 83% - a 24-year-high.
The transport, food, and housing sectors have seen the biggest rise in prices.
Independent experts the Inflation Research Group estimate the annual rate is actually 186.27%.
The transport sector saw the sharpest increases in annual prices at 117.66%, followed by food and non-alcoholic drinks at 93%.
Mr. Erdogan has described interest rates as the mother and father of all evil, and his economic policies include intervening in foreign exchange markets.
US Banking giant JP Morgan says Turkey's inflation would remain in the abnormally high range until policies get orthodox.
Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng will set out his plan to get UK debt falling earlier than planned after markets reacted badly to his package of tax cuts.
Mr. Kwarteng said he wanted to move forward with no distractions.
Prime Minister Liz Truss says that abolishing the top rate of tax was only a tiny part of the plan for economic growth.
Mr Kwarteng acknowledged the turbulence caused by his mini-budget, which saw the pound's value plummet, borrowing costs soar, and the Bank of England bail out pension funds.
Former US president Donald Trump sued CNN accusing the cable television news network of defamation and seeking $475 million in punitive damages.
Trump, in the lawsuit filed in a US District Court in Florida, accused CNN of waging a campaign of libel and slander” against him because it fears he will run for president again in 2024.
Trump’s lawyers say CNN has sought to use its massive influence purportedly as a trusted news source to defame the plaintiff in the minds of its viewers and readers for the purpose of defeating him politically.
Trump, who requested a jury trial, had a caustic relationship with CNN and other major news outlets like The New York Times during his presidency, branding them “fake news” and repeatedly raging against them on social media.
A Kenyan court has given a community in northern Kenya 60 days to lodge compensation claims over a fire that destroyed thousands of acres of land during a military training exercise by the British army in March last year.
A lawyer representing the British Army Training Unit Kenya says a liaison committee formed by the Kenyan and UK governments will be publishing the compensation process later this week.
The petitioners say the fire caused an environmental disaster.
Lawyer Kevin Kubai representing more than 1,000 members of the community confirmed receiving the claim forms from those affected and he plans to submit them next week.
South Sudan's health officials are testing samples from five people to see if they have contracted the Ebola virus.
The suspected cases were detected in three regional states bordering neighbouring Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Uganda is currently dealing with an outbreak of the haemorrhagic fever. Forty-three cases have been confirmed and nine deaths have been recorded.
Mabior Kiir, the head of planning and information at the Public Health Emergency Operation Centre says that one suspected case was detected in Eastern Equatoria state’s Nimule town on the border with Uganda.
Kenya has authorised the cultivation and importation of genetically modified crops and animal feeds, ending a decade-long ban that had been imposed due to health fears.
It comes as the country is experiencing a devastating drought. The worst drought in 40 years has left millions facing hunger.
President William Ruto's government has turned to genetically modified crops as a way of helping boost yields.
It says the country needs seeds that are resistant to drought, pests, and diseases.
It was clearly an unpopular decision with America, which is home to major producers of genetically engineered seeds.
A former Chief of Army Staff, General Abdurrahman Dambazau says insurgency has gone beyond being a threat to Nigeria as it now affects about 15 countries in West Africa including the Benin Republic.
He says the insecurity has become a regional issue because it is an issue that has engulfed the whole of the Lake Chad Basin region and it is an issue that also has connection with the Sahel region as a whole.
He, however, says the countries have now joined the fight against terrorism through the Multinational Joint Task Force established by the Nigerian Government to checkmate trans-border security challenges.
The Federal Government is set to re-open the Trans Niger Pipeline that transports about 180,000 barrels of crude oil daily. The pipeline was shut down six months ago due to vandalism and theft at the oil export facility.
The pipeline also serves as part of the country’s gas liquids evacuation infrastructure, which is vital for domestic power generation and the export of liquefied gas.
The Group General Manager, National Petroleum Investment Management Services, Bala Wunti, says his team visited the people of Bodo Community in Gokana Local Government Area of Rivers State, which was part of efforts to re-open the TNP.
Wunti says this was part of the company’s continuous journey to re-strengthen its trust with one of the communities where NAPIMS and its partners were conducting business.
He says NAPIMS was able to achieve this because of the support and commitment of the leadership of NNPC, noting that the national oil firm had continued to focus on strengthening partnerships with communities, operating partners, states and relevant stakeholders.
The federal government has announced plans to revitalize Nigeria’s textile industry with the introduction of Bt Cotton, noting that the move would create massive employment, particularly for Nigerian farmers in the country.
The Director-General, National Agricultural Biotechnology Development Agency, Abdullahi Mustapha, stated that the federal government determined to solve the challenge, has introduced commercialized Bt cotton in Nigeria, maintaining that the initiative is already been accepted by farmers.
The Country Coordinator, Open Forum on Agricultural Biotechnology, Dr. Rose Gidado, says the workshop was designed to keep farmers and stakeholders abreast with new trends in the cotton industry.
Gidado also noted that there was a need to collect the experiences of farmers who already adopted the Bt cotton, so as to know how to help them achieve better results in the production of cotton.
The Biden administration has announced a new round of sanctions against Iran, vowing to impose financial penalties on a regular basis in an effort to severely restrict Iranian oil and petrochemical exports.
The measures announced target several firms and front companies based in China, the United Arab Emirates, Hong Kong, and India that the United States accuses of involvement in the sale of Iranian petroleum and petrochemical products.
The administration of US President Joe Biden also explicitly linked the sanctions to the failure to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
Treasury Department official Brian Nelson says the United States is committed to severely restricting Iran’s illicit oil and petrochemical sales.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has declared the independence of the Ukrainian regions of Zaporizhia and Kherson as Russia prepares to formally proclaim the annexation of Ukrainian territory in a major escalation of its seven-month invasion.
The two regions are set to be incorporated into Russia along with the self-proclaimed republics of Donetsk and Luhansk at a lavish ceremony in the Kremlin on Friday after hastily-organized referendums in the Russian-occupied regions, which claimed majorities of up to 99 percent in favor of joining Russia.
Putin recognized the independence of Donetsk and Luhansk in February.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told reporters in New York City that Russia’s annexation would violate the United Nations Charter and had no legal value.
The US says it seems Russia is to blame for this week's leaks in the Nord Stream gas pipelines.
US Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm says an investigation was being carried out into the cause of what she called an act of sabotage.
Russia has dismissed suggestions that it was to blame.
It said suggestions it had damaged the pipelines were stupid and absurd.
President Putin described the damage as unprecedented sabotage, in fact, an act of international terrorism during a phone call with Turkey's President Erdogan, according to the Kremlin, which added Russia plans to bring it up for "urgent discussion" at the UN Security Council.
The Gulf state says Coronavirus vaccinations will not be mandatory for the million-plus fans going to the World Cup in Qatar this year.
The health ministry says players and match officials however may be forced into a secure bio-bubble if Covid-19 cases take off again, with the threat of expulsion from the tournament for those who breach the secure environment.
Qatar organizers, who have predicted that more than one million people will pack Doha for the matches, and football’s governing body, FIFA, have said they want the event to be a sign the world is getting over the devastating pandemic.
Fans will have to wear masks in public transport but authorities are only recommending the use of masks at the eight stadiums in the Doha region where matches will be played.
Spain’s leftist government says it will cut the income tax on lower-income households to help hard-hit consumers grapple with soaring inflation.
Budget Minister Maria Jesus Montero says the government will reduce the income tax on people earning up to 21,000 euros per year, or one in two workers,
She confirmed the government will slap a new tax in 2023 and 2024 on residents whose wealth exceeds three million euros to help pay for inflation relief measures.
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s government announced last week that it would create a temporary tax on the wealthiest population without giving details.
Ugandans who need organ transplants will no longer have to travel abroad, thanks to a new law allowing the procedure in the country.
The new law will clear the way for transplantation centers and a national waiting list of organ recipients to be created, but also contains stringent measures in case of organ trafficking or abuse of donors' rights.
Parliament has approved the new transplant law meaning that it will come into force as soon as the president gives his assent - which is largely a formality because assent is almost always given.
Mali's transitional authorities have received a delegation of the Economic Community of West African States for talks on the fate of 46 Ivorian soldiers detained in the country since 10 July.
The delegation comprises Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo, his Gambian counterpart Adama Barrow, Togolese Minister of Foreign Affairs Robert Dussey, and mediator for Mali Goodluck Jonathan.
Ecowas chairperson Umaro Sissoco Embalo had hinted at fresh sanctions for Mali if it continued to detain the 46 Ivorian soldiers.
Mali's Foreign Minister, Abdoulaye Diop, says his country would not obey any order on the detention of the soldiers, accused of being mercenaries.
Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila says the leadership of the House of Representatives will seek an audience with President Muhammadu Buhari on the resolution of the ongoing face-off between the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities with the outcome of its interactions with stakeholders in the dispute.
He says the leadership, in the next couple of days, will put up a report of its interactions with key stakeholders in the dispute and come up with recommendations that will enable the President to view the issues at stake from an informed second option.
Gbajabiamila says the information gathered from the extensive interactions would assist the leadership in arriving at fact-based recommendations for the resolution of the crisis.
The Lagos government has suspended all activities of the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria with immediate effect.
The Special Adviser to the Governor on Transportation, Sola Giwa, says the move was aimed at fulfilling one of the state government’s cardinal objectives under the T.H.E.M.E.S Development Agenda.
The acronym, T.H.E.M.E.S, refers to the six pillars of the State’s strategic development agenda, namely: Traffic Management and Transportation, Health and Environment, Education and Technology, Making Lagos a 21st Century Economy, Entertainment and Tourism, as well as Security and Governance
Giwa confirmed that the decision was necessary after some pockets of violence were recorded in Ojo and Lagos Island.
The Federal Government says that the maritime sector is responsible for the transportation of about 70 percent of globally-traded goods.
The Minister of Transportation, Mu’azu Sambo urged Nigeria to take advantage of the declaration by the International Maritime Organisation to explore more partnerships.
He says the country should demand an inclusive and fair distribution of global resources and deployment of relevant technology to aid decarbonization and control of marine plastic litter and befouling.
Sambo also said that the need for new technology to drive the maritime sector had become imperative.
The International Monetary Fund says that the food crisis currently ravaging Nigeria and other sub-Saharan countries has been exacerbated by over-reliance on imported foods.
The Washington-based lender says staple food prices in sub-Saharan Africa surged by an average of 23.9 percent in 2020 to 22—the most since the 2008 global financial crisis.
The report says the increase was commensurate to an 8.5 percent rise in the cost of a typical food consumption basket beyond generalized price increases.
The report said that global factors were partly to blame because of the region’s imports of top staple foods, noting that the pass-through from global to local food prices was significant.
Nigeria’s Minister of Transportation, Mu’azu Sambo, says the Federal Government would soon officially declare the proposed Ondo seaport facility as a deep seaport, to herald the commencement of other processes at the facility.
Sambo commended the steps taken so far by the state government to prepare for the Federal Government’s declaration on the port.
Sambo says the Federal Government would not hesitate to make the Ondo port declaration, pursuant to Section 30 of the Ports Act.
He added that this would be done after all the prerequisites established by the extant laws were met.
Taliban forces fired shots into the air to disperse a women’s rally supporting protests in Iran over the death of a woman in the custody of morality police.
Afghan women protested in front of Kabul’s Iranian embassy before being dispersed by Taliban forces firing in the air.
The protests, banned by the Taliban, contravene a slew of harsh restrictions imposed by the hardline Islamists on Afghan women.
The Taliban have forcefully dispersed women’s rallies in the past, warned journalists against covering them, and detained activists helming organization efforts.
South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa says that rolling power cuts being experienced in the country will not end anytime soon but things are changing, albeit slowly.
He says they are making progress in the implementation of the additional actions announced in July, even though the effects may not be immediately felt.
Coal is used to generate 80% of South African electricity but a new deal signed last week will increase the country's renewable energy output by 10% through private investment in wind and solar projects.
The Federal government approved N29.083bn for projects in the Ministry of Works and Housing and Mines and Steel Development.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed says N27.23bn and N1.85bn were approved to rehabilitate the 30km Idoani-Otuo Road and construct a 27km retaining wall for the Ebonyi Salt Lakes, respectively.
He explained that the 27km retaining wall would contain the loss of raw salt from the salt lakes in Ebonyi State, saving at least $88m spent yearly on salt importation.
Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Olamilekan Adegbite, says it would be funded directly by the Presidency adding that the project would not only save the country millions of dollars in foreign exchange but also bridge the local salt demand gap.
The Federal Government commenced a probe of the exploration and production activities of international and local oil companies as part of measures to address the massive oil theft in Nigeria.
It announced this through its Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, stressing that it would do everything within its authority to challenge the narrative and halt further degeneration by ensuring transparency in hydrocarbon accounting.
He noted that this was to ascertain the level of compliance with the terms and conditions in their oil firms’ operational contracts, as well as the challenges impeding expected deliveries
The NUPRC stated that during the engagements, the companies would be required to present their reserve status, life index, current reserves replacement ratio, and reserves growth strategy.
Google has announced six new features and developments in the search to help people gather and explore information in new ways.
The Head, Communication, West Africa and sub-Saharan Africa, Mr. Taiwo Kola-Ogunlade, says that the new features leveraging machine learning would help people gather information in new ways.
He highlighted the six new features as multi-search near me, translation in the blink of an eye, Google for iOS updates, even faster ways to find what you are looking for, and new ways to explore information.
He noted that Google introduced multi search, a major milestone, to help people search for information earlier this year.
Nigeria’s Presidential candidates have signed a peace accord in Abuja, the nation’s political capital as campaigns officially commence for the 2023 general elections,
The Chairman of the National Peace Committee and former military head of state, Abdusalami Abubakar, appealed to the 18 political parties, their presidential candidates, and spokespersons to commit to issues-based campaigns, as fake news and misinformation are already creating a toxic environment that is capable of threatening the peaceful conduct of the 2023 general elections.
Some members of the National Peace Committee at the program include Bishop Hassan Kukah, John Onayeikan, John Momoh, Aliko Dangote, as well as Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar. The Inspector General of Police, Usman Baba, amongst others.
The number of confirmed Ebola cases in Uganda has risen to 31. One more death has also been recorded, bringing the total number of confirmed deaths to six.
One of the six medical workers who tested positive for the virus is now in critical condition, according to information from the country’s health ministry.
Uganda's president has defied calls by medical workers to put the Ebola-hit central region under quarantine to prevent the virus from spreading to the rest of the country.
He says no such measures were needed because Ebola is not airborne, and said a laboratory would be set up in the virus epicenter to speed up patient testing.
The World Health Organization believes that Uganda's Ebola outbreak may have been detected late, given that the first person who had it showed symptoms back in August yet the outbreak wasn’t declared until late September.
Africa's biggest mobile phone company has been told off for misleading customers who purchase one-day data bundles.
Currently MTN's one-day data bundles don't expire after 24 hours, instead, they expire at midnight on the day that you bought them - regardless of how late in the day that may have been.
This set-up has been branded as ambiguous and therefore misleading by South Africa's Advertising Regulatory Bureau, which has this week ordered MTN to withdraw adverts for the product.
The United Nations through its Food and Agriculture Organisation has described rice production by smallholder farmers in Nigeria as a fantastic job.
It stated that though there was still a lot that should be done in the agriculture sector in Nigeria, the country had made considerable progress in rice production.
The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for Africa, Abebe Haile-Gabriel, disclosed this at a press briefing in Abuja.
Haile-Gabriel and the FAO Deputy Director of the Office of Emergencies and Resilience, Shukri Ahmed, are in Nigeria on a high-level mission to strengthen solidarity and amplify the voice of humanitarian actors in advocating support to stem food insecurity across the country.
Hundreds of Ugandan students are demonstrating against the European Union parliament after it opposed an oil pipeline project with neighboring Tanzania.
EU lawmakers earlier passed a resolution warning of human rights abuses and the social and environmental risk posed by the project.
The students are marching in the capital, Kampala, to deliver a petition to the EU mission.
The demo appears state-sanctioned and the students are walking with police escort.
Once complete, the pipeline will stretch 1,443km from Lake Albert in western Uganda to the Tanzanian port of Tanga on the Indian Ocean.
Apple says it has started making it's iPhone 14 in India as it diversifies its supply chains away from China.
The company makes most of its phones in China but has shifted some production outside the country as tensions rise between Washington and Beijing.
Apple says the new iPhone 14 line-up introduces groundbreaking new technologies and important safety capabilities.
They are excited to be manufacturing iPhone 14 in India, Taiwan-based Foxconn, which manufactures the majority of Apple's phones, has had an operation in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu since 2017, where it makes older versions of the handsets.
The Bank of England has said it will not hesitate to hike interest rates to curb inflation after the pound fell to a record low against the US dollar.
The Bank says it was monitoring developments closely and would make a decision on any action in November.
Some UK lenders said that they were halting new mortgage deals.
Halifax, the UK's largest mortgage lender, said it would temporarily withdraw all mortgage products that come with a fee due to the market volatility.
Virgin Money and Skipton Building Society have also stopped offering mortgage products to new customers.
Experts say a rise in the cost of long-term borrowing due to the market turmoil meant the cost to lenders of offering new mortgage deals was too expensive.
The World Bank has slashed its economic outlook for the Asia-Pacific, pointing to China’s ultra-strict zero-COVID policy as a drag on regional growth.
The region’s economies are expected to grow 3.2 per cent in 2022, down from a 5 per cent forecast in April, as China’s lockdowns continue to disrupt factories and dampen spending, the Washington-based financial institution said on Tuesday.
China, the world’s second-largest economy, is projected to grow 2.8 per cent this year, according to the bank, and 4.5 per cent in 2023.
The Kremlin says no decision has been taken on whether to seal Russia’s borders to stop an exodus of military-aged men fleeing the country after days of chaotic scenes during partial mobilisation for its war in Ukraine.
Reports that Russia might close the frontier have contributed to turmoil since President Vladimir Putin gave the order last week to call up hundreds of thousands of reservists in the biggest escalation yet of the seven-month Ukraine war.
Flights out of Russia have sold out and cars have piled up at border checkpoints, with reports of a 48-hour queue at the sole road border to Georgia, the rare pro-Western neighbour that allows Russian citizens to enter without a visa.
Tanzania’s central bank will reduce liquidity in the economy in September and October to slow rising inflation in the east African country.
The bank’s monetary policy committee says in the context of high inflation and commodity prices, which have contributed to rising inflationary pressures in the country, the MPC approved for the bank to continue with a gradual reduction of liquidity in September and October 2022.
Inflation in Tanzania rose to 4.6% in August from 4.5% the previous month, while the country’s economy was facing a range of challenges, including weak global growth, high commodity prices, tight financial conditions and the recurrence of COVID-19 in some countries.
Angola’s central bank cut its main interest rate by 50 basis points to 19.50% in a decision.
The move comes after the southern African country’s inflation eased further to 19.78% on a year-on-year basis in August, down from 21.40% in July and 27.66% in January.
The International Monetary Fund has recommended a unified exchange rate to strengthen Nigeria's macro economy and external reserves.
IMF Representative for Nigeria, Mr Ari Aisen, canvassed complementary macroeconomic and structural policies to preserve competitiveness gains from any exchange rate adjustment in the country.
The Managing Director/CEO, First Bank of Nigeria Limited, Mr Gbenga Shobo, said the Nigerian financial market has evolved over the years and the time has come to build strategies around which it will bring desired results for all to see and benefit from it.
The Executive Director, Chief Risk Officer, First Bank Limited, Olusegun Alebiosu, said the bank is committed to supporting federal government efforts to drive economic growth.
The Project Coordinator, Nigeria Digital Identification for Development, Solomon Odole, has disclosed that the financiers of the Nigeria Digital ID4D Project have made the enactment of the data protection law a prerequisite for the release of identity funds.
The financiers for this project include the World Bank, the French Development Agency and the European Investment Bank.
He says one of the major tasks of the project is to strengthen the legal and institutional framework, which has to do with our laws and regulations, in which data protection is actually key.
He further stressed the need for collaboration among all relevant stakeholders to ensure seamless enactment of the data protection law.
The Federal Government has said that Nigeria is committed to achieving greener shipping in line with the International Maritime Organization’ determination to achieve sustainable development in the maritime industry.
The Minister of Transportation, Mu’azu Sambo, says that Nigeria would not be left behind in the global move towards greener shipping, while also reflecting on the need for stakeholders in the maritime sector to begin exploring ways to transition into a greener and more sustainable future.
The Director-General, NIMASA, Dr Bashir Jamoh, also noted that the theme for this year’s world Maritime Day celebration is in line with the agency’s mission of achieving cleaner oceans in developing shipping in Nigeria.
He also pointed out that NIMASA is already working in line with the call by IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim for developing countries to adopt green technology.
The Federal Government has withdrawn the order mandating vice-chancellors of universities to reopen universities.
The National Universities Commission had mandated vice-chancellors, pro-chancellors, and governing councils to re-open federal universities following months of closure due to the Academic Staff Union of Universities strike.
But on the same day, the NUC issued another circular in which it withdrew the order.
Kenya’s standards regulator has suspended the sale of 10 cooking oil products over health and quality concerns.
The Kenya Bureau of Standards says the brands failed routine quality tests and ordered that the brands be withdrawn from shelves immediately.
The standards body however clarified that the directive was not a ban, but a temporary suspension until the manufacturers meet specified quality requirements.
The 10 brands listed are manufactured by Bidco Africa, Pwani Oil Products, Kapa Oil Refineries, and Menengai Oil Refineries - the four largest edible oil companies in Kenya.
Japan will open its doors back up to foreign tourists, after more than two years of closed borders due to the Covid pandemic.
Tourists will be able to visit the country without a visa, and will no longer need to go through a travel agency, from 11 October.
Taiwan will drop quarantine requirements for international arrivals by mid-October, while Hong Kong says it would move from hotel quarantine to stay-at-home requirements from 26 September.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida also announced a domestic travel incentive scheme that will give discounts on travel, theme park prices, sporting events, and concerts.
Japanese residents and citizens will be eligible for an 11,000 yen subsidy.
Boeing is to pay out $200m over charges that it misled investors about two fatal 737 Max crashes.
The US stock market regulator says the aviation giant and its former chief executive Dennis Muilenburg made false statements about safety issues.
SEC chairman Gary Gensler says in times of crisis and tragedy, it is especially important that public companies and executives provide full, fair, and truthful disclosures to the markets.
The SEC's statement says that both Boeing and Mr. Muilenburg did not admit or deny the regulator's findings.
Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng has unveiled the biggest package of tax cuts in 50 years, as he hailed a new era for the UK economy.
Income tax and the stamp duty on home purchases will be cut and planned rises in business taxes have been scrapped.
Mr. Kwarteng says a major change of direction was needed to kick start economic growth however Labour says it would not solve the cost-of-living crisis and was a plan to reward the already wealthy
He says high tax rates damage Britain's competitiveness reducing the incentive to work and for businesses to invest.
The Economic Community of West African States has decided to impose sanctions on individuals in the military government of Guinea in response to last year's coup in Conakry.
They agreed on gradual sanctions on a list of people linked to the Guinean junta who will be identified very soon.
Guinean leaders say they need three years to return the country to democracy and they are unhappy with Ecowas' demands for a faster transition.
The Guinean interim prime minister, Bernard Gomou, had earlier described the Ecowas chief and president of neighbouring Guinea-Bissau, Umaro Sissoco Embaló, as a puppet and an overexcited man who had forced his way in to lead the regional organisation.
South Africa has signed the first three agreements to increase its renewable energy supplies and reduce reliance on coal-fired power stations.
Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe led the deal-signing event with independent producers to supply wind energy.
The country is enduring acute energy shortages, with its state energy provider, Eskom, suffering from a lack of investment amid allegations of corruption.
Coal is used to generate 80% of South African electricity but under the deal, energy output will increase by 10% through private investment in wind and solar projects.
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo says that more private sector participation in Nigeria’s transition to green energy is crucial as it would help the country achieve its objectives in the implementation of its Energy Transition Plan.
Prof. Osinbajo highlighted the Energy Transition Plan as a comprehensive, data-driven, and evidence-based plan, designed to deal with the twin crises of climate change and energy poverty.
Prof. Osinbajo stated that the Private sector must up its participation in the transition to a Green energy journey adding that this includes greater involvement in the crucial conversations about what an economically just transition to zero emissions should be.
President Muhammadu Buhari believes Nigeria can be a major international supply chain partner to global economies like the United States.
Buhari made the declaration while speaking to captains of industry, ambassadors, and foreign investors among others at the Nigeria International Economic Partnership Forum which was held on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
The President announced tax-free incentives to encourage investment in Nigeria.
He told captains of industry, ambassadors, foreign investors, and others at the Forum that his administration had facilitated fiscal investment including three to five years of tax holidays for enterprises in pioneer industries, tax-free operations, and no restrictions on expatriate quotas in Nigeria’s free trade zones.
Emirates Airlines and United Airlines have announced a commercial agreement that will enhance each other's network and give their customers easier access to many new destinations within the United States and around the world.
Emirates’ passengers flying into Chicago, San Francisco, and Houston will be able to easily connect to United flights to and from nearly 200 cities across the Americas on a single ticket. Starting November,
Emirates and United announced their agreement at Dulles International Airport, hosted by United CEO, Scott Kirby, and Emirates President, Sir Tim Clark, featuring United and Emirates Boeing 777-300ER aircraft and flight crews from each carrier.
The president of the African Development Bank, Akinwumi Adesina, says Nigeria needs help in tackling its debt burden.
He says financing was critical to solving Nigeria’s development challenges.
He says financing is critical because the debt to GDP ratio of Africa has increased to 70 percent several countries are the risk of high debt distress due to unstable, unsustainable debt levels.
He further stressed that Nigeria and other African countries needed debt relief.
The World Bank Group has warned Nigeria as well as other developing economies that simultaneous rate hikes in response to increasing inflationary pressure may trigger a global recession and a string of financial crises.
The Washington-based bank says the currently expected trajectory of interest-rate increases and other policy actions might not be sufficient to bring global inflation back down to levels seen before the pandemic.
The report shows that unless supply disruptions and labor-market pressures subsided, those interest-rate increases could leave the global core inflation rate at about 5 percent in 2023—nearly double the five-year average before the pandemic.
The Defence Ministry in Pyongyang says that Washington and hostile forces had spread a rumor of arms dealings aimed at tarnishing North Korea’s image.
A senior official at the ministry’s equipment bureau says they have never exported weapons or ammunition to Russia before and we will not plan to export them.
White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby says that the U.S. had no evidence that any sales had actually taken place.
Military experts believe that the Russian military continues to suffer from severe supply shortages in Ukraine, probably as a result of sanctions and export controls.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi says Tehran has a strong will to resolve issues regarding an agreement on the revival of a 2015 nuclear deal fairly if the Iranian nation’s interests are guaranteed.
The Iranian presidency, Raisi says Iran accepted an agreement in 2015 in good faith and with a solid intention, but the United States was breaking its promise and imposing sanctions, the most unprecedented sanctions in history.
He says Iran’s negotiation logic is adherence to commitments
A Kenyan court is due to hear submissions in a case where a former Facebook content moderator has sued the American social media giant's parent company, Meta, over alleged poor working conditions.
The petition filed against a local outsourcing firm, Samasource Kenya EPZ, also known as Sama, alleges that staff moderating content on Facebook are subjected to unfavorable working conditions such as poor pay, inadequate mental health support, and violations of privacy and dignity.
The court will determine if Meta can be tried in Kenya since the 12 petitioners were working for a third-party firm that it was using for moderation services.
Meta made an application in June seeking to have the case thrown out, arguing that the court had no jurisdiction to determine it - since the company is not based in Kenya.
Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema says he will push for the scrapping of a controversial law that criminalizes insulting the president.
It follows an outcry from rights groups who say about a dozen people, including opposition activists, have been arrested and charged for breaking the law during President Hichilema’s first year in office.
Mr. Hichilema pledged a break from the past when he took office last year. His successes included halving inflation, receiving a billion-dollar IMF bailout, and introducing lower taxes and free education.
Critics however say despite an election promise to do so, the government has been slow to abolish the colonial-era insult law often used to silence critics.
The Nigerian Economic Summit Group said it has rescheduled its 28th summit adding that the summit scheduled to take place in October had been shifted to November.
The group said it made the difficult decision to reschedule the summit after close consultations with key stakeholders, including the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget, and National Planning.
It attributed the postponement to unforeseen circumstances regretting the inconveniences the rescheduling might cause all stakeholders preparing for the summit.
The Chief Judge of the Federal High Court Abuja, Justice John Tsoho, has set aside a consent judgment in favor of Panic Alert Security Systems Limited against the Nigeria Governors’ Forum.
Justice Tsoho held that the said consent judgment was entered without jurisdiction in its entirety.
The company is one of the beneficiaries of the payment of $418 million to consultants and is said to be for payment for professional services in the Paris Club refund to State Governments. \
The state governors had accused the Attorney-general of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami, of alleged involvement in the controversial payment
By the ruling, all approvals by the AGF, the president, the minister of finance, the Accountant-General of the Federation, and the Debt Management Office (DMO) arising from, related to, or concerning Panic Alert’s claims have been voided.
Three agencies of the Federal Government, alongside the Ministry of Environment in Rivers State, are currently making efforts to address a gas leak incident on the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company’s Well 6, in Sangama community, Bonny Local Government Area in Rivers.
The Chief Executive, Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, Gbenga Komolafe, says that the NUPRC, National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency, Rivers State Ministry of Environment as well as community representatives and the Nigerian Police Force were working to deal with the leak.
Komolafe, says the NUPRC has been notified of a gas leak incident on NPDC’s Well 6, in Sangama community, Bonny Local Government Area of Rivers State.
The NUPRC boss stated that during the joint visit, the team observed a gas leak from one of the valves on the wellhead.
He, however, stated that the community did not agree with the regulators and as a result, would not sign the joint investigation report in spite of the technical explanation by the team.
Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El Rufai, has faulted the power sector privatization, saying that Nigeria has lost nearly 15 years of energy sector investment.
He says clear roadmaps for structural reforms set up by the Obasanjo government in the electrical, power, and oil and gas sectors were protracted or abandoned by his immediate successors.
El Rufai, says investments in power generation and transmission infrastructure that were initiated by the Obasanjo government were either put on hold between 2007 and 2010 or largely dumped.
The Kaduna state governor also says the first version of the electricity industry bill initiated by him was not put into law.
The Federal Government through its National Agricultural Seeds Council has commenced moves to make Nigeria a full member of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in order to boost the country’s export of seeds.
The Director-General, NASC, Dr. Philip Ojo, said Nigeria’s seeds would be sold globally with ease once the country attained the status of an OECD membership, noting that this would halt all forms of seed dumping in Nigeria.
Ojo stated the professionals from OECD would assess Nigeria’s facilities after the workshop and expressed optimism that the country would scale through.
Tunisia’s president issued an electoral law reducing but not ending the role of political parties in a reformed parliament that will have fewer powers under a constitution passed in July.
Under the new law, voters will choose candidates in the December 17 election individually rather than by selecting a single party list – a switch that will weaken the influence of parties.
President Kais Saied says they are passing through a new stage in the history of Tunisia towards the sovereignty of the people after previous sham elections.
He says political parties were not being excluded and such accusations constituted lies and fabrications.
Tanzania’s Energy Minister Januari Makamba has joined Uganda's parliament in criticizing a European Union parliament resolution calling on the two countries to stop developing their oil and gas projects in the East African region.
He told the BBC that Tanzania like many other countries in the world is entitled to use its resources the same way industrialized countries do for their people.
The EU parliament resolution passed warned of human rights abuses and the social and environmental risk posed by the Eacop project.
Uganda’s Deputy Speaker criticized the resolution, describing it as based on misinformation and deliberate misrepresentation of key facts on environment and human rights protection.
The International Monetary Fund has ranked Nigeria as the 11th country with the highest private savings in the sub-Saharan Africa region, placing Angola in the number one spot.
The report says private savings in Nigeria increased from about 19 percent in 2019 to about 24 percent in 2022.
It noted that savings were the most important source of financing for Nigerian households’ survival during COVID-19, followed by loans, goodwill, and working.
The IMF stated that the private saving rate in SSA increased during the last two decades to an average rate of 17.3 percent in 2019 from 11.5 percent in 1983.
The International Monetary Fund has ranked Nigeria as the 11th country with the highest private savings in the sub-Saharan Africa region, placing Angola in the number one spot.
The report says private savings in Nigeria increased from about 19 per cent in 2019 to about 24 per cent in 2022.
It noted that savings were the most important source of financing for Nigerian households’ survival during COVID-19, followed by loans, goodwill, and working.
The IMF stated that the private saving rate in SSA increased during the last two decades to an average rate of 17.3 per cent in 2019 from 11.5 percent in 1983.
The Federal Government has suspended Azman Air, two months after grounding Aero Contractors and Dana Air, reflecting the crisis in the aviation sector.
The Director General of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, Captain Musa Nuhu, says that the agency was withholding the Air Transport License of Azman Air till it provided the required documentation for its operational licenses’ renewal and sign a Memorandum of Understanding on how it would remit its legacy debt accrued from the collection of Passenger Service Charge.
Nuhu says the Azman Air must sign the MOU to negotiate its debt remittance, which was part of the N42bn and $7.8m debts in PSC, and also provide Tax Clearance as one of the documentation for its ATL.
The presidency revealed that the $311 million loot by the late former military Head of State, General Sani Abacha, which was repatriated to the country, had been paid directly to contractors for various jobs executed for the government.
It says the direct payment was to prevent the National Assembly and the Ministries, Departments, and Agencies from diverting the money.
Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Public Affairs, Ajuri Ngelale, says the country would not be able to expand its revenue base without putting the infrastructure on the ground.
Ngelale explained that considering the infrastructure deficit in the country, the Buhari government devised innovative ways to finance, to bridge 50 years of infrastructure neglect in the country.
Twenty-four Nigerians have filed a lawsuit against the Independent National Electoral Commission for failing to give them and the other seven million Nigerians adequate time and opportunity to complete their voter registration after they have carried out their registration online.
The Plaintiffs are seeking an order of mandamus to direct and compel INEC to re-activate its continuous voter's registration exercise to allow the Plaintiffs to complete their registration and collect their Permanent Voters’ Cards.
The Plaintiffs are also seeking an order of mandamus to direct and compel INEC to provide adequate facilities and deploy personnel to the registration units of the Plaintiffs to enable them complete their registration and collect their PVCs.
The National Bureau of Statistics says Nigeria’s inflation rate rose to 20.52 per cent in August 2022.
The Bureau stated that in August 2022, on a year–on–year basis, the headline inflation rate was 20.52%.
This was 3.52% points higher compared to the rate recorded in August 2021, which was 17.01%.
The percentage change in the average CPI for the twelve months period ending August 2022 over the average of the CPI for the previous twelve months period was 17.07%, showing a 0.47% increase compared to 16.60% recorded in August 2021.
Google suffered one of its biggest setbacks when a top European court fined it 4.125 billion euros for using its Android mobile operating system to thwart rivals, offering a precedent for other regulators to ratchet up the pressure.
The Unit of U.S. Tech giant alphabet had challenged an earlier ruling, but the decision was broadly upheld by Europe's second-highest court in ruling and the fine was reduced only modestly from 4.34 billion euros.
The EU antitrust enforcer has imposed a total of 8.25 billion euros in antitrust fines on the world’s most popular internet search engine in three investigations stretching back more than a decade.
The United States is considering options for a sanctions package against China to deter it from invading Taiwan, with the European Union coming under diplomatic pressure from Taipei to do the same.
The sources say the deliberations in Washington and Taipei's separate lobbying of EU envoys were both at an early stage a response to fears of a Chinese invasion which have grown as military tensions escalate in the Taiwan Strait.
They said the idea is to adopt sanctions beyond measures already taken in the west to restrict some trade and investment with China in sensitive technologies like computer chips and telecoms equipment.
Twitter's shareholders have voted to approve a deal with Elon musk to buy the company for $44bn which means Twitter will now try to force Elon musk to buy the company in the courts.
The meeting followed explosive testimony from twitter's former head of security Peiter Zatko in front of the US Senate.
Musk says he no longer wished to purchase the company in May, but twitter argues that he cannot back out of the deal.
President William Ruto is set to sign an executive order giving the national police service financial autonomy with the inspector general as the accounting officer.
President Ruto says that the constitution provides for the IG to exercise independent command over the NPS.
The head of state however says that the operational autonomy of the office of IG has been undermined by what he described as the continued financial dependence on the office of the president.
President Ruto further assured all public servants that his administration will respect their professional service noting that an era of intimidation had come to an end.
Tanzania’s government has announced the resumption of uber and bolt ride-hailing services after weeks of controversy over the fate of the two companies.
Uber suspended their services in April, whereas bolt decided to switch to only-corporate clients in august after the government’s regulatory changes were enforced in march.
Tanzania's transport regulatory authority's director Habibu Suluo says the companies' challenges had been sorted out following a meeting with the government.
He says the agreement was favourable to both companies and members of the Tanzania online taxi drivers' association.
Kenya's president William Ruto gave orders to reverse some of the policies of his predecessor, Uhuru Kenyatta.
President Ruto appointed six judges nominated by the judicial service commission three years ago, who Mr Kenyatta had snubbed on claims they were tainted.
The new president also indicated that he would scrap food and fuel subsidies. He says they were costly and ineffective.
Mr Ruto says all cargo clearance would be reverted to Mombasa port - A roll back to Mr. Kenyatta's order that saw port services transferred to Naivasha to ensure repayment of A Chinese loan taken for the construction of A railway between the port of Mombasa and the capital, nairobi.
Nigeria's electoral commission says it has delisted more than A million newly registered voters after A verification process and cleaning up its voters' register.
Those affected had registered between June last year and January this year in order to acquire permanent voters' cards.
The independent national electoral commission says during that period 2,523,458 people registered but records of 1,126,359 registrants were discovered to be invalid and subsequently delisted.
The commission, explained that it was using an automated biometric identification system in verifying the voter register.
The Senate rejected the 2023-2025 medium-term expenditure framework and fiscal strategy paper which proposed A N6 trillion tax and import duties waivers proposed for in the N19.76 trillion 2023 budget which also contained A deficit of N12.4 trillion.
The chairman of the senate panel, senator Solomon Adeola says that both the projected N12.43 trillion budget deficit and the n6trillion tax and import duty waivers should be critically reviewed downward before sending the proposals to the national assembly for consideration and approval.
He also told the minister to look into the list of beneficiaries of the waivers for the required downward review to N3 trillion in order to give room for the reduction of the N12.43 trillion deficit figure.
Presidential candidate of the people's democratic party, Atiku Abubakar, says he would resuscitate Nigeria's ailing economy by launching A $10 billion economic stimulus fund within his first 100 days in office if he wins the 2023 presidential election.
Atiku says the fund would prioritise support to micro, small and medium-scale enterprises that offer the greatest opportunity for inclusive economic growth.
Atiku says he would rather privatize Nigeria's dilapidated refineries rather than spend $1.55 billion on their revitalization.
He added that he would stop all financial support to ailing public enterprises and over the medium term will propose legislation for the removal of the entire electricity value chain from the exclusive list and give states the power to generate, transmit and distribute electricity for themselves.
The United States government signed various agreements with the federal ministries of environment, petroleum resources, agriculture and rural development on measures to mitigate the crisis posed by climate change in Nigeria and globally.
US special presidential envoy for climate, John Kerry, stated that Nigeria was one of the nations in Africa that would suffer the most from the climate crisis if nothing serious was done to avert the consequences of climate change.
He also noted that the country, alongside others, would benefit from $12bn for climate action by the united states government.
The federal government says the African continental free trade area has opened up opportunities for the Nigerian financial industry.
Nigeria’s president Muhammadu Buhari says an expanding infrastructure and a growing financial technology were also new opportunities which players in the Nigerian finance industry could leverage to boost revenue and multiply jobs.
He further said that the industry had an opportunity to deploy innovations in fintech for the extension of financial services to the under-served population while expanding the product space by leveraging the opportunities provided by other digital trading platforms such as warehousing, collateral management and crowd-funding.
The UK's unemployment rate fell to its lowest level since 1974 in the three months to July, the latest official figures show.
The Office for National Statistics says the jobless rate fell to 3.6% over the period however, the squeeze on pay remains, with rises in regular pay failing to keep up with the rising cost of living.
Inflation remains at a 40-year high of 10.1%. The latest inflation figure, due out on Wednesday, is forecast to be higher.
Donald Trump’s lawyers have rejected the US Department of Justice’s push to resume its review of documents seized from the former president’s home during an FBI search last month.
The lawyers also questioned whether documents marked classified that were recovered from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate were indeed secret files, suggesting that the former president may have declassified them before leaving office.
Trump’s lawyers argued that an independent arbiter, known as a special master, is needed to protect materials that contain attorney-client privilege, executive privilege and personal information, including medical and tax records, from being examined by the Justice Department
Egypt’s government was accused of severely restricting the work of environmental groups, leaving activists fearful of publicly scrutinising authorities ahead of the country hosting a crucial global climate summit.
New-York based group Human Rights Watch says Egyptian authorities have imposed arbitrary funding, research, and registration obstacles that have debilitated local environmental groups, forcing some activists into exile.
Richard Pearshouse, the environment director at HRW says these restrictions violate the rights to freedom of assembly and association and threaten Egypt’s ability to uphold its environmental and climate action commitments.
Uganda has handed over $65m as the first instalment of a fine it was ordered to pay the Democratic Republic of Congo for invading the east of the country two decades ago, Congolese authorities say.
The ICJ ordered Uganda to pay five annual instalments of $65m between 2022 and 2026, with the first instalment due in September.
The payment is a sign of the vastly improved relations between the two neighbouring countries.
It is also a rare case of accountability for violations of international law.
Back in 2005 the court said Uganda's invasion of eastern DR Congo led to civilians being killed and tortured while villages were destroyed.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Exchange Group Plc, Oscar Onyema, says that the agricultural sector will have a huge role to play in solving Nigeria’s foreign exchange crisis.
Onyema noted that crop production was the major driver of the agriculture sector, given that it accounted for 91.99 per cent of the overall nominal growth of the sector in the second quarter of 2022.
Onyema further stated that Nigeria’s arable land area of 34 million hectares provided a veritable platform to achieve food safety and security.
He says It comes as no surprise that Agriculture accounts for about 24 per cent of Nigeria’s GDP and Nigeria is a leader in various types of agricultural production, such as palm oil, cocoa beans, pineapple, and sorghum.
The Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission, says the governments, especially states have been getting a rather low revenue from the mining sector.
Osun State at the Commission, Mr Oladele Gboyega, says the team was in Osun for the second phase of the nationwide monitoring of revenue collections, and to also observe mining activities across the state.
He frowned at the level of land degradation going on in mining sites across the state, saying there was an urgent need for sensitisation of the miners.
He says they have identified the problem that we’re not communicating with ourselves. The state is not communicating with the federal agency, the federal is not communicating with the state.
Senior Advocate of Nigeria Femi Falana has faulted the nomination of 14 persons for confirmation as Resident Electoral Commissioners for the Independent National Electoral Commission.
Falana says President Muhammadu Buhari failed to comply with the provisions of the Constitution in nominating the 14 persons.
He says the President had previously consulted the Council of State to appoint the Chairman and members of INEC in compliance with the provisions of Section 154 (3) of the Constitution.
The nominations have since generated controversy as some of the nominees have been accused of being members of the President’s party, the All Progressives Congress.
Falana says the move also contradicted the promise of the President to ensure a free and fair general election next year.
The Nigerian Communications Commission has teamed with the Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps to tackle some of the criminal activities bedevilling the telecom industry, such as telecom equipment vandalism and fraudulent registration of Subscriber Identity Module cards among others.
Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Prof. Umar Danbatta, hailed the Memorandum of Understanding sealed between the agency and the Commission, for which the gathering was to explore how the Corps will deploy enabling laws, subsidiary legislations, and extant guidelines to arrest any form of criminality in the sector.
Danbatta, says over the years, the NCC has been working with relevant law enforcement agencies, and in particular the NSCDC, towards protecting the telecom sector from all kinds of criminal behaviour.
The Biden administration says US tech companies that receive federal funding will be barred from building advanced technology facilities in China for 10 years, The guidelines were unveiled as part of a $50bn plan aimed at building up the local semiconductor industry.
They are faced with a global microchip shortage which has slowed production.
US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo says they are going to be implementing the guardrails to ensure those who receive CHIPS funds cannot compromise national security.
The European Commission proposed five billion euros in financial aid to Ukraine, in the latest instalment of a promised nine-billion-euro rescue package agreed by EU leaders in May.
The commission’s president, Ursula von der Leyen, says the situation in Ukraine requires their full support.
A European diplomat says the rescue was part of the $39 billion in aid promised by the G7 group of nations to prop up Ukraine’s battered public coffers.
The state minister for Public Service Grace Mugasa has revealed that Cabinet has approved an enhanced pay plan for all civil servants starting next financial year.
Mugasa explained that the discrepancy in pay for science and art teachers, for example, was due to the limited wage bill for teachers' salaries under the Ministry of Education and Sports.
The minister says that the Ministry of Public Service approved the structures for the education ministry, adding that recruitment and payment of salaries for the structures, entirely depend on the wage bill.
China has removed Tariffs on 98% of products imported from 9 of Africa's poorest countries. Experts believe the measure will have little economic impact.
The new tariff policy, which took effect on September 1, is applicable to mineral and agricultural imports from Chad, Central African Republic, Eritrea, Djibouti, Mozambique, Guinea, Rwanda, Togo, and Sudan.
Xi stated at the time that the goal was to increase continental imports to US$300 billion in the next three years, ultimately reaching US$300 billion per year by 2035
The European Union announced that it is providing additional support to the African military mission in Mozambique in the form of $15m which will go towards the Southern African Development Community mission to Mozambique.
The EU says the money will go towards peacebuilding and will focus on the capacity building of police and correctional services officers, women and youth empowerment, and dialogue with civic leaders tailored towards good governance and the rule of law".
The EU says with this money, it will join Mozambican and international efforts to restore peace, safety and security in the North of Mozambique.
Central African countries including Equatorial Guinea, Cameroon, Gabon, Chad, Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo and Congo-Brazzaville have signed a deal to boost the energy supply in the region through the building of an oil and gas pipeline network.
There will be three gas pipelines measuring around 6,500 km.
Most of the countries that have signed up have oil reserves but do not have sufficient refining capacity, and have been struggling with energy supply after the outbreak of the Ukraine war.
The plan will also include at least three refineries and power plants fired by gas linking 11 countries.
Egypt's media regulatory body says that it will require streaming platforms to abide by certain regulations in a bid to make them adhere to societal values and traditions.
The Supreme Council for Media Regulation says it would also require Netflix, Disney+ and other streaming platforms to apply for licences to be able to operate in the country.
The statement noted that subscriptions to streaming platforms in Egypt had witnessed unprecedented and huge increases without providing specific figures.
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, says nutrition-specific budget estimates are likely to be included in the 2023 Appropriation Bill even as efforts by the Federal Government to tackle malnutrition and its attendant challenges are beginning to take shape.
Prof. Osinbajo says they are at a point where we can move the needle, especially with the creation of nutrition departments in line ministries and ensuring that we get nutrition on the budget line and it is actually done correctly.
The Federal Government has dragged the Academic Staff Union of Universities to the National Industrial Court over the union’s ongoing strike which is in its seventh month.
The Head of Press and Public Relations at the Ministry of Labour and Employment, Olajide Oshundun, says the Federal Government took the decision after dialogue between it and ASUU failed.
The government wants the National Industrial Court to order ASUU members to resume work, while the issues in dispute are being addressed by the court.
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has been named leader of the governing Conservative Party, taking power as Britain’s next prime minister at a time when the country faces a cost-of-living crisis, industrial unrest and a recession.
Johnson was forced to announce his resignation in July after months of scandal and he will travel to Scotland to meet Queen Elizabeth on Tuesday to officially tender his resignation.
He urged his ruling Conservative party to put aside their differences to tackle the energy crisis that looks set to dominate Truss’s immediate future.
Russia has warned that it will not resume gas supplies along a key pipeline to Europe until sanctions are lifted.
Moscow has blamed Western countries for its decision not to reopen the Nord Stream 1 pipeline after it was shut for three days for maintenance.
Europe has accused Russia of using gas supplies to blackmail European countries because of the Ukraine conflict.
Irish regulators have fined Instagram €405m for violating children's privacy.
The long-running complaint concerned children's data - particularly their phone numbers and email addresses.
Instagram's owner, Meta, says it planned to appeal against the decision. It is the third fine handed to the company by the regulator.
Ireland's Data Protection Commissioner says they adopted the final decision and it does contain a fine of €405m.
Tesla founder, Elon Musk says the world must continue to extract oil and gas in order to sustain civilisation, while also developing sustainable sources of energy.
The position of the world’s richest man aligns with that of Nigeria, which has always held the view that the world cannot jettison fossil fuels overnight with the high energy poverty on the continent.
He says Global leaders need to be reminded that for billions, the day does not start by switching on a light, opening a refrigerator or turning the ignition on a car.
The Chairperson of the Board of Directors of Mozambique's publicly-owned ports and rail company, Miguel Matabele, has announced the introduction of an express train to South Africa and Eswatini, to facilitate the mobility of people and goods.
Mozambican Prime Minister, Adriano Maleiane, welcomed the initiative since the project will contribute to solving the transport problems in the country.
He praised CFM for its very strong contribution.
The Gambia Government announced that filling stations across the country have resumed selling fuel with immediate effect after hours of meetings and intense negotiations with Oil Marketing Companies.
The Gambia Government under President Adama Barrow will continue to preside over this crucial sector of our economy with the right policies and actions including regular consultations with stakeholders.
African leaders have criticised wealthy nations for failing to turn up at a climate change summit in the Netherlands.
The only Western leader to appear in person was the Dutch host, Prime Minister Mark Rutte.
The Senegalese President Macky Sall says he felt bitter that the world's main polluters had failed to offer funds to help Africa adapt to global warming.
Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi says the continent contributed the least to climate change but suffered its worst consequences.
The Federal Government has suspended the introduction of a five per cent excise duty in the digital economy sector, a tax which was earlier proposed by the Minister of Finance.
The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami says he personally rejected the policy and advised President Muhammadu Buhari against it in view of the effects it would have on the digital economy.
He says the introduction of excise duty in the telecommunication and information and communications technology industry would jeopardise the successes already recorded within the industry.
Pantami also noted that currently, the ICT sector is over-burdened with multiple taxations both at the federal and state level.
The Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu outlined the Federal Government’s efforts to resolve the industrial action embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Universities on February 14.
Adamu says the government had offered the union a 23.5 per cent salary increase for all categories of the workforce in Federal Universities, except for the professorial cadre which will enjoy a 35% upward review.
Adamu says the government had also promised that a sum of N150 billion “shall be provided for in the 2023 Budget as funds for the revitalization of Federal Universities, to be disbursed to the Institutions in the First Quarter of the year.
The inaugural Africa-Caribbean Trade and Investment Forum kicked off in Bridgetown, Barbados.
The Global Head, Client Relations, AfreximBank, Rene Awambeng and the Chief Executive Officer of Invest Barbados, Kaye-Anne Greenidge said they were optimistic about the impact the forum would exert on participants.
The investment forum will focus on business-to-business engagements and panel discussions on several topics, including: accelerating industrialization and manufacturing; developing special economic zones and industrial parks; improving infrastructure.
The Kenya National Bureau of Statistics says Kenya’s consumer inflation rose to 8.5% year-on-year in August from 8.3% a month earlier, driven by increases in the price of food, transport and energy.
The August figure was the highest rate of inflation seen in Kenya since June 2017, when it was at 9.2%.
Kenyan inflation has accelerated in recent months, from just above 5% at the start of 2022, mainly due to the knock-on effects of increases in the international prices of crude oil.
The Bank of Mozambique has determined that travellers entering or leaving the country with more than 10,000 US dollars, or the equivalent in other foreign currencies, in bank notes or coins, must declare them.
This declaration of ownership also covers Mozambican currency moving more than 10,000 meticais in or out of the country will also require a declaration.
The bank says to declare these amounts, the holder of banknotes and coins must fill out a duplicated document at the customs authorities and must keep a copy of it.
The Indian oil company BPCL has announced that the production of liquefied natural gas may restart in the first half of next year.
BPCL managing director, Arun Singh, says with the efforts of the Mozambican Government, supported by a regional coalition, progress is being made in improving the security situation in the region, and the project will resume as soon as the security situation is stabilized in a sustainable manner.
The director announced that BPCL is expected to invest a further 1.8 billion US dollars over the next three or four years in Mozambique.
The vice chairperson of the parliamentary committee on National Economy, Robert Migadde says the total public debt has increased over recent years due to the implementation of the government's investment agenda and the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic that caused revenue shortfalls.
Uganda's public debt stock increased by 22% from Shs 56.938 trillion in the financial year 2019/20 to Shs 69.513 trillion by end of the financial year 2020/21.
Migadde explained that public debt is projected to increase over the medium term as the government continues to implement its investment programme to boost economic recovery.
South Africa's cabinet has approved a new design for coins that will feature inscriptions in all official languages.
The cabinet in a statement explained what the new design will look like for each denomination.
The word South Africa will be inserted on one side of the coins and printed in all the official languages.
The new coins will begin circulating next year and no sample design has been generated yet.
The Director-General of the Debt Management Office, Mrs Patience Oniha confirmed that Nigeria’s total debt profile as of March 2022 stood at N41.60 trillion.
She attributed Nigeria’s high debt profile to the shortfall in revenues and the deficit in the annual budget as approved by the National Assembly.
She says the country has been running a deficit budget for many years and until the issues of personnel, overhead and capital expenditure are properly addressed in the budget, borrowing would not stop.
The National Bureau of Statistics says the total value of capital importation into the country declined by 2.40 per cent to $1.54 billion in the second quarter of the year compared to $1,57 billion in the preceding quarter.
The Nigerian Capital Importation Q2 2022 shows that Lagos State topped the destination for foreign capital inflows with $1.05 billion, accounting for 68.66 per cent of total inflows into the country.
The government says the deal achieved through the alternative dispute resolution framework saves the country money as the company demanded $5.258 billion.
The Nigerian government says it has agreed to pay $496 million to settle a multibillion-dollar claim by Global Steel Holdings Limited over the control of Ajaokuta Steel Company.
Attorney-General Abubakar Malami says the federal government will pay the company $496 million instead of $5.258 billion demanded by the firm, to settle the dispute.
The Federal Government, through the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, has paid $3.81bn cash call arrears in joint ventures to international oil companies.
Figures showed that the $3.81bn repayment was done as at May 31, 2022, leaving an outstanding balance of $873.34m.
The total negotiated debt between the government and the five IOCs was put at $4.68bn.
Berlin is willing to consider a price cap on gas citing a text message sent by Germany’s economy minister to energy ministers across Europe.
Robert Habeck says that Berlin might consider capping the price of gas at a Sept. 9 emergency meeting of European Union energy ministers, which is set to tackle soaring costs due to curbed gas supplies from Russia.
Habeck says Germany faces the bitter reality that Russia will not restore gas supplies to the country, ahead of a planned halt by state energy giant Gazprom of exports to Europe via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline.
Pakistan's planning minister says early estimates show the devastating floods that hit the country have caused at least $10bn of damage.
Pakistan received a $1.1bn bailout from the International Monetary Fund which is aimed to help the cash-strapped economy avoid defaulting on its debts.
The unprecedented flash floods caused by historic monsoon rains have killed at least 1,136 people and affected more than 33 million, over 15% of the country's population.
Twitter says it has begun actively testing an edit button, after months of publicly discussing such a tweak.
The company says the trial of Edit Tweet will begin with internal employees, and then be expanded out to the platform’s Twitter Blue subscription population.
The company says Under the revision being studied, users could edit a tweet a few times in the 30 minutes after the initial posting, in ways that transparently note the changes to help protect the integrity of the conversation and create a publicly accessible record of what was said.
Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana has tabled in Parliament the Anti-Money Laundering and Combating Terrorism Financing Amendment Bill while reiterating the government's commitment to nip illicit money flows.
The National Treasury says the approval was a demonstration of the government's commitment to the fight against corruption, money laundering and terror financing.
He says the law will improve South Africa's adherence to international best practices in combating financial crimes and corruption.
South Africa’s health minister has warned that it is not up to ordinary citizens to enforce the country's immigration law.
Operation Dudula has been accused of xenophobia, but its members say foreign nationals are putting a strain on the country's health system.
Mr Phaahla told journalists that a growing number of people from neighbouring countries were coming to South Africa for treatment.
He says if that continued, South Africa would reach a stage where it could not cope.
He stressed that the constitution was clear about the right of anyone who lived in the country to access healthcare.
The Ethiopian government says that Tigrayan attacks intensified.
The government called the Tigray People's Liberation Front a terrorist group and says the duty of halting it from its destructive activities has fallen on the government and the people of Ethiopia.
The statement also says the TPLF was punishing the people of Tigray through starvation by launching attacks during the farming season.
Former President Goodluck Jonathan has called on Nigerians to protect the country’s democracy from derailment into some form of fascism.
He says this is not the time for Nigerians to lower their guard and allow democracy to crumble.
Jonathan maintained that democracy remains the best form of government that can effectively manage the nation’s diversity.
He says democracy is not about winning elections, noting that Nigerians must accommodate other people’s views.
Emirates Airlines has restored its flight operations to Nigeria’s commercial capital of Lagos.
The company announced this in emails sent to its customers.
Emirates says that effective from 11th September 2022, they will reinstate operations of the flights.
The reinstatement came two weeks after the United Arab Emirates carrier suspended flight operations, citing its inability to repatriate its earnings in foreign exchange from Nigeria.
Defaulters of the ban on commercial motorcycle operators in Lagos State risk a three-year jail term as enforcement for the phase two ban starts on Friday.
The Lagos State Commissioner for Transport, Dr Frederic Oladeinde, says the phase two okada ban was in four local government areas and six local council development areas.
The commissioner, 200 officials of the Lagos Traffic Management Authority have been deployed alongside other security agencies to enforce the ban.
He stated that the extension is in the right direction to ensure the security of the lives and properties of Lagosians.
President Muhammadu Buhari has assented to eight bills passed by the National Assembly.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (House of Representatives), Nasir Illa, listed the bills as Counselling Practitioners Council of Nigeria, Civil Aviation Act, Nigerian Metrological Agency, Pharmacy Council of Nigeria and Nigerian Council for Management Development.
Others are the National Institute of Credit Administration, Chartered Institute Of Social Work Practitioners and Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria.
The Federal Government, says 10 states were to contribute 1,000 megawatts of off-grid electricity to the quantum of power being produced across the country.
It says each of the states would generate 100MW of solar power, noting that it was currently enabling off-grid electricity projects in their various domains.
The Minister of Power, Abubakar Aliyu, also announced that the Federal Government was set to build a 2.5MW hybrid solar power plant in the Nigerian Defence Academy to enhance security at the institution.
The minister noted that to achieve Nigeria’s commitment to climate change, the Federal Government was implementing different initiatives targeted at achieving at least 30,000MW generation by 2030 with 30 per cent from renewable energy sources.
United States President Joe Biden plans to ask Congress to approve an estimated $1.1bn arms sale to the self-ruled island of Taiwan, including 60 anti-ship missiles and 100 air-to-air missiles, according to Politico.
The package, which is still in an early stage, includes 60 AGM-84L Harpoon Block II missiles for $355m, 100 AIM-9X Block II Sidewinder tactical air-to-air missiles for $85.6m, and $655.4m for a surveillance radar contract extension, three people familiar with the matter told the publication.
The US says it had sent two of its warships through the strait in a freedom of navigation exercise.
Equity Bank Uganda Limited has unveiled the $ 6 billion Africa Recovery and Resilience Plan to help businesses hit hard by Covid-19 recover.
Dr James Mwangi the Equity holding Group CEO says the fund will not only support businesses to flourish but also spur economic recovery.
Dr Mwangi says the project will be implemented through six strategic pillars of Food and Agriculture, Trade and Investment, MSMEs, Technology, Manufacturing and Logistics and Social and Environmental transformation all envisaged reaching millions of customers while creating over 25 million direct jobs.
Deputy Speaker of Parliament Thomas Tayebwa revealed that Parliament has also finalized four laws aimed at boosting the performance of the private sector.
U.S retail giant Walmart Inc has launched a 6.4 billion rand offer for the 47% of Massmart shares it does not already own, a deal Massmart says would support the overhaul of the loss-making South African retailer.
Massmart’s announcement of the offer sent its shares up 46%. If approved by shareholders, the retailer would be delisted from the Johannesburg Stock Exchange.
Massmart added that Walmart has offered 62 rands for each outstanding Massmart share, which represents a premium of 53% to Friday’s closing share price.
Massmart Chairman Kuseni Dlamini says that a preliminary report from an independent expert indicates that the terms and conditions of the offer are fair and reasonable.
African countries called for an end to climate injustice saying the continent causes less than four per cent of global CO2 emissions but pays one of the highest prices for global warming.
Government officials, international organisations, NGOs and the private sector from more than 60 African nations attended Monday’s opening of Africa Climate Week in Gabon’s capital to prepare for the COP27 UN climate conference in Egypt in November.
Host President Ali Bongo Ondimba says the continent has to speak with one voice and offer concrete proposals for COP27.
The Federal High Court in Lagos has stopped President Muhammadu Buhari and the National Broadcasting Commission from revoking the licenses of 53 broadcast stations in the country and shutting down the stations for allegedly failing to renew their licenses.
Honourable Justice Akintayo Aluko granted an order of interim injunction following the hearing of an argument on motion exparte by Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project and Nigerian Guild of Editors.
The Federal Government reiterated petrol subsidy will remain in place until mid-2023. Ahead of the 2023 budget presentation,
The Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed says the government is proposing to spend only N3.36 trillion on petrol subsidy in 2023.
The minister added that the Federal Government is proposing an aggregate expenditure of N19.76 trillion for the 2023 financial year, with a projected deficit of N11.30 trillion.
She says the Federal Government is projecting total revenue of N8.46 trillion, out of which N1.9 trillion is expected to come from oil-related sources while the remaining is to come from non-oil sources.
The Academic Staff Union of Universities extended its six-month-old strike indefinitely until the Federal Government meets its demands.
A member of the union says the union extended the industrial action after reviewing progress reports on ongoing negotiations with the Federal Government in the last four weeks when ASUU rolled over the strike.
ASUU embarked on the strike on February 14th, 2022. It had then declared a four-week warning strike. But after a month, the lecturers extended it by eight weeks, saying the government needs more time to look at its demands.
A Federal High Court in Abuja has thrown out a suit by the Federal Government to extradite the suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari, to the United States of America.
Justice Inyang Ekwo struck out the suit filed by Abubakar Malami, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, on the ground that the application is incompetent, lacked merit and was instituted in bad faith.
Justice Ekwo insisted that the current administration has no basis to file the extradition request having commenced trial in a case filed against the embattled Deputy Commissioner of Police by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency.
The Federal Government says it had entered into a partnership with the Turkish energy firm, EXIST (Energy Exchange Istanbul), to design a functional trading structure for the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry, among others.
It says the partnership came on the heels of a Memorandum of Understanding signed by the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Plc with EXIST to boost cooperation and knowledge exchange between the two countries.
The government says the cooperation agreement, signed between NBET and EXIST at the latter’s campus in Maslak, Turkey, was designed to explore mutually beneficial opportunities for growth between both agencies.
The House of Representatives Committee on Public Accounts has commenced an investigation of extra-budgetary spending by Nigeria’s foreign missions and their refusal to remit Internally Generated Revenue despite cries of the paucity of funds by the embassies and high commissions.
The Office of the Auditor General for the Federation decried that efforts to audit the accounts of some of the missions were frustrated by the officials who acted on a directive by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Auditor-General, in the over 450-page document containing a list of audit queries against the missions, raised the alarm over their habit of making spending outside their budgets and without the approval of the National Assembly.
Kenya Airways Chief Executive Allan Kilavuka says the amount of money Kenya’s national airline is trying to repatriate from Ethiopia, Malawi and Nigeria is $28m.
The airline says it is relying on diplomatic talks led by the Kenyan authorities for the funds in Ethiopia, Malawi and Nigeria to be released.
The International Air Transport Association says up to $1bn is owed to airlines across Africa, which poses yet another risk to the aviation industry already hit by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Germany has signed an agreement to transfer ownership of 512 Benin Bronzes, hailed as the largest return of cultural artefacts looted from the continent in the 19th century.
The agreement was signed between the Foundation of Prussian Cultural Heritage and Nigeria's National Commission for Museums and Monuments.
The foundation says the first objects will be returned to Nigeria this year from the Ethnological Museum in Berlin.
The French president, Emmanuel Macron, says during a visit to Algeria that the two countries should move beyond their painful shared history and look to the future.
Mr Macron announced that a joint Franco-Algerian commission of historians would be set up to study archives on French colonial rule in Algeria.
Mr Macron is also keen to secure access to Algeria's huge stocks of untapped oil and gas, as Europe faces shortages because of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The Central Bank of Nigeria has unveiled the *997# USSD code in Kano State as part of efforts to reduce the use of cash in commercial activities in the country.
The Deputy Governor, Operations Directorate of the CBN, Mr Folashadun Adebisi Shonubi says it was another milestone in delivering digital financial services to Nigerians and enabling their participation in the global digital economy.
He urged Nigerians to embrace the central bank digital currency, describing it as safe, saying it would help in reducing the number of the country’s unbanked population.
The United Nations has sounded a note of warning that Nigeria may not achieve the global agenda for universal inclusive and equitable basic education for all school-age children by 2030 if the current seven per cent budget for education by the federal government was not increased to 20 per cent, with clear accountabilities on delivery.
The UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Matthias Schmale,says in Nigeria’s 2022 federal budget, there was an increase to seven per cent on education, but the evaluation says it would need to increase to 20 per cent with clear accountabilities on delivery.
He also noted that Nigeria was the first country to conduct and deliver independent comprehensive evaluations of SDG-3 and SDG-4.
A crippling drought exacerbated by a record heatwave has spread across half of China and reached the normally frigid Tibetan Plateau.
The world’s second-largest economy has experienced over 70 days of heatwaves, flash floods and droughts phenomena that scientists say are becoming more frequent and intense due to climate change.
Experts say the intensity, scope and duration of the heatwave could make it one of the worst recorded in global history.
A chart from the National Climate Centre showed that swathes of southern China were experiencing severe to extraordinary drought conditions.
The UN World Food Programme says Tigrayan forces in northern Ethiopia have looted a million litres of fuel from its warehouses in Tigray’s capital, Mekelle, that was meant to be used to deliver aid.
The UN and the US have urged Ethiopian troops and the Tigrayan forces to restore a humanitarian truce.
UN chief António Guterres says he was shocked by the resurgence in fighting, while the US expressed concern that renewed clashes could jeopardise progress made over the past five months.
The chair of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, also called for the immediate cessation of hostilities and urged the warring sides to resume talks.
Shop owners in Ghana are threatening to close their business premises next Monday to protest against the weakening of the country’s currency, the cedi.
At 10 cedis to the US dollar, traders are finding it difficult to stay in business as the cost of importing and clearing goods continues to rise.
Prices for most basic goods and services have doubled over the last couple of months in Ghana, but incomes for the most part.
The Ghana Institute of Freight Forwarders, an umbrella body for clearing agents, says it will also cease operations on Monday.
Inflation in Ghana now stands at over 31% - the highest in the last 20 years.
The government has pointed the blame at the Covid-19 pandemic and the recent Russia-Ukraine war.
The Kano State Government, in collaboration with the World Bank and French Development Agency, will construct 6,300 kilometres of rural roads across the state.
The Director-General, Kano State Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project, Yahaya GarinAli, reiterated the government’s commitment towards improving access roads and agricultural infrastructural development in the state.
The State project Coordinator, Sunusi Suleiman, described the training as a fulfillment of the requirements by the World Bank to operationalise the use of Nigeria Rural Transport Infrastructure Management System software designed to help monitor progress of work during construction.’
The Federal Government, says recommencing the Abuja-Kaduna train service while some of the passengers kidnapped by terrorists during the March 28 train attack will be insensitive to their families.
It says the options available also include the DSS-approved system deployed by the Kano State Government to frustrate terrorist activities in the vast Falgore forest.
The Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo, says the President, Muhammadu Buhari relies heavily on funds generated by Nigeria Customs Service and Federal Inland Revenue Service.
Keyamo’s statement corroborated an earlier report by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited on July 20 that it would no longer remit money to the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee for sharing to the three tiers of government monthly.
The NNPC hinged the decision on its latest transition from a public corporation to a limited liability company, adding that all monetary arrears to the committee were owed by the old corporation and not the new oil company.
The Joint Union Congress of the Police Service Commission has issued a notice of indefinite strike to the management of the commission over a breach of the agreement.
The union noted that the strike will commence with effect from Monday, August 29, 2022.
Chairman of the Joint Service Union, PSC chapter, Mr Adoyi Adoyi, noted that the IGP and other police chiefs in connivance with the chairman of the PSC have overruled the constitutional duty of the PSC.
Adoyi added that the IGP has allegedly taken it upon himself to carry out the functions of the PSC in flagrant disregard of the Nigeria constitution, a verdict of the Appeal Court, and the authorities of the PSC.
The Chairman of the Nigeria Diaspora Commission, Abike Dabiri-Erewa has warned Nigerians not to travel to Northern Cyprus.
Dabiri-Erewa says there is little the Federal Government can do to diplomatically resolve issues in the territory because Northern Cyprus is not recognised by the international community except Turkey.
Dabiri-Erewa also urged Nigerians in Diaspora not to be afraid to invest in the country because of insecurity.
She says it is only temporary because of stiff measures currently employed by the Federal Government to tackle the situation.
Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced an independent inquiry into his predecessor Scott Morrison’s secret appointment to multiple ministries during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Albanese announced the move after Solicitor General Stephen Donaghue concluded that while Morrison’s appointments were legal, they fundamentally undermined the responsible government.
Lawyers for Donald Trump have asked a federal judge to prevent the FBI from continuing to review documents recovered earlier this month from the former United States president’s Florida home until a neutral special master is appointed to inspect the records.
The UN has expressed deep concern about the state of human rights in Guinea after the country's ruling junta dissolved an opposition group and clamped down on recent protests.
UN Rights Commissioner Michelle Bachelet wants Guinea's government to investigate alleged violence at the hands of security forces during the protests, free those arrested and re-institute the opposition coalition called the National Front for the Defence of the Constitution.
A court in the US state of Pennsylvania has issued historic damages totalling $84m to four victims of the Lutheran Church Massacre, one of the deadliest attacks on civilians during Liberia’s civil conflict from 1989 to 2003. More than 600 people were killed.
The victims were represented by the San Francisco-based Centre for Justice and Accountability.
The ruling came after the court held one of the army commanders of Samuel Doe responsible for the killings.
It is not clear how the US court intends to get the authorities in Liberia to collaborate in getting the award paid to the victims.
The mega-dam has caused a row between Egypt and Ethiopia. Egyptian media are reporting that President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is hosting a five-nation Arab summit in the Mediterranean coastal city of New Alamein.
The leaders of Bahrain, the UAE, Iraq and Jordan are said to be attending.
Among the topics expected to be discussed are the conflicts in Yemen, Syria and Libya, the latest round of Israel-Gaza fighting earlier this month and Egypt and Sudan’s dispute with Ethiopia over its Renaissance Dam on the Nile.
The federal government has commenced free vaccination of children below one year of age in the country with RotaVirus vaccines.
Global health report showed that Rotavirus is one of the leading causes of diarrhoea disease in the world and is responsible for over 40 per cent of the infection in children.
The Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency Dr Faisal Shuaib, says approximately 50,000 deaths occur in children under five years in Nigeria annually as a result of Rotavirus infection.
He says Nigeria has the second highest number of deaths from rotavirus, accounting for 14 per cent of all childhood rotavirus deaths worldwide.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed says relevant authorities are working towards addressing issues concerning the revenue of foreign airlines that have been trapped in Nigeria, put at over $600 million.
Emirates Airlines last week announced that it would stop all scheduled operations to Nigeria from September 1, 2022, if no action was taken by the government to address the airline’s revenues which it had been unable to repatriate, which have risen to about $95 million.
There are also indications that other foreign airlines might review their operations in Nigeria over their inability to repatriate their earnings from the country.
The minister says there was a need to first test-run the facility and be extremely certain that the equipment was working optimally before the terminal would be put to use.
The People's Democratic Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, Atiku Abubakar, says he will hand over Federal Government-owned universities to state governments.
Atiku says the Federal Government does not have infinite resources.
He says the only way is to make sure that they make a conducive environment available to both foreign and local investors to participate in the country, whether it is infrastructure, whether it is education, whether it is power.
Nigerian novelist Chimamanda Adichie says the country does not have heroes who will inspire its younger population.
Adiche says Nigerians should be open to self-criticism. This, she said, will engender good leadership in the nation.
Chimamanda noted that there is a need for resurrection adding that they cannot avoid self-criticism but criticise the government.
President Muhammadu Buhari has vowed to resist any attempt to undermine the development of sports in the country, declaring that football as the number one sport in Nigeria remains a national asset.
The president directed the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development and the Nigeria Football Federation to commence implementation of the two-volume report in phases, within the relevant sections of the Nigerian laws on sports development and the statutes of the world soccer governing body, FIFA.
The president further expressed concern over the development of football in the past years, owing to the neglect of the core orientation of football administration, urging the NFF to salvage the domestic league at all levels.
Nigeria and the United States government have reached an agreement on the return of over $23 million of the Abacha loot.
The Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Mr. Abubakar Malami says the fund when returned will be invested in three ongoing projects by the Federal Government, including the ongoing Abuja-Kaduna road and the 2nd Niger Bridge.
Nigeria has in the past recovered several other tranches of the Abacha loot, which are proceeds believed to have been diverted from public coffers by the military administration of General Sani Abacha in the 1990s.
A United Nations waiver allowing 13 Afghan Taliban officials to travel abroad expired on Friday, as the Security Council failed to reach an agreement on whether to extend the travel exemptions.
China and Russia have called for an extension, while the United States and Western nations have sought a reduced list of Taliban officials allowed to travel to protest against the Taliban’s rollback of women’s rights and failure to form an inclusive government as it promised.
The US proposed reimposing the travel ban on seven of the 13 Taliban officials and keeping the exemption for six others, but limiting their travel only to Qatar, where US-Taliban talks have taken place, council diplomats said.
The World Food Programme says 30,000 tonnes of Ukrainian wheat bought for its operations in Ethiopia is expected to arrive in neighbouring Djibouti next week.
Claire Neville, the WFP’s spokesperson for Ethiopia, told the BBC that the wheat will support the organisation’s efforts to feed millions of people affected by food insecurity as a result of protracted conflicts and severe drought.
Neville added that the food will support the body's operations across the country, where it aims to target 3.4 million people in the northern regions of Tigray, Afar and Amhara that have been impacted by a brutal civil war that broke out 22 months ago.
The International Energy Agency has raised its forecast for world oil demand in 2022 to 99.7 million barrels per day in 2022 and 101.8 million bpd in 2023.
The organisation which provides data, forecasts and analysis on the global oil market, stated that the projection was hinged on soaring oil use for power generation and gas-to-oil switching by many countries.
The IEA report stated that World oil demand is now forecast at 99.7 million bpd in 2022 and 101.8 million bpd in 2023.
The IEA report however stated that the world oil supply hit a post-pandemic high of 100.5 million bpd in July despite Nigeria’s perennial underperformance as maintenance was completed in the North Sea, Canada and Kazakhstan.
The Zambian government has approached Africa’s richest man and President of Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote pleading for support for the development of the country’s agricultural sector through the establishment of fertiliser plants in the country.
Minister of Commerce and Industry, Zambia, Mr Chipoka Mulenga, expressed the belief that any investment in fertiliser production would not only help the country to be self-sufficient in food production but would also help to grow the Zambian economy as well as that of the neighbouring countries.
Mulenga maintained that Dangote had been able to change the narratives through his investment in cement production across Africa, stating that Africans are now investing in the continent.
The Securities and Exchange Commission says that it is engaging with the federal government to reconsider the exemption of tax on corporate bonds and short-term securities.
The Director-General of SEC, Yuguda Lamido, stated that the commission is still engaging with the Honourable Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning on the request for tax exemption on corporate bonds and short-term securities.
He says they believe that tax exemption should return to the capital market. Stakeholders also agree with this. Therefore, the commission continues its engagement with the Honourable Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning on the request for tax exemption for corporate bonds.
The Minister of Power, Abubakar Aliyu would next month in Lagos host representatives of the United Nations, European Union, Economic Community of West African States as well as other policymakers, local and international operators and investors to dialogue and proffer solutions to the myriads of problems bedeviling the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry.
The Exhibition Manager, Energy Portfolio, Middle East and Africa, Informa Markets, Mr. Ade Yesufu, says the three day-event would be held in Lagos, from September 20 to 22, 2022, with over 3000 attendees, over 100 exhibitors from 21 countries expected.
He says Nigeria’s power sector was in dire need of technological transformation and digitalisation to compete globally and achieve sustainable growth.
Yesufu explained that the first step to achieving the above would be to attract key local and international investors not only to dialogue with other stakeholders but to also discover viable mechanisms to solve the challenges in the energy sector.
The Federal Government says it has started making moves to resolve tariff shortfalls in the power sector.
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo says the NELMCO will enhance ongoing efforts to resolve liabilities relating to tariff shortfalls for distribution companies, among other challenges plaguing Nigeria’s power sector.
The Vice President told the members that they are expected to make conscious and deliberate efforts to develop appropriate strategies to facilitate the successful conclusion of the outstanding pre-privatisation issues of the defunct PHCN.
The Independent National Electoral Commission says contrary to reports making the rounds, it has not discarded the electronic transmission of election results.
Spokesman to the commission, Festus Okoye, says INEC is not contemplating a revert to the manual process of result transmission.
Mr Okoye says the confusion regarding what method has been adopted stems from a recent short interview granted to a national newspaper on the procedure for result management during elections.
The INEC Commissioner reassured Nigerians that the electronic transmission of results has come to stay adding that this method further boosts the credibility and transparency of the electoral process when citizens follow polling unit level results on the INEC Result Viewing portal in real-time on Election Day.
China says it is blacklisting seven Taiwan officials over their alleged support for the self-ruled island’s independence.
The group will be banned from entering mainland China and the territories of Hong Kong and Macau, and restricted from working with Chinese officials.
The seven officials targeted by Beijing include Bi-khim Hsiao, Taiwan’s representative in the United States.
Xinhua says the punitive measures were necessary to safeguard the peaceful development of the cross-Strait relations and the immediate interests of the people on both sides of the Strait.
Sir Keir Starmer says families would not pay a penny more on their energy bills this winter under Labour's plans to tackle rising living costs.
The Labour leader claimed his proposals would save the average household £1,000.
economists however said the plan would cost as much as the Covid furlough scheme, if it was extended beyond this winter.
The government has already announced what is says is £37bn of support for hard-pressed families, but it is under pressure to do more, with bills set to rocket over the winter.
The Moscow Exchange will be partially reopened to foreign investors after a nearly six-month suspension during the Ukraine war.
It says only investors from countries that are not hostile will be allowed to trade bonds.
The Moscow Exchange says it would be reopening its bond market to "non-resident clients from countries that are not hostile, as well as non-residents whose ultimate beneficiaries are Russian legal entities or individuals.
It added that banks, brokers and investment management companies had started registering their foreign clients with the exchange.
Saudi oil giant Aramco has broken its own record with a $48.4bn profit for the second quarter of 2022.
It is a 90% year-on-year increase and marks the biggest earnings for the world's largest energy exporter since its public listing three years ago.
Bloomberg reports that the Saudi oil giant's figure represents the biggest quarterly adjusted profit of any listed company.
The state-owned Saudi energy giant announced it would keep its dividend unchanged at $18.8bn for the third quarter.
The UK has launched a scheme to cut tariffs on hundreds of products from some of the world's poorest countries to try to boost trade links.
The preferential terms, which come into effect early next year, will affect products ranging from food to textiles.
Under the Developing Countries Trading Scheme, 99% of goods imported from Africa will be duty free.
Ministers say the scheme helps to fulfil the post-Brexit pledge to take back control of the country's trade policy while also reducing dependence on aid.
Egypt says it will temporarily suspend its participation in the UN peacekeeping force in Mali starting on Monday over concerns about the security of its troops.
The decision also comes as activists backing Mali’s military-led government continue to demand Minusma’s expulsion over its perceived failure to protect civilians from attacks.
Egypt's mission to the UN in New York said last month that the Egyptian contingent of Minusma would be temporarily withdrawn but did not indicate how long the suspension would last.
Egypt has about 1,000 soldiers in Minusma, mainly providing logistical support.
Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba, ordered the deployment of watertight security arrangements to cover all schools, hospitals, health workers, and critical national infrastructure across the country.
Baba also ordered regular patrols, stop-and-search, raids, and show of force by tactical commanders to clamp down on crime and criminality in the country.
The IGP directed Assistant Inspectors-General of Police and the 36 police commissioners in the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to prioritise the use of intelligence gathering networks, particularly traditional/local intelligence, to locate criminal hideouts and flush them out before they could strike.
Nigeria has levelled fresh claims of fraud against a little-known offshore firm, Process and Industrial Developments, which earlier won an $11 billion arbitration award against the country, ramping up the pressure ahead of one of the biggest London trials to take place next year.
The federal government would seek to prove to the court that P&ID did not make full disclosure to the court in the first place in the course of the case.
The country’s Consumer Price Index, which measures the level of price change in goods and services, hit 19.64 percent in July 2022 from the 18.60 percent recorded in the last month.
The National Bureau of Statistics says on a month-on-month basis, the Headline inflation rate in July 2022 was 1.817 %, which was 0.001% higher than the rate recorded in June 2022 (1.816 %).
The country’s urban inflation increased by 2.08% to 20.09% in July 2022 from 18.01% in July 2021. On the other hand, the rural inflation rate reached 19.22% from 16.75% in the corresponding period of 2021.
The Chairman, Senate Committee on Army, Senator Ali Ndume has called on the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency on security.
Ndume says the government should prioritise the security of Nigerians.
He says the earlier they prioritise this seriously and even declare a kind of state of emergency in the areas of security and welfare of citizens, the better for us because that is what the government is all about.
Prices in the US continued to rise rapidly last month, but a fall in petrol costs helped to ease the pace.
The Labor Department says the annual inflation rate, the pace at which prices rise, was 8.5% in July, down from June when it surged to 9.1%.
The higher costs have left many families struggling and had a significant impact on the economy.
Petrol prices fell by 7.7% compared with June, when prices at the pump had hit a record high of more than $5 per gallon on average. Overall the report was better than many analysts had expected.
Former US President Donald Trump has declined to answer questions as part of a New York state investigation into his family's business practices.
Mr Trump had sued in an effort to block the interview at the New York attorney general's office.
State officials accuse the Trump Organization of misleading authorities about the value of its assets in order to get favourable loans and tax breaks.
Mr Trump denies wrongdoing and has called the civil probe a witch hunt. An hour after he was pictured arriving at the Manhattan office where he was questioned under oath.
Mr Trump released a statement in which he criticised New York Attorney General Letitia James and the broader investigation.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has commended Kenyans for observing peace during the elections.
He commended the electoral commission and Kenyan authorities for ensuring that voters were able to exercise freely their right to vote.
He has urged politicians and voters to be calm and restrained as they wait for results.
The polls body is yet to provide the final turnout figures but the initial estimates suggest a decline from the 2017 election - when 80% of the registered 19 million voters turned out to vote.
Ethiopia says the second turbine of a controversial dam over the Blue Nile has started generating electricity.
The $4bn mega-dam has been a huge source of controversy between the East African country and the two downstream countries Egypt and Sudan that depend heavily on the Nile for their essential water supplies.
It is expected to generate more than 5,000 megawatts of electricity upon completion.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed says there hasn’t been any impact on the water supplies of the downstream countries.
The US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, has expressed serious concerns about the human rights situation in Rwanda after talks with President Paul Kagame in the capital, Kigali.
Mr Blinken says he had raised US concerns about the detention of Paul Rusesabagina - a permanent resident of the United States - who is credited with saving hundreds of lives during the Rwandan genocide of 1994.
Mr Blinken says he had urged President Kagame to address concerns about legal protections afforded to Rusesabagina - particularly, the lack of a fair trial.
The World Health Organisation says that 160 million Nigerians are at risk of yellow fever.
The Medical Officer, WHO Nigeria, Dr Anne Baptiste, says, Yellow fever is dangerous because a small percentage of patients will go through a more toxic phase of the disease.
The WHO says Nigeria is at risk of both urban and sylvatic exposure to the disease. The global health body, however, said Nigeria has vaccinated over 45 million people against yellow fever during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Director General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, Dr Ifedayo Adetifa, says that the government has strengthened surveillance for the disease.
The Federal Government’s total borrowing from the Central Bank of Nigeria through Ways and Means Advances rose from N17.46tn in December 2021 to N19.91tn in June 2022.
Data from the CBN says this shows that the Federal Government borrowed N2.45tn from the apex bank within six months.
The N19.91tn owed the apex bank by the Federal Government is not part of the country’s total public debt stock, which stood at N41.60tn as of March 2022, according to the Debt Management Office.
The CBN however says that the Federal Government’s borrowing from it through the Ways and Means Advances could have adverse effects on the bank’s monetary policy to the detriment of domestic prices and exchange rates.
The Federal Government is set to make a total of N483.73bn in three years from the electronic payment boom by way of the Electronic Money Transfer Levy.
The budget Office of the Federation office, says the nation intends to make at least N137.03bn in 2023, N157.59bn in 2024, and N189.11bn from EMTL.
The office further revealed that the government made N111.84bn from the levy in 2021.
Data from the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System portal reveal that the total value of electronic transactions in the four months of 2022 (N117.33tn) is already higher than the total amount of transactions in 2019 (N108.42tn).
President Muhammadu Buhari authorised the acquisition of ExxonMobil Corporation assets by Seplat Energy Plc but has made a U-turn on the deal.
Presidential spokesperson, Garba Shehu says President Buhari had reversed his authorisation, choosing to support the position of the NUPRC.
He says the confusion trailing the deal was due to the non-coordination among the various agencies of government involved. In May, the commission declined to approve the proposed acquisition due to what it described as overriding national interest.
Seplat Energy in a corporate filing says it followed due process in the acquisition of the assets.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro introduced a new tax reform proposal to Congress that is expected to finance the ambitious programs and policies he hopes will transform the country.
The move by the country’s first leftist leader was the first step to fulfilling his promise to millions of Colombians.
Maydany Salcedo, who advises the administration on drug policy, believes Petro can bring the much-awaited peace, expected from a 2016 treaty between the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia and the government.
Russia says it was suspending United States on-site inspections under a strategic arms control treaty with Washington, pointing to Western sanctions and coronavirus infections, adding that Moscow remains committed to all provisions of the treaty.
The Russian foreign ministry says facilities that are subject to inspections under the New START treaty will be temporarily exempt from such inspections.
Moscow also accused Washington of seeking to create unilateral advantages and deprive Russia of the right to carry out inspections on American soil.
The US secretary of state says Washington will not dictate which choices Africa should make and neither should anyone else.
Antony Blinken says African nations have been treated as instruments of other nations' progress, rather than the authors of their own.
Mr Blinken addressed African reservations that the continent is sometimes used as a pawn in international relations.
He outlined the US's priorities for the continent, which include democracy, investment, security, Covid recovery support and clean energy.
South Africa's minister of international relations has called for more effort to be made to resolve the war in Ukraine through dialogue.
Naledi Pandor says South Africa abhorred war.
She also called for an even-handed approach to international issues - saying the world should be equally concerned about what's happening to the people of Palestine as the people of Ukraine.
Mali has received five military jets and a combat helicopter from Russia - a close ally in its fight against a jihadist insurgency.
Defence Minister Sadio Camara paid tribute to what he called Mali's win-win partnership with Russia.
That second military take-over in just over a year plus Mali's decision to hire Russian mercenaries were key reasons why France chose to pull its troops out of the country.
The high cost and scarcity of aviation fuel, known as Jet A1, has forced Air Peace to suspend its Lagos-Johannesburg flight operations.
The airline explained that due to the turbulent times the aviation industry was experiencing with Jet A1 fuel increases, scarcity of forex and a delay in visa issuance for South African travel passengers, it had to stop the service.
Johannesburg is one of the three international routes Air Peace operates. The others are Dubai and China.
The Nigerian Economic Summit Group has made a passionate appeal to President Muhamadu Buhari to utilise the remaining 10 months in his administration to make tough choices and take decisive actions that would pull Nigeria from the brink of socio-economic collapse.
The NESG says these decisive decisions, should include addressing mounting insecurity challenges in the country and crude oil theft, ending the multiple exchange rate system which, it stated was keeping foreign investment away from Nigeria as well as be decisive in removing petrol subsidy in a manner that would not hurt the vulnerable segment of Nigerians adversely.
It also tasked the government to take necessary steps to restore Nigeria back to fiscal and debt sustainability.
Governor Samuel Ortom has written President Muhammadu Buhari for firearm licensing for the newly established Benue State Community Volunteer Guards inaugurated to provide surveillance and intelligence gathering in the wake of persistent herdsmen attacks.
Ortom says the move became necessary following the legitimated process of establishing the Guards to help restore peace in the troubled parts of the state.
He says the President he knows would approve his request to also empower his people against their transducers or at best, leave room for a fair level of response on the defences of his people.
President Muhammadu Buhari has okayed Seplat Energy Offshore Limited’s acquisition of Exxon Mobil shares.
Buhari considered the extensive benefits of the transaction to the country’s energy sector and the economy in giving consent.
The President granted consent to the Share Sales Agreement, as requested by the parties to the transaction, and directed that the approval be conveyed to all the parties involved.
Ethiopia has accused a team of Western diplomats of appeasing Tigrayan forces during a recent trip to Mekelle, the capital of the embattled northern region.
The prime minister’s security adviser and a member of a negotiating team set up by Addis Ababa Redwan Hussien, however, says that the diplomats failed to press unequivocal commitment for peace talks during their travel.
The envoys called for the resumption of basic services in Tigray, including banking, electricity and telecommunications.
Mr Redwan says the government’s position is that enabling conditions should be created and the talks should begin ahead of restoration efforts.
Nigeria has secured a $1.5 billion loan from the US-EXIM Bank to boost solar power infrastructure in 10 different locations in the country.
Chief Executive Officer of SUN Africa LLC, USA, Adam Cortese, explained that the loan was a government-to-government facility at a concessional rate of over 20 years.
He says the Niger Delta Power Holding Company will own the assets, which he said would not only generate low-cost electricity but also enable the company to pay back the loan.
President Buhari declared that the rapid integration of solar power into the country’s energy mix would lead to an increase in electricity access to underserved and unserved communities.
The Plateau Government revoked the licenses of all nursery, primary, and secondary schools in the state.
Commissioner of Education, Elizabeth Wampum, says the decision was taken after it was discovered that 5,000 private schools were operating without a license.
The commissioner noted that about 90 per cent of the schools do not adhere to government policies and mandates.
The Minister of Agriculture, Mohammed Abubakar, says in spite of the protracted security challenge in the country, food production has not dropped.
Abubakar acknowledged that the insurgency, inhibiting farmers from accessing their farms, particularly in the North-West, North-East, and North-Central, is a concern for the Federal Government.
He, however, maintained that food production continues at an appreciable level for most parts of the country.
The minister further revealed that 3.6 million direct and indirect jobs have been created through $1.1 billion in externally-funded agriculture projects and are being implemented by the present administration.
The Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed asked Google to block terrorist organisations from YouTube.
The Minister says Google must look into how to tackle the use of private and unlisted YouTube channels and YouTube live streams by proscribed groups and terrorist organizations.
Mohammed noted that Google is a platform of choice for IPOB, a proscribed terrorist group, and implored the tech giant to deny IPOB the use of its platform for its acts of violence and destabilization.
He says Nigerians are among the most vibrant social media users in the world, with over 100 million Internet users in the country, and internet platforms.
The Bank of England has warned that the UK will fall into recession this year as it raised interest rates from 1.25% to 1.75% in a bid to curb soaring prices.
It expects the economy to shrink in the final three months of this year and keep shrinking until the end of 2023.
It blamed the downturn largely on rising gas prices following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, warning a typical energy bill will hit £3,500 in October.
It expects this sharp rise in energy bills to drive inflation, the rate at which prices grow, to 13%.
The Senegalese opposition has called for the official publication of the results of Sunday's parliamentary to be postponed.
The electoral commission is due to make a formal announcement but the leader of the opposition coalition alliance, Déthié Fall, says a postponement would give it time to identify irregularities.
Both the opposition alliance and the governing coalition of President Macky Sall claimed victory on the basis of partial results.
Western diplomats in South Sudan say they will not attend a meeting convened by President Salva Kiir to discuss a roadmap to implement the country's peace agreement.
South Sudan's foreign affairs ministry sent invitations to all diplomatic missions, and regional and international non-governmental organisations accredited to South Sudan to attend the Thursday event that will be presided by the president.
However, the heads of missions of the US, the UK and Norway - known as the Troika for South Sudan - wrote to President Kiir expressing regret that they would not attend.
The diplomats say they had previously written to the president to express their profound concern that the consultations must include civil societies.
The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority says that it was carrying out economic and financial audits of eight of the domestic airlines operating in the country.
It says this had become necessary in order to determine the health conditions of all domestic airlines operating in Nigeria.
The Director-General, NCAA, Capt. Musa Nuhu, says that the regulatory body was already carrying out intensive financial and economic audits on at least three other indigenous airlines, while the remaining five would be done in batches.
The remaining eight scheduled airlines include Air Peace, Arik Air, Max Air, Green Africa, United Nigeria, Overland, Azman Air and Ibom Air.
The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency says all federal and state government-owned airports in Nigeria have approach and landing navigational aids.
It says Satellite Performance Based Navigation procedures that could enable aircraft to operate at any time of the day in these airports were also in place.
The acting Managing Director, NAMA, Matthew Pwajok, says the idea of tagging some airports in the country as sunrise or ‘sunset airports’ was misplaced.
Nigeria's broadcast regulator has fined four broadcasters, including Multichoice Nigeria Ltd, 5m naira each for airing a BBC documentary on the activities of bandit gangs in north-western Nigeria.
The National Broadcasting Commission says the documentary glorified the activities of bandits and undermines national security and contravened the provisions of the Nigeria Broadcasting Code.
The BBC says the story is overwhelmingly in the public interest and that it stands by its journalism.
The Federal Government has confirmed that it approved the purchase of vehicles worth N1.4 billion for the neighbouring Niger Republic to tackle insecurity.
The Minister of Finance, Budget, and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed explained that providing intervention to the neighbouring Niger Republic is not new and it is the prerogative of President Muhammadu Buhari who approved the purchase.
She says President Buhari has the right to make his own assessment of situations and give directives accordingly.
She added that the financial support, which is primarily for the purpose of enhancing capacity to protect their territory, based on a request by the Nigerien Government, is also in the best interest of the country.
The Federal Executive Council has approved the procurement of utility vehicles, security gadgets, and accessories to support security agencies operating within the FCT at the sum of N1.835 billion.
The Minister of the FCT, Mohammed Bello, disclosed that 60 utility vehicles with communication gadgets will be bought at that amount and delivered within two months.
He noted that the Council approved the supply of various security gadgets and accessories to support security agencies in the nation’s capital at a total sum of N847.1 million. The two procurements amount to N2.68 billion.
The United States issued fresh sanctions on Iran, this time targeting Chinese and other companies it said were used by one of Iran‘s largest petrochemical brokers to facilitate the sale of tens of millions of dollars worth of Iranian petroleum and petrochemical products from Iran to East Asia.
The US Treasury Department says the Iranian Persian Gulf Petrochemical Industry Commercial Co allegedly exploited the designated businesses to sell Iranian oil and petrochemical goods to East Asia.
The Treasury says the US slapped sanctions on businesses from Hong Kong, the United Arab Emirates and Singapore.
The Philippines' newly elected President Ferdinand Marcos Jr says the country has no plan to rejoin the International Criminal Court a decision that supports his predecessor’s stance but denies the demands of human rights activists.
Former President Rodrigo Duterte withdrew the Philippines from The Hague-based court in 2019 after the body launched an investigation the previous year into his campaign against illegal drugs that led to thousands of killings.
Marcos Jr says he recently met his justice secretary and other legal advisers to discuss the possible resumption of an ICC investigation into the drug killings.
Kamala Harris, the vice president of the United States, has called climate change an immediate and urgent crisis as she detailed the Biden administration's efforts to respond to disasters such as the deadly flooding in Kentucky and wildfires ravaging her home state of California.
Harris says that disasters such as the Kentucky flood and California wildfires show how immediate, how current and how urgent the issue is of addressing the extreme weather that we’ve been experiencing around the country and the world.
Kenyan ministers say the government has no intention of banning Facebook despite a watchdog last week accusing the social media platform of failing to stop hate speech ahead of the Aug. 9 elections.
Kenya's Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiangi assured the public that the platform would not be shut down.
Kenya's Minister of Information and Technology Joe Mucheru says while the issues raised were valid, they did not warrant blocking Facebook.
A spokesperson for Facebook's parent company, Meta, blamed human and machine error for missing some inflammatory content and said they had taken steps to prevent such content.
The British government has suspended its decision to stop providing aid to state hospitals in South Sudan.
Cuts were due to come into effect but the funding has been extended for two months.
South Sudan's health minister has warned that her country does not have enough money to take over the responsibilities.
The head of one hospital, in Northern Bahr el Ghazal state, told the BBC he was worried the facility would collapse without British support.
The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, says the Federal Government is not responsible for the increase in the price of petrol across the country.
Sylva says the government is still subsidising petrol while adding that the marketers are most likely to blame.
The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited says petrol subsidy claims reached N2.6 trillion in the first half of 2022, surpassing revenue generated from the sale of crude oil.
The British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Catriona Laing, expressed interest in how the Peoples Democratic Party presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, planned to address the country’s seemingly overwhelming security, economic, and development challenges if elected into office next year.
She says Atiku sought to increase collaboration between the governments of Nigeria and the United Kingdom in searching for solutions to issues that affect both countries.
The high commissioner stated that the meeting with the former vice president was part of an ongoing engagement by the UK government to enhance democracy and ensure credible elections in Nigeria next year.
The Academic Staff Union of Universities has again extended the ongoing strike by four weeks.
President of the union, Prof Emmanuel Osodeke says the decision was to give the government enough time to resolve all outstanding issues with the lecturers.
The ASUU President says the extension is with immediate effect on August 1 while noting that the body had earlier conveyed an emergency National Executive Committee meeting of the association at the University of Abuja.
The Independent National Electoral Commission says over eight million young Nigerians completed the recently concluded Continuous Voter Registration exercise.
The INEC says there were 10,487,972 fresh registrants, while 12,298,944 persons completed their registrations.
INEC has however warned Nigerians not to fall victims to fake websites advertising voter registration.
Elon Musk has filed claims against Twitter as he fights the tech firm’s lawsuit demanding he is held to his $44bn purchase deal.
The Chancery Court in the state of Delaware says Musk mounted a legal defense against Twitter’s claim that he is contractually bound to complete the deal he inked in April.
Chancery Court Chief Judge Kathaleen St J McCormick has ordered a five-day trial to begin on October 17, instead of two weeks in February next year as the billionaire requested.
The UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, says he is outraged after at least two people were killed when peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of Congo opened fire at a border crossing.
Mr. Guterres called for accountability after the incident, which happened as the soldiers forced their way across the border from Uganda into eastern DR Congo.
The head of the UN peacekeeping mission, Monusco, says arrests had been made and an investigation had been opened.
Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube says Zimbabwe’s economy is now forecast to grow 4.6% this year, down from an earlier forecast of 5.5%.
Ncube says the lower forecast was because of the global economic environment and the country’s own circumstances including a poor agricultural season.
He says the country would target a budget deficit of below 3% of the gross domestic product in 2023 adding next year the government was targeting 5% growth.
Kenyan authorities have called on Facebook to do more to rid the platform of hate speech ahead of the August 9 general election.
Rights group Global Witness says the social media company approved hate speech advertisements promoting ethnic violence.
Facebook admitted to having missed some hate speech messages because of mistakes by the people and machines the platform relies on.
Facebook says they have Swahili speakers and technology to help remove harmful content and have invested in people and technology to help ensure safe and secure elections in Kenya.
President Felix Tshisekedi says the licensing rights for 30 oil and gas blocks in the Democratic Republic of Congo have gone up for auction, opening parts of the world's second-biggest rainforest to drilling that could release large amounts of carbon into the atmosphere.
He says the process showed a desire to benefit from the country's resources.
The Congolese government says it needs to access revenues to improve living standards in one of the world's poorest countries.
The UN has urged Poland to end double standards in the way it treats migrants.
It says Warsaw welcomes Ukrainians but routinely locks up people from the Middle East or Africa who enter the country illegally from Belarus.
The special rapporteur for migrants’ rights, Felipe Gonzalez, says migrants and asylum seekers entering Poland illegally were often locked in foreign centers without the right to leave while their asylum application was processed.
Mr. Gonzalez says children and other vulnerable individuals should not be locked up merely due to their migration status.
The US says it shares concerns that Tunisia’s new constitution could weaken democracy and erode respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms.
It comes after the approval of a new Tunisian constitution that gives sweeping powers to the president in the 25 July referendum marked by low voter participation.
The referendum, which delivered a yes vote of 94.6% with a turnout of 30.5% - was boycotted by opposition parties.
The US State Department has urged an inclusive and transparent process in the future that would involve Tunisians who did not participate or opposed the referendum.
Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, says the BBC and Daily Trust will face consequences for glorifying terrorism in their reporting.
Mr Mohammed says the BBC and Daily Trust have recently published documentaries containing interviews with bandit warlords adding that such reporting gives legitimacy to terrorism.
He says the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission are also aware of these incidents and are looking at which part of the broadcasting codes have been violated by both the BBC and the Daily Trust.
African energy giants Algeria, Nigeria, and Niger signed a memorandum of understanding on a vast gas pipeline project offering Europe potential future alternatives to Russian supplies.
The Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline would transport billions of cubic meters of gas some 4,128 kilometers from Nigeria in West Africa, north through Niger, and on to Algeria.
Algerian Energy Minister Mohamed Arkab hosted his counterparts from Nigeria and Niger, Timipre Sylva and Mahamane Sani, for talks on the project.
The Federal High Court in Abuja has granted the suspended Accountant General of the Federation, Idris Ahmed, and his co-defendant bail upon terms and conditions given by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
Justice Adeyemi Ajayi ordered that the defendants shall not leave the Federal Capital Territory, and should they want to, they would have to seek clearance from the court or have their bail revoked.
Justice Ajayi also ordered that the defendants should not have and shall not procure alternate passports until the case is done with, having deposited their original passports to the commission.
The minority caucus of the House of Representatives has joined its Senate counterpart to hand President Muhammadu Buhari a six-week ultimatum to fix insecurity or face impeachment in the National Assembly.
The minority leader of the House of Reps, Ndudi Elumelu, says the signatures will be gathered to impeach the President if the security situation is not addressed.
He also drew attention to the general state of the nation, including the exchange rate and aviation crisis.
The US central bank has announced another unusually large interest rate hike as it battles to rein in soaring prices in the world's largest economy.
The Federal Reserve says it would increase its key rate by 0.75 percentage points, targeting a range of 2.25% to 2.5%.
Recent reports have shown falling consumer confidence, a slowing housing market, jobless claims rising, and the first contraction in business activity since 2020.
Kim Jong-un says North Korea is ready to mobilise its nuclear war deterrent.
Leader Kim Jong-un added that the country was fully ready for any military confrontation with the US.
The US warned last month that Pyongyang could conduct such a test at any time.
The US special representative to North Korea Sung Kim says North Korea has tested an unprecedented number of missiles this year - 31 compared to 25 during the whole of its last record-breaking year, 2019.
South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa says that the country's women's football team deserves equal pay to the men.
He urged the country's ministers of finance and sports to increase the bonus.
The president says South Africa should outlaw pay discrimination and embark on a programme to bridge the gender pay gap.
It was earlier reported that the players would receive less money in prize bonuses than their male colleagues did for reaching the quarter-finals of the men's tournament in 2019.
Human Rights Watch says Morocco is imprisoning journalists after flawed trials on non-political charges in order to silence them.
The New York-based group says two of the most prominent cases are those of Omar Radi and Soulaimane Raissouni, both sentenced this year on sexual abuse charges to at least five years in jail.
Morocco has insisted that its justice system is independent and that the cases had nothing to do with the journalists' work.
Tunisian President Kais Saied says draft decrees will be prepared for the holding of an election for a new parliament and a second chamber for regions.
The president noted the need to prepare a draft decree related to the election of a new parliament and the Council of Regions and Districts.
The president also noted that a draft decree related to the Constitutional Court would be prepared, in accordance with provisions of the new constitution, the statement added.
Tunisia's election commission says that preliminary results indicated that a referendum on the constitution delivered a yes vote of 94.6% with a turnout of 30.5%.
The World Health Organisation reports that more than 91 million Africans live with Hepatitis B or C, which are the deadliest strains of the virus.
The scorecard showed that around 70 percent of Hepatitis B infections worldwide occur in Africa.
WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, says hepatitis was a silent epidemic, but this scorecard is sounding an alarm for the region and the world to hear.
The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, says there are no plans to lay off the staff of the state-owned newspaper, the Nigerian Observer.
He noted that the media outfit is being revamped and upgraded to conform to the requirements of the digital era to enhance productivity.
Obaseki says the government, in line with the reforms of the state-owned media organisations, directed the closure of the newspaper for a period of one month, for re-organisation and re-launch of the media outfit.
The governor noted that those who cannot be retrained in digital media would be redeployed to other ministries.
The Nigerian Air Force disclosed plans to establish an aviation city in Osun State while it formally took possession of the MKO Abiola Airport, Ido-Osun, Osun State.
The Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Oladayo Amao, recalled that NAF had earlier relocated its Research and Development Centre from Kaduna to Osogbo.
He says the aviation city will be established in addition to the existing NAF Institute of Safety and Special Operation at Ipetu-Ijesa, Osun State.
The Federal Government says plans to commence Universal Health Coverage which would provide affordable and accessible health care to 83 million vulnerable Nigerians.
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, says the signing into law of the National Health Insurance Authority Bill by President, Muhammadu Buhari signaled a new lease of life to the health sector, which would make universal health coverage accessible to the vulnerable in every nook and cranny of the country.
He added that signing into law of the NHIA bill would go a long way to reduce poverty and improve the economic lives of Nigerians.
Surging inflation and severe slowdowns in the United States and China prompted the IMF to downgrade its outlook for the global economy this year and next while giving an even starker assessment of what may lie ahead.
IMF chief economist Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas says the outlook has darkened significantly since April adding that the world may soon be teetering on the edge of a global recession, only two years after the last one.
The International Monetary Fund cut the 2022 global GDP estimate to 3.2 percent, four-tenths of a point lower than the April forecast, and about half the rate seen last year.
Russia says it was leaving the International Space Station after 2024 amid tensions with the West, in a move analysts warned could lead to a halt to manned flights.
Space experts say the departure from the International Space Station would seriously affect the country’s space sector and deal a major blow to the program of manned flights, a major source of Russian pride.
The new head of Russian space agency Roscosmos, Yury Borisov, says they will start putting together a Russian orbital station while calling it the domestic space program’s main priority.
Google has announced that it will open its Google Play application to alternative payment methods in order to meet new EU regulations.
Google says it recognised that the recently adopted Digital Markets Act would require Google Play and other industry players to adjust the operating models of their online marketplaces for European Users.
Google’s director for EU Government Affairs and Public Policy, Estelle Werth says as part of their efforts to comply with these new rules, we are announcing a new program to support billing alternatives for EEA users.
Google says the fee would be reduced by three percentage points.
The World Bank released $100 million for the World Food Programme to tackle deep food insecurity for two million people in Sudan, where aid was suspended following an October coup.
The funds will help provide an emergency safety net amid worsening hunger in the northeast African nation caused by a poor harvest and rising international food prices.
The bank says the funds will be channeled solely through the WFP to scale up the food security response and provide direct support to the most vulnerable people of Sudan.
A proposed new law to make vaccines compulsory for all adults in the event of a mass disease outbreak has been rejected by Uganda's parliament.
The health ministry says the bill was designed to tackle emerging health threats like hemorrhagic fevers and wanted any rule-breakers to be fined up to $1,045 or face a six-month jail sentence.
MPs however raised concerns about the rights of individuals to choose and questioned who would take liability for vaccine side effects.
The WHO and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, have invited developing countries like Ghana, Kenya, and Malawi to apply for funding to access the RTS malaria vaccine.
International support worth $160m from 2022 to 2025 will be made available to the aforementioned countries, which piloted the jab in 2019.
The WHO recommended the widespread use of the RTS vaccine in October 2021, which has led to more countries expressing an interest in it however the jab only provides 30% protection.
South Africa’s central bank raised its benchmark interest rate by three-quarters of a percentage point to 5.5 percent the steepest hike in a decade.
The move announced a day after South Africa reported a 13-year high in inflation was the fourth rate hike in a row, as the South African Reserve Bank voiced concerns over high inflation and weak economic growth.
Governor Lesetja Kganyago says the central bank decided to increase the repurchase rate by 75 basis points to 5.50 percent per year with effect from Friday.
Kganyago says the rate increase aimed to help bring inflation back down to the bank’s target band of three to six percent.
The President of the African Development Bank Group, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina has given strong assurance to US investors that Africa is a secure, competitive, and profitable market.
Dr. Adesina wants American investors to see Africa as a logical investment destination and to engage with the continent in win-win partnerships.
The AfDB boss says that despite the disruptions of the Covid-19 pandemic and its impact on economies, the number of private equity deals in Africa increased from 230 in 2019 to 255 by 2020.
He stressed that even in turbulent times, opportunities still abound in Africa.
The House of Representatives has stepped down a motion to call on the Federal Government to halt the proposed ban on motorcycles.
A member from Jigawa State, Abubakar Yalleman, had moved the motion during the plenary at the green chamber of the National Assembly in Abuja.
He prayed the House to urge the Federal Government to restrict the ban to local governments where banditry and terrorism were rife.
The Deputy Speaker of the House, Idris Wase, however, prevailed upon Yalleman to step down.
He says he appreciated the motion but appealed to the lawmakers to cooperate with the executive arm of government in the fight against insecurity.
The Nigeria Labour Congress warns the Federal Government should brace for a three-day nationwide strike across all sectors if the crisis in the nation’s public universities is left unresolved.
NLC President, Ayuba Wabba says the protest first is to show their concern and to also call for urgent action to resolve the issues.
The Federal Government however says the decision of the NLC to embark on a nationwide protest was illegal, the leadership of the union insisted that its action was within the ambit of the law.
President Muhammadu Buhari reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to tackling the nation’s security challenges, saying he will leave no stone unturned in crushing bandits and terrorists wreaking havoc in several parts of the country.
The President says the service chiefs have been kept on their toes to ensure that banditry and terrorism are decisively addressed.
He also sympathized with former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Adamu Muazu, over the killing of his brother and abduction of his sister by bandits.
A group of United States legislators has urged the Biden administration to publicly reject Israel’s labeling of six Palestinian human rights organizations as terrorist groups.
In a letter addressed to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines on Monday, 21 members of Congress decried the absence of available evidence backing the Israeli allegations against the Palestinian organisations.
The letter reads that the US must always and consistently speak out against efforts by all countries attempting to undermine civil society and the necessary work of humanitarian organizations.
The Texas Department of Public Safety has announced it will investigate the actions of state police officers during the Uvalde primary school massacre, as law enforcement’s slow response continues to prompt widespread outrage and demands for accountability.
The agency says that the probe will determine if any violations of policy, law, or doctrine occurred during the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School on May 24 that left 19 children and two teachers dead.
It says an internal committee would be charged with leading the investigation, which will also determine where the department can make necessary improvements for future mass casualty responses.
The White House says Russia is laying the groundwork for the annexation of Ukrainian territory.
The chief spokesman for the National Security Council, John Kirby says Moscow is preparing to install proxy officials, establish the rouble as the default currency, and force residents to apply for citizenship.
Kirby says similar tactics were used in 2014 when Russia announced its annexation of Crimea after seizing the territory from Ukraine and holding a referendum the international community saw as illegal.
China and the European Union will hold high-level talks on the economy and trade amid tensions over the war in Ukraine, the treatment of ethnic minority Muslims in Xinjiang, and an unratified investment deal.
Valdis Dombrovskis, executive vice president of the EU Commission, and Chinese Vice Premier Liu He will co-chair the virtual meeting involving economic officials from each side on Tuesday afternoon, Beijing time.
The dialogue comes after months of failed efforts to set a date for talks after the tense EU-China summit in April, during which the sides failed to agree on a joint statement amid divisions over the war in Ukraine and human rights concerns.
The United States added Vietnam, Cambodia, Brunei, and Macau to a human trafficking blacklist that already counts Malaysia, alleging weak efforts to stop forced sex work or assist migrant laborers.
The United States also added authoritarian-ruled Belarus to the blacklist and, in a rare criticism of a Western ally, put Bulgaria on a watchlist over concerns it is not taking trafficking seriously.
The EU has announced a 25m euro grant to help Niger's armed forces fight terrorism and defend its territorial integrity.
The EU says these funds will help Niger to better protect the civilian population against the growing terrorist threat adding that the money will finance the construction of a training centre for the army's logistics support.
A military operating base will also be built to reduce the vulnerability of the Nigerien army in the Tillaberi region which borders Burkina Faso and Mali, two countries that have had increasing militant activities.
Mali’s military ruler says he is open to dialogue to resolve the issue of the 49 Ivorian soldiers who were arrested at the airport in Bamako earlier this month.
Col Assimi Goïta says he was willing, in the spirit of good relations between Mali and Ivory Coast, to work to resolve the dispute, including through diplomatic means.
Col Goïta wanted Togo to lead a mission between the two countries to help resolve the situation.
It came as he held talks on issues of common interest with Togolese Foreign Affairs Minister Robert Dussey.
United States aid chief Samantha Power promised $1.18 billion to help avert famine in the Horn of Africa and urged other nations including China to do more to fight a food crisis aggravated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Power, administrator of the US Agency for International Development, says the situation was especially dire in turbulent Somalia, conflict-hit Ethiopia, and Kenya, the so-called Horn of Africa which is forecast to experience its fifth straight drought later this year.
Power says the $1.18 billion in US aid would include emergency food as well as a peanut-based supplement for malnourished children and veterinary services for dying livestock.
President Muhammadu Buhari directed the Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, to resolve the prolonged industrial action embarked upon by the four university-based unions and report back to him within two weeks.
Members of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian University have warned the Professor Nimi-Briggs Committee renegotiating the 2009 Agreement that it would not accept any disparity in university staff salary, saying it would take every legal action to ensure that such doesn’t happen.
President Muhammadu Buhari unveiled the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, assuring that the new company will guarantee energy security in the country.
He says NNPC Limited will sustainably deliver value to its over 200 million shareholders and the global energy community; operate without relying on government funding and be free from institutional regulations such as the Treasury Single Account.
He assured stakeholders in the industry that Africa’s largest NOC will adhere to its fundamental corporate values of Integrity, Excellence, and Sustainability while operating as a commercial, independent, and viable NOC at par with its peers around the world.
The Central Bank of Nigeria has raised the Monetary Policy Rate from 13 percent to 14 percent.
CBN Governor Godwin Emefiele says it was the right option considering economic realities.
He says the committee resolved that the most rational policy option would be to further strengthen its tightening stance in order to effectively curtail the unabated rising trend of inflation.
He says the increase MPR to 14% from 13, retain the Asymmetric Corridor at +100 and -700 basis points around the MPR, retain the CRR at 27.5 percent and retain the liquidity ratio at 30 percent.
Sri Lanka’s acting President Ranil Wickremesinghe has declared a state of emergency in the crisis-ridden island nation in an effort to head off unrest ahead of a vote in parliament later this week to elect a new president.
Wickremesinghe announced the measure in the interests of public security, the protection of public order, and the maintenance of supplies and services essential to the life of the community.
Sri Lanka’s beleaguered leaders have issued imposed a state of emergency several times since April when mass protests started against the government’s handling of the economic crisis and a persistent shortage of essentials
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will travel to Baku to seek more natural gas from Azerbaijan as the European Union seeks to reduce its reliance on Russian energy.
The Commission says amid Russia’s continued weaponisation of its energy supplies, diversification of our energy imports is a priority for the EU, President von der Leyen and Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson will be in Azerbaijan to further strengthen the cooperation.
The Commission has proposed to EU countries a deal with Azerbaijan to increase imports of natural gas and support the expansion of a pipeline to do this.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has called the French president’s proposal for a European political community a deliberately confrontational idea with anti-Russian intentions.
France24 reports that this community would encompass EU membership candidates like Ukraine and possibly ex-member the United Kingdom.
Lavrov says there would be no particular financial or economic benefits, but there will be demands for full solidarity with the EU on its anti-Russian actions.
The head of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development says Africa must diversify economically and become more resilient to realize its full potential.
UNCTAD Secretary-General, Rebeca Grynspan says they believe that the continent must use every opportunity to achieve economic diversification through services, and it must seize the potential of the African Continental Free Trade Area.
She outlines the great potential which African countries have to transform their economies through services, thus supporting the continent's long-standing economic diversification goals and boosting productivity and development.
The Senate has commenced a probe into the alleged payment of $5 million as a professional fee by the Nigerian Maritime and Safety Agency to a legal firm for the purpose of recovering $9.3 billion which the country lost to the global movement of Nigerian hydro-carbon resources.
The Senate Public Account Committee is carrying out the investigation based on the query raised by the Auditor General for the Federation as contained in its 2018 Annual Report.
The Chairman of SPAC, Senator Matthew Urhoghide says the panel had no other option than to call for the issuance of the arrest warrant against the Director General.
Urhoghide lamented that his panel had invited the NIMASA management up to three times, but the officials failed to honor the invitations.
The Economic Community of West African States has declared President Muhammadu Buhari's ban on Twitter unlawful and has ordered the government never to repeat it.
The court ordered the Buhari administration to take necessary steps to align its policies and other measures to give effect to the rights and freedoms and to guarantee a non-repetition of the unlawful ban of Twitter.
The Court also ordered the Buhari administration to bear the costs of the proceedings and directed the Deputy Chief Registrar to assess the costs accordingly.
The Nigeria Labour Congress has faulted the Federal Government over its handling of the industrial actions that have grounded activities in public universities.
It is also calling on the Federal Government to pay the salaries of the striking workers, which it said had since been frozen on the premise of the so-called ‘no work-no pay’ policy.
NLC President, Ayuba Waba, says the Federal Government should immediately conclude the ongoing negotiation with trade unions in Nigeria’s universities and be prepared to commence implementation of whatever Collective Bargaining Agreement arising therefrom so that public universities in Nigeria can resume normal activities.
The Zamfara State Government has suspended the Emir of Birnin ‘Yandoto of Tsafe Local Government Area, Aliyu Marafa, for conferring a chieftaincy title to a notorious bandit leader.
Secretary to the State Government, Kabiru Sardauna, announced the suspension in a statement on Sunday.
Governor Bello Matawalle approved the appointment of a Committee to investigate the circumstances leading to the action of the Emir.
Singapore and the Philippines’ central banks have unveiled a surprise tightening of monetary policy in the latest sign of heightened inflation concerns in the Asia Pacific.
Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas lifted its benchmark interest rate by 0.75 percentage points in an unscheduled rate hike on Thursday, as the central bank signaled it was ready to take further action to tackle rising inflation.
BSP Governor Felipe Medalla says that the central bank stood ready to take further necessary actions to steer inflation towards a target-consistent path over the medium term.
The World Health Organization’s chief says fresh surges of Covid infections show the pandemic is nowhere near over, warning that the virus is running free.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says he was worried that case numbers were shooting up, putting more strain on health systems and workers.
He says that as transmission increases, governments must also deploy tried-and-tested measures like mask-wearing and improving ventilation.
WHO emergencies director Michael Ryan added that recent changes in testing policies were hindering the detection of cases and the monitoring of virus evolution.
New Zealand’s central bank lifted its benchmark interest rate by half a percentage point to 2.5 percent as it attempts to curb inflation.
It was the third time this year that the Reserve Bank of New Zealand lifted the cash rate by 50 basis points, following hikes in April and May. There was also a quarter percentage point rise in February.
The bank has forecast that the rate will peak at 4 percent late next year.
It says that it remains appropriate to continue to tighten monetary conditions at a pace to maintain price stability and support maximum sustainable employment.
Ghana’s inflation hit 29.8% in June, the highest since December 2003.
The country’s statistics office says surging food and commodity prices are responsible for the spike.
The government has now turned to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a bailout plan expected to be worth $1.5bn.
Ghana’s total debt is estimated to be more than two-thirds of its revenue and an increase in its debt profile could harm future generations and scare investors
The United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, Mr. Mathias Schmale says Nigeria currently lags behind in terms of reaching many of the Sustainable Development Goals 2030 targets.
The UN scribe says the country’s population of over 150 million has the majority living on less than N370 per day, quoting data from the World Bank.
Schmale says even though there are significant challenges to the attainment of the 2030 agenda, which was worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine, Nigeria was already lagging behind before the dual obstacles.
The Lagos State House of Assembly has refuted claims suggesting that its lawmakers secretly passed a Sharia law.
Chairman, Lagos State House of Assembly Committee on Information, Security and Strategy, Hon. Setonji David says the Assembly has at no time passed a Sharia law in a deal to get Northern support for the All Progressives Congress presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, as the peddlers of this deception would have people believe.
The lawmaker says the alleged secret passage of Sharia law by Lagos Assembly, is malicious and unfounded.
A firm seeking to be joined in the ongoing $3.1 billion e-Customs project suit in the Federal High Court Abuja, Adani Mega Systems Limited, has accused the federal government of acting unlawfully in awarding the contract.
It stressed that there were several pending suits on the matter before other courts.
The firm averred that it would be affected by the outcome of the ongoing matter while listing some of the pending cases it claimed were on and related which are concerned with the automation of the Nigeria Customs Service.
The Central Bank of Nigeria has directed financial institutions and payment service providers to do more to enhance transparency and proper disclosure of Digital Financial Services going forward.
The central bank directed the institutions to monitor fraud reports to identify emerging fraud issues and sensitise their customers on how they can protect their assets, following the growing threats to cybersecurity in recent times.
The central bank noted that DFS has the potential to expand access to financial services for the Nigerian population and spur innovation in the financial services industry.
Human rights activist and senior lawyer, Femi Falana, has asked President Muhammadu Buhari to submit a supplementary budget for the appropriation of the sum of N200 billion required to revamp federal universities across the country.
Mr. Falana says President Buhari’s recent lament over the prolonged strike was unnecessary.
He also faulted the Federal Government’s claim that it does not have the funds to meet ASUU’s demands, noting that the government has allocated trillions to address issues such as fuel subsidy and agriculture policy.
The United States has extended Temporary Protected Status for Venezuela for an additional 18 months, shielding Venezuelans residing in the US as of early March 2021 from potential deportation.
US Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas says that Venezuelans in the country as of March 8 last year would be eligible to apply.
Majorkas says the move was one of many ways the Biden administration is providing humanitarian support to Venezuelans at home and abroad.
The United Nations Security Council looks set to continue crucial cross-border aid to millions of people in northwestern Syria until January after days of wrangling with Russia over the huge operation.
The United States, France, and the United Kingdom have argued six months is not long enough for aid groups to plan and operate effectively, but a proposal for a one-year extension, which was supported by 13 council members, was vetoed by Russia on Friday.
Russia says the UN aid operation violates Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and that more assistance should be delivered from inside the country.
The Vatican has spoken of its willingness to help resolve the conflicts in South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Pope Francis says South Sudan had a bright future but said the implementation of the peace agreement was crucial.
He added that the Catholic Church is always open to intervention, for instance mediation.
EU’s border agency chief warned that the EU must brace for new waves of migrants forced to uproot because of the food crisis aggravated by the war in Ukraine.
The interim executive director of the Frontex agency, Aija Kalnaja says while Ukrainian refugees were being handled well and they have to prepare for refugees coming from other areas because of the food security.
She noted in particular that grain transport from Ukraine is hampered, and that will create waves of migration.
The ruling Conservative party says the new UK prime minister to replace the outgoing Boris Johnson will be announced on September 5, with 11 hopefuls currently vying for the job.
The influential 1922 Committee of non-ministerial Tory MPs in parliament outlined a timetable for the party’s leadership election.
The joint-executive secretary of the 1922 Committee, Bob Blackman, said they were committed to doing that before parliament breaks for the summer on July 21.
The main Mozambican trade union federation has denounced the government's plans for passenger transport, in unusually strong language.
The OTM General Secretary, Alexandre Munguambe, says the government's promise of a passenger subsidy is just a way of entertaining the public and the Famba Card is unworkable.
He says the OTM wants a reduction in the Value Added Tax paid on basic goods and fuel.
Munguambe pointed out that none of the country's minimum wages come anywhere near covering the cost of a basic package of goods and services.
Zulu lithium Mines' chief executive, George Roach, says that the firm selected Suzhou TA&A Ultra Clean Technology Co. from a number of Chinese, European, and Australian investors.
Suzhou has agreed to invest $35 million in the construction of a pilot plant at the Zulu mine, which will help the facility produce up to 50,000 tones of lithium-containing rocks annually.
He says the new investment sets the company on the path to achieving vertical integration of the lithium battery supply chain.
Nigeria's petroleum minister, Timipre Sylva, says funding for the project will come from Europe and that authorities are already holding talks with European firms and countries.
President Muhammadu Buhari, says Nigeria is ready to fill the natural gas gaps in Europe predicated by the current Russian-Ukrainian war.
Buhari says with over 200 million, mainly young people, Nigeria is ready to be the hub of the African Continental Free Trade Area.
Buhari urged Portugal to consider Nigeria as a valued and trusted partner in Africa.
The Federal High Court has issued new practice directions that allow for virtual hearing of cases and electronic service of notices on lawyers.
The new practice directions, which were issued by Chief Judge of the Court, Justice John Tsoho, forbade judges from granting more than two adjournments to any party in an election dispute.
It also provided that interlocutory issues touching on the jurisdiction of the Court, shall be suspended and delivered at the stage of final judgment.
The statement adds that the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court may direct that matters be transferred to the appropriate Division or any other Division as may be reasonably practicable considering the given circumstances.
Nigerian President Appeals To Academic Staff Union Over Prolonged Strike
President Muhammadu Buhari called on ASUU to reconsider their position on the continued strike, expressing worry that the hiatus will have generational consequences on families, the educational system, and the future development of the country.
The President, says the strike had already taken a toll on the psychology of parents, students, and other stakeholders, throwing up many moral issues that already beg for attention.
President Buhari noted that the future of the country rests on the quality of educational institutions and education while assuring that the government understands its position, and negotiations should continue, with students in lecture halls.
The UN Development Programme in a report says soaring inflation rates have seen an increase in the number of poor people in developing countries by 71 million in the three months since March 2022.
The UNDP says an analysis of 159 developing countries globally indicates that price spikes in key commodities are already having immediate and devastating impacts on the poorest households, with clear hotspots in the Balkans, countries in the Caspian Sea region, and Sub-Saharan Africa.
Sri Lanka’s President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has agreed to step down next week, an official said, after protesters stormed the presidential palace and set fire to the prime minister’s home to vent their anger over a worsening economic crisis.
Parliament Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena request the public to respect the law and maintain peace.
The news of the president’s decision triggered an eruption of celebratory fireworks in parts of the capital, Colombo.
The 51st Pacific Islands Forum leader's meeting is shaping up to be the most significant regional summit in years.
The forum, which includes 16 small island nations along with Australia and New Zealand, is also breaking with convention and postponing the in-person Dialogue Partners ministerial meeting, a gathering of representatives from its 21 external partners, including the United States and China.
A court in Barcelona has authorized an autopsy to be carried out on the body of the former Angolan president, Jose Eduardo dos Santos.
The autopsy was requested by the late president's daughter, Tchize dos Santos.
She has spoken of a conspiracy to kill her father to prevent him from supporting the opposition in the upcoming Angolan elections.
Lawyers for the Dos Santos family have denounced moves by the Angolan government to return the body to Angola for a state funeral, against the ex-president's expressed wish to be buried privately in Spain.
Doctors without Borders has raised the alarm over the rocketing number of malnourished children in Nigeria's northwest.
The body which provides medical assistance to people affected by conflict, epidemics, and disasters, called on the Nigerian authorities and the United Nations to intervene before the situation becomes uncontainable.
It added that a growing, yet largely ignored, malnutrition crisis was unfolding in the region in Nigeria, which it said threatens the lives of tens of thousands of children.
The organization stated that the hunger gap had begun, and the peak of malaria transmission which would further deteriorate the health and nutritional status of children was even yet to come.
An appeal court in the U.S says ExxonMobil Corp and Royal Dutch Shell Plc affiliates may try to enforce a part of a $1.8 billion arbitration award against the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited in a dispute concerning oil extraction near the African country's coastline.
The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan said a lower court judge erred in rejecting the entire October 2011 award, which by 2018 had grown to $2.67 billion including interest, against NNPC.
It says the judge should have determined which parts of the award had been deemed enforceable by a Nigerian appeals court.
The presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu, has announced Senator Kashim Shettima as his running mate in the 2023 general elections.
Tinubu briefed reporters about the choice at the end of a closed-door meeting that lasted about an hour with Buhari at the President’s residence.
Shettima was selected because the former Borno State governor is competent, capable, reliable, and able to be picked as a running mate.
Political candidates and their parties will sign a Peace Accord to commit themselves to the smooth conduct of the exercise ahead of the July 16 governorship election in Osun State.
Chairman of the committee and former Head of State, General Abdusalami Abubakar called on the Independent National Electoral Commission and all stakeholders to consolidate on the success of the recently held Ekiti State governorship poll.
He appealed to the electorate to come out en masse, exercising their civic rights to vote, without fear of violence and with the understanding that the structures for growth are dependent on peace, and also expressed concern over the growing trend of vote-buying.
Kenya’s High Court has frozen more than US$50 million in 62 bank accounts belonging to Nigerian start-up Flutterwave and four Kenyans.
The court ruling comes on the suspicion that the money was proceeds of fraud and money laundering.
Kenya's Assets Recovery Agency asked the court to stop the money from being moved or taken out until the government filed a petition to get the money back.
The agency says that their investigations showed that the money was sent as payments for goods and services.
The United Nations Human Rights Council passed a resolution condemning rights violations against women and girls in Afghanistan, urging the ruling Taliban to end restrictive practices described as making them invisible in society.
The council’s decisions are not legally binding but carry political weight and can lead to official investigations.
The U.S. ambassador to the council, Michèle Taylor, also voiced concern over recent measures, mentioning a new policy to punish male family members who are not enforcing restrictions that were creating an environment of constant fear.
A United States federal court has sentenced former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin to 21 years in prison for violating the civil rights of George Floyd, a Black man killed when Chauvin kneeled on his neck for more than nine minutes in an incident that sparked mass protests.
US District Judge Paul Magnuson rebuked Chauvin at the sentencing hearing calling the ex-policeman’s actions when he killed Floyd in May 2020 offensive.
Attorney General Merrick Garland says the Justice Department is committed to holding accountable those who violate the Constitution, and to safeguarding the civil rights of all Americans.
New Zealand’s central bank issued a formal warning to National Australia Bank Ltd’s local unit for failing to report approximately 50,000 transactions as required by anti-money laundering and counterterrorism laws.
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand says NAB’s Bank of New Zealand did not report accurate locations for about 50,000 local and physical cash transactions between November 2018 and April 2020.
BNZ says it had reported the error to the Reserve Bank after becoming aware of the issue in August 2020 and set about fixing it immediately.
Sierra Leone’s information minister has defended plans to decriminalise abortion.
Rahman Swaray says it was not a gimmick and the government intended to pass the legislation.
He says that 14% of those who die during childbirth did so because of unsafe abortions - many of them teenagers.
President Julius Maada Bio says his government would try again at a time when sexual reproductive rights for women were under attack - a reference to the US Supreme Court's recent overturning a woman’s constitutional right to an abortion.
Africa’s top public health agency says it had signed a memorandum of understanding with Pfizer for countries on the continent to receive supplies of the Paxlovid pill to treat COVID-19.
The acting director of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, Ahmed Ogwell Ouma, says the MOU would allow African countries to access Paxlovid at cost.
The World Health Organization says that deaths in the continent from COVID-19 are expected to fall by nearly 94 per cent in 2022 compared with last year.
Nigeria's Lagos state has suspended new guidelines on safe abortion to allow for more consultations.
The guidelines were developed over four years and were meant to guide healthcare providers to provide safe and lawful abortion services within existing laws however religious leaders said they were not consulted.
The Catholic Archbishop of Lagos early this week was quoted as saying the guidelines would legalise abortion through the backdoor.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu says further sensitisation of the public and stakeholders was needed to ensure a clearer understanding of the guidelines.
The UK high court of justice has blocked the Federal Government from appealing last month's ruling dismissing a $1.7 billion claim against JP Morgan Chase Bank over the transfer of proceeds from the sale of OPL 245 in 2011.
The high court says there was no real prospect of overturning the ruling.
Judge Sara Cockerill ruled that the Nigerian government could not prove that it was defrauded, saying it might be that with the benefit of hindsight.
The US Department of Justice previously investigated the OPL 245 deal and announced in October 2019 that it was closing the case.
President Muhammadu Buhari joined African leaders in Dakar, Senegal to launch the largest financial package ever mobilised in the history of the International Development Association $93billion geared toward a robust and resilient economy for Africa.
President Buhari stressed that in view of the current challenges faced by world economies, the Nigerian government is determined to ensure that the economy is able to withstand the shocks by building a resilient economy capable of creating jobs.
He called on global partners for concerted efforts to help in the realisation of these objectives.
The Westminster Magistrates Court, the United Kingdom accepted that the kidney donor in the case of former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu and his wife, Beatrice is not a minor.
The police authorities had accused the lawmaker of conspiring to bring a child to the United Kingdom for organ harvesting, saying the victim was a 15-year-old boy.
The prosecution accepted that he is 21 years old, contrary to earlier claims that he is 15 years old.
Borno State Senator and a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, Ali Ndume, says President Muhammadu Buhari should directly address the nation on the matter of insecurity, rather than issuing statements through his media advisers.
Mr Ndume added that he was really disappointed with the response of so many leaders.
Mr Ndume’s comments comes days after terrorists attacked a prison in Kuje, the Federal Capital Territory.
Chile’s new draft constitution has been submitted to President Gabriel Boric, after a year-long process that saw constituent assembly members debate and writes up a document to replace the country’s Pinochet-era Magna Carta.
Boric, a left-wing former protest leader says Chileans have chosen more democracy, not less.
He immediately signed a decree calling for a referendum on September 4, where voting in the deeply polarised country of 19 million people will be obligatory.
United States Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Chinese Vice Premier Liu discussed economic issues including international trade and supply chains, as the Biden administration considers lowering tariffs on Chinese goods to tame soaring inflation.
China’s Ministry of Commerce says the pragmatic and frank talks touched on the macroeconomic situation and the stability of global supply chains.
China also expressed concerns about US tariffs and sanctions against Chinese firms, the ministry said, adding that both sides had agreed to continue the dialogue.
President Vladimir Putin ordered Russian troops to press their offensive deeper into the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine after Moscow’s forces seized the strategic city of Lysychansk.
The loss of Lysychansk over the weekend prompted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to step up calls for an increased supply of weapons from the West so Kyiv can keep up the resistance and regain lost territories.
Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu told President Vladimir Putin at a meeting that Moscow’s forces were now in full control of the Lugansk region.
Putin told Shoigu that troops stationed there must continue their operations.
Uganda's Lawmaker has approved the adoption of Swahili as an official language.
The cabinet also recommended that the teaching of Swahili in primary and secondary should be made compulsory.
The Ugandan cabinet says the decision followed a directive by the East African Community bloc to adopt the language to ease communication among member countries
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and the military leader of neighbouring Sudan Lt Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan have agreed to peacefully settle the long-running border dispute that has led to armed clashes.
The talks between the two leaders follow the recent flare-up in the volatile fertile border region of al-Fashaga claimed by both countries.
The two leaders held talks on the sidelines of a meeting of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, a seven-country regional body, in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi.
Sudan's military leader, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, says the army will make way for a civilian government.
He says the armed forces would not stand in the way of a democratic transition and were committed to working towards elections.
He says the military will no longer be involved in talks to end the country’s political crisis, with its place in the negotiations taken up by civil society groups.
The acting Director-General, Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission, Mr Michael Ohiani, says the commission intended to gazette a pipeline of 53 eligible and bankable Public-Private Partnership projects valued at about $22 billion this year.
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Boss Mustapha, says the federal government and African governments must provide an enabling environment for the private sector to support infrastructure development.
He says African governments must also resist pressure to erect trade barriers for intra-African trade to flourish adding that currently, intra-African trade amongst African states is about 10 per cent of total exports – the lowest amongst other regions in the world.
The federal government maintained that removing the petrol subsidy would result in unintended consequences, insisting that this is a most inauspicious time to withdraw the price buffer.
Minister of Information and Culture, Mr Lai Mohammed, says that many other nations were introducing measures to help citizens cope with high oil energy prices.
Mohammed says Nigeria could not be an exception despite the daily killings and attacks across the country.
Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, has called for increased collaboration among security agencies to adequately tackle the insecurity in the country.
The governor also stressed the importance of a cordial civil-military relationship, especially in the South East which has witnessed a series of attacks by armed men in recent times.
General Yahaya, reiterated the commitment of the Nigerian Army to ensuring that there was peace and stability in the county.
The army chief also thanked the people and government of Imo State for their hospitality as army personnel converge on the state capital from all over the country for the celebration.
United States President Joe Biden says the US will soon announce a new $800m military aid package to Ukraine, bringing the total since he took office to nearly $7bn.
Biden says the aid will include an advanced air defence system and artillery support as Ukraine continues to face a Russian offensive in the eastern Donbas region.
The US President also pushed back on the suggestion that in light of an array of domestic issues, including gun violence among others some US allies think Biden has failed to live up to its pledge to reassert Washington’s leadership on the international stage.
The US Supreme Court has limited how the nation’s main anti-air pollution law can be used to reduce planet-warming carbon dioxide emissions from power plants.
The court says that the Clean Air Act does not give the US Environmental Protection Agency broad authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from power plants that contribute to global warming.
President Joe Biden has aimed to cut the US’s greenhouse gas emissions in half by the end of the decade and to have an emissions-free power sector by 2035.
The European Commission informed the Al-Haq and the Palestinian Center for Human Rights that their 13-month-long suspensions were lifted unconditionally and with immediate effect.
The Commission cited the results of a review conducted by the EU’s European Anti-Fraud Office which it said found no suspicions of irregularities and/or fraud” and did not find sufficient ground to open an investigation.
Al-Haq says that the arbitrary suspension imposed on the funding of Al-Haq’s EU-funded project was finally lifted the disgraceful suspension which was unlawful from the start and based on Israeli propaganda and disinformation.
The United States blocked a US-based company worth more than $1 billion linked to Russian oligarch Suleiman Kerimov, saying the ally of President Vladimir Putin used it to funnel and invest shadowy funds.
The Treasury Department says that Kerimov, a billionaire active in Russian politics, secretly managed the Delaware-based Heritage Trust which put its money into a number of large public companies.
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen vowed that the United States would keep taking action even as Russian elites hide behind proxies and complex legal arrangements.
The United Nations Security Council has to maintain the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Mali while condemning the country's military rulers for using mercenaries that have committed human rights violations.
The council expressed grave concern about the deteriorating political and security situation in the West African nation.
The junta has hired mercenaries from Russia's Wagner Group, which the European Union and human rights groups accused of violating human rights and international humanitarian law
Civil Servants under the Zimbabwe Confederation of Public Sector Trade Unions banner, formerly Apex, have rejected the government's recent cost of living adjustment, calling it a non-event.
The Trae union advised the government to bring to the bargaining table a ZWL offer for obvious reasons.
They added that the non-monetary incentives announced by the minister are old news, except that they are long overdue for implementation.
The Bank of Namibia and Banco Nacional de Angola have agreed to collaborate on various fronts, to further their respective price and financial stability mandates as well as execution of strategies to modernise national financial systems
The two central banks decided to cooperate to promote effectively, modernised, and digitally-enabled payment methods between the two countries; improve trade-friendly exchange control regimes and protect the stability and integrity of their respective financial systems.
The UK has announced a deal with Nigeria to tackle illegal migration.
Home Secretary Priti Patel says the landmark agreement with Nigeria will increase the deportation of dangerous foreign criminals.
The European Court of Human Rights cancelled the first flight due to take asylum seekers from the UK to Rwanda.
The government says the scheme would discourage others from crossing the English Channel.
Nigeria and Portugal have expressed determination to take relations to a whole new level with concrete deliverables, emphasizing the need for stronger ties 46 years after the establishment of diplomatic relations.
President Muhammadu Buhari says that in spite of the existing cordial relations between the two countries, there was a need for greater collaboration.
President Buhari declared that as many as ten agreements and Memoranda of Understanding are being prepared for signing during his State visit to the European country.
The former Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu appeared before Uxbridge Magistrate’s Court in London, facing charges under Britain’s Modern Slavery Act.
The prosecutor claims that David Ukpo, who alleged that he was coerced to donate his kidney to the Senator’s daughter, is 15 years.
Ekweremadu was remanded in custody as the court argued that he is an influential person, a flight risk and the case involves a child and modern slavery.
Senate President Ahmad Lawan explained that members of the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs will be travelling to the UK soon.
The UK will provide an additional £1bn in military aid for Ukraine, a near-doubling in its support for the fight against the Russian invasion.
The new funding takes the military aid given to Kyiv to £2.3bn - and the UK has also spent £1.5bn in humanitarian and economic support for Ukraine.
Boris Johnson says British spending was transforming Ukraine's defences.
The UK governmnet says the new £1bn is set to come from departmental underspends plus £95 million from the Welsh and Scottish governments' budgets.
US intelligence agencies believe that Russian President Vladimir Putin still wants to capture most of Ukraine
Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines says It means the war could last for a long time.
The US's top intelligence officer Ms Haines says Putin still has the same goals as the ones he held at the start of the conflict to take most of Ukraine.
She says Russia is unlikely to achieve that goal any time soon.
The Ethiopian government-appointed human rights watchdog has called for the immediate release of thousands of Tigrayans who are being held in two detention camps in the north-eastern region of Afar.
The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission described their detention as illegal.
It says around 9,000 Tigrayans have been held there since December last year. They were from areas bordering Tigray where there has been a civil war.
The Addis Ababa government says the detainees were being held for their own safety and also to allow screening to find criminals including people linked to the fighting.
A Sudanese doctors' union says a protester was killed during anti-military demonstrations in Khartoum Bahri after security forces used excessive force.
The Central Council of Sudanese Doctors says a martyr, who was not identified, has died after he was shot in the chest by the forces of darkness.
The doctors say that the security forces used excessive force, thinking they could silence the growing revolution.
The CCSD says this brings the death toll to 103 as a result of the crackdown against the pro-democracy demonstrations prompted by the last October's military coup.
The controversial National Water Resources Bill, 2020, re-emerged on the floor of the House of Representatives amidst suspicions from members.
The leadership, however, assured the lawmakers that the new version of the legislation would capture all the interests of the states.
Chairman of the House Committee on Water Resources, Sada Soli, says the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, as well as commissioners for justice and attorneys-general of the 36 states of the federation, had been consulted and the opinions received would be attached to the bill and distributed to all members.
The Federal Government has signed a $2.78m exchange of note agreement with the Japanese government for an economic and social development programme.
The Assistant Director, Public Relations of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, Osagie Edward, explained that the agreement involved the acquisition of high-speed boats to reinforce services for coastal security in Nigeria, with NIMASA as the implementing partner.
The Director-General of NIMASA Dr Bashir Jamoh assured the Japanese government that the agency, working with relevant stakeholders, would ensure the sustainability of the recent success in the war against piracy in Nigerian waters and the Gulf of Guinea.
The House of Representatives has passed for second reading, a bill seeking to establish an Entrepreneurship Development Bank of Nigeria, with the aim of providing soft loans for small and medium-scale enterprises in the country.
The consolidated bill was jointly sponsored by Mr Benjamin Kalu and Olalekan Afolabi
Kalu says the proposed bank would be charged with the responsibility, among other things, of providing medium and long-term finance for indigenous small businesses.
He added that the bill, which July 18, 2019, focuses on Nigerian youths and contemplated providing improved access to finance for youth entrepreneurs in innovation, manufacturing, agriculture and trade.
The Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has reiterated the need for the government to partner with the private sector to ensure that residents have access to affordable accommodation.
The governor says his administration, in partnership with the private sector, has delivered more than 3,526 housing units across the state since 2019.
The Managing Director, LBIC, Oluwatobiloba Lawal, says the inauguration of the Greater Lagos LBIC apartments is a testament to the Governor’s commitment to the provision of affordable shelter that could stimulate the economic growth of the state hence, the THEMES agenda is working.
Revenue allocation to federal, state and local governments has declined from a peak of N970.57bn in July 2021 to N680.783bn in May 2022, representing a 30 per cent reduction over the period.
The decrease in allocation to these levels of government reveals the fiscal challenges facing various levels of government in Africa’s biggest economy.
The Federal Government has raised its budgetary allocation of N443 billion for gasoline subsidy to N4 trillion and has received approval from the National Assembly.
The Federal Government approved a new revenue boost scheme aiming to annually generate N3.8tn and N160bn from non-oil and oil ventures respectively.
The Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, says the revenue mobilization reforms, will be accelerated and be derivative of the federal government’s strategic revenue growth initiative.
She added that the significant progress that has been made in this initiative includes the raising of the VAT from 5 per cent to 7 per cent and other measures since 2019.
Russia has rejected claims that it has defaulted on its external debt for the first time in more than a century, telling investors to go to Western financial agents for the cash that Moscow claims were sent but bondholders did not receive.
The White House says that Russia had defaulted on its international bonds for the first time since the Bolshevik revolution, as sweeping sanctions amid Moscow’s war on Ukraine have effectively cut the country off from the global financial system.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov says the fact that Euroclear withheld this money and did not bring it to the recipients is not their problem.
President Guillermo Lasso announced that Ecuador will cut fuel prices, which had sparked weeks of demonstrations, though not by as much as protesters have demanded.
The country’s energy ministry warned that oil production had reached a critical level and could be halted entirely within 48 hours if the protests and roadblocks continued.
The ministry says the seizure of oil wells and road closures have prevented the transport of equipment and diesel needed to keep operations going.
Japan’s government warned of a power crunch as extreme heat hits the country, with temperature records toppling and Tokyo’s rainy season declared over at the earliest date on record.
The Japan Meteorological Agency says temperatures of 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit were forecast in Tokyo throughout Monday, and the mercury is not expected to drop below 34 until Sunday.
Yoshihiko Isozaki, deputy chief cabinet secretary, asked the public to reduce energy consumption during the early evening hours when the reserve ratio falls.
The Africa Development Bank has pledged that $3bn will be invested over the next 10 years to end vaccine dependency across the continent.
The plan includes a new pharmaceutical centre for research, development and manufacturing based in Rwanda's capital, Kigali.
AfDB says it will also help patent and license African-made medicines, and support governments to navigate the intellectual property rights to global vaccines and medicines.
AfDB says Africa currently imports more than 70% of all its medicines, spending about $14bn every year.
The Ethiopian government says it has set up a seven-member committee to hold peace talks with Tigrayan forces in a bid to end the 19-month civil war.
It is to be chaired by the country's deputy prime minister and foreign minister, Demeke Mekonen.
Ethiopia's Justice Minister Gediwon Timothios says the governing party would only agree to the African Union leading the peace process.
Ivory Coast says it would spend around $430 million in a three-year campaign to support young people in border regions at risk from Sahel jihadists.
Youth Minister Mamadou Toure says as part of the fight against vulnerability in northern areas, particularly the six regions bordering Burkina Faso and Mali, the government has launched an ambitious programme of integration and infrastructure for education and health.
Toure says along with the military response, they want to develop an ambitious social programme to give young people prospects to prevent them from becoming easy targets for jihadist movements.
The Federal Government is investigating the breach of the data privacy of David Nwamina, a young Nigerian at the centre of an allegation of organ harvest against a former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu.
The Nigeria Data Protection Bureau, says it was investigating the breach of the data privacy of Sonia Ekweremadu, the daughter of the Ekweremadus.
The National Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer, Nigeria Data Protection Bureau, Dr Vincent Olatunji, has ordered an investigation into the use and public circulation of the personal data allegedly belonging to Nwamini David and Sonia Ekweremadu in the ongoing case of organ transplant pending before a British Court.
Zamfara State Governor Bello Matawalle has clarified that his directive urging people to acquire firearms is for them to complement the efforts of security forces in the ongoing war against insurgency.
The governor explained that the committees were being inaugurated to ensure proper implementation of the security measures being taken to tackle the upsurge of banditry in the State.
The governor reiterated that his administration will continue to explore strategies to crush the security challenges and the sufferings endured by the citizens at the hands of the terrorists.
Emefiele stressed that the central bank’s foreign exchange regime further seeks to ensure external balance without compromising the need for internal balance and the overall goal of macroeconomic stability.
The CBN governor says the thrust of exchange rate management by the bank was to allow the market system to determine the exchange rate parity in an efficient manner devoid of the activities of speculators and rent-seekers.
He pointed out that the bank’s choice of exchange rate regime had at all times been determined by the prevailing economic fundamentals, adding that it was not uncommon that the dynamics of the external and domestic economy lead to a change in regime.
The Ondo State government says the call for self-defence by the Zamfara State government has again emphasised the importance of establishing state police to adequately tackle the insecurity bedevilling various parts of the country.
Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu says the call by the Zamfara State government for citizens to arm themselves has shown the loss of confidence in the current security arrangement in the country.
He accused the Federal Government of denying exigent regional security outfits the right to bear firearms, saying the security agencies in the country were overwhelmed and distracted.
European Union leaders granted candidate status to Ukraine and Moldova in a strong show of support against Russia’s invasion, as the United States said it was sending Kyiv more high-precision rocket systems.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky hailed the EU decision on his country and Moldova as a unique and historic moment, although the two former Soviet republics face a long path before joining the bloc and its benefits of free movement and a common market.
French President Emmanuel Macron says that the decision by EU leaders sent a very strong signal to Russia that Europeans support the pro-Western aspirations of Ukraine.
The French government says it aims to have its natural gas reserves at full capacity by autumn as European countries brace for supply cuts from major supplier Russia with the Ukraine war dragging on.
Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne says they are ensuring the complete filling of our storage capacities, aiming to be close to 100 per cent by early autumn.
She added that France will also build a new floating terminal to receive more gas supplies by ship.
Chinese President Xi Jinping says the world should oppose unilateral sanctions and efforts by some countries to maintain their political and military power – a veiled shot at the United States and its allies over opposition to the war in Ukraine.
Xi says nations need to reject the Cold War mentality and bloc confrontation, oppose unilateral sanctions and abuse of sanctions, and reject the small circles built around hegemonism by forming one big family belonging to a community with a shared future for humanity.
The United States Senate has approved a bipartisan package of modest gun safety measures as the country’s Supreme Court broadly expanded gun rights by ruling that Americans have a constitutional right to carry handguns in public for self-defence.
The Senate bill, approved in a 65-33 vote, is the first significant gun control legislation to pass in three decades, in a country with the highest gun ownership per capita in the world and the highest number of mass shootings annually among wealthy nations.
Some 15 Republicans joined all 50 Democrats in voting for the bill.
The leaders of the Group of Seven nations have pledged to raise $600bn in private and public funds over five years to finance infrastructure in developing countries and counter China’s older, multitrillion-dollar Belt and Road project.
US President Joe Biden says developing countries often lack the essential infrastructure to help navigate global shocks, like a pandemic, so they feel the impacts more acutely and they have a harder time recovering.
He says the United States would mobilise $200bn in grants, federal funds and private investment over five years to support projects in low- and middle-income countries that help tackle climate change as well as improve global health, gender equity and digital infrastructure.
A powerful trade union in Tunisia has rejected conditions set by the International Monetary Fund for a loan to help tackle the country's economic crisis.
The head of the UGTT - Noureddine Taboubi - says the union supported reforms, but not what he called the painful options demanded by the IMF.
An IMF official says the organisation was ready to start formal talks on a financial bailout.
Tigrayan forces in northern Ethiopia have called on the European Union to put pressure on the government in Addis Ababa to ensure the resumption of basic services in the embattled region.
The statement from Tigrayan forces comes after the recent visit to Tigray by the EU’s commissioner for crisis management and humanitarian aid, Janez Lenarčič.
He called for the urgent scaling up of humanitarian assistance and the restoration of basic services.
Tigrayan forces say they appreciated the EU’s position that aid was not reducible to the number of trucks reaching Tigray on any given day.
President Muhammadu Buhari reacted to recent incidents of attacks on churches in Ondo and Kaduna States and vowed never to let anyone put the nation under unnecessary religious stress.
The president, however, laid the blame on the doorsteps of evil doers, saying wicked people were behind the dastardly acts.
He called on all Nigerians – Christian and Muslim – to unite in prayer against the coward perpetrators of the evil acts.
The president observed seeing the crowd of Nigerians voluntarily rushing to donate blood after the attack, thronging the local hospitals, even in the midst of mourning.
President Muhammadu Buhari has urged the private sector to plough back profits in order to boost job creation in the country.
The president says the private sector remained key to addressing the challenges of unemployment in the country.
Buhari pointed out that the theme for the summit was particularly apt given the challenges faced by the country in terms of job creation and empowerment, especially for the surging youth population.
He says the quest for national development and growth remained a national issue that needs utmost attention and input from all relevant stakeholders.
Zamfara State Governor, Mohammed Matawalle, has resorted to self-help, directing residents of the state, particularly farmers, to acquire guns to defend themselves against marauding terrorists/bandits.
Matawalle ordered the Commissioner of Police in the state to issue licences to residents willing and fit to bear arms, to protect themselves against the armed criminals.
The governor approved the immediate closure of all markets and some filling stations, and banned the use of motorcycles in Mada, Wonaka and Ruwan Bore districts as well as Yandoto emirate in Gusau and Tsafe local government areas of the state, respectively.
Elon Musk says Tesla's new factories in Germany and the US are losing billions of dollars due to battery shortages and supply disruptions in China.
The multi-billionaire also called the plants in Berlin and Austin, Texas gigantic money furnaces.
Mr Musk says both Berlin and Austin factories are gigantic money furnaces right now. It's really like a giant roaring sound, which is the sound of money on fire.
He says the plants are losing billions of dollars right now and there's a ton of expense and hardly any output.
Surging inflation led interest payments on government debt to hit the highest amount for May on record.
Interest payments paid by the government for last month hit £7.6bn, up £3.1bn from a year earlier.
Government borrowing fell in May from a year earlier but still remained higher than pre-Covid levels.
The Office for National Statistics says borrowing was £14bn, down £4bn from a year earlier however the figure was still the third-highest May borrowing since monthly records began in 1993 and were also £3.7bn more than the Office for Budget Responsibility had to forecast.
The recent high levels of debt interest payments are largely a result of higher inflation.
The head of the International Energy Agency has warned that Russia may stop supplying gas to Europe this winter.
Fatih Birol says he believes a complete shutdown is not the most likely scenario but that Europe needs to work on contingency plans just in case.
Russian officials deny it's deliberate and has blamed technical issues.
Before the invasion of Ukraine, Europe imported about 40% of its natural gas from Russia but that figure has now fallen to about 20%.
Mr Birol says he believes that recent Russian reductions in gas supply are strategic.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has accused critics of his government's policy to send asylum seekers to Rwanda of having a condescending attitude towards the African country.
He made the comments before embarking on Rwanda's capital, Kigali, where he is due to attend a meeting of the Commonwealth's heads of government.
Mr Johnson says his trip was an opportunity to see the country with which the UK has an important economic and migration partnership.
He acknowledged he would be arriving ahead of many of the people his government planned to send there; the first such flight was halted last week by the European Court of Human Rights.
Tanzania’s ruling party CCM says it is ready for reforms on the country's constitution after years of fending off pressure from opposition parties and rights defenders.
A previous attempt to change the constitution failed in 2014 after a draft document proposed to reduce presidential powers and establish an independent electoral body.
CCM spokesperson Shaka Hamdu Shaka says the party's top body was insisting on a need to have a new constitution.
He says the party was supporting President Samia Suluhu's reconciliation efforts.
One of Somalia’s main rivers, the Shabelle, is running dry and affecting people who depend on it for their livelihoods amid a continued drought.
The state-owned Somali National TV says the river had dried up and could exacerbate the country's drought and further increase food insecurity.
The Shabelle River flows into southern Somalia from the highlands of neighbouring Ethiopia.
It is the second biggest river in Somalia and is a significant water source for residents in the south and central regions.
Agricultural activities in the country have been affected by a fourth failed rainy season.
The World Bank says that Nigerian states will likely lose N18.8bn in oil and gas revenues in 2022, as worsening revenue collection at the federation level increases budgetary pressures for the states.
The Washington-based bank says the declining revenue from the federation level had put many states in a precarious fiscal position.
The bank warned that many states would be unable to meet up with their expenditures, adding that there was an increase in debt servicing expenditures of States.
The bank further says that the expected higher VAT collection or improvements in independently generated revenues would not compensate for the lower transfers from the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee in 2022.
The Central Bank of Nigeria says that 1779 farmers in Ogun State have benefitted from agricultural loans in 2021.
The CBN, Abeokuta Branch Controller, Wahab Oseni, says the disbursement was part of the Agricultural Credit Guarantee Scheme Fund established by Decree No. 20 of 1977 to guarantee credit facilities extended to farmers by banks.
He says the loan was targeted at increasing access to funds in the agricultural sector, adding that beneficiaries would get back 50 per cent of the interest if they met with terms of the loan.
The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria warned members of the association not to dispense petrol, above the approved N165/litre pump price.
The factional National President, IPMAN, Chinedu Okoronkwo, admitted that members of the association had called for a hike in petrol price, but noted that the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited had released enough petrol.
Okoronkwo revealed that IPMAN and its partner had engaged the services of Benham Group to recover money owed them for the supply of petroleum products.
President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the immediate return of Nigeria to international basketball competitions.
The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, Ismaila Abubakar, says the approval was granted following a letter of appeal dated June 17, 2022, which was signed by Musa Kida, leader of the Nigeria Basketball Federation board, and addressed to the Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare.
Abubakar says despite the approval, the stakeholders were warned to ensure that the country’s laws are not subjugated to any other law.
The United States says it stood firmly behind Lithuania and NATO commitments to defend it after Russia warned its neighbour over restrictions on rail transit.
State Department spokesman Ned Price says their commitment to NATO’s Article Five on the part of the United States is ironclad
Lithuania says that it would restrict the rail transit of goods sanctioned by the EU into Kaliningrad, an isolated Russian enclave on the Baltic Sea sandwiched between Lithuania and Poland.
Russia warned that it would certainly respond to the hostile actions.
Germany’s economy minister says the country will limit the use of natural gas for electricity production amid concerns about possible shortages caused by a cut in supplies from Russia.
The move comes after Russia sharply reduced flows of natural gas in its pipelines to western Europe, driving up energy prices.
Robert Habeck says to reduce gas consumption, less gas must be used to generate electricity. Coal-fired power plants will have to be used more instead.
Russian state gas giant Gazprom says the supply reductions via the Nord Stream pipeline are the result of repair work, but European Union officials believe Moscow is punishing allies of Ukraine, where Russian forces launched an invasion in February
Telecoms regulator says mobile operators in Belgium have bid 1.2 billion euros for fifth-generation mobile licences.
The regulator says proceeds from the auction, which attracted bids from five operators, were 468.5 million euros higher than the minimum price.
The Belgian regulator cleared the five entrants to the auction in March, after the government said it would encourage a new entrant on the market to increase competition with the largest operators Proximus, Orange Belgium and Telenet’s BASE.
The government of Canada announced that it will ban the manufacturing and import of a number of harmful single-use plastics, with several new regulations coming into place in December.
The new rules will apply to checkout bags, utensils, food-service products with plastic that is difficult to recycle, ring carriers, stir sticks, and straws with some exceptions.
Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault says the government is all in when it comes to reducing plastic pollution.
The government will also ban the export of six plastics by the end of 2025.
Imports from China's Xinjiang region are due to be banned in the US from Tuesday as new rules come into force.
Under the regulations, firms will have to prove imports from the region are not produced using forced labour.
US lawmakers say the law sends a clear message that they will no longer remain complicit in the Chinese Communist Party's use of slave labour and egregious crimes against humanity.
The European Union added three Al-Qaeda-linked jihadist commanders in West Africa to its terrorist sanctions blacklist for attacks in Mali and Burkina Faso.
The new asset freezes and visa bans target Sidan Ag-Hitta and Salem ould Breihmatt, senior commanders within the UN-listed Al-Qaeda-affiliated Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam Wal-Muslimin in Mali, as well as its Burkinabe branch Ansarul Islam and its leader Jafar Dicko.
The EU says the sanctioned group and individuals are responsible for several terrorist attacks, including against civilians, the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali and defence and security forces in Burkina Faso.
East African heads of state have called for an immediate ceasefire and cessation of hostilities between the Democratic Republic of Congo and the several rebel groups fighting in its eastern region.
The leaders also directed that rebel groups relinquish all territory they hold and that peace negotiations be intensified.
The meeting also condemned recent incidents of hate speech and attacks on certain ethnicities in DR Congo, allegedly sparked by accusations from DR Congo that Rwanda is supporting the M23 rebels.
The Chief Executive Officer of Economic Associates, Dr Ayo Teriba, has faulted the decision of the federal government to borrow to fund its recurrent expenditure, stressing that such a decision flagrantly violates Section 41 of the Fiscal Responsibility Act, 2007.
He urged the federal government to adopt a cost-effective approach to generating revenues by issuing asset-backed debt and not revenue-based debt.
He argued that not only that borrowing to pay salaries or generally for recurrent expenditure is against the law, but it is also not sustainable as it may lead to a debt trap which could quickly spiral out of control.
Justice Mobolaji Olajuwon of the Federal High Court in Abuja stopped the Independent National Electoral Commission from ending the voter registration on 30 June 2022.
Justice Olajueom granted an order of interim injunction following the hearing of an argument on motion exparte by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project.
The commission is further asking the court for an order of mandamus to direct and compel INEC to extend voter registration by a minimum of three months and take effective measures to ensure that eligible Nigerians are able to register to exercise their right to vote in the 2023 general elections.
The Edo State Governor, Mr Godwin Obaseki, has pledged to sustain partnership with security agencies in the state to ensure improved security of lives and property of citizens of the state.
The governor says the ban on motorcycles in the Benin metropolis is still in force.
The review came after a joint security meeting with representatives of various security agencies in the state.
The International Air Transport Association says Nigeria is holding back about $450 million in revenue earned by foreign airlines operating in the country.
Vice President for Africa and the Middle East, IATA, Kamil Al Awadhi says a financially viable air transport sector supports jobs and must be a driving force for Africa and the Middle East's economic recovery from COVID-19.
Al Awadhi says the consequences of reduced air connectivity include the erosion of that country’s competitiveness, diminished investor confidence and reputational harm caused by a perception that it is a high-risk place to do business.
President Muhammadu Buhari has asked the nation’s western allies to proscribe the Indigenous People of Biafra as a terrorist organisation.
Buhari says the country is safer than he met in 2015 and proscribing IPOB, a group seeking secession of parts of Southern Nigeria, will improve the situation.
The President urged the international partners to take additional steps costing them nothing, by proscribing another group – IPOB – as a terrorist organization.
NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg warned that the war in Ukraine could last for years while reiterating calls for Western countries to provide long-term support to Kyiv.
He told Bild that the food and fuel costs are nothing compared to the one paid daily by Ukrainians on the frontline, warning they would have to pay an even greater price if Russian President Vladimir Putin were to achieve Moscow’s goals in Ukraine.
Stoltenberg says the hardware support could increase the likelihood of Ukraine being able to push Putin’s troops out of the Donbas region.
The United States has imposed sanctions on Chinese and Emirati companies, as well as a network of Iranian petrochemical producers, accusing them of helping to evade sanctions by supporting the sale of Iran’s petrochemical products abroad.
The US Department of the Treasury says it had imposed penalties on two companies based in Hong Kong, three in Iran, and four in the United Arab Emirates.
Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian E Nelson says the United States is pursuing the path of meaningful diplomacy to achieve a mutual return to compliance with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
Qatar Airways announced its profits during the past fiscal year topped $1.5bn, marking the highest-ever earnings for the state-owned company as it prepares to see a record surge in travellers for the upcoming FIFA World Cup football games.
The airline says revenue reached $14.4bn, up 78 per cent compared with last year.
Qatar Airways CEO Akbar al-Baker says they have pursued every business opportunity and left no stone unturned as we aimed to meet our targets.
Elon Musk was sued for $258bn by a Dogecoin investor who accused him of running a pyramid scheme to support the cryptocurrency.
Plaintiff Keith Johnson accused Musk, electric car company Tesla Inc and space tourism company SpaceX of racketeering for touting Dogecoin and driving up its price, only to then let the price tumble.
The complaint also aggregates comments from Warren Buffett, Bill Gates and others questioning the value of cryptocurrency.
Johnson is seeking damages worth triple the $86bn decline in Dogecoin’s market value since May 2021.
The World Trade Organization agreed on an unprecedented package of trade deals touching on health, reform and food security after a disagreement between countries on key issues forced the trade body to extend negotiations by two days.
WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala says the package of agreements you have reached will make a difference in the lives of people around the world.
The negotiations involving more than 100 trade ministers have been seen as a crucial test of the trade body’s ability to strike multilateral trade deals at a time when rising geopolitical tensions are increasing protectionism and economic decoupling.
The President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem, says that the Proposed Court of Appeal (Federal Inland Revenue Service) Practice Directions 2022 will enhance the speedy dispensation of justice in tax-related matters at the appellate court.
She described the collaboration as a testament to the willingness of the appellate court under her leadership, to ensure efficient dispensation of justice.
She says the Practice Direction will also govern matters brought before the court based on the application of enacted tax legislation in effect in Nigeria, as well as their applications to parties in any appeals brought before the appellate court.
Global remittances, the hard-earned money sent by migrant workers to their family members in low- and middle-income countries also grew by 8.6 per cent in 2021.
The President of IFAD, Gilbert F. Houngbo says the digitalisation of remittances, particularly through mobile channels was a great opportunity to boost rural development as over half of these funds go to rural areas.
He says digitalisation reduces fees and other transactions costs like travel time, making the process more convenient and safer while promoting digital and financial inclusion.
The federal government announced that it had reviewed upwards the freight rate paid to petroleum products transporters under the Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners but was surprisingly silent on the newly approved figure.
The Nigerian Midstream Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority noted that the new deal as a result of several consultations with industry stakeholders.
The Authority says President Muhammadu Buhari considered and approved the upward review in freight rate for transporters to alleviate the challenges associated with the distribution of petrol.
President Muhammadu Buhari says his government must develop a policy on cyber warfare that has its strategic focus on the prevention of cyber-attacks against critical national infrastructure.
Buhari also boasted that his administration had significantly degraded the Boko Haram insurgency, the Indigenous People of Biafra, Eastern Security Network, banditry and other forms of insecurity in many parts of the country.
He charged the Nigeria Police Force High Command to evolve realistic strategies and operations geared towards tackling cybercrimes in the country.
The Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor, has advised persons vying for political offices to abide by the rules of the game and maintain decorum in the forthcoming elections.
General Irabor warned that any attempt to circumvent the process would be dealt with according to the nation’s laws.
General Irabor stated that the peace desired during the electioneering period is not solely the government's responsibility.
The army chief urged Nigerians to join hands with the authorities to see that the forthcoming elections are civil and conflict-free.
US lawmakers investigating the Capitol riot have shown the video of a Republican giving a tour to a man who they say returned on the day of the attack.
The committee says Congressman Barry Loudermilk was seen with a group that includes a person who was among those outside Congress the next day.
The Georgia representative has called it a smear campaign by the committee.
He cited a letter from US Capitol Police saying there was nothing suspicious about his role in the tour.
Democrats have questioned whether some Republicans led any reconnaissance tours for visitors who later joined the raid on Congress as it met to certify President Joe Biden's election victory on 6 January 2021.
The most powerful union in Tunisia called for the stoppage to protest against the economic policies of President Kais Saied in the latest challenge to his rule.
The UGTT union has urged its one million members to observe the strike across the country to protest against government plans for a wage freeze and cuts in subsidies, aimed at securing a $4bn loan from the International Monetary Fund to ease Tunisia's economic crisis.
The union says its motive is not political, but it is bound to be seen as another challenge to President Saied, who has effectively assumed one-man rule for the past year.
The International Organization for Migration says more than 15,000 people have already fled a new wave of attacks in Mozambique’s northern Cabo Delgado province.
The renewed attacks began about a week ago in the south of the province, which was considered a safe area.
The report indicates that the fear of more attacks by jihadist groups has triggered the movement of thousands of people.
The new attacks are in areas around 100km from Pemba that have been a refuge for populations displaced in recent years.
Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta has called for the deployment of an East African force to restore security in the troubled east of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
He also called for an immediate cessation of all hostilities for all armed groups, both foreign and local, to lay down arms immediately and unconditionally” amid heavy fighting in recent weeks.
He says the East African Regional Force is to be deployed immediately to the regions of Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu to enforce peace in coordination with resident UN forces Monusco.
He added that a meeting of commanders of the defence forces of East African countries in Nairobi should finalise preparations for the deployment.
The Minister of Power, Aliyu Abubakar, says the Federal Government and 10 states are currently working to produce 2,000 megawatts of off-grid electricity through solar energy sources.
Abubakar revealed that Nigeria’s major hydropower plants, Kainji and Jebba, were currently producing only 130MW of electricity to the grid out of their joint installed capacity of about 1,300MW.
He says they have policies around renewable sources of energy adding that they want to maintain them on the mini-grid and off-grid for the simple fact that the grid is not yet stable to take various energy mixes.
Medical experts have warned against complacency among Nigerians just as they called on the Federal Government to take urgent action in the fight against Monkeypox.
They made the call at a time the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control reported that the disease has spread to 15 states in the country.
The experts say there was the need for greater surveillance and more awareness in the country to curtail the spread of the disease.
The latest Monkeypox situation report by the NCDC revealed that 36 cases had been confirmed in 15 states.
The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese and member of the National Peace Committee, Rev Matthew Kukah implored voters in Ekiti State to take advantage of the off-season elections and vote to install leaders of their choice.
He spoke in Ado Ekiti during the signing of a peace accord among governorship candidates in the forthcoming governorship election in the state which the National Peace Committee organised.
Kukah urged them to take a cue from Edo, Anambra and Ondo states where credible and violence-free elections were conducted.
The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, lauded the NPC for the peace accord and as well the traditional rulers for working voluntarily for peaceful elections.
The Federal Government has assured stakeholders that it would continue to provide the necessary budgetary allocations for the Nigeria Police Force in order to enhance the welfare of personnel across the country.
The Executive Secretary, National Human Rights Commission, Tony Ojukwu, says the training, which was themed ‘Mainstreaming human rights into law enforcement in Nigeria’ is supported by the Macarthur Foundation.
Ojukwu says the training was to ensure that policemen respect the rights of members of the public while carrying out their duties.
Russia has earned $98bn from fossil fuel exports during the first 100 days of its war in Ukraine, with the European Union being the top importer.
The report published by the independent, Finland-based Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air came as Russian forces continued making slow but steady progress in their campaign to fully capture eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region.
Kyiv has called on Western countries to sever all trade with Moscow in the hopes of cutting off its financial lifeline in the wake of the February 24 invasion.
Pre-war, Russia supplied 40 per cent of the EU’s gas and 27 per cent of its imported oil.
Beijing started a new round of daily mass testing in one of its major districts after a rapidly spreading outbreak linked to a bar saw COVID rules tightened.
The outbreak prompted authorities in the sprawling Chaoyang district on Monday to put schools back online, with the exception of students taking middle and high school placement exams.
China is the last major economy still committed to a zero-COVID strategy, stamping out new cases with a combination of targeted lockdowns, mass testing and lengthy quarantines.
Israel’s Foreign Minister Yair Lapid urged citizens in Turkey to leave as soon as possible over threats that Iranian operatives are actively planning attacks on Israelis in Istanbul.
Lapid says there is a real and immediate danger citing several Iranian attempts at carrying out terror attacks against Israelis on holiday.
French President Emmanuel Macron called for a boost to defence budgets following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, saying France was now on a war economy footing.
Macron says Europe needed a much larger defence industry to avoid relying on suppliers elsewhere for its equipment needs.
Macron says he had asked the defence ministry and armed forces chiefs of staff to adjust a six-year framework defence spending plan running to 2025 to the new geopolitical situation, to match the means to the threats.
Saudi Arabia has required would-be hajj pilgrims from many Western countries to apply for visas via a government portal online, a move intended to crack down on fake travel agencies.
The new system was put in place as the kingdom prepares to welcome 850,000 Muslims from abroad for the annual hajj after two years during which pilgrims not already in Saudi Arabia were barred because of Covid pandemic restrictions.
Officials say It applies to the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Europe and Australia to avoid a system that sometimes led to scams, with fake agencies.
State media announced the online portal a week ago, and the registration period ended Monday.
The Director-General of the World Trade Organisation, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has warned that real global gross domestic product might fall to five per cent if the world economy decouples into self-contained trading blocs.
Members were urged at the opening session of the 12th WTO Ministerial Conference in Geneva, Switzerland, to demonstrate that the body could deliver for the international community and the people it serves.
She pointed out that the world was grappling with uncertainty and crises on multiple fronts.
Okonjo-Iweala urged members to avoid allowing geopolitical tensions to spill over into the work at the WTO as the consequences for the multilateral trading system would be severe.
The head of the UN refugee agency has condemned plans by Britain to send the first flight of asylum seekers to Rwanda on Tuesday.
Filippo Grandi says the policy set a catastrophic precedent.
He says other countries that took in far more asylum seekers than Britain could decide to follow its example.
Courts in London have rejected two last-minute challenges to the new policy.
The British government argues that the move is designed to deter people trafficking, but there's been widespread criticism by opposition parties and rights groups.
The Togolese government has declared a state of security emergency in its northern border region.
The government spokesman says the measure will last for three months and could be extended by the national assembly.
It allows security forces there to have more flexibility to deal with threats of jihadist attacks.
The World Health Organization says it is working with experts to come up with a new name for monkeypox.
It comes after more than 30 scientists wrote last week about the urgent need for a non-discriminatory and non-stigmatising name for the virus and the disease it causes.
They said the continued reference to the virus as African is both inaccurate and discriminatory.
A UK court has ruled against Nigeria in the $1.7bn suits against JP Morgan Chase Bank over the transfer of proceeds from the sale of OPL 245.
Judge Sara Cockerill of the Business and Property Courts of England and Wales Commercial Court held on Tuesday that the Nigerian government couldn’t show that it had been defrauded.
Nigeria argued among other things that the bank acted negligently when it transferred $875 million in funds between 2011 to 2013 from government accounts to Etete, who had been convicted of money laundering.
The National Information Technology Development Agency issued new regulations for Internet platforms available in Nigeria.
The NITDA spokesperson, Hadiza Umar, says the new code was designed to protect the fundamental human rights of Nigerians and non-Nigerians living in the country as well as define guidelines for interacting in the digital ecosystem.
The code requires Internet platforms to register with the Corporate Affairs Commission and appoint a designated country representative to interface with Nigerian authorities.
NITDA says Internet platforms must provide a comprehensive compliance mechanism to avoid the publication of prohibited content and unethical behaviour on their platform.
QatarEnergy signed a partnership deal with TotalEnergies for the North Field East expansion of the world’s largest liquefied natural gas project and said more partners would be announced in the coming days.
The President of QatarEnergy and also Qatar’s minister of state for energy, Saad al-Kaabi says the selection process for partners has been finalised and subsequent signings could be announced as soon as next week.
He says no company will have a stake higher than TotalEnergies.
France-based TotalEnergies Chief Executive Patrick Pouyanne says the company will have 25 per cent of one train – or liquefaction and purification facility – in the project.
Iran’s national currency has hit new all-time lows amid developments that have cast doubts about the complete restoration of the nuclear deal and lifting of the United States sanctions.
The new freefall comes after a resolution censuring Iran’s nuclear programme introduced by the US and its European allies were passed by the board of the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Rafael Grossi, the IAEA director, says Iran will remove 27 cameras and has also begun installing cascades of new centrifuges, in a development that he said if not addressed quickly, could signal a fatal blow to efforts to restore Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.
China has vowed to fight to the very end to stop Taiwanese independence and warned that foreign interference in Taiwan is doomed to fail.
Chinese defence minister Wei Fenghe says If anyone dares to secede Taiwan from China, they will fight at all costs and to the very end.
Wei says no one should ever underestimate the resolve and ability of the Chinese armed forces to safeguard its territorial integrity.
Wei says some country keeps playing the Taiwan card against China to interfere in internal affairs.
A bipartisan group of United States senators proposed steps to curb gun violence following devastating mass shootings in Texas and New York, but the limited measures fall far short of the president’s calls for change.
Republican lawmakers, who have repeatedly blocked tougher measures, are still resisting major changes to gun regulations, instead of pointing to mental health issues as the root of the problem.
The reforms include tougher background checks for gun buyers under 21, increasing resources for states to keep weapons out of the hands of people deemed a risk, and adding domestic violence convictions and restraining orders to the national background check database.
The World Trade Organization chief voiced cautious optimism as global trade ministers gathered to tackle food security threatened by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, overfishing and equitable access to Covid vaccines.
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala says to expect a rocky, bumpy road with a few landmines along the way.
She however told journalists that she was cautiously optimistic that the more than 100 attending ministers would manage to agree on at least one or two of a long line of pressing issues, and that would be a success.
The widespread exploitation of men, women, and children at a refugee camp in Malawi has been uncovered by the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime and the Malawian Police Service.
UNODC's Maxwell Matewere says new measures are underway to dismantle the human trafficking networks operating within the Dzaleka Refugee Camp, identify and rescue their victims, and bring those responsible to justice.
UNODC coached and mentored 28 camp officials and law enforcement officers who are now involved in the identification of victims and the investigation of trafficking cases and will train other colleagues at police stations and border crossing posts.
A former Commander of the Special Task Force, Operation Safe Haven, Major General Henry Ayoola, says poor parenting triggers insecurity in the country.
Ayoola charged parents to play their roles in properly grooming their children so as not to constitute a nuisance to society.
He says society now has parents who are not properly raised, with little or nothing to pass to the generation of their children.
The former Chief of Defence Research and Development maintained that the family should be alive to its crucial duty.
The Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor, says citizens must trust the military and other security agencies for the war on insecurity to be more effective.
He says Nigerians can’t withhold information and expect miracles to happen.
He says trust must exist and trust must be given in all respect so that together they will achieve the state of peace that they so desire.
The General noted that a lot of improvement has been recorded in securing the country in the past year.
The Lagos State Government has begun the construction of a cultural village in Iran, Alimosho Local Government Area of the state.
The Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture Uzamat Akinbile-Yusuf, says the project would activate the rich, diverse culture and heritage resources in Alimosho.
Ms Akinbile-Yusuf noted that this would promote the sustainable development of tourism as a viable sector of the economy.
She says that upon completion, the centre will position Lagos as the next tourism destination as it is expected to attract tourists to Lagos and increase the state's Gross Domestic Product.
Thailand has legalised the growing and possession of cannabis and its consumption in food and drinks, the first Asian country to do so, with the aim of boosting its agriculture and tourism sectors – but smoking it recreationally is still against the law.
The public health minister is planning to distribute 1 million cannabis seedlings, starting Friday, to encourage farmers to take up its cultivation.
Thailand’s government says it is promoting cannabis for medical use only, warning those eager to light up for fun that smoking in public could still be considered a nuisance, subject to a potential three-month sentence and 25,000 Thai baht fine.
European Union member states and legislators have agreed to mandate a single mobile charging port for mobile phones, tablets and cameras in a blow to technology giant Apple.
The agreement means that from late 2024 most portable devices will be required to have a USB Type-C charging port. It will not apply to products released before the new rules come into force.
The EU believes a standard cable for all devices will substantially cut back on thousands of tonnes of electronic waste.
The lower house of Russia’s parliament has given initial approval to a bill further tightening the country’s laws against foreign agents at a time when President Vladimir Putin has warned the Russian people to look out for traitors.
The bill, passed by 346 votes to 17 at its first of three readings, states that any person who receives financial or any other kind of support from abroad can be designated a foreign agent.
The bill’s co-author, Andrei Lugovoy, accused various unnamed Russian public figures of having received special training in the United Kingdom, which he accused of seeking to destroy Russia from within.
The bill also introduces a new category of persons affiliated with a foreign agent.
The UN has warned that Somalia is heading towards famine as the country faces its worst drought in at least four decades.
The UN’s humanitarian coordinator for the country, Adam Abdelmoula, says the international community must act now or more people will die.
He says the country was on the brink of devastating and widespread hunger and mass starvation that could claim hundreds of thousands of lives.
Mr Abdelmoula says the response from the international community so far had not been sufficient.
Rwanda Space Agency and the Global Satellite Operators Association have signed an agreement to further promote space-based services as an essential tool for expanding connectivity in Rwanda and the African continent.
Secretary-General of GSOA, Aarti Holla-Maini, says the cooperation with the RSA will cover a range of critical topics.
He says connecting the unconnected will simply not happen without the use of satellites and African space agencies like the RSA can play a key role in emphasizing the importance of satcoms at policy and regulatory levels.
Liberia’s Petroleum Importers Association and the Liberian government have reached an agreement for an increment in the price of petroleum products to be commensurate with the global cost.
The Ministry of Commerce released a circular that indicated that the new pump price for gasoline would be US$5.90 or L$895 per gallon while diesel fuel will now be sold for US$6.90 or L$1,050 per gallon.
The Ministry of Commerce had earlier this week announced that it had no intention of increasing the price of petrol and that there was more than sufficient petrol in the country.
The UN General Assembly has elected Mozambique as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for a two-year term beginning January.
Other countries elected in the vote were Ecuador, Japan, Malta and Switzerland.
They will replace India, Ireland, Kenya, Mexico and Norway.
Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi says the country will be the voice of African nations that seek to build a peaceful future.
He says this is a historic moment for the country, a milestone that Mozambique should be proud of.
The Nigeria Communications Commission commenced the bridging of the existing digital divide expected to transform the country from social exclusion to an all-inclusive one that would guarantee communication services for all.
The Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, Prof. Umar Danbatta, says the commission had undertaken several initiatives geared toward assisting people with disabilities in communications services providers.
Danbatta says to join the information-rich countries of the world, the government of Nigeria pursued a continuous programme and aggressive market liberalisation policy that has made Nigeria one of the most liberalised telecom markets in the world.
The United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation say the spiralling costs of farm input like fertiliser could deter growers from expanding production and worsen food security in poorer countries facing record import bills.
The UN agency pointed out that Nigeria, other countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and other nations that buy more food than they export were likely to face an increase in costs, for which they would get lower amounts of essential foodstuffs.
It stated that the world’s most vulnerable now pay even more for less food, adding that countries were expected to spend a staggering $1.8 trillion importing the food they need this year.
The National security Council has blamed the Islamic State West Africa Province for the attack on St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo, that led to the death of about 38 persons on June 5.
The Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, disclosed that security agencies, particularly the police, have been directed to apprehend the perpetrators.
The former governor said the attack has no ethnic-religious connection, affirming that the group’s activity has nothing to do with religion.
He says the council is also concerned about killings in the name of blasphemy and has directed the security agencies to go after perpetrators of the incidents that occurred in Sokoto State and Abuja recently.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson survived a vote of no confidence from his own Conservative MPs, after a string of scandals that have left the party in tatters.
Johnson, 57, needed the backing of 180 MPs to survive the vote — a majority of one out of the 359 sitting Conservatives in parliament.
Defeat would have meant an end to his time as party leader and prime minister until a replacement was found in an internal leadership contest.
The US ambassador to Moscow says Russia should not close the US embassy despite the crisis triggered by the war in Ukraine because the world’s two biggest nuclear powers must continue to talk.
John Sullivan told the Russian state news agency TASS that such a move would be a big mistake.
Sullivan told TASS that Washington and Moscow should not break off diplomatic relations.
An UN-backed attempt to resolve Sudan’s political crisis has been rejected by a leading civilian group, the Forces for Freedom and Change.
The FFC says that a meeting with the army supported by the UN, African Union and regional group Igad, does not address the nature of the crisis and the process should focus on ending the coup.
It added that the political process to end the current crisis cannot be inundated with parties representing the coup camp or linked to the former regime.
Mali's military leaders have confirmed there won't be a return to civilian rule for two years.
The interim President, Colonel Assimi Goïta, has signed a decree fixing the length of the transition period.
The West African regional grouping, Ecowas, decided to keep the measures in place.
The bloc had asked Mali to review its two-year transition period, considering 12 or 18 months to be reasonable.
Elon Musk threatened to withdraw his bid to buy Twitter, accusing it of failing to provide data on fake accounts, in the latest twist in the Tesla billionaire’s push to acquire the social network.
Musk says that the real number of bots may be four times higher than Twitter estimates.
Twitter chief executive Parag Agrawal has said that fewer than five per cent of accounts active on any given day at Twitter are bots, but that analysis cannot be replicated externally due to the need to keep user data private.
The Ministry of Commerce and Industry says it would make no further increases in the price of Gasoline and Jet fuel for the month of June.
The Ministry also says there will be a slight reduction in the Price of Fuel and assures that it continues to work along with importers of petroleum products to ensure that there is sufficient stock in the country to serve the market for the next couple of months.
The Ministry assures the public of its commitment to ensuring that essential commodities are available and affordable on the local market in line with the Pro-Poor Agenda for Prosperity and Development.
Ethiopia’s central bank has warned against trade in cryptocurrencies.
The National Bank of Ethiopia says the use of cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin was becoming prevalent despite being against the law.
It said this was creating favourable conditions for hiding illicit funds.
The bank has vowed to take measures against those using cryptocurrencies.
The president of Egypt has promised to provide 30 million doses of coronavirus vaccine to African countries, in coordination with the African Union.
President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi says that although Egypt had limited resources like other African countries, it was ready to cooperate with them all.
The African Development Bank has stated that an additional €3.5m has been provided for the feasibility study of the Abidjan-Lagos super highway.
It urged five countries of the Economic Community of West African States that the road would pass through to order the consultants to get to work and finish up the study of the project.
AfDB's Chief Transport Economist, Lydie Ehouman, says the new addition of funding was to ensure the study for the 1,028km road project was smooth and completed in time with the grant from the European Union
Ehouman noted that the grant was in addition to its substantial contribution of US$ 25 million, and €12.63 million in the form of a grant from the European Union, bringing the total amount available for financing the study to the equivalent of about US$ 41 million.
A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, asked the Federal Government to start acting on intelligence from security agencies, especially the Department of State Services following a recent attack on a church in Ondo State.
Falana commiserated with the victims and families of the attack.
He says the government must go beyond issuing threats and alerting citizens of imminent attacks.
Lebanon has warned Israel against any aggressive action in disputed waters where both states hope to develop offshore energy after a ship arrived off the coast to produce gas for Israel.
President Michel Aoun says any activity in the disputed area would amount to an act of aggression and a provocation, after the arrival of the natural gas storage and production ship operated by London-based Energean.
Israel says the field in question is within its exclusive economic zone, not in disputed waters.
The Lebanese presidency says Aoun discussed with caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati the vessel’s entry into the disputed maritime area with Israel and asked the Army Command to provide him with accurate and official data to build upon the matter.
A court in Australia has ordered Google to pay a former legislator some 715,000 Australian dollars in defamation damages over two videos posted to YouTube.
The Australian Federal Court found that the two videos drove John Barilaro, the deputy premier of Australia’s most populous state New South Wales, to quit politics prematurely.
Judge Steven Rares says the videos, which were posted by political commentator Jordan Shanks amounted to a relentless, racist, vilification, abusive and defamatory campaign against Barilaro.
The judge says that Alphabet Inc’s Google, which owns content-sharing website YouTube, earned thousands of dollars by hosting the two videos but failed to apply its own policies to prevent hate speech, cyberbullying and harassment.
The Central Election Commission says voters in Kazakhstan have backed constitutional amendments proposed by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in the June 5 referendum.
It said that 77.18 per cent of votes were in favour of the amendments which decentralise decision-making and stripped former leader Nursultan Nazarbayev of his national leader status. The total turnout stood at 68.06 per cent.
Electoral commission chair Nurlan Abdirov says the referendum can be considered validated.
President Kais Saied dismissed 57 judges, prompting judges in Tunisia to embark on a week of strike and stage sit-in protests against the president’s firing of dozens of their colleagues.
President Kais Saied dismissed 57 judges this week after accusing them of corruption and protecting terrorists.
President Saied plans to hold a referendum next month on a replacement constitution, a move opposed by most of Tunisia’s political parties.
The West African bloc, Ecowas, has postponed making a decision on Mali, Guinea and Burkina Faso after its leaders failed to agree on what action to take against the military juntas in each of those three countries.
The region's leaders, however, said they were concerned with the countries' deteriorating political and security situations.
The bloc imposed economic sanctions on Mali after officers staged two coups in less than a year. It threatened harsh measures against both Guinea and Burkina Faso whose military rulers have proposed to remain in power for three years.
Uganda's health minister says the country's Covid-19 cases have risen to levels last witnessed in June 2021 when the Delta variant was prevalent.
Minister Jane Aceng says the country was well prepared to respond and save lives than before
She also ruled out travel restrictions or lockdowns in any part of the country under the current circumstances.
She added that they will optimize the existing control and mitigation tools at personal and community levels.
Tanzania's government is reversing its controversial decision to lift a ban on wildlife exports.
The order to roll back the embargo was only announced two days ago and had been heavily criticised by activists.
The law was introduced in 2016 to help prevent protected animals from being smuggled out of the country by poachers.
Tanzania's Minister of Tourism and Natural Resources Pindi Chana however said the ban would be reinstated until a further decision had been made.
The World Health Organisation has raised the alarm on the extent to which tobacco damages both the environment and human health, calling for steps to make the industry more accountable for the destruction it is causing.
WHO highlighted that the industry’s carbon footprint from production, processing and transporting tobacco is equivalent to one-fifth of the CO2 produced by the commercial airline industry each year, further contributing to global warming.
The Director of Health Promotion at WHO, Dr Ruediger Krech, says Products like cigarettes, smokeless tobacco and e-cigarettes also add to the build-up of plastic pollution.
The proposed national carrier for Nigeria, Nigeria Air will receive its Air Transport Licence from the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority today in preparation for it to start operation after it has obtained its Air Operator Certificate.
The company had disclosed this in a public notice as part of the requirements for granting an AOL.
The notice stated that any person or organisation with objection should make it known before 28 days expire.
The Director-general of the NCAA said the promoters of Nigeria Air have applied for AOC and that the process was still ongoing.
Stakeholders in Nigeria’s power sector have warned that the sector faces imminent collapse as a result of challenges.
They highlighted the acute foreign exchange shortage in the country as a major challenge affecting the sector.
They said this was because almost all the materials in the sector are being purchased in foreign currency, adding that the cost of maintaining their facilities is also in dollars.
The federal government had at the weekend explained the drop in electricity generation as a result of the partial shutdown of the Oben gas plant for the repair of critical gas processing equipment.
A former vice president Atiku Abubakar and a presidential aspirant of the All-Progressives Congress Ahmed Tinubu and ex-Anambra governor Peter Obi have expressed sadness over the attack on a church in Owo, Ondo State, and called on security agencies to get to the bottom of the matter.
They called on the state government and relevant security agencies to leave no stone unturned in apprehending the criminals and bringing them to justice.
The Ondo State Police Command has ordered an investigation into the attack on a Catholic church in Owo town, the headquarters of Owo Local Government Area of the state.
The spokesman of the command Odunlami Funmilayo, says the CP has ordered Forensic Investigation into the attack to ascertain the actual or remote cause of the attack and for immediate arrest of the assailants as all hands are on deck to forestall any similar attack in any part of the state.
United States President Joe Biden has called on lawmakers to pass legislation to curb gun violence in the country, a week after 19 children were shot dead by a gunman in their school.
Biden proposed several laws, including a ban on assault weapons, which was allowed to lapse under a Republican administration in 2004.
Other proposals included a limit on high capacity magazines, secure storage laws, red flag laws, universal background checks, and the removal of protection laws for gun manufacturers.
The US has accused Tunisian President Kais Saied of an alarming pattern of actions undermining Tunisia’s independent institutions after he fired dozens of judges.
State Department spokesperson Ned Price says US officials had communicated with their Tunisian counterparts on the importance of checks and balances in a democratic system.
He says the US government had called for an inclusive and transparent reform process with input from civil society and diverse political voices to strengthen the legitimacy of reform efforts in Tunisia.
Eurozone stock markets opened higher as investors await an output decision by major oil-producing nations.
The OPEC+ group of major oil producers, led by Saudi Arabia and Russia, is expected to continue its policy of modestly increasing production after the EU agreed to ban most Russian crude.
Oil prices fell by almost two per cent on Thursday Financial Times report that Saudi Arabia was considering a plan to boost output as Russia struggles to meet targets owing to Ukraine war-linked sanctions.
US tech giant Amazon says that it will stop operating its Kindle e-book store in China next year, closing the chapter on a massive consumer market.
Amazon’s decision to pull the Kindle service comes about eight years after it first set up an official store for the e-book reader on Alibaba’s Tmall platform.
It says that customers can no longer buy new e-books, although those that have been purchased can still be downloaded until June 2024 and will remain readable afterwards.
It did not give a reason for ending the service but said its remaining China businesses would continue to innovate and invest.
Russian President Vladimir Putin will host the head of the African Union for talks focused on grain supplies and political cooperation amid Kremlin’s standoff with the West over Ukraine.
Washington and Brussels have imposed unprecedented sanctions against Moscow over the invasion of Ukraine, pushing Putin to seek new markets and strengthen ties with countries in Africa and Asia.
Cereal prices in Africa, the world’s poorest continent, have surged because of the slump in exports from Ukraine, sharpening the impact of conflict and climate change and sparking fears of social unrest.
The National Treasury has proposed an increase in debt ceiling from the current Sh9 trillion to Sh10 trillion in order to enable the Government to borrow more to finance the Sh3.33 trillion budget for the 2022/23 financial year.
Treasury CS Ukur Yattani has urged the Members of Parliament to amend the Public Finance Management Regulations, 2015, to increase the limit.
The National Treasury had proposed that the debt limit be expressed in absolute figures rather than a percentage of GDP arguing that it's consistent with the constitution on openness, accountability, and clear fiscal reporting.
Finance Minister, Mthuli Ncube has maintained that the Zim$ is in short supply and cannot be a factor among the causes leading to the rise in inflation.
Ncube refuted claims that the treasury is partly responsible for the creation of surplus money coming in the form of payments for infrastructure projects.
Mthuli added that what is driving the exchange rate is speculating behaviour from the monopolies that we have seen.
The Federal Government has directed the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation to implement a deal on a gas pipeline to Europe through Morocco.
Petroleum Minister Timipre Sylva says the approval for a memorandum of understanding on the gas project with West African regional bloc ECOWAS was given after the Federal Executive Council meeting.
Sylva says this gas line will take gas to 15 West African countries and to Morocco and through Morocco, to Spain and to Europe.
The suspended Accountant-General of the Federation, Ahmed Idris, has been released on bail by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
EFCC spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, confirmed the development of Channels Television.
The Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed, suspended Idris adding that the move was necessitated by the need to allow for proper and unhindered investigation into the serious allegations in line with Public Service Rules.
The Federation of International Basketball Associations has threatened further sanctions against Nigeria after kicking African champions D’Tigress out of the 2022 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup.
Sports minister Sunday Dare stated that the withdrawal was part of the government’s efforts to restore the sport from the grassroots and put an end to the lingering leadership crises that had rocked the fictionalised Nigeria Basketball Federation for close to a decade.
The global body stated that Nigeria was withdrawn from the tournament due to NBBF’s failure to confirm D’Tigress’s participation.
The International Monetary Fund has warned that the Nigerian government may spend nearly 100 per cent of its revenue on debt servicing by 2026.
The IMF's Resident Representative for Nigeria, Ari Aisen, says the biggest critical aspect for Nigeria is that they have done a macro-fiscal stress test, and the interest payments as a share of revenue and as you see us in terms of the baseline from the federal government of Nigeria, the revenue, almost 100 per cent, is projected by 2026 to be taken by debt service.
IMF also warned that with fuel subsidy payments averaging N500 billion monthly, total expenditure on subsidy could hit a record N6 trillion by the end of the year.
Israel signed a free trade deal with the United Arab Emirates its first with an Arab country, building on their US-brokered normalisation of diplomatic relations in 2020.
The Emirati envoy to Israel, Mohamed Al Khaja, hailed the deal as an unprecedented achievement that scraps customs duties on 96 per cent of all products traded.
Khaja says businesses in both countries will benefit from faster access to markets and lower tariffs as our nations work together to increase trade, create jobs, promote new skills and deepen cooperation.
UEFA announced it was opening an independent report into the security chaos before the Champions League final between Liverpool and Real Madrid at the Stade de France in Paris.
European football’s governing body says the report would examine the decision making, responsibility and behaviours of all entities involved in the final.
UEFA says evidence will be gathered from all relevant parties adding that the findings of the independent report will be made public.
The United States joined Athens in strongly condemning Iran’s seizure of two Greek-flagged oil tankers in Gulf waters and demanding their immediate release, calling the abductions a threat to maritime security.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias agreed in a call that Iran must immediately release the seized vessels, their cargoes, and their crews.
Greece has condemned Tehran’s seizures as tantamount to acts of piracy and warned its citizens not to travel to Iran.
China’s finance ministry says the country will accelerate its issuance of special bonds by local governments in order to stabilise the country’s slowing economy.
The ministry says local governments had issued a net 1.85 trillion yuan in special bonds, a rise of 1.36 trillion yuan from a year earlier, accounting for 54% of a quota that had been allocated.
The ministry says local governments should ensure the basic completion of special bond issuance for 2022 by the end of June and the usage of the raised funds by the end of August.
France’s sports ministry has convened an emergency meeting of security and football officials, following the chaos that marred the Champions League final between Liverpool and Real Madrid.
Sports Minister Amelie Oudea-Castera placed responsibility on Liverpool for the mayhem on Saturday.
He also acknowledged that lessons had to be learned as Paris prepares for the 2024 Olympics.
The British also complained that the French authorities were in denial about their shortcomings that had turned Saturday’s event into a fiasco.
Finance Minister Miftah Ismail says Pakistan’s government is unable to secure funding from the global bond market and commercial banks, making it even more important to secure an agreement with the International Monetary Fund.
Pakistan’s dollar bonds gained a key benchmark for the IMF to resume its loan program. Pakistan is seeking to secure a staff-level agreement with the fund in June.
Ismail says Pakistan needs about $36 billion to $37 billion in financing for the fiscal year starting June.
The African Development Bank says Russia's invasion of Ukraine and lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic pose huge challenges to the continent.
The bank's president, Akinwumi Adesina, says that it will take a great deal of effort for Africa to fully recover.
An economist at the University of Ghana, Adu Owusu Sarkodie, says that African economies could recover quickly from the impact of the Russia-Ukraine war by trading among themselves and investing more in agriculture.
Sarkodie lauded the African Development Bank for recently approving $1.5 billion to avert a food crisis on the continent by providing seed and other supplies to 20 million farmers.
Ghana and Uganda have banned the export of grains and other farm produce with the latter imposing high taxes to prevent food exports to neighbouring countries.
The Ghanian government has extended a ban on grain exports.
A temporary ban on exporting maize, rice, soybeans, and other grains which took effect in September last year will now run until September 2022.
The extension of the ban comes as grain prices soar, partly because of Russia's war on Ukraine.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa says he will appoint a council this week to advise on a broad-based economic empowerment programme for black people.
He noted that while the empowerment programme that has been ongoing for 20 years has been significant, there has been inadequate progress in some areas.
He noted that at the end of the apartheid regime in 1994, black ownership of companies listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange was less than 1%.
He says more work was needed to address the challenges that businesses owned by black people face, including getting capital to start and expand their businesses, as well as finding markets for their products.
The United Nations Human Rights Office has urged the transitional authorities in Guinea to revoke a ban on public protests.
Earlier this month the country's military rulers issued a statement prohibiting gatherings in public places.
Opposition parties and civil society activists had expressed concern about the measures.
The UN's human rights spokesperson for Africa, Seif Magango, says the restrictions violated international norms and constituted a setback for democracy.
The Director-General of the World Trade Organisation, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has called for global solidarity in responding to crises facing the world, especially the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine.
The DG underlined the important role the global trade body could play in helping to tackle pressing issues such as growing food insecurity, the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, supply chain disruptions and dwindling fisheries resources.
The DG reminded participants that world leaders created a set of institutions after the Second World War based on the idea of solidifying international interdependence and solidarity and using these institutions to help solve problems of the global commons.
The International Monetary Fund warned that with Nigeria’s fuel subsidy payout averaging N500 billion monthly, total expenditure on subsidy could hit a record N6 trillion mark by year-end.
IMF’s Resident Representative for Nigeria, Mr Ari Aisen revealed that Nigeria received a total of $6.8 billion in facilities from the IMF following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
The IMF chief expressed worry that many African countries, including Nigeria risk sliding into critical debt servicing problems unless urgent actions were explored to significantly raise revenue.
Aisen noted that over 80 per cent of the federal government’s revenue was committed to debt service, a situation he described as an existential problem
The Lagos State Government has commenced enforcement of its ban on commercial motorcycles, also known as Okada, in six local governments.
The local governments include Ikeja, Surulere, Eti-Osa, Lagos Mainland, Lagos Island, and Apapa,
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu announced the ban on May 18 during a meeting with police chiefs in the state, saying it is total and indefinite.
The state’s Police Commissioner Abiodun Alabi has described most Okada riders as criminals who must be taken off the road.
The State Commissioner of Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso noted that recent increases in accident rates have prompted the government to act again.
The head of the African Union, President Macky Sall of Senegal, has expressed grave concern at rising tensions between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda.
Mr Sall appealed for calm and urged both sides to resolve their dispute through dialogue.
Rwanda says two of its soldiers - Élysée Nkundabagenzi and Ntwari Gad - were being held captive in eastern DR Congo by the Rwandan Hutu FDLR militia, which it says gets support from Kinshasa.
DR Congo earlier suspended flights to Rwanda and summoned Kigali's ambassador - accusing its neighbour of backing M23 rebels, who it now officially designates as terrorists.
The US Justice Department will review the law enforcement response to the shooting in Uvalde, Texas, that left 19 school children and two teachers dead, as President Joe Biden and his wife Jill Biden met families who lost loved ones in America’s worst school shooting in nearly a decade.
The review comes amid mounting pressure and questions about the shifting and at times contradictory, information about what happened at Robb Elementary School.
Justice Department spokesman Anthony Coley says that the review would be conducted in a fair, impartial and independent manner and that the findings would be made public.
Coley says the goal of the review is to provide an independent account of law enforcement actions and responses that day and to identify lessons learned and best practices to help first responders prepare for and respond to active shooter events.
South Korea’s National Assembly approved a 62 trillion won supplementary budget aimed at supporting businesses hit by pandemic-related restrictions.
The amount approved was 2.6 trillion won more than the 59.4 trillion won announced last month and will mostly be used for cash handouts for small businesses and self-employed people to make up for losses incurred due to COVID-19 restrictions.
The additional spending comes after South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol pledged to compensate 5.5 million owners of small businesses for pandemic losses shortly before taking office on May 10.
The ministry says that it would not issue any bonds to fund the budget but instead would use tax revenue from existing spending plans.
Violence ensued at Taiwan’s parliament as lawmakers clashed over a bill that critics say could be used to overturn former President Chen Shui-bian’s conviction on corruption charges.
The ruckus occurred after dozens of legislators from the opposition Kuomintang, armed with signs and loudspeakers, took to the podium of the legislative chamber in the early morning to prevent a third reading of the bill.
The disorder subsided after an hour but as of midday, KMT legislators were still occupying a portion of the chamber with placards in tow.
Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic has announced that he has secured a three-year natural gas supply deal with Russia, amid efforts by the European Union to phase out Russian energy supplies.
The Serbian president, Aleksandar Vucic says they have agreed on the main elements that are very favourable for Serbia.
Vucic claims he wants to take Serbia into the European Union but has spent recent years cementing ties with Russia, a longtime ally.
He has also refused to explicitly condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and his country has not joined Western sanctions against Moscow.
Ethiopia's Human Rights Commission has condemned a wave of arrests of journalists.
The commission's head, Daniel Bekele, called the move a new low for a country that has often been accused of creating a hostile environment for independent media.
At least 19 media workers have been detained, which the government-affiliated rights body has called unlawful.
The mass arrests began last week, coinciding with the launch of what authorities have called a law enforcement operation" in one of the country's regions, Amhara, where more than 4,000 people have been detained in under two weeks.
Sudan's military government has lifted a state of emergency that it imposed after seizing power in a coup six months ago.
The country's ruling security and defence council said the decision was made at a meeting headed by the military leader, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.
It says the move was aimed at creating the right atmosphere for dialogue. Protests against the military government have continued since the coup in October.
Power Industry stakeholders have stressed the need for the power sector to be self-sustaining from intermittent Central Bank of Nigeria intervention after disbursing about N1.3 trillion to the power sector in the last five years.
Associate Director, Energy, Utilities and Resources at Pricewaterhouse Coopers, Habeeb Jaiyeola, insisted that providing financial support to industries, especially the power sector remained a welcome development.
He however highlighted the need to ensure that the facilities are duly paid back, saying that the government’s continued support to the power sector would have an overall impact on the sector to facilitate the required progress.
He urged the authorities to clearly outline and monitor the interventions to ensure they achieved projected objectives, adding that the national mass metering programme for instance may be needed to be checked against some of its set objectives in terms of coverage, availability, and completion time.
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control has denied the claims of efficacy of IHP Detox Tea for the cure of COVID-19 patients allegedly made by the Chief Executive Officer of Bioresources Development and Conservative Programme, Prof. Maurice Iwu.
It says the first stage of the clinical trial so far carried out on the product was not enough to confirm its efficacy until the Phase 3 Clinical Trial had been conducted with enough sample size.
The Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye says only NAFDAC has the mandate to make any pronouncement on the quality, safety, and efficacy of all regulated products that showed satisfactory scientific evidence.
She however explained that three herbal formulations were approved for clinical trial studies during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Pioneer Chief Executive Officer of Seplat Energy, Mr Austin Avuru, has alleged that those who cut corners find it easier to get regulatory approval than those who obey the country’s laws in the oil and gas industry.
Avuru noted that while regulatory effectiveness was critical, in Nigeria, operators get punished for doing the right thing.
He explained that a fair industry regulator encourages a free-market economy as it supports fair competition, rewards efficiency, punishes bad and illegal practices and generally promotes value creation.
The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Ibrahim Pantami, says the new satellite service offerings from Starlink, would make broadband penetration much easier.
He says Nigeria has been encountering challenges such as the issues of right of way, and vandalism of infrastructure, among others over the years, but noted that the current administration has significantly addressed the challenges.
Pantami says all these operations can easily be conducted with broadband from space, 5G technology in place and other emerging technologies and will go a long way in supporting the Nigerian country in two ways of fast-tracking economic development and handling security challenges.
Britain has announced a 25 per cent windfall tax on oil and gas producers’ profits, alongside a 15-billion-pound package of support for households struggling to pay soaring energy bills.
Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak says energy firms were making extraordinary profits while Britons struggled.
Sunak says they will introduce a temporary and targeted energy profits levy, but they have built into the new levy a new investment allowance that means companies will have a new and significant incentive to reinvest their profits.
He says it would raise 5 billion pounds in the next 12 months and be phased out as oil and gas prices return to normal.
He also said there would be a new Investment Allowance that would nearly double the tax relief available for firms on their investments.
Former Chief Executive Officer Jack Dorsey did not stand for re-election Wednesday, and is no longer a board member, ending his formal relationship with the social network he co-founded in 2006.
Institutional Shareholders Services Inc., an advisory firm, had recommended against Durban’s re-election because he serves on the boards of more than five publicly-traded companies.
A Twitter spokesperson says Egon Durban has tendered his resignation to the board.
The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee of the Board will promptly consider whether to recommend that the Board accept Mr Durban’s resignation and provide an update in due course.
Elon Musk has been sued by Twitter Inc. investors, claiming he manipulated the company’s stock price downward when he mounted a $44 billion takeover bid for the social media platform.
The investors said billionaire Musk saved himself $156 million by failing to disclose that he had purchased more than five per cent of Twitter by March 14.
They asked to be certified as a class and to be awarded an unspecified amount of punitive and compensatory damages.
The investors said Musk continued to buy the stock after that, and ultimately disclosed in early April that he owned 9.2 per cent of the company, according to the lawsuit, filed on Wednesday in San Francisco federal court.
Iraq’s parliament has passed a law that makes it a crime to normalise ties with Israel, and violations of the law can be punishable with a death sentence or life imprisonment.
Iraq’s parliament has been unable to convene on any other issue bar the law prohibiting ties with Israel, including electing a new president and forming its own government, which has prolonged a political standoff in the country.
The new legislation also entails risks for companies working in Iraq and found to be in violation of the law, which applies to all Iraqis, state and independent institutions, as well as foreigners working in the country.
Italian energy giant Eni and Algeria’s state-owned Sonatrach have reached an agreement to boost both gas exploration and the development of green hydrogen in the North African nation, as Rome seeks new ways to reduce its reliance on Russian hydrocarbons.
Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune says every time production increases, they will be able to supply it to Italy, which can then send it to the rest of Europe.
Tebboune says as far as electricity is concerned, we have agreed with our Italian friends to set up a submarine cable from Algeria to Italy.
Dr Stavros Nicolau, a senior director at Aspen, says the agreement with US pharmaceuticals giant Johnson & Johnson to package and distribute its vaccine across Africa assumed there would be demand for the vaccines from the World Health Organization.
He says keeping the production line going would no longer be sustainable, and the equipment would be used to make anaesthetics instead.
He said Aspen would only produce Covid-19 vaccines on an emergency basis.
Dr Nicolau said that at the height of the pandemic, there had been calls globally for Africa to produce more of its own vaccines.
He however insisted this could only happen if producers had support from international agencies, such as the WHO.
The US Justice Department says it has secured the forfeiture of a mansion bought by former Gambian president Yahya Jammeh for $3.5m with alleged corruption proceeds.
The property in Potomac, Maryland, is said to have been acquired through a trust set up by his wife, Zineb Jammeh.
The department says It has now been forfeited to the US along with all rental income generated by the property since a complaint was filed in 2020.
The United States intends to sell the property and recommends to the Attorney General that the net proceeds from the sale of the forfeited property be used to benefit the people of The Gambia harmed by former President Jammeh’s acts of corruption and abuse of office.
The Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed says Nigeria’s low crude oil production means the country is barely able to cover the cost of imported petrol from its oil and gas revenue.
Ahmed, says she hoped Nigerian oil production would average 1.6 million barrels per day this year, up from around 1.5 million BPD in the first quarter.
She says the government had budgeted 1.8 million BPD of production blaming crude theft and attacks on oil infrastructure for the shortfall.
Ahmed however says the revenue planned was low and barely able to cover the volumes that are required for the petrol that needed to be imported.
Managing Director of Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority, Uche Orji, says Nigeria would take delivery of 105, 000 metric tonnes of basic raw materials for fertiliser production from Canada and Russia next week.
He explained that it had also secured Letters of Credit for three vessels of basic raw materials that would arrive on June 3, 2022.
He stated that a total of 105,000 metric tonnes of fertiliser inputs would be coming from Canada and Russia in the next few days.
He stated that fertiliser was exempted from items sanctioned by the European Union against Russia, and noted that expected items included Potash and Ammonium being imported from Russia and Canada.
The Nigerian Communications Commission has called on Nigerians to ensure adequate protection of telecom infrastructure spread across the 36 states of the country.
The Executive Vice Chairman of the Commission, Prof. Umar Garba Dambatta, said members of the public are expected to allow installation of equipment and maintenance/repairs on sites by the technical staff of service providers for quality telecoms service delivery.
He says the vandalisation of telecom infrastructure discourages investors from investing in the country adding that the protection of telecom infrastructure was a collective responsibility.
President Joe Biden says a recession in the United States is not inevitable while acknowledging the economic pain experienced by Americans as inflation soars.
Biden blamed inflation on the fallout from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and other global problems and he defended US economic performance.
Biden says they have problems the rest of the world has but less consequential adding that his administration would continue to grow the economy and create jobs.
Pakistan’s central bank raised its benchmark interest rate by 150 basis points to 13.75%, the second hike in less than two months, as the South Asian nation grapples with a sinking economy.
The State Bank of Pakistan says the action, together with much needed fiscal consolidation, should help moderate demand to a more sustainable pace while keeping inflation expectations anchored and containing risks to external stability.
The country is going through economic turmoil, including high inflation, reserves declining to as low as less than two months’ of imports and a fast-weakening currency.
The Bank of Israel raised its benchmark interest rate by a bigger-than-expected 0.4 percentage points continuing its aggressive battle against rapidly rising inflation amid strong economic growth.
The central bank lifted its key rate to 0.75% from 0.35%. In April, policymakers had raised the rate from 0.1% an all-time low where it had stayed for the prior 15 decisions since a 0.15 point reduction at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Bank added that the pace of rate hikes will be based in accordance with activity data and the development of inflation.
The European Union extended through 2023 its suspension of rules against overspending by the bloc’s governments, prolonging a pandemic-era reprieve because of Russia’s war in Ukraine.
The EU’s executive, the European Commission, says heightened uncertainty and strong downside risks to the economic outlook in the context of war in Ukraine, unprecedented energy price hikes, and continued supply chain disturbances warrant the extension.
The EU suspended the public spending rules for national governments in March 2020 as the 27-nation bloc sank into its deepest recession since World War II because of Covid-19 restrictions.
The World Health Organization’s annual assembly refused to discuss admitting Taiwan to the meeting, under pressure from China and despite impassioned pleas from several countries.
There have been growing calls to allow Taiwan in as an observer, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of global cooperation on reining in infectious diseases.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says Taiwan’s isolation from the pre-eminent global health forum is unwarranted and undermines inclusive global public health cooperation.
Representatives from 13 of WHO’s 194 member countries, including Belize, Eswatini, Haiti and Tuvalu, presented a proposal to put offering Taiwan permanent observer status onto the agenda.
The United States has issued an advisory warning American companies and individuals from doing business with Sudanese state-owned and military-controlled companies.
It says there was a reputational risk of doing business with these companies amid a deterioration in the human rights situation in Sudan.
The State Department says that while some of these risks were there before October last year’s coup, the military takeover and their actions had made the situation worse.
State Department Spokesman Ned Price says the US government remained committed to supporting the Sudanese people’s aspiration for a civilian-led transition to an elected government.
The African Development Bank has approved a $1.5 billion emergency programme to alleviate the impact of worsening food insecurity due to the Ukraine war.
AfDB’s Group President Akinwumi Adesina says the US$1.5 billion will be used to support African countries to produce food and do so rapidly.
Adesina says food aid cannot feed Africa. Africa does not need bowls in hand. Africa needs seeds in the ground, and mechanical harvesters to harvest bountiful food produced locally.
He says Africa will feed itself with pride for there is no dignity in begging for food.
Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune sacked central bank chief Rostom Fadli, in office for less than two years without giving any further explanation.
Tebboune appointed Mr Salah Eddine Taleb to replace him.
Algeria is a rentier economy dependent on oil exports for 90 per cent of its foreign income, and therefore vulnerable to price movements.
The Nigerian government has cancelled the resumption of train services between the capital Abuja and the northern city of Kaduna earlier scheduled.
Families of the hostages had been angered by the planned resumption saying the decision was a sign of insensitivity by the authorities.
The Nigerian Railway Corporation appealed to the families of the abducted people to be patient and co-operate with the authorities trying to ensure the safe release of their loved ones.
It has also apologised to train passengers for the further delay saying a new resumption date will be announced soonest.
The Niger Delta Development Commission has cancelled unexecuted projects awarded between 2000 and 2019. Contractors are thus expected to refund the monies for the projects.
The NDDC says the development followed a directive from the presidency.
It added that the cancellation is subject to any future re-award in accordance with the Public Procurement Act and in line with the terms of the contracts for the award of the said projects.
President Muhammadu Buhari has asked executives of banking institutions in West Africa to forge a closer collaboration to tackle the economic challenges confronting the sub-region.
The President said this when he received a delegation from the West African Bankers Association, led by its President, Thierno Seydou Nourou at the statehouse.
He told the association which was founded in 1981, that the sub-region must find a common understanding and ground to address low access to financial services and recovery from the post-COVID-19 pandemic.
The Monetary Policy Committee of the Central Bank of Nigeria has voted unanimously to raise the Monetary Policy Rate to 13 per cent.
CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, says the sharp rise in inflation across both the advanced and emerging market economies has generated growing concerns among central banks as the progressive rise in inflation driven by rising aggregate demands and wage growth has put sustainable pressure on price levels.
He says consequently, the major central banks such as the U.S. Fed, the Bank of England, European Central Bank, and Bank of Canada have provided strong guidance of a progressive shift away from monetary policy accommodation to drive market interest rate which may ultimately impact capital flows away from emerging market economies.
The head of the International Monetary Fund says Governments need to subsidise the cost of food and energy for the poorest members of society.
Kristalina Georgieva says support needs to be provided in a very targeted manner, preferably by providing subsidies directly to people.
Ms Georgieva says there are two priorities, one the very poor people, segments of society that are now struggling with high food and energy prices.
She added that the second is to support those businesses that have been most damaged by the war in Ukraine.
Iran’s foreign ministry has rejected reports of the country’s willingness to compromise its stance in ongoing indirect negotiations with the United States to restore its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.
Foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh told the emir that they have always said the negotiations must yield results, not waste time and the Americans know what they need to do regarding this.
Khatibzadeh says it is very clear from the context of the leader’s remarks that the ball is in the US court, which must make wise political decisions to fulfill its obligations
Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers have started to enforce a new order requiring all-female TV news anchors in the country to cover their faces while on air.
The Information and Culture Ministry previously announced that the policy was final and non-negotiable.
Sonia Niazi, a TV anchor with Afghanistan’s TOLOnews says It is just an outside culture imposed on them and that can create a problem for them while presenting programmes.
The World Health Organization says it expects to identify more cases of monkeypox as it expands surveillance in countries where the disease is not typically found.
The UN agency says it will provide further guidance and recommendations in the coming days for countries on how to mitigate the spread of monkeypox.
The agency says available information suggests that human-to-human transmission is occurring among people in close physical contact with cases who are symptomatic.
An audit into Covid spending in Malawi has found that around $4.7m cannot be accounted for from the $21m set aside to deal with the second phase of the pandemic.
President Lazarus Chakwera promised to crack down on the culprits and several officials were taken to court, though none of the cases has yet concluded.
Some non-governmental organisations say this second exposé shows that public systems for managing resources are broken, with no political will to hold people accountable.
Zimbabwe’s government wants to sell some of its ivory and rhino horn stockpile - estimated to be around $600m by the state-run Herald newspaper - to help fund its conservation efforts.
Environment Minister Mangaliso Ndlovu told the BBC that close to 65% of the world’s elephant population was in the country which had a huge impact on human habits.
He says that he did not want the issue to be politicised and that on two previous occasions that Cite had allowed ivory stockpile sales, the money had been ploughed back into protecting wildlife.
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni says his government will not intervene in the current economic situation amid a rising cost of living.
Mr Museveni says that government subsidies or the removal of import taxes would collapse the economy.
He says there would be a haemorrhage of dollars from the national reserves for the purchase of those expensive products.
Mr Museveni said Uganda will need to frugally use the imported items it can afford.
He advised citizens to substitute expensive wheat with locally available food such as millet, maize, green bananas and cassava.
The Nigeria Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority say that it was drafting six regulations on midstream and downstream operations to ensure clarity, including on the issue of appropriate gas pricing.
The Authority Chief Executive, NMDPRA, Mr Farouk Ahmed, noted that the new regulations will further improve business processes and ease of doing business in the sector.
The NMDPRA also acknowledged the gradual growth of indigenous players in local exploration and production of petroleum products but said that more needed to be done.
Ahmed further pledged the authority’s commitment to making the business climate in the midstream and downstream conducive for local and foreign investment to thrive.
The Lagos State Government warned residents to be wary of unlicensed e-hailing operators.
The Commissioner for Transportation, Frederic Oladeinde, issued the warning saying the operators pose security threats to the safety of lives and property within the state.
He expressed the state government’s displeasure over the refusal of the App owners and partners to comply with the law guiding their operation in the wake of criminal activities.
Oladeinde urged residents to ensure that they patronise only the licensed operators as many of the unauthorised operators do not have a traceable operational base within the state in case of emergencies or safety concerns.
The Federal Government has appointed Mr Anamekwe Nwabuoku as the acting Accountant General of the Federation.
Nwabuoku’s appointment was conveyed in a letter dated May 20th, 2022 and signed by Aliyu Ahmed, the Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning.
President Muhammadu Buhari’s former aide, Bashir Ahmad also confirmed Nwabuoku’s appointment via his Twitter handle.
Nwabuoku is expected to carry out his duties in strict compliance with extant rules and observe the highest sense of professionalism.
The ruling All Progressives Congress has postponed the screening of the 25 presidential aspirants slated for Monday, May 23rd.
APC National Publicity Secretary, Barr. Felix Morka, announced the postponement although no reason was given for the change in plan.
Morka added that a new date for the screening exercise will be communicated to the public shortly, without mentioning any specific time.
The government says India will not change upcoming cybersecurity rules that force social media, technology companies and cloud service providers to report data breaches swiftly, despite growing industry concerns.
The Indian Computer Emergency Response Team issued a directive in April asking tech companies to report data breaches within six hours of noticing such incidents and to maintain IT and communications logs for six months.
They also mandated cloud service providers such as Amazon and virtual private network companies to retain the names of their customers and IP addresses for at least five years, even after they stop using the company’s services.
The United States government is moving to ease a few economic sanctions on Venezuela in a gesture meant to encourage resumed negotiations between the US-backed opposition and the government of President Nicolás Maduro.
Two senior US government officials say the limited changes will allow Chevron Corp to negotiate its licence with the state-owned oil company, Petroleos de Venezuela but not to drill or export any petroleum of Venezuelan origin.
Russian news agencies reported that Belarus has introduced the death penalty for attempts to carry out acts of terrorism charges that several opposition activists face in the ex-Soviet country.
The RIA Novosti news agency report that Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko signed a law on the possibility of the death penalty for an attempted terrorist act.
It says the law would come into force 10 days after its publication.
The US says it will provide a further $215m in emergency aid to 10 African countries as the continent struggles with food insecurity brought about by climate change, the Covid pandemic and the war in Ukraine.
The US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, says Algeria, Burkina Faso, Mauritania, Cameroon, Nigeria, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, Tanzania and Zimbabwe are the countries who will benefit.
The UN warned that a growing global food crisis could last years if it goes unchecked.
The UK Home Office says legal challenges against its plan to send some asylum seekers to Rwanda have not delayed the scheme.
British media outlets however say they received notice that the Rwanda flights will now not take place until at least after 6 June.
A Home Office spokesperson says the first flights are expected to take place in the coming months, legal action has not yet had any impact on this.
Uganda Military says it will withdraw hundreds of troops it sent last year to help the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo combat an Islamist insurgency.
The Ugandan land forces commander Muhoozi Kainerugaba says that Operation Shujaa had only been intended to last for six months and would end by next month unless an extension was agreed.
The authorities in DR Congo said the terms and timeline for the Ugandan withdrawal would need to be agreed by both countries.
The federal government stated that Sub-Saharan Africa could require as much as $60 billion to access reliable electricity and clean cooking facilities between now and 2030.
The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, noted that an annual investment of around $35 billion could bring electricity access to 759 million Africans who currently lack it.
Sylva added that another $25 billion a year could help 2.6 billion people globally to access clean cooking by 2030.
He stressed that the required investment represents only a small fraction of the multi-trillion-dollar global energy investment needed overall.
President Muhammadu Buhari signed the National Health Insurance Authority Bill 2022 into law as eighty-three million Nigerians are set to be covered.
The presidential aide Garba Shehu says the bill repeals the National Health Insurance Scheme Act, Cap N42, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.
Garba Shehu says that a Fund will be set up to ensure coverage of 83 million poor Nigerians who cannot afford to pay premiums as recommended by the Lancet Nigeria Commission.
Buhari noted that the Authority will liaise with state government Health Insurance Schemes to accredit primary and secondary health facilities and enrol Nigerians into the scheme.
Lagos State Police Commissioner, Abiodun Alabi, clarified that residents who operate motorcycles for courier services or other private dealings will not be affected by the latest okada ban.
He says It does not affect couriers, but the couriers will not carry passengers, who are going to their various places of work.
He added that those who own power bikes are not affected, because it’s not meant for commercial purposes.
The Nigerian government has asked Facebook and other social media sites to stop allowing the Indigenous People of Biafra to use their platforms to incite violence and instigate ethnic hatred in Nigeria.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, says they have chosen Facebook as their platform of choice and their tools include disinformation, incendiary statements and hate speech.
Facebook's parent company, Meta, told the BBC that calling for violence on its platform was unacceptable.
The European Union says companies can keep buying gas without breaching sanctions, as it softened its stance in a standoff with Moscow over energy supplies.
The European Commission in its revised guidelines to member states said companies should make a clear statement that they consider their obligations fulfilled once they pay in euros or dollars.
The Commission says EU sanctions do not prevent economic operators from opening a bank account in a designated bank for payments due under contracts for the supply of natural gas in a gaseous state, in the currency specified in those contracts.
Renault has announced it is selling its majority stake in Russian carmaker Avtovaz, following pressure over its continued presence in the country.
The French carmaker says it would sell its 68% interest to a Russian science institute, while its shares in Renault Russia will go to the city of Moscow.
Russian Industry and Trade Minister Denis Manturov say Renault planned to sell its Russian assets for one symbolic rouble.
Renault Group said its board of directors had approved agreements to sell Renault Russia to the Moscow city entity, as well as its 67.69% stake in Avtovaz to the Russian Central Research and Development Automobile and Engine Institute.
The deal also included Renault's Moscow plant, Avtoframos, which makes Renault and Nissan models.
The European Commission sharply cut its eurozone growth forecast for 2022 to 2.7 per cent, blaming skyrocketing energy prices caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
EU executive vice president Valdis Dombrovskis says there is no doubt that the EU economy is going through a challenging period due to Russia’s war against Ukraine, and they have downgraded the forecast accordingly.
The EU warned that the course of the war was highly uncertain and that the risk of stagflation punishing inflation with little or no growth remained a real risk going forward.
Washington’s top diplomat to the United Nations says the United States hopes India will reverse its ban on wheat exports, warning the move would worsen global shortages of the commodity.
Linda Thomas-Greenfield says they are encouraging countries not to restrict exports because we think any restrictions on exports will exacerbate the food shortages.
Thomas-Greenfield says they hope that India can, as they hear the concerns being raised by other countries, they would reconsider that position.
United States Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen met with Ukrainian refugees and stressed the need to confront Russian brutality as she visited Poland ahead of a meeting of finance ministers for the Group of Seven leading economies.
Yellen applauded Poland for helping refugees fleeing the fighting and for working with neighbouring countries to find ways to get Ukraine’s wheat and other critical food supplies to the world.
She thanked the Polish for responding to rising food insecurity exacerbated by the war.
Lesotho’s National Assembly has approved a new law aimed at combating cybercrimes.
Lesotho’s Communications, Science and Technology Minister, Sam Rapapa, Mr Rapapa says the increasing migration of work to digital platforms called for protection against cyber-attacks.
Mr Rapapa indicated that Lesotho was yet to develop cybercrime combatting strategies and policies.
He says it is worth noting that Lesotho is yet to work on a cyber security strategy or policy, incident management capabilities adding that there is a limited number of knowledgeable people in cyber security issues including government institutions.
President Joe Biden approved the deployment of several hundred US troops returning to Somalia reversing a decision by his predecessor, Donald Trump.
The president has also signed off on a request from the Pentagon to target suspected leaders of the al-Shabab militant group.
National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson says the decision to reintroduce a persistent presence was made to maximise the safety and effectiveness of our forces and enable them to provide more efficient support to our partners.
Guinea-Bissau's President Umaro Sissoco Embaló has dissolved the parliament, three months after he had said he had survived a coup attempt.
He accused the lawmakers of corruption and also cited persistent and unresolved differences with parliament.
Mr Embaló dismissed the government but kept both the prime minister and his deputy in place in order to keep things running until the next legislative elections.
He says Guineans will be given the right to freely choose at the ballot box the parliament they wish to have.
The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe has banned third country foreign payments, except for fuel, in measures to facilitate critical transactions to keep the economy going smoothly and encourage the remittance of export proceeds back to the country.
The apex bank-issued payment exemption guidelines on offshore drawdowns relating to the financing of payments for marketable commodities such as tobacco and cotton.
Economists believe policy measures reflect a case-by-case enhancement and refinement by the Government, through the RBZ, of measures aimed at eliminating the malfeasance in the economy.
The Airlines Operators of Nigeria have warned that the flight operations of its members may experience disruptions due to a growing scarcity of aviation fuel.
The AON’s spokesperson Prof. Obiora Okonkwo, says the scarcity is impacting negatively on the seamless conduct of air transport operations and would lead to flight rescheduling, and, or, cancellations.
The operators, however, say they are working very hard, and in alliance with product marketers, government and relevant stakeholders, to ensure the availability and proper pricing of aviation fuel in the country.
The Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, Prof. Bolaji Owasanoye, has called for global action against Illicit Financial Flows and corruption.
Prof. Owasanoye emphasised the need for a global framework on IFFs as part of a determined commitment to tackle the menace.
He says the challenge we found ourselves today is that the rules have always been skewed in favour of those who export capital and against those who import capital.
He added that corruption is a global issue and we have a global framework for corruption.
The Federal Government says the Abuja-Kaduna train service will resume on May 23.
The Nigerian Railway Corporation says the decision to resume services does not mean efforts to secure the safe release of those abducted will be put on hold.
The families of those abducted have threatened to resist the reopening of the train service.
The Corporation says the Federal Government will never abdicate its responsibility in rescuing these valuable citizens, however, the government assures of its resolve not to succumb to threats by any faceless group.
The National Bureau of Statistics says the new annual rate is the highest since September 2021.
Nigeria's inflation rate rose to 16.82 per cent in April, recording the highest jump in eight months.
The consumer price index, which measures the rate of increase in the price of goods and services, jumped amid increases recorded in food and energy prices.
The NBS says that the rate is 1.3 per cent points lower compared to 18.12 per cent recorded in April 2021.
Oil giant Saudi Aramco says its profits soared more than 80 per cent in the first three months of the year as the state-backed company cashes in on the volatility in global energy markets and soaring oil prices following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Saudi Aramco says the surge was primarily driven by higher crude oil prices and volumes sold and improved downstream margins.
Aramco Chief Executive Amin Nasser says Energy security is vital and we are investing for the long term, expanding their oil and gas production capacity to meet anticipated demand growth.
India has banned exports of wheat effective immediately, citing a risk to food security, partly due to the war in Ukraine and as a scorching heatwave curtailed output and domestic prices hit a record high.
Agriculture ministers from the G7 industrialised nations immediately condemned India’s decision.
German agriculture minister Cem Ozdemir says If everyone starts to impose export restrictions or close markets, that would worsen the crisis.
Government officials in New Delhi say that India would still allow exports backed by already issued letters of credit and to countries that request supplies to meet their food security needs.
The Finnish government announced its intention to join NATO on Sunday, as Sweden’s ruling party was to hold a decisive meeting that could pave the way for a joint application.
Croatia’s foreign minister, Gordan Grlic Radman, says despite last-minute objections by Turkey, NATO members are on a good track in their discussions on welcoming Sweden and Finland into the Western military alliance, C.
Finland’s parliament will convene to debate the membership proposal on Monday.
Prime Minister Sanna Marin says the parliament will confirm the decision to apply for NATO membership during the coming days.
Minister of Communication and Information Technology Amr Talaat and STMicroelectronics' Executive Vice President Ricardo De Sa Earp reviewed the company's investment plans in Egypt.
CEO of Egypt's Information Technology Industry Development Agency, Talaat commended the company's move to expand its investments in such an important industry, especially in light of the growing global demand for electronics.
Talaat stressed his ministry's commitment to an environment conducive to promoting this strategic industry, as part of President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi's initiative for entrenching local electronics design and manufacturing, as the main driver of economic growth.
The managing director, International Monetary Fund, Kristalina Georgieva, has called for the development of a new public infrastructure to connect various payment systems, including digital currencies.
She added that countries need to work together to build new roads, railways, bridges, and tunnels using public digital platforms to connect payment systems.
Georgieva says the new payment system would help counter the fragmentation of the international monetary system.
She says this would make international payments more efficient, safer, and more inclusive.
The new president of Somalia, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, says he will try to move his country forward by healing the grievances which run through Somali society.
Mr Mohamud says the Nation have to move ahead and not need grudges.
His election in a vote delayed by over a year means a $400m aid package from the International Monetary Fund now won't automatically expire this month.
Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo has tasked developed nations to commit to fully funding Africa’s energy transition.
Osinbajo argued that Nigeria required $400 billion of new investment above business-as-usual spending to meet its net-zero target.
He also stated that Africa was not a threat to the global climate targets, adding that LNG should be recognised as a clean cooking alternative.
He also pointed out that the world would not be able to tackle collective challenges if poor nations are treated as second class, or their aspirations ignored.
Mali is pulling out of a multinational military force fighting Islamist militants in West Africa's Sahel region.
Mali says that this was a protest against its rejection as head of the G5 regional group that also includes Mauritania, Chad, Burkina Faso and Niger.
Mali's junta blamed a lack of progress in the fight against the Islamists and the failure to hold recent meetings in Mali.
Mali's withdrawal could further isolate the country whose economy has been hit by sanctions since the coup.
Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board, Mr. Simbi Wabote says that French oil major, TotalEnergies EP Nigeria Limited, has invested almost $30 billion in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector within the space of eight years.
The French oil giant says Nigeria remained at the heart of its strategy and indicated plans to expand its business into the country’s electricity sector.
It stressed that the sector offered exciting opportunities that it would like to explore.
He says with the number of investments TotalEnergies had put into the country’s oil and gas sector since its entrance into the space, there was no basis for comparing it with that of Shell, Chevron and ExxonMobil.
The Nigeria Football Federation has announced that Jose Peseiro has been named the Super Eagles' head coach.
The NFF says the appointment is with immediate effect, subject to the signing of agreed terms between the football body and the Portuguese.
The NFF says Peseiro is expected to lead the Super Eagles for the first time during the upcoming tour of the United States of America.
The former Minister of State for Education Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba says the Federal Government is working on a funding structure for public universities in the country as part of moves to tackle the incessant strikes by lecturers in these institutions.
Nwajiuba noted that the government’s funding of public universities is unsustainable.
He says the presidential aspirant of the All Progressives Congress in the 2023 election maintained that with the number of public universities in the country, these schools have to get new ways of making money to fund their institutions.
Energy giant Shell has agreed to sell more than 400 of its petrol stations in Russia to the country's second-largest oil producer, Lukoil.
Shell Neft, the firm's subsidiary in Russia, will be sold for an undisclosed sum.
Shell says the deal, which includes 411 petrol stations, will protect 350 jobs.
The sale also includes a lubricant blending plant around 200km northwest of Moscow.
Shell announced in February that it would sell its Russian assets because of the invasion of Ukraine.
The firm however says pulling out of Russian deals which include the sale of its stakes in all joint business ventures with Russian state energy firm Gazprom, had cost it $3.9bn.
The World Health Organization says the number of people who have died from Covid-19 in Europe, the long-time epicentre of the pandemic, has passed two million.
The UN health agency says a devastating milestone has passed as reported confirmed Covid-19 deaths from countries in the WHO European Region have exceeded more than 2 million people.
Spain’s interior minister says Madrid and Rabat have agreed to re-open the land borders between Morocco and two Spanish enclaves.
Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska says the two countries had agreed to open the land borders with Ceuta and Melilla gradually from May 17.
He says crossings will be initially limited to residents of Europe’s passport-free Schengen area and their family members, and will then be expanded to cross-border workers after May 31.
South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa has urged international organisations and donor agencies to buy Covid vaccines from African manufacturers.
President Ramaphosa says this would ensure the developing capabilities on the continent are retained.
He says international agencies that have had a lot of money donated to them for purchasing and procuring vaccines for developing-economy countries are not buying vaccines from African vaccine manufacturers, even for those vaccines that are destined for African countries.
Mr Ramaphosa says his country was still advocating for an intellectual property waiver to improve global access to vaccines.
President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s spokesperson says Tanzania is in talks with the International Monetary Fund for a $1.1 billion three-year financing package, and that a team was in the country to examine the request.
The energy minister says Tanzania was in the final stages of securing loans from the World Bank and the IMF to help cushion the rising cost of living.
Finance Minister Mwigulu Nchemba says Russia’s invasion of Ukraine posed a risk to its fiscal budget due to an expected rise in inflation caused by disruptions in the supply chains of various commodities including fuel.
National Bank of Rwanda has maintained the key repo rate--at which it lends to commercial banks-- at 5 per cent and said domestic economic growth is likely to slow down.
The Bank's Governor, John Rwangombwa says that there was low production in the agriculture season A hence leading to the continued rise in commodity prices.
Rwangombwa says that the Bank was working with stakeholders to limit the impact of external pressures on Rwanda's purchasing power.
The Monetary Policy Committee will continue to monitor domestic and global economic developments to inform future decisions.
The World Bank Board of Executive Directors approved The Gambia Second Fiscal Management, Energy and Telecom Reform Development Policy Financing.
World Bank Resident Representative, Feyi Boroffice, says the reforms that will be addressed under the PDF are very important in supporting the country's economic recovery and addressing macroeconomic vulnerabilities within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and global instability.
The Federal Government met with the striking members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities and other unions.
The meeting was chaired by the Chief of Staff to the President, Professor Ibrahim Gambari and was aimed at addressing the lingering industrial action by ASUU and other pressing issues of industrial actions in the tertiary institutions.
Gambari reiterated the Federal Government’s resolve to address the issues affecting the striking ASUU members.
He made the appeal at the 19th National productivity day and conferment of the National Productivity Order of Merit award held on Thursday.
The Ministry of Youth and Sports says President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the country's immediate withdrawal from all international basketball competitions for two years.
The Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare, says the withdrawal of Nigeria was to provide the government with the opportunity to revamp the sport from the grassroots as well as revive the domestic leagues which have become moribund.
He says the withdrawal would also allow for the setting up of an Interim Management Committee to oversee the management and development of the domestic Basketball Leagues in Nigeria and to further address other related issues around the advancement of the game in the country.
President Muhammadu Buhari signed into law, three bills aimed at improving the anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing/proliferation financing framework in Nigeria.
The President described the bills as being in tandem with this administration’s commitment to fighting corruption and illicit financing activities, as well as critical to the governance agenda and the development of Nigeria.
He says the new laws have provided enough punitive measures and containment strategies against abuses and compromises noting that the inadequacy of all the repealed Acts had impacted legal actions against offenders.
Google says that it struck licensing deals with 300 news publishers in Europe in its latest effort to comply with a recently introduced European Union copyright law.
The tech giant signed the agreements with national, local and specialist news publications in Germany, Hungary, France, Austria, the Netherlands and Ireland and said discussions with many others are ongoing.
The new law allows search engines like Google to link to and use snippets of news content while giving publishers new rights when extended previews are used online.
The company also said it’s rolling out a new tool to offer licensing agreements to thousands of other European publishers, starting in Germany and Hungary.
The Philippines’s economy grew faster than expected in the first quarter, boosting expectations of interest rate hikes to curb rising inflation, a key challenge facing the country’s newly-elected president.
The Southeast Asian country’s gross domestic product grew 8.3 per cent during the January-March period compared with a year earlier, well ahead of forecasts and faster than the 7.7 per cent expansion in the previous quarter.
Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), the country’s central bank, holds its next policy meeting on May 19 amid growing expectations of an interest rate hike to tame rising prices that could threaten the economic recovery if left unchecked.
Germany's government says it will increase the number of German troops serving in the UN peacekeeping mission by 300 soldiers to 1,400.
Government spokeswoman Christiane Hoffmann says this is intended to compensate for capacities previously undertaken by French forces.
The Associated Press reports that this support and training will now be offered to Niger's government in its fight against Islamist militants.
Ethiopia’s state-owned telecom operator, Ethio Telecom, has introduced 5G mobile phone networks in the country’s capital, Addis Ababa.
Ethio Telecom hopes the move will give it an edge over the upcoming competition - a consortium of international telecom providers entering the country’s lucrative market for the first time.
The company however says the expansion of the network is dependent on the readiness of the players in the ecosystem including the availability of 5G enabled devices and smartphones.
Chinese telecom giant Huawei is supplying the necessary equipment for the services.
Ghana’s consumer price inflation rate has hit 23.6%, a sharp rise from 19.4% in March.
Government Statistician Kobina Annim says that imported goods surpassed locally produced items for the first time in over two years.
The rise in the cost of food and services has been condemned by Ghanaians who said the cost of living here was fast becoming unbearable.
Experts have warned that the surge in international food prices is expected to hit African economies the hardest and could trigger social unrest in some countries.
The World Bank says it intends to resume direct budget support to Mozambique, six years after it was suspended when more than $2.7bn of undisclosed state debts were discovered.
World Bank official Idah Pswarayi-Riddihough says the first trench of $300m would be up for approval by the end of June.
She explained that this help would allow the government to create more resources for development that would also help deflect the economic impact of the Ukraine crisis and the coronavirus pandemic.
The federal government has insisted that it wasn’t in breach of any part of the treaty setting up the West African Gas Pipeline Authority by the selection of a Nigerian to head the organisation.
The francophone countries insist that Nigeria cannot have both the headquarters and the director-general simultaneously.
Minister of State, Petroleum Resources, Mr Timipre Sylva, maintained that the Accra resolution of November 2021, to move ahead with the appointment of a Nigerian as the head of the body remains very critical.
He called for the understanding of member nations, urging them to stick to the rules set up the body.
President Muhammadu Buhari has directed that all members of the Federal Executive Council running for elective offices submit their letters of resignation on or before Monday the 16th of May, 2022.
The Minister of information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, disclosed this on Wednesday after the Federal Executive Council meeting.
Those affected are the ministers of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi; Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio; Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige; Science, Technology and Innovation, Ogbonnaya; State for Education, Emeka Nwajiuba; Petroleum, Timipre Sylva who have all joined the presidential race on the platform of the All Progressives Congress.
The head of the World Health Organization says China’s zero-COVID strategy to defeat the pandemic is not sustainable in a public criticism by the UN agency on a government’s handling of the coronavirus.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says the zero-COVID strategy is not sustainable while considering the behaviour of the virus.
He says they have discussed the issue with Chinese experts and indicated that the approach will not be sustainable.
Elon Musk says he would lift Twitter’s ban on former US President Donald Trump if Musk’s deal to buy the global messaging platform is successful.
He would reverse the permanent ban while noting that he doesn’t own Twitter yet.
He says that the ban was a mistake because it alienated a large part of the country, and did not ultimately result in Donald Trump not having a voice.
Musk says he and Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey are of similar mind in that permanent bands should be rare, reserved for accounts that are spam, scams or run by software bots.
The International Monetary Fund says Mauritius's economy is expected to grow 6.1% this year from a 4% expansion last year.
The Fund says the war in Ukraine has weighed on growth projections due to lower growth in trading partners, less optimistic prospects for global tourist flows, and worsening terms of trade.
The International Finance Corporation has acquired a 6.71pc stake in Equity Group becoming the second-largest shareholder after Arise BV of Norway and Netherlands.
Equity Group Managing Director James Mwangi says IFC's addition will further advance economic development by empowering and catalyzing the transformation of the lives and livelihoods of the African people.
He says the credit facility of USD 165 million includes USD 50 million from IFC, USD 50 million from British International Investment, USD 65 million from Symbiotic, Responsibility and FMO, the Dutch entrepreneurial development bank, and a long-time shareholder in Equity through Arise Investments.
Zimbabwe’s central bank governor John Mangudya says the freeze on bank lending is a temporary measure which is meant to contain inflation and stabilise its economy,
President Emmerson Mnangagwa ordered the suspension with immediate effect, saying the move was meant to stop speculation against the Zimbabwean dollar, which has been rapidly devalued on a thriving black market.
Zimbabwe’s inflation has started to rise again, with year-on-year inflation at 96% in April, up from 61% at the beginning of the year, mainly due to a rapidly weakening local currency.
The Tanzanian government has approved a concession grant amounting to 100bn/- to question the skyrocketing price of fuel and offer relief to the nationals currently battling increasing inflation.
Energy Minister Mr Januari Makamba revealed the short-term plan in the National Assembly on Tuesday attributing it to fresh instruction by President Samia Suluhu Hassan.
Minister Makamba added that the grant will not affect ongoing government projects in the country while saying that the move is a short-term measure to reduce the price of oil before the new financial year.
Mr Makamba says the government is in the process of securing a loan from both the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank to curb the rise in oil prices during the next fiscal year.
Malawi's parliament has started public enquiries in the capital, Lilongwe, on a proposal to abolish the death penalty following last month’s adoption of a report recommending the move.
Malawi courts appeared to have abolished the death sentence in April last year after a Supreme Court judge heard the petition of a convicted murderer, and ruled that the death penalty negates the right to life which is otherwise provided for under Malawi's constitution.
There have been growing calls both locally and internationally for Malawi to abolish the death penalty, especially because the country is a signatory to the declaration of Universal Human Rights in which the punishment is not allowed.
Aid agencies say several asylum seekers in Britain have gone into hiding because of fears they will be sent to Rwanda.
The Red Cross and the Refugee Council say the threat of removal has prompted some of those seeking asylum to self-harm; one has attempted suicide.
The charities have criticised the British government's plans as a breach of the duty of care.
The Home Office in London says it takes every step to prevent self-harm or suicide.
Conference of Speakers and Heads of African Parliaments agreed to pursue debt forgiveness for the continent from creditor-nations.
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, felt parliament should be involved and speak as one voice and speak to creditors and make a case as to why they need debt forgiveness.
He says they are going to push for a tripartite agreement between the creditors, the executive other governments and the legislators.
The Senate passed a bill to enact the Arbitration and Mediation Act to provide for a unified legal framework for the settlement of commercial disputes.
The Senate Leader, says the Arbitration and Mediation Act, 2022, sought to repeal the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, Cap A18, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.
He disclosed that the piece of legislation recognised and enforced the New York convention on foreign arbitration awards to any award made in Nigeria or in any contracting state arising out of international commercial arbitration.
He added that it also sought the application of the Singapore convention on the international settlement agreements resulting from mediation.
The Senate amended the Electoral Act, 2022, to allow statutory delegates all those elected to participate and vote in the conventions, congresses, or meetings of political parties.
The Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege, who sponsored the ‘Bill to amend the 2022 Electoral Act No. 13,’ says it seeks to amend the provision of Section 84(8) of the law.
He says the provision of the section does not provide for the participation of what is generally known as statutory delegates in the conventions, congresses or meetings of political parties.
Political parties in the country have asked the Independent National Electoral Commission to extend the timelines for the 2023 general elections by two months.
Chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council, Yusuf Yabagi, made the appeal at a meeting of the electoral umpire and leaders of various political parties at the INEC headquarters in Abuja.
Yabagi says the extension is necessary to help political parties put things in order for the forthcoming general elections.
INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu informed the party leaders that the commission would not review the existing timelines and appealed that primaries be conducted credibly in order to minimise litigations.
The Taliban has issued another decree imposing further restrictions on Afghan women, and criminalising their clothing.
The Taliban’s recently reinstated Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice announced that it is required for all respectable Afghan women to wear a hijab or headscarf.
The ministry statement says any garment covering the body of a woman is considered a hijab, provided that it is not too tight to represent the body parts nor is it thin enough to reveal the body.
Israel’s central bank says it had received public support for its plans to possibly issue a digital shekel on grounds it would help the economy by supporting innovation in the payments system, reducing the amount of cash and bolstering the fintech sector.
The Bank of Israel says a digital shekel was unlikely to significantly erode the banking system’s business results.
The central bank however says all of the responses to the public consultation indicate support for continued research regarding the various implications on the payments market, financial and monetary stability, legal and technological issues, and more.
Indonesia is coming under growing international pressure over its ban on palm oil exports amid soaring food prices worldwide.
The ban by the world’s largest palm oil exporter has put pressure on edible oil prices at a time when supplies are already under strain due to poor harvests, the Ukraine war, and labour shortages caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
President Joko Jokowi Widodo has justified the ban as a short-term measure after domestic prices of cooking oil, of which palm oil is a key ingredient, soared more than 50 per cent.
Analysts say it is likely that governments are making vocal representations to Jakarta behind the scenes.
The Biden administration announced that 20 internet companies have agreed to provide discounted service to people with low incomes, a program that could effectively make tens of millions of households eligible for free service through an already existing federal subsidy.
The $1 trillion infrastructure package passed by Congress last year included $14.2bn in funding for the Affordable Connectivity Program, which provides $30 monthly subsidies on internet service for millions of lower-income households.
Biden made expanding high-speed internet access in rural and low-income areas a priority.
The second phase of an UN-led intra-Sudanese political dialogue is scheduled to begin on Tuesday amid divisions among the country's political parties over their participation.
Several parties said they will boycott the talks aimed at resolving the political crisis that followed the 25 October military coup.
The UN, the African Union and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development bloc are seeking to mediate between the military, pro-democracy activists and opposition parties.
The US has urged all Sudanese civilian and military actors to utilise the process to achieve democratic progress and national stability while supporting the UN-led talks.
The International Monetary Fund has approved financial assistance for Mozambique, the first such aid by the fund to the country after a six-year suspension.
The suspension was imposed after the country was found to have more than $2.7bn of undisclosed state debts - money which the government borrowed to set up a sophisticated tuna industry - to buy trawlers and military patrol boats, but much of it was allegedly diverted to corrupt officials.
The IMF board approved a three-year $456million aid that will support economic recovery and help reduce public debt.
President Muhammadu Buhari says efforts to get debt relief for African countries and Special Drawing Rights of about $650bn, especially with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, have reached an advanced stage.
Buhari says over 30 million jobs had been lost since the pandemic, with about 26 to 40 million people going into extreme poverty.
The President pointed out that the post-pandemic stimulus package for Africa must go beyond individual efforts by the countries.
He added that there is a need for increased collaboration and integration of efforts to drive sustainable economic growth and recovery across the continent.
He says African parliaments have a particular role to play aside from the fact that they have been charged to make laws.
Nigerian authorities have been accused of failing to ensure justice for the killing of #EndSars protesters in 2020, six months after a judicial panel implicated security forces.
Human Rights Watch has tasked the government to act on the panel’s recommendations and hold those responsible to account.
It says failure to act on the panel’s recommendations will send a painful message to victims and risk encouraging more violence by security officers.
A Federal High Court in Abuja has refused the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele’s request to restrain the Independent National Electoral Commission, and the Attorney General of the Federation Abubakar Malami preventing him from his Presidential Ambition.
The CBN Governor through his Counsel, Mike Ozekhome, told the court that Section 84 ((12) of the Electoral Act as amended, 2022 does not affect him, being a public servant and not a political appointee.
The Judge also ordered the defendants to appear before him on May 12 to show cause why the CBN Governor’s request should not be granted.
Prof Emmanuel Osodeke says the Academic Staff Union of Universities has extended the ongoing strike by twelve weeks.
The president of the union, says the decision was to give the government enough time to resolve all outstanding issues with the lecturers.
He says the Government’s failure to live up to its responsibilities and speedily address all the issues raised in the 2020 FGN/ASUU Memorandum of Action within the additional eight-week roll–over strike period declared on 14th March 2022.
He added that the NEC resolved that the strike be rolled over for twelve weeks to give Government more time to satisfactorily resolve all the outstanding issues.
The Coinbase cryptocurrency exchange says the value of Bitcoin continued to fall over the weekend as it dropped below $34,000.
The world's largest cryptocurrency by market value has now fallen by 50% since its peak in November last year.
Bitcoin accounts for about a third of the cryptocurrency market with a total value of $636bn.
Ethereum, the second-biggest cryptocurrency in the world, has also fallen in value, down by more than 10% in the last week.
Leaders of the Group of Seven have committed to phasing out their countries’ dependency on Russian energy.
The G7 says Putin has brought shame on his country and the historic sacrifices of its people by invading Ukraine, 77 years after the end of World War II.
They also reassured Zelenskyy of their commitment to helping Ukraine secure its free and democratic future and said they will continue to impose severe and immediate economic costs on Putin for his unjustifiable war.
The G7 added that it will phase out dependency on Russian energy, including by phasing out or banning the import of Russian oil.
Finance Minister Agak Achuil says output up until 2027 had been sold in order to pay the salaries of civil servants, who have not been paid since around September 2021.
A professor of economics at the University of Juba, Ahmed Morgan Yanga, says it was akin to pronouncing the country economically dead.
Dr Yanga says the government should not just rely on oil revenues, recommending it look to minerals and the tourism sector to raise money.
He says corruption was also an issue that needed to be addressed as he suspected vast amounts were being lost to graft.
President Uhuru Kenyatta says the Nairobi Expressway will be opened next Saturday to motorists on a trial basis.
President Kenyatta pointed out that the opening of the Highway will reduce the rampant traffic jam that is often witnessed on the roads.
He says this will give us the opportunity to see what can be improved as the government puts the final touches on the expressway.
Motorists using the Nairobi Expressway will be required to move at a speed of 80km/h once opened to the public.
The African Union condemned the attack that killed 11 Egyptian soldiers in the Sinai Peninsula.
Egypt says the attack targeted a water pumping station.
Egypt has battled militants in Sinai for years. The Islamic State group says it carried out Sunday's attack.
AU Commission chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat condemned in the strongest terms the terrorist attack in Sinai.
The United Nations warns that more Syrian children are in need than at any time since a devastating civil war erupted over a decade ago, but funding for them is dwindling.
UNICEF spokesperson Juliette Touma says a total of 9.3 million Syrian children are in need of aid both inside the country and in the wider region where they have fled.
UNICEF’s Middle East chief, Adele Khodr, says Children’s needs, both inside Syria and in neighbouring countries, are growing.
Tanzania's President Samia Hassan held an emergency meeting of her cabinet on Sunday night over price hikes of fuel in the country.
The country's energy regulator, the Energy and Water Utilities Regulatory Authority, last week announced record-high fuel prices.
The president's office says the president directed those present to find an immediate solution to the rising fuel prices in the country.
Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers has slammed the National Boundary Commission as corrupt, advising President Muhammadu Buhari to pay more attention to the agency.
Wike says the Rivers government is awaiting the NBC’s demarcation of the oil wells in the Akiri and Mbede communities, which are in dispute.
Wike noted lamented that ex-Governor Emeka Ihedioha and incumbent Governor Hope Uzodimma rescinded the political arrangement of the 50-50 sharing formula of the proceeds from the disputed oil wells in Akiri and Mbede communities.
President Muhammadu Buhari is leading an eight-man Nigerian delegation to Abidjan, Coted’Ivoire, to attend a two-day United Nations organised a conference on the future of the land, regarding desertification, drought, degradation, and rights, restoration and implications for national and world economies.
The top items on the agenda of the conference are drought, land restoration, and related enablers such as land rights, gender equality and youth empowerment.
The convention aims to take action to ensure that land, the lifeline on the planet, continues to benefit present and future generations.
The Airline Operators of Nigeria have suspended their decision to withdraw its services across all airports in the country.
AON President, Abdulmunaf Sarina, announced the suspension on Sunday in a statement jointly signed by six members of the association.
The Ministry of Aviation had assured Nigerians that members of AON were reviewing their decision to withdraw services on Monday, May 9.
It confirmed that Ibom Air, Green Africa Airlines, Arik Air, Dana Air, and others said they would carry on with their normal flight schedules.
TikTok announced an ad revenue-sharing program with the social media platform’s most prominent creators, moving closer to a model already used by its competitors.
Under the new TikTok Pulse program, companies can place their ads next to user content in specific categories, including health, fashion, cooking, gaming and others and creators will get a cut.
The company says they will begin exploring our first advertising revenue share program with creators, public figures and media publishers.
TikTok says only accounts with at least 100,000 subscribers will be eligible for the first phase of the program.
One of the largest water distribution agencies in the United States is warning six million California residents to cut back their water usage this summer, or risk dire shortages.
Adel Hagekhalil, the district’s general manager, has asked residents to limit outdoor watering to one day a week so there will be enough water for drinking, cooking and flushing toilets months from now.
Hagekhalil says the district has imposed restrictions before, but not to this extent.
Energy giant Shell has reported its highest ever quarterly profits as oil and gas prices surge around the world.
Shell made $9.13bn in the first three months of the year, nearly triple its $3.2bn profit announced for the same period last year.
The firm however said pulling out of Russian oil and gas due to the Ukraine conflict had cost it $3.9bn.
Shell chief executive Ben van Beurden says the war in Ukraine had caused significant disruption to global energy markets.
Beijing’s envoy to Moscow that the Chinese and Russian central banks will discuss the use and promotion of their respective national payment systems in both countries.
Zhang Hanhui says regarding the promotion and use of the Mir and China UnionPay national payment systems in both countries, this question will be decided by the two sides’ central banks at consultations.
The ambassador says China would make use of a clearing bank for operations in yuan on Russian territory to ensure the sustainable development of national trade, which Russia expects to reach $200 billion by 2024.
He also said that China and Russia were not advocating for the rejection of U.S. dollar and euro settlements in bilateral trade.
Finance Minister Ukur Yatani says Kenya is still expected to issue a second Eurobond this fiscal year.
A document from his ministry said Kenya was likely not to issue the bond planned for 2021/22 (July-June) financial year due to surging yields in international markets.
Africa’s top public health body has urged all those buying COVID-19 vaccines for the continent to place orders with South Africa’s Aspen Pharmacare, saying the market was key to developing vaccine manufacturing on the continent.
The Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention says it was doing everything it could behind the scenes to prevent a situation where Aspen closes its facility due to a lack of orders.
A company executive says this was hailed as a game-changing moment for an under-vaccinated continent frustrated by sluggish Western handouts, but Aspen’s COVID-19 vaccine plant now risks shutting down after receiving not a single order.
Togolese President Faure Gnassingbé has agreed to act as a mediator in the Malian political crisis, both countries’ foreign ministers have confirmed.
The West African regional bloc, Ecowas, has imposed sanctions on the country, including freezing its assets.
Malian Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop met his Togolese counterpart Robert Dussey in Lomé to seek Togo’s support in discussions with the international community.
Mr Dussey says his president and the Togolese government are ready to facilitate a fruitful dialogue between Mali and the international community.
Mozambique is planning a new law that will regulate churches' activities, impose taxes on them, and require them to have a minimum number of 200 signatures in order to register.
Justice, Constitutional and Religious Affairs Minister Helena Kida says a government analysis had revealed warning signs amid a runaway proliferation of churches.
The Christian Council of Mozambique is backing most of the provisions of the proposed law, saying it recognises that the government wants to bring order.
The provision to tax churches however worries the churches.
The militants say that more than 170 AU soldiers had died - mostly Burundian nationals - but this number has not been independently verified.
The AU mission in Somalia has however confirmed that the base in the Middle Shabelle region was staffed by Burundian peacekeepers.
Spokesman Stephane Dujarric wished a speedy recovery to the injured and called for the international community to provide all necessary support to Atmis and to the Somali security forces in their fight against Al-Shabab.
The Independent National Electoral Commission has reminded political parties that they have one month to conduct their primaries and present candidates for the 2023 general elections.
The electoral body says political parties are expected to follow the timetable and schedule of activities as released by the commission ahead of the polls.
It explained that parties are to conduct their primaries for the nomination of candidates from 4th April to 3rd June 2022.
INEC reiterated that the nominations for the presidential and National Assembly elections should be submitted to it between 10th to 17th June 2022 while that of the governorship and state Houses of Assembly are expected between 1st and 15th July 2022.
The Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board, Mr Simbi Wabote, stated that African countries must leverage the robust platform and opportunities presented by the African Continental Free Trade Area agreement.
Wabote says the agreement is key to driving home the local content narrative to achieve sustainable growth and development in Africa.
He noted that the AfCFTA is Africa’s move to harmonize its markets for economic integration across all 55 member states with the objective of tapping into the Gross Domestic Product of over $3 trillion.
Germany’s anti-cartel watchdog says it has placed Meta, the company which owns Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram, under close watch for any possible abuse.
The Federal Cartel Office says it has determined Meta to be a company of paramount significance for competition against potential competition infringements.
Federal Cartel Office chief Andreas Mundt says the digital ecosystem created by Meta has a very large user base and makes the company the key player in social media.
He says Meta has also waived its right to appeal the German office’s decision.
European Council President Charles Michel pledged to increase EU military aid to Moldova, Ukraine’s neighbour that has seen a series of attacks in a pro-Moscow separatist region.
Michel says the EU will up support in the field of logistics, and cyber defence and will seek to provide more military-building capacities to Moldova, without going into further detail.
Michel added that the bloc will help Moldova cope with the consequences of the spillover from the Russian aggression in Ukraine.
Beijing closed dozens of subway stations and expanded Covid restrictions constricting movement around the Chinese capital despite logging only dozens of daily cases.
Beijing reported 51 local infections, five of them asymptomatic, while Shanghai reported nearly 5,000.
Municipal government spokesman Xu Hejian told reporters that the capital would temporarily extend its tightened Covid curbs including a ban on restaurant dine-ins and suspension of entertainment venues and gyms.
Officials initially said the ramped-up curbs would apply to the traditionally busy Labour Day break ending Thursday.
The European Commission proposed a gradual ban on Russian oil imports to punish Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine, as Russian forces pounded sites to the east of the country and hit targets in the far west near the EU border.
European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen announced the bloc would phase out the Russian supply of crude oil within six months, and refined products by the end of the year.
The proposed new sanctions also include moves against Russia’s biggest bank, Sberbank, and the targeting of Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church.
The Federal Reserve made its biggest rate hike since 2000 with a half percentage point increase meant to crush soaring inflation in the United States.
The US central bank’s policy-setting Federal Open Market Committee pushed the rate above 0.75 per cent as it works to cool the economy while noting more increases will be appropriate.
Inflation has become an overriding concern after the world’s largest economy saw annual consumer prices jump 8.5 per cent over the 12 months to March — the biggest jump since December 1981.
The committee noted the highly uncertain impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Western sanctions on Moscow, which are creating additional upward pressure on inflation and are likely to weigh on economic activity.
The International Monetary Fund has revised its projections for Egypt's real GDP growth in 2022 to reach 5.9 per cent, up from 5.6 per cent expected in January.
The IMF also expected Egypt's GDP to register 5 per cent in 2023.
The IMF expected Egypt's real GDP growth to reach 5.6 per cent, compared to growth projections of 5.2 per cent in its previous report in October.
IMF's Chief Economist, Gita Gopinath says Egypt was the only country among the oil-importing nations to record a positive growth rate thanks to its good management of the Covid-19 pandemic's fallout.
Senegal's President Macky Sall says he plans to regulate social media in the West African nation, describing it as a real cancer of modern societies.
Journalists also spoke out about receiving online and physical abuse for reporting the rape allegations.
There are fears that legal measures could be used to crack down on youths using social media to mobilise demonstrations against Mr Sall's administration.
Germany says it will no longer take part in a European Union military training mission in Mali because of concerns that the soldiers it helps could then fight alongside Russian forces who are suspected of atrocities.
Germany's Defence Minister Christine Lambrecht says the country's troops would continue to take part in a UN peacekeeping mission in Mali, so long as more troops were deployed to replace French soldiers who are pulling out.
Relations between the military rulers in Bamako and Western countries deteriorated after two recent coups and as a result of a decision by the authorities in Mali to work with Russian forces.
The UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, has appealed to international donors not to divert resources from other humanitarian activities around the world to Ukraine.
He says the war in Ukraine was making things worse across the world, particularly in areas of food and energy.
Some humanitarian agencies are already complaining of a huge funding shortfall as countries focus more on what's happening in Ukraine.
Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari said the visit by the UN chief was an assurance that Africa had not been forgotten despite the global attention on what he called the unfortunate situation in Ukraine.
The Nigerian Communications Commission has confirmed the issuance of final letters of award of the Fifth Generation Spectrum Licences to MTN and Mafab Communications, winners of the 3.5 gigahertz spectrum auction conducted by the Commission on December 13, 2021.
The CEO of MTN, Mr Karl Toriola, says the telecoms company had commenced 5G infrastructure rollout on its existing network nationwide and would roll out 5G services by the next quarter of the year.
He says the licensees are expected to commence the rollout of 5G services, effective from August 24, 2022.
The House of Representatives has passed a bill for an Act to proscribe ransom for kidnap victims.
The executive bills were speedily passed through the 1st, 2nd and 3rd reading after lawmakers convened an emergency session on Wednesday.
The first bill is to repeal the Terrorism (Prevention) Act, 2011 and Terrorism (Prevention) (Amendment) Act, 2013, and enact the Terrorism (Prohibition and Prevention) Bill, 2022 to provide for an effective, unified, and comprehensive legal, regulatory and institutional framework for the detection, prevention, prohibition, prosecution and punishment of acts of terrorism, terrorism financing, proliferation and financing of the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction in Nigeria.
Hong Kong’s economy contracted last quarter for the first time in more than a year as local restrictions to curb Covid hit activity and China’s own omicron outbreak disrupted trade.
The advance estimates released by the government show that Gross domestic product fell 4% in the January-to-March period from a year earlier.
The government spokesperson says the city’s fifth coronavirus wave, along with moderating global demand growth and epidemic-induced cross-boundary transportation disruptions, all dragged on the economy.
French President Emmanuel Macron has stressed the extreme gravity of the consequences of Russia’s war in Ukraine and called on the Russian leader to allow evacuations from the Mariupol steel plant to resume.
Macron asked Putin to restart evacuations at the besieged Azovstal plant in coordination with humanitarian units while allowing evacuees to choose their destinations, as called for under international law.
He also restated his willingness to work on conditions for a negotiated solution to the war, for peace and for full respect of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, and reiterated his oft-stated demand for a ceasefire.
Russian President Vladimir Putin told French counterpart Emmanuel Macron that the West must stop supplying weapons to Ukraine and accused Kyiv of not taking talks to end the conflict seriously.
Putin told Macron that the West could help stop these atrocities by putting relevant pressure on the Kyiv authorities, as well as halting the supply of weapons to Ukraine,
Putin also said Kyiv was not consistent or ready for serious work on ending the conflict.
Putin linked the food situation to Western sanctions against Russia and noted the importance of the unimpeded functioning of the global logistics and transport infrastructure.
Hong Kong has plummeted to 148th place in Reporters Without Borders’ annual index on press freedom, a drop of nearly 70 places in a single year.
The sharp descent is the result of new national security legislation imposed in 2020 and the revival of colonial-era anti-sedition laws dating back to the 1930s.
The Chinese territory now ranks just below the Philippines and Sri Lanka, and slightly above Turkey and India.
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam says that Hong Kong’s press freedom was as vibrant as ever citing the large number of regional and international institutions operating in Hong Kong alongside local media.
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights warns that Mali's new media restrictions reflect a growing intolerance toward freedom of the press in the region.
U.N. human rights officials are expressing deep dismay at Mali's decision to permanently suspend Radio France International and France 24 from operating there.
They are urging Mali's military authorities to reverse the ban and allow independent media to work freely in the country.
U.N. human rights spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani says the current climate of fear in Mali is having a chilling effect on journalists and bloggers.
Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan, reiterated her government’s position that journalists should be allowed to operate freely.
She however says that African reporters must aim for positive reportage.
President Samia insisted that they should make African media platforms cherish its development goals and promote Africa’s rich resources, rather than stereotypical reporting under the influence of foreign media.
The president says her administration is now in dialogue with media stakeholders following complaints that the laws were hindering media development in Tanzania.
The AFP news agency reports that Paris has responded to Mali's decision to end its military cooperation agreement with France, describing it as unjustified.
Mali's military government earlier said it was breaking off all defence agreements and cited multiple violations of its sovereignty by French troops and noted a profound deterioration of the military cooperation with France for some time now.
France says that it considers this decision to be unjustified and absolutely contests any violation of the bilateral legal framework.
The head of Nigeria’s Sovereign Investment Authority, Uche Orji, says Nigeria bought emergency supplies of Canadian potash in April after the country was unable to import the key fertiliser ingredient from Russia due to the impact of Western sanctions.
Reuters reported that the move showed one of many unintended negative consequences of sanctions to punish Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, which it calls a special military operation.
Orji says Nigeria has enough potash inventories to cover 40 per cent of blending demand and bought three cargoes of Canadian potash, which should arrive within the next month.
Former Governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi says banditry attacks and other insecurity challenges across the country are a form of revenge on Nigeria for neglecting to invest in human capacity building for several years.
Peter Obi believes that what Nigeria is suffering is a cumulative effect of many years of leadership failure and if nothing is done fast, the country could be classified as a failed state.
He says a country that suffers a high level of insecurity and cannot manage its economy properly is already experiencing some signs of a failed state.
The National Human Rights Commission says the press is a critical agent for the protection of democracy and development and must be supported to enable them to effectively discharge their constitutional duties as the watchdog of the society.
NHRC Executive Secretary, Tony Ojukwu, asked the society to see journalists as the oxygen of democracy and agents of change and development, adding that their constitutional duty which is enshrined in Section 22 of the 1999 Constitution as amended.
He observed that Nigerian journalists fought very hard to achieve the nation’s democratic status and deserve a better deal.
The United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, has arrived in Nigeria on a two-day official visit to Africa’s most populous country.
He proceeded to Borno, the state ravaged by a decade-long insurgency as Nigeria makes concerted efforts to wipe out terrorism.
Guterres is expected to meet with the Borno State governor, Babagana Zulum in Maiduguri, the state capital before embarking on a field mission where he will meet families affected by the Boko Haram conflict ravaging the region for more than 12 years.
The UN chief will also evaluate the impact of climate change on vulnerable communities and assess progress made as well as the challenges to the COVID-19 recovery.
Russia halted gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria after blasts in a breakaway region of neighbouring Moldova led Kyiv to accuse Moscow of seeking to expand the Ukraine war further into Europe.
The Russian energy giant Gazprom says it had cut supplies to Poland and Bulgaria, in Moscow’s latest use of gas as a weapon in a conflict that has now dragged into its third month and claimed thousands of lives.
Food giant Kellogg's is taking the government to court over new rules that would prevent some cereals from being prominently displayed in stores because of their high sugar content.
Kellogg's says the rules fail to consider the nutritional value of the milk added to the product.
The government however says the new rules would help tackle childhood obesity.
Under the new regulations for England, which come into force from October, retailer promotions on food and drink high in fat, salt or sugar will be restricted.
Products covered by the restrictions will also not be allowed to be featured in key locations such as checkouts, store entrances, aisle ends and their online equivalents.
US President Joe Biden proposed a huge $33 billion package for arming and supporting Ukraine, saying that caving into Russia is not an option for the West as the war stretches into the third month.
Biden also outlined proposed new laws to allow using luxury assets stripped from Russian oligarchs under unprecedented sanctions to compensate Ukraine for the destruction wreaked by the invading Russians.
He acknowledged the dramatic costs of US backing for Ukraine but said there was no real choice in the struggle with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
He pushed back against increasingly heated claims by Russian officials and state media that Moscow is fighting the entire West, rather than only Ukraine.
A new report has warned that a scheme set up to ensure mining in the Democratic Republic of Congo does not fuel conflict is being abused to launder tainted minerals.
Global Witness says companies - including Apple, Tesla and Intel - are relying on the due diligence scheme to source minerals that are widely used in electronic equipment such as mobile phones, computers and automotive and aeronautical systems.
Global Witness however says it has uncovered compelling evidence that the International Tin Supply Chain Initiative is failing.
It says the scheme is being used to launder tin, tantalum and tungsten from mines controlled by militia or where children work.
America’s prestigious Harvard University announced it will commit $100 million to redress its role in slavery, as more US institutions move toward reparations for historical injustices.
Harvard says it was putting the money into a fund to help tackle the educational and social gaps caused by the legacies of the slave trade and racism.
It also recommended identifying and supporting direct descendants of Black and Native American enslaved individuals who laboured on Harvard’s campus and who were enslaved by previous Harvard leaders.
Harvard president Lawrence Bacow says Harvard benefited from and in some ways perpetuated practices that were profoundly immoral.
The Central African Republic has adopted bitcoin as legal tender becoming the second country in the world to do so behind El Salvador.
Lawmakers unanimously adopted a bill that made bitcoin legal tender alongside the CFA franc and legalised the use of cryptocurrencies, and President Faustin Archange Touadera signed the measure into law.
Namsio says the CAR is the first country in Africa to adopt bitcoin as legal tender.
The International Monetary Fund warned that Bitcoin is not a cure-all for Africa’s economic woes after the Central African Republic adopted the cryptocurrency as legal tender.
The head of the IMF’s African Department, Abebe Aemro Selassie, says that a robust payment system with financial transparency and a governance framework must be in place when adopting cryptocurrencies.
He says it is really important to not see such things as a panacea for the challenges that countries face.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says that Nigeria’s relationship between Russia and Ukraine is still intact.
The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs says that other countries with similar curricula to Ukraine have offered Nigerian students, whose programmes were interrupted by the Russia-Ukraine Conflict admission, to complete their studies either online or physically.
He says all admission processing will be conducted through the Nigerian missions to authenticate students who were previously enrolled in various programmes in Ukraine.
He says Nigeria still maintains good diplomatic standing with Russia in spite of its condemnation of Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine.
The Nigerian government says it will issue a Request for Qualifications in June for bidders interested in receiving concessions to begin the production of bitumen in the country.
The government says it will grant concessions of bitumen blocks to prospective local and international companies in a bid to end the importation of the mineral deposit in the country.
The Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Olamilekan Adegbite, says local bitumen production would save the country's foreign exchange and generate income for the government.
He explained that with the production of bitumen locally in the country, the cost of road construction would ultimately reduce.
President Muhammadu Buhari has told a Federal High Court in Abuja that he did not order the Senate to remove the contentious Section 84 (12) from the amended Electoral Act, 2022.
The President says he only expressed reservations and concerns in respect of the aspect of the Electoral Act.
President Buhari and Malami – a Senior Advocate of Nigeria debunked the claims by the main opposition party in the suit.
The AGF explained that the President, on February 25, 2022, gave proper, full, and unconditional assent to the amended Electoral Act.
The defendants averred that the claims of PDP in its suit against them on the Electoral Act were totally false and replete with gross untruths aimed at misleading the court to give judgment against them.
The Federal Government has declared Monday and Tuesday, May 2 and 3 as public holidays to mark this year’s Workers Day and Eid-ul-Fitr celebrations.
The Minister of Interior, Mr Rauf Aregbesola, believes their efforts are largely responsible for the greatness of the country and the respect Nigeria commands in the comity of nations.
Aregbesola, therefore, enjoined the workers to imbibe the culture of productivity, saying the end of work is productivity.
The minister urged workers to raise the bar of their trade-in line with President Muhammadu Buhari-led's administration’s drive to rev up the vehicle of governance and make all the people of Nigeria derive maximum benefit from the nation.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced that an independent public inquiry will be held into the Canadian government’s use of emergency powers to disperse anti-vaccine trucker protests and border blockades earlier this year.
Trudeau says the Public Order Emergency Commission would examine the circumstances that led him to invoke the Emergencies Act, and what actions were taken to respond to the so-called Freedom Convoy.
The Emergencies Act itself requires the government to establish an independent inquiry into its use. A former Ontario judge, Paul Rouleau, will head up the new commission and present his findings and recommendations to parliament by February 20 next year.
Ukraine has denied reaching an agreement with Russia on evacuating civilians from a steel plant in the besieged port city of Mariupol and pushed for the United Nations to be the initiator and guarantor of any such deal.
Russia’s defence ministry says that it would open a humanitarian corridor for civilians to leave the huge Azovstal steel plant where they are holed up with Ukrainian fighters and are under Russian attack.
Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk says it is important to understand that a humanitarian corridor opens with the agreement of both sides.
Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, struck a deal to buy Twitter for $44 billion, capping a saga complete with hostile takeover threats before delivering him personal control of one of the most influential social media platforms on the planet.
Musk says Free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy, and Twitter is the digital town square where matters vital to the future of humanity are debated.
He added that Twitter will be better than ever by enhancing the product with new features, making the algorithms open source to increase trust, defeating the spam bots and authenticating all humans.
El Salvador has extended the state of emergency imposed last month to crack down on gang violence amid concerns of human rights violations.
The country’s legislature approved a 30-day extension of the decree, which restricts the right to gather, to be informed of rights upon detention, and access to a lawyer, as well as allows phone calls and emails to be intercepted without a court order.
The new decree says that security conditions persist and urgently demand the extension due to the continuation of the circumstances which motivated it.
Guinea’s ruling military government has signalled that it might break a deadline to set out its plans to return to civilian rule, opening up the prospect of more sanctions from West Africa’s political and economic bloc.
Leaders of the regional Economic Community of West African States bloc last month told the military governments in Guinea and Burkina Faso they had until April 25 to explain how and when they would hand back power to civilians or face immediate sanctions.
Guinea’s government spokesman says Guinea’s reality will prevail over all other imperatives.
Ousmane Gaoual Diallo says they are going to evolve, taking into account the context and the specific situation of the country, towards exiting the transition.
Togo's parliament has passed a resolution asking the government to make a formal bid for membership in the Commonwealth, a group of mainly former British colonies.
The country is already a member of the Economic Organisation of the West African States and the International Organisation of La Francophonie.
The speaker of parliament Yawa Tsegan says Togo is not leaving the Francophonie but will only strengthen the English teaching programmes and reactivate other partnerships.
The resolution, passed on Friday, asked the government to submit its application for Commonwealth membership at the bloc's next summit in Rwanda in June.
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have arrested a suspected billionaire drug baron.
The Director, Media, and Advocacy of the NDLEA Femi Babafemi says he is behind the N3 billion Tramadol deal involving the embattled suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari-led Intelligence Response Team.
Babafemi says that the suspect came under watch last year after five cartons of Tramadol 225mg were seized from his staff on 4th May 2021 when he sent them to sell to undercover police officers from the then Kyari-led IRT of the Nigeria Police, Ikeja Lagos.
The President of the African Development Bank Group Akinwumi Adesina has called on African governments to prepare for a global food crisis.
Adesina says the African Development Bank is already active in mitigating the effects of a food crisis through the African Food Crisis Response and Emergency Facility a dedicated facility being considered by the Bank to provide African countries with the resources needed to raise local food production and procure fertilizer.
He explained that Russia and Ukraine supply 30% of global wheat exports, the price of which has surged by almost 50% globally, reaching identical levels as during the 2008 global food crisis.
The Presidency has criticized government opponents for influencing the perception of the United States government of Nigeria which is believed to have led to delays in the supply of fighter jets to the country to boost the fight against insecurity.
Presidential Spokesman Garba Shehu, says one of those opponents includes the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Hassan Kukah.
Shehu maintained that the clergyman provided quotes from a book written by former US Ambassador to Nigeria, John Campbell, which the Presidency observed do not suggest much improvement in the country.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, has sought the support of the United Kingdom’s Parliament in the area of insecurity, parliamentary diplomacy, as well as political and economic prosperity in Nigeria.
The speaker says the House had on different occasions intervened on the issue of xenophobia in South Africa, the dispute involving Nigerian traders in Ghana, and ensured the evacuation of Nigerian students from Ukraine recently.
Gbajabiamila noted that the issue of security was very important as Nigeria was grappling with insecurity challenges, adding that whatever happened to Nigeria has a ricochet effect on other countries.
Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu says Turkey has closed its airspace to Russian civilian and military planes flying to Syria.
Cavusoglu says they closed the airspace to Russia’s military planes and even civilian ones flying to Syria.
Cavusoglu says he conveyed the decision to his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, who then relayed it to President Vladimir Putin.
Cavusoglu added that the ban would stay in place for three months.
Spain’s government has announced investigations into the country’s intelligence services after a rights group said spyware had been used to hack the telephones of Catalan separatist leaders.
Investigators at Canada’s Citizen Lab say that the mobile phones of at least 65 Catalan politicians including the Catalonia region’s current leader had been affected.
Citizen Lab, which focuses on high-tech human rights abuses, said it could not directly attribute the spying operations, but that circumstantial evidence pointed to Spanish authorities.
Spain’s presidency minister Felix Bolanos promised an internal investigation within the National Intelligence Centre, which would report to a parliamentary commission allowing legislators to access classified information.
A subsidiary of Apple supplier Foxconn Technology Group has closed two factories outside of Shanghai after new COVID-19 cases were reported on site.
The factories operated by Foxconn Interconnect Technology Limited, also known as FIT, are located in Kunshan, Jiangsu Province, a small city situated between Shanghai and the historic Suzhou.
FIT’s website says that it supplies components for companies that specialise in wireless and Internet of things products, including its own brands Linksys, Belkin, Wemo and Phyn.
The South China Morning Post reported that operations have been suspended at two factories in Kunshan since last Wednesday and employees have been confined to their dorms.
French President Emmanuel Macron defeated his rival Marine Le Pen in presidential elections, projections showed, prompting a wave of relief in Europe that the far-right had been prevented from taking power.
Centrist Macron was set to win 57.0-58.5 per cent of the vote compared with Le Pen on 41.5-43.0 per cent, according to projections by polling firms for French television channels based on a sample of the vote count.
The outcome, expected to be confirmed by official results overnight, caused immense relief in Europe after fears a Le Pen presidency would leave the continent rudderless following Brexit and the departure of German chancellor Angela Merkel.
The World Health Organization reports a new Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
This latest Ebola outbreak started in Mbandaka, a densely populated city with road and air links to the capital, Kinshasa.
The WHO's Africa emergencies manager, Fiona Braka, says the delay in medical care is a concern.
She added that it is very important to quickly identify all the contacts and that the necessary isolation and monitoring are done to ensure that all those that are potentially infected are identified quickly.
The United Nations has called for an investigation into the reported killings of at least 168 people in clashes in the Darfur region of Sudan.
The UN special representative Volker Perthes condemned the violence in Krink region of west Darfur, during which homes have been set on fire, hospitals attacked and goods looted.
Several non-governmental organisations said an individual dispute sparked the fighting between Arab nomads and members of the Massalit minority in Krink.
The International Committee of the Red Cross has warned of a rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation and called for the injured and sick to be allowed to seek help.
The Nigeria Governors’ Forum declared that the worsening insecurity in the country and currency depreciation were taking a toll on the business environment with the attendant negative impact on productivity and taxable income.
The NGF also alluded to the perceived weak social contract between citizens and the government, saying it continues to threaten the legitimacy of taxation.
The Director-General, NGF, Mr Asishana Okauru observed that Nigeria was still recovering from a combination of adverse fiscal and macroeconomic conditions which had exerted strong pressure on the fiscal sustainability of governments at national and sub-national levels.
Okauru stated that the adverse fiscal pressure had been primarily due to over-dependence on Federation Accounts Allocation Committee transfers which are constantly threatened by the increasing volatility in oil prices and mounting subsidy payments.
Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, inspected the ongoing construction of the Lagos Rail Line project and said the first quarter 2023 target for commencement of operational service was sacrosanct.
Sanwo-Olu says the state was on track with its effort to complete work on both the blue and red lines rail projects, which are intra-city, to strengthen the intermodal transportation system.
The governor, however, warned those that had started vandalising the barricades around rail lines to desist from the act, saying the tracks are hazardous.
The governor said the blue line rail would be running on electric tracks with Electric Motor Vehicle and warned citizens to keep off the train lines.
The former Senate President, Bukola Saraki says the choice of Leadership Nigerians makes in 2023 is critical to the nation’s economic development.
He says 2023 is very important to the nation because where the country is now, the nation is consumed by insecurity.
He says Nigeria needs a president who understands the economy, a president that can unite all Nigerians.
Saraki says North Central should be allowed to produce the next president.
He thanked Northern elders for their foresight in arriving at a consensus, calling on the party members to work together for the progress of the PDP.
President Muhammadu Buhari mourned the victims of an explosion that rocked an illegal refinery in Imo State and also ordered an intensified clampdown on illegal refining sites across the country.
President Buhari described the explosion as a catastrophe and a national disaster.
The President says the responsibility for the loss of lives and property must squarely lie with the sponsors of the illegal refinery, who must all be caught and made to face justice.
The President ordered the armed forces, security, and intelligence agencies to intensify the clampdown on illegal refineries.
He also urged community leaders, the police, and the secret service to never allow the occurrence of the heart-breaking incident in any part of the country again.
The founder of a notorious Russian mercenary force has been added to a European Union sanctions blacklist.
Yevgeniy Viktorovich Prigozhin was added to the list of individuals sanctioned by the EU for his role in undermining the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine.
The Council of the European Union says Prigozhin is the founder and unofficial head of the Wagner Group, a Russia-based unincorporated military entity, responsible for the deployment of Wagner Group mercenaries in Ukraine.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson suffered a blow to his authority when lawmakers ordered a parliamentary investigation into his past denials that he broke coronavirus restrictions by attending illegal gatherings during the pandemic.
Johnson faced criticism from his Conservative party and an influential former ally called on him to quit over what has become known as the Partygate scandal, which has caused widespread public anger.
The investigation will look into whether Johnson knowingly misled the Parliament of the United Kingdom.
Johnson vowed he would not quit and intended to fight the next general election still likely at least two years away.
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen says the United States will provide Ukraine with a new $500 million infusion of aid to help the government in Kyiv continue paying salaries, and pensions and providing services.
Yellen says it was necessary to help their government continue to function amid the ongoing Russian invasion.
She says the money follows another $500 million package of support for Ukraine’s economy announced last month.
Shmyhal this week said his government needs $5 billion a month just to continue operations after the invasion devastated the nation’s economy.
Italy and Angola have signed an energy cooperation agreement as European countries seek to reduce dependence on Russian gas.
The deal aims to increase the export of Angolan gas and reduce the dependence of the European country on the Russian gas supply privately owned Angola24Horas says.
Italy's Prime Minister Mario Draghi struck an agreement with Algeria to buy more of its gas in a further sign of Italy's attempts to reduce dependence on Russia.
The French military says it has filmed Russian mercenaries burying bodies outside a military base, corpses it says are being used as part of a campaign of lies against departing French troops.
A Twitter account, which the French military says was probably a fake created by the Kremlin-linked Wagner Group, has already posted images of pixelated corpses buried in sand and held the French responsible for their deaths.
East African heads of state have agreed to deploy a joint military force to the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo to deal with the armed groups operating in that region.
The regional leaders resolved that such a force should be mobilised with immediate effect.
All Congolese armed groups operating in the restive eastern part of the country should unconditionally participate in a political process to resolve their grievances, a statement from the summit says.
DR Congo joined the seven-member East African Community regional bloc last month, in what some analysts see as a move towards seeking joint solutions to its security challenges in the east.
Central Bank of Nigeria Governor, Mr Godwin Emefiele, defended the apex bank’s managed-float exchange rate system, stressing that it was adopted to address the peculiar challenges the country faces.
Emefiele reiterated that he was focused on his job and remains committed to supporting the fiscal authorities in ensuring that the country surpasses the 3.4 per cent Gross Domestic Product for 2022, which had been predicted for Nigeria by the International Monetary Fund.
The CBN Governor stressed that different countries have different challenges and must develop solutions that would help address their challenges.
Google’s West Africa Director, Juliet Ehimuan, says Google’s subsea cable, Equiano, has arrived in Lagos, Nigeria adding that the cable will help improve internet speeds in Nigeria.
Ehimuan says the cable, named after Olaudah Equiano, a Nigerian-born writer and abolitionist, will run from Portugal along Africa’s west coast to South Africa.
She says the Nigerian government has been actively working on its digital transformation programs as part of plans to grow its domestic sectors.
She says studies suggest that faster internet connections, better user experiences, and reduced internet costs will help accelerate these benefits.
The Independent National Electoral Commission maintained that the 2023 general election will hold despite the security challenges in the country.
INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, says that the documents presented were the third in the series of strategic election plans since the era of deliberate planning of elections started in 2012.
He says the 2023 polls will be governed by the new Electoral Act which contains provisions that will enhance the capacity and ability of the commission to better manage the electoral process.
Yakubu called for the support of all Nigerians to successfully conduct the polls while pledging to ensure the safety of electoral personnel and materials, accredited observers, media practitioners, and voters.
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has disclosed that amid growing insecurity in the country, the creation of state police would be a better option than community policing.
Obasanjo says that the development clearly showed that some local chairmen in the country were better than even the top elected leaders.
He says there is a need to strengthen the traditional system and the local government administration however there is a need to enable that tier of government to work truly like a local government.
President Muhammadu Buhari has issued fresh directives to security agencies to rescue all those in captivity across the country and advance the acquisition of intelligence.
The National Security Adviser, Babagana Munguno says the President is not happy with the prevailing security situation.
He says the last straw was the recent attack on the Abuja/ Kaduna train leading to the killing of some passengers and the kidnapping of scores.
He added that Insufficient technology and human intelligence particularly from the wider society has led to the persistent war and unless this is defeated, the war might become insurmountable.
The Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, believes the suspension of the strike embarked on by the Academic Staff Union of Universities, is dependent on the union.
Ngige reiterated that he cannot make a commitment on when the impasse will be resolved and called on the lecturers to do their part.
He says ASUU should stop threatening government officials and agencies.
Shanghai authorities pleaded for public cooperation with a massive new push to test most of the population for COVID-19 as the city steps up efforts to bring community transmission down to zero after nearly three weeks of lockdown.
Residents shared stories on social media about busloads of people being taken from their homes and sent into quarantine, including babies and the elderly.
Authorities are under pressure from Beijing to speed up transfers of positive cases and their close contacts to quarantine centres, fueling angst in the community about draconian measures designed to completely stop the spread of the virus rather than just slow it down.
Reuters reports that Shanghai aims to stop the spread of COVID-19 outside quarantined areas by Wednesday.
Top US envoy says North Korea must return to a diplomatic path following Pyongyang’s blitz of missile launches and growing signs it is resuming nuclear testing.
US Special Representative for North Korea Sung Kim arrived in Seoul for a five-day visit and they jointly condemned recent escalatory actions by Pyongyang, including what they said were at least three launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles.
Kim reiterated that the United States has offered to meet Pyongyang anywhere without any preconditions saying that Washington has not closed the door on diplomacy.
The IMF says the war in Ukraine will weigh heavily upon economic growth in the eurozone as the conflict wreaks havoc on energy prices and the manufacturing sector.
The International Monetary Fund revised its eurozone growth forecast for 2022 to 2.8 per cent from 3.9 per cent in its January estimate, with the region’s biggest economy, Germany, taking a heavy hit.
The IMF’s chief economist, Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas, says the forecast calls for a slowdown but no recession in the eurozone.
Mali’s ruling junta announced the delivery of two more combat helicopters and surveillance radars from Russia as the West African nation tackles a bloody jihadist insurgency.
Army chief of staff General Oumar Diarra says they are receiving this second batch of military equipment from Russia as a sign of a very fruitful partnership with the Russian state.
Russia has also supplied military instructors; personnel that former colonial power France and the United States say are operatives from Russia’s Wagner security group.
The Permanent Mission of Ethiopia to the United Nations says Ethiopia has been elected to the Executive Board of the World Food Program.
The Permanent Mission noted that they look forward to contributing to the work of the world's largest humanitarian organization in its efforts to support countries that change lives in difficult circumstances all around the world, including Ethiopia.
The UN has condemned a mortar attack on Somalia's parliament, which injured at least seven people, including bodyguards.
The Islamist militant group, al-Shabab, says it carried out the attack which happened as MPs were setting a date for the election of speakers for the upper and lower houses of parliament later this month.
The UN says it stood firm with Somalis in its efforts to complete the electoral process.
Libya’s National Oil Corporation says that a wave of protests affecting the energy sector is likely to get worse.
The corporation reports that at least four separate groups have stopped production at oil fields and energy facilities across the country.
The protesters want Libya's Tripoli-based Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah to hand power to a rival government led by Fathi Bashagha which was formed last month.
Mr Dbeibah however says he still has the mandate to govern until national elections are scheduled for June.
Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, Gbenga Komolafe, says under his leadership, no marginal field operator would be allowed to trade in papers issued by the organisation.
Komolafe stated that the rule of law would be strictly followed in the issuance of final licences to the winners, stating that no amount of pressure would make the commission award final documents without due process.
Komolafe stressed that some of the 119 companies that had fully paid their bonuses were insisting that they could not raise funds without collecting the licences.
The President of the World Bank Group, David Malpass has lamented the impact of rising food and energy costs across the world, urging Nigeria and other developing countries to adjust policies to boost supply.
Malpass says he was deeply concerned about developing countries, adding that they were facing sudden price increases for energy, fertiliser, and food, and the likelihood of interest rate increases.
Malpass observed that inflation was causing immense strain globally, especially among poor nations.
Founder, Afe Babalola University Ado Ekiti, Chief Afe Babalola advised the federal government to suspend the 2023 elections and allow a 6-month interim government after President Muhammadu Buhari’s tenure that would give a new constitution that would tackle insecurity, economic, political and other ills bedevilling the nation.
Babalola, says that no good leader could emerge under the current constitution.
He has also recommended a new constitution that would peg the age limit of those seeking to be president, governors and members of the National Assembly at 60.
He says 2023 remains the best opportunity to chart a new course for the
Nigeria has opted out of a global tax deal negotiated under the Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development G20 Inclusive Framework on Base Erosion and Profit Shifting.
The OECD estimates that countries lose $100-$240 billion worth of revenue annually to BEPS practices, which is the equivalent to 4-10 per cent of the global corporate income tax revenue.
The Global Financial Integrity stated that the framework represents a group of countries and jurisdictions working together to address systemic issues within the global taxation system that cause an inequitable distribution of tax revenues among countries and jurisdictions.
Companies owned by US radio host Alex Jones, including his website InfoWars, have filed for bankruptcy.
The move comes as he fights defamation suits brought by families of those killed in a 2012 school shooting at Sandy Hook elementary school.
Jones, who falsely claimed the shooting was a hoax, has been ordered to pay damages in the lawsuits.
Those efforts will be complicated by his decision to seek protection from creditors in bankruptcy court.
Taiwan’s Financial Supervisory Commission asked domestic holders of two Russian sovereign bonds whether they were considering taking legal action over Russia’s failure earlier this month to make interest payments in dollars, as required.
Russia made a payment due on April 4 on two sovereign bonds – maturing in 2022 and 2042 – in roubles rather than the dollars which it was mandated to pay under the terms of the securities.
The commission says Six Taiwanese life insurers hold the debt but have not named the companies.
The commission added that those steps could include, without being limited to, whether the insurers plan to lodge lawsuits.
Emirates' boss says the airline will keep flying to Russia unless its owner, the Dubai government, tells it not to.
Emirates president Sir Tim says that it was not his call but a decision that the United Arab Emirates government would take.
Sir Tim added that it was important to recognise the Russian population may not be part of the war in Ukraine.
He says they are catering to people who are on the periphery of the main issue and that is the way the UAE government looks at it.
Workers at Apple's Grand Central Station store in New York have announced a plan to start a union.
The group of staff known as Fruit Stand Workers United must get signatures of support from 30% of colleagues at the store to qualify for a union election.
The move follows unionisation drives by staff at Starbucks and Amazon.
The group described themselves as working in extraordinary times with the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and once-in-a-generation consumer price inflation.
The group says it also wants a $30 minimum hourly wage for all workers, additional holiday time and information on more robust safety protocols at the Grand Central location.
A leading credit rating agency says Sri Lanka is set to see a series of defaults after it said it would suspend foreign debt interest payments.
Sri Lanka's finance ministry confirmed that it would miss $78m of debt interest payments.
Sri Lankan officials started talks with the International Monetary Fund as it faces its worst economic crisis in more than 70 years.
Shamir Zavahir, an aide to finance minister Ali Sabry, says the IMF held the initial view that a request for a Rapid Financing Instrument or emergency funding, doesn't meet their criteria.
The Confederation of Ethiopian Trade Unions called on the government to ratify international labour laws related to domestic workers, immigrant workers, and harassment in workplaces.
The confederation asked the government for the ratification and effective implementation of ILO's convention migration for employment convention and migrant workers convention, domestic workers convention and violence and harassment convention.
President of the confederation, Kassahun Follo says the laws will enable the establishment of a good migrant labour force that will protect victims of violence and harassment and ensure gender equality.
The Trade and Industry Ministry has denied news about banning Saudi exports to Egypt.
Spokesman Yasser Gaber says the Trade and Industry Ministry is keen on easing procedures for Saudi companies, whether as investors in Egypt or exporters to the local market.
Gaber stressed that Economic and trade relations between Cairo and Riyadh are tangibly growing in light of friendly ties between the two governments and peoples.
He pointed out that some Saudi firms are just reconciling their status quo to be in line with the terms of registration of factories that meet the qualifications of exports to the Egyptian market.
The International Monetary Fund has warned that increasing levels of domestic government borrowing from banks in Nigeria and other emerging markets could threaten the country’s financial stability.
The IMF says the pandemic has increased the amount of government debt emerging-market banks are holding, which could increase the pressures on public-sector finances, and threaten financial stability in the process.
The Lender added that authorities should act to minimise the risk.
A new report by SB Morgen has shown that the rise in diesel prices, petrol scarcity, and heightened insecurity in the nation drove food prices to a record high in the first quarter of 2022.
The organisation stated that the average cost of making a pot of jollof rice for a family of five increased by 7.3 per cent from N8007.50 in the third quarter of 2021 to N8595 in Q1, 2022.
It added in the face of limited production due to insecurity, storage problems, and a growing population, the importation of food would increase, and at higher costs, because of restrictions on forex and the high black-market rates.
Nigerian State governments have asked the Federal Government to refrain from deducting from funds accruing to them and all local government councils as liquidation for the alleged $418 million London/Paris Club loan refund-related judgment debts.
The state governments say they were not parties to any suit on the London/Paris Club refund and were thus not liable to any person or entity in any judgment debt being relied on by the federal government.
The document was signed by leaders of the body of attorneys-general of the federation on behalf of all the state attorneys-general.
French prosecutors say they are examining a report by the European Union’s anti-fraud agency that accuses far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen and members of her party of misappropriating European Parliament funds.
The Paris prosecutor’s office confirmed it was studying a report it received from the European Anti-Fraud Office on March 11.
The French news platform Mediapart,says the report alleges that Le Pen personally misappropriated about 137,000 euros of public money from the Strasbourg-based European Parliament during her time as an MEP between 2004 and 2017.
Russia has banned entry to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and several other top officials after the United Kingdom imposed sanctions on Russia over its military operation in Ukraine.
Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs says the step was taken as a response to London’s unbridled information and political campaign aimed at isolating Russia internationally, creating conditions for restricting our country and strangling the domestic economy.
Russia’s entry blacklist includes UK Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, former PM Theresa May and the first minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon.
China says it would cut the amount of cash that banks must hold as reserves for the first time this year, releasing about 530 billion yuan in long-term liquidity to cushion a sharp slowdown in economic growth.
The People’s Bank of China says it would cut the reserve requirement ratio for all banks by 25 basis points effective from April 25, but analysts said it might not yet be enough to reverse the slowdown.
The PBOC says the latest RRR cut would boost the long-term funds for banks, enabling them to step up support for industries and firms affected by COVID-19 outbreaks, and lower costs for banks.
Britain has agreed to a deal with Rwanda to relocate some asylum seekers to the central African country.
The Rwandan government will receive an initial payment of over $150m to take part in the scheme.
The British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, has been giving details of the scheme which would see single men applying for refugee status sent 6,000km away to be resettled in Rwanda.
He says he was taking action to deter people smuggling.
President Museveni says he is going to take action against Uganda Airlines officials for the delay in the national carrier taking direct flights to the UK.
Museveni says he would push Civil Aviation Authority and Uganda Airlines to have the paperwork done soon to ensure direct flights begin but insisted the officials are lazy.
Lord Popat asked the Ugandan government to work on the issue of starting direct flights to UK by Uganda Airlines to promote tourism and investments.
The Kenyan government has confirmed the deportation of the French chief executive of one of the biggest oil marketers in Kenya amid a fuel shortage crisis.
Kenya's energy regulator says it would act against oil marketers creating what it says is an artificial shortage of fuel in the country.
The Energy Ministry says Kenya has sufficient stocks of petroleum products and the scarcity is a result of some oil marketers hoarding and prioritising exports to neighbouring countries.
The government says $295million owed to oil marketers had been paid, while the remaining $121m would be paid later.
The IMF says it plans to raise at least $45 billion for a new trust to help low-income and vulnerable middle-income countries cope with protracted challenges like pandemics and climate change.
The World Bank collection of development indicators says Nigeria is among lower-middle-income countries with a gross national income per capita of $2,157 in 2019.
IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva says they must not lose sight of the critical actions needed today to ensure longer-term resilience and sustainability.
She added that the goal of the trust is to redistribute funds from wealthier countries to more vulnerable ones as members look to support global economic recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.
Buhari says the deficiencies in the country's Anti-Money Laundering/Combating the Financing of Terrorism regime make it imperative for the passage of both bills.
President Muhammadu Buhari has transmitted Money Laundering and Terrorism Prevention bills to the National Assembly for consideration and passage.
The amended Act makes it mandatory for banks and other financial institutions to report any single transaction or lodgment in excess of N5 million for an individual, and N10 million in the case of a corporate body.
The president warned that the non-passage of both bills poses a risk that may lead to the eventual blacklisting of Nigeria by the Financial Action Task Force.
The United States has approved the sale of military equipment to Nigeria worth $997 million after US lawmakers lifted objections over human rights concerns.
The Defense Security Cooperation Agency, which announced the sale of the helicopters and related defence systems to the Nigerian military says the weapons include 12 attack helicopters, 2,000 advanced precisions kill weapon system guidance sections, and a night vision imaging system.
The United States says the sale of weapons is part of efforts to boost security for Nigeria.
South Sudan has given a two-week ultimatum to illegal migrants to register and meet legal requirements to stay and do business in the country.
The Director-General of Immigration, Lt Gen Atem Marol Biar, says 85% of Ugandan nationals who are residing in South Sudan entered the country without legal documents and they have not obtained work permits either.
Sources from the Business Union revealed that more than one million Ugandans are residing in South Sudan.
It says most of them are involved in the construction sector as well as in the retail sector.
Ivory Coast's President Alassane Ouattara has announced the resignation of his Prime Minister, Patrick Achi, and that of his government.
Mr Ouattara made the announcement during a cabinet meeting, saying he had decided to decrease the number of ministers in the government from 41 to 30 as well as reduce state spending.
This reshuffle had been in discussion since the beginning of the year.
The president said he would name a new prime minister next week.
The Malian army says three Europeans were among a group of suspected jihadists detained during a military operation in the central town of Diabaly over the weekend.
Mali has been in the grip of an Islamist insurgency in its northern Sahel regions for more than 10 years.
The military authority, which has ruled the West African country since 2020, faces accusations of carrying out a massacre of civilians at the beginning of this month.
South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir has formed a unified armed forces command structure that integrates opposition commanders into the armed forces.
The president's faction has a 60% representation in the command structure while the opposition occupies the remaining 40%.
The deal was signed following mediation by neighbouring Sudan, which is the current chair of the regional bloc Igad.
The Federal Government has reiterated that the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari is not and will not be a threat to the media.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed says Nigeria has one of the most vibrant and free presses in the world and the administration was not about to stifle press freedom or deny anyone his or her constitutionally guaranteed rights.
He clarified that some people have misconstrued the government’s efforts to ensure responsible use of social media as an attempt to tamper with press freedom or threaten independent journalism.
Lawmakers in the Senate have again passed the Nigerian Peace Corps Bill, four years after President Muhammadu Buhari rejected the proposed legislation.
This followed the consideration of two reports on the bills by the Committee on Interior during Tuesday’s plenary at the upper chamber of the National Assembly in Abuja.
The lawmakers resolved into a committee of the whole to consider the two reports ‘clause by clause’ and after they reverts to plenary to report progress, both bills were read the third time and passed.
Italy and Algeria have signed agreements to strengthen energy ties and increase the north African state’s energy exports to Italy.
Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi announced the deals in Algeria adding that they were a significant step in Italy’s drive to reduce its dependency on Russian gas.
Draghi says the gas deal with Algeria had been signed by the two country’s dominant energy players, Eni and Sonatrach.
Draghi added that Italy was ready to work with Algeria to develop renewable energy and green hydrogen.
Shanghai has eased the citywide lockdown that it imposed to break a surge in cases to stamp out the disease wherever it appears.
Authorities in Shanghai introduced the three-tier disease control system on Monday, allowing residents in areas where no cases have been reported for 14 days to leave their homes so long as they follow health protocols and remain in their sub-district.
City health official Wu Qianyu emphasised the need for continued controls.
United States President Joe Biden is set to announce a new Department of Justice rule meant to crack down on so-called ghost guns.
The White House says the weapons, which can be bought as kits to be assembled at home and lack federal tracking serial numbers, have been increasingly recovered at crime scenes across the US in recent years.
The new DoJ rule says that manufacturers of some types of ghost gun kits will be subject to the same restrictions as firearm manufacturers under the Gun Control Act.
The rule would also require federally licensed dealers and gunsmiths who receive guns without serial numbers to serialise the weapon with federal authorities before selling it to a customer.
Russia has warned Finland and Sweden against joining Nato, arguing the move would not bring stability to Europe.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov says that the alliance remains a tool geared towards confrontation.
US officials expect the Nordic neighbours to bid for membership of the alliance, potentially as early as June.
US State Department officials said last week that discussions had taken place between Nato leaders and foreign ministers from Helsinki and Stockholm.
Rebels from the M23 group have announced their retreat from villages captured in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo last week following clashes with government troops in the Rutshuru region.
The group says the M23 took the decision to withdraw, once more, from its newly-won positions to allow for its concerns to be addressed through open and fruitful dialogue with the government of DR Congo.
The M23 also says it intended to hand over all soldiers from the national army captured on the frontline to the International Committee of the Red Cross for proper care.
South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa has spoken out against the harassment of migrants in the country.
He compared the behaviour of vigilante groups to the apartheid regime's treatment of black South Africans.
He says frequent demonstrations have been held in recent months against undocumented migrants who are often accused of taking jobs from locals and committing crimes.
Mr Ramaphosa criticised the fact that vigilante groups have been stopping people on the streets and forcing them to produce identification to verify their immigration status.
The European Union says it is stopping its military training missions in Mali but will keep a presence in the Sahel region where jihadist attacks have been spreading in recent years.
The EU's foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, says ministers had cited the presence of Russian mercenaries from the Wagner Group as one of the reasons for the decision not to continue training Malian troops.
France had earlier in February pulled troops out of Mali after a breakdown in relations with the ruling military junta that seized power last year.
The Chairman of the Presidential Vaccine Manufacturing Committee, Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, says the construction of Ghana's first vaccine manufacturing plant is expected to begin in July this year.
Prof.Frimpong-Boateng says that the establishment of the plant was part of a 10-year roadmap to make Ghana self-sufficient in vaccine production to meet national and regional needs.
He says the government intends to upgrade the Food and Drugs Authority to a Maturity Four Level Regulator, establish the National Vaccine Institute, develop a bilateral and multilateral partnership in key areas and strengthen research in the development of vaccines for other diseases like malaria and tuberculosis.
NNPC spokesperson, Garba Deen Muhammad says European Union Ambassadors in Nigeria paid a courtesy call to the management of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company seeking to strengthen its partnership with Nigeria in the energy sector.
The EU Ambassador in Nigeria, Samuela Isopi, says Europe was interested in strengthening its cooperation with Nigeria, particularly in the area of a possible increase in the supplies of liquified Natural Gas.
The CEO of NNPC, Mele Kyari, assured the European delegation that the company would continue to deepen its historical relationship with EU companies in Nigeria in order to add more value towards increasing gas supply to the global market and enhancing domestic gas utilisation.
The Nigerian government has received 3.2 million doses of the Johnson and Johnson COVID-19 vaccines, from the Italian government in Abuja.
The Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr Faisal Shuaib, says Nigeria has fully vaccinated a little above 13.5 million people with the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine, representing 12.2 per cent of the eligible population in the country.
He says over 23 million people who have received their first doses are yet to take their second jab, a situation the Nigerian government hopes to improve with the rollout of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine, which is a single shot.
Telecommunication giant, MTN, has received the final approval to operate as Momo Payment Service Bank Limited.
MTN Secretary, Uro Ukpanah in a statement says the date of commencement will be communicated to the CBN in accordance with its requirements.
PSB operators provide financial services through digital means to low-income earners and people that do not use banks or banking institutions for transactions.
They are expected to operate in rural regions and areas where Nigerians do not have bank accounts and should have at least 50 percent physical access points in rural areas.
Sri Lankan officials say that the crisis-hit country will temporarily suspend foreign debt payments to avoid a hard default, with its limited foreign reserves required for imports of essential items such as fuel.
Central Bank Governor P. Nandalal Weerasinghe says it has come to a point that making debt payments are challenging and impossible. The best action that can be taken is to restructure debt and avoid a hard default.
Telecoms equipment maker Nokia is pulling out of the Russian market going a step further than rival Ericsson to indefinitely suspend its business in the country.
Nokia says it had decided that quitting Russia was the only option while several sectors, including telecoms, have been exempted from some sanctions on humanitarian or related grounds.
CEO Pekka Lundmark says they just simply do not see any possibilities to continue in the country under the current circumstances.
He added Nokia would continue to support customers during its exit, and it was not possible to say at this stage how long the withdrawal would take.
Nepal has restricted imports of non-essential goods including cars, cosmetics and gold after its foreign currency reserves dropped.
The country's central bank, Nepal Rastra Bank, says foreign currency reserves fell by more than 16% to 1.17tn Nepali rupees in the seven months to the middle of February.
Narayan Prasad Pokharel, the deputy spokesperson at the central bank, told the Reuters news agency that the institution believed the country's foreign currency reserves were under pressure.
He added that importers were allowed to bring in 50 luxurious goods if they paid for them in full.
President Putin's former chief economic adviser has suggested that a real embargo on Russian energy by Western countries could stop the war in Ukraine,
Dr Andrei Illarionov says Russia did not take seriously other countries' threats to reduce their energy usage.
Despite trying to reduce its reliance on Russian sources, Europe is continuing to buy oil and gas.
The Organisation Petroleum Exporting Countries says the ongoing war by Russia in Ukraine is making the global oil market highly volatile.
OPEC’s Secretary-General, Sanusi Barkindo, says both Ukraine and the Russian Federation were also key exporters of commodities and essential agricultural goods.
He says they could potentially see the loss of more than seven million barrels per day of Russian oil and other liquids exports, resulting from current and future sanctions or other voluntary actions.
He further pointed out that these were non-fundamental factors that were out of OPEC’s control.
Turkish authorities are considering raising the share of foreign currency revenues that exporters are required to sell to the central bank to as high as 50% from 25% now.
Authorities could decide not to change the level or hike it by any amount to as high as 50%,
The mandate only covers revenues in U.S. dollars or euros.
The government had earlier mandated exporters to sell 25% of their foreign currency revenues to the central bank, which is seeking to bulk up its reserves in the wake of a currency crisis late last year.
The International Monetary Fund has warned that Zimbabwe's failure to compensate white former farmers as per the agreement will result in the country's public debt bulging.
The institution warned the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe's failure to fully compensate for losses incurred when the country embarked on currency reforms will exacerbate the situation.
The IMF says the external debt burden is excessive and the country is incurring external arrears.
Ethiopia's Ministry of Finance has issued a directive allowing importers of essential foodstuffs to use franco-Valuta privileges without waiting for foreign exchange permits and import their items directly through the Customs Commission.
The Ministry says that Ethiopians in the diaspora are calling on the government to expedite Franco Valuta's licenses by taking into account the current inflation and in order to allow more Ethiopians living abroad to play their part.
The Ministry says that to comply with a letter dated 20 December 2020 by the Ministry of Finance with regard to taxation implementation, the implementation of the directive allowing Franco-Valuta privileges will be closely monitored by the concerned parties.
Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Peter Munya says the government will continue pushing for key reforms in the national tea sector to ensure farmers reap maximum benefits from their produce.
Munya says the government was mainly focusing on farmer-centric reforms considering the fact that farmers were the primary stakeholders in the sector.
He says some of the reforms being undertaken aimed at ensuring that farmers had a definite stake in the way their factories were run, through the power given to them to elect those in charge of their respective factories.
Munya says farmers will start receiving their bonuses by July 10, so that they can be well informed on the type of leaders to elect based on their performance.
The International Monetary Fund has warned Nigeria and other low-income countries that high public and private borrowing will likely increase financial vulnerability and lead to more inflation.
The IMF says the war in Ukraine is adding risks to unprecedented levels of public borrowing and the pandemic is still straining many government budgets.
The lender says increases in energy and food prices were adding to pressures on the poorest and most vulnerable since food accounts for up to 60 per cent of household consumption in low-income countries
The Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Olamilekan Adegbite, has refuted media reports on the rehabilitation of the Ajaokuta Steel Plant, saying that the Federal Government is not handing it over to a British firm.
He says that a Nigerian firm, which is a partner of a British firm, had offered to implement a technical audit of the steel plan for free.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, Mr Gbenga Komolafe, says the agency was targeting the first half of 2022 for marginal field awardees to begin drilling in an effort to find their first oil.
He says the process which commenced in 2020 had been bogged down by bureaucratic challenges, meaning that the actual drilling for oil has yet to effectively take off over a year after the awardees were officially handed award certificates.
Komolafe says although the commission inherited a difficult situation, it expects that by the first half of this year, all the issues would be sorted out.
Iran has added 24 United States officials and people to its blacklist of sanctioned individuals over charges of terrorism and violations of the human rights of the Iranian people.
The Iranian foreign ministry announced it has targeted nine individuals for their involvement in terrorist acts.
The foreign ministry also blacklisted 15 individuals for gross violations of human rights.
This list mainly includes people who helped impose and expand punishing US sanctions on Iran during the Trump and Obama administrations.
Several former treasury department officials and several top executives at Kharon, a data analysis and consultancy firm, were also blacklisted.
Saudi Arabia says it will allow one million people from both inside and outside the kingdom to perform the Hajj this year compared with only a few thousand local pilgrims over the past two years.
The kingdom’s Ministry of Hajj and Umrah said the annual Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca, Islam’s holiest site, would only be allowed for people who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and are under the age of 65.
The ministry in a statement says Pilgrims travelling from abroad will also need to have a negative PCR test taken no more than 72 hours before their departure for Saudi Arabia.
A World Bank forecast shows that Ukraine’s GDP output will contract by more than 45 per cent this year as a result of the Russian invasion.
The World Bank also forecast Russia’s GDP output to fall by at least 11 per cent as a result of punitive sanctions.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Ukraine faces a critical week as Russia prepares for a renewed assault in the east of the country.
Russia threatens legal action if the West forces it to default on its debt.
Russia has rubbished allegations that Russian mercenaries were involved in the alleged killing of hundreds of civilians in the central Mopti region.
Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova however says it had been a successful operation by Mali’s army alone in which around 200 jihadists had been killed.
Ms Zakharova added that the success was achieved by the Malian military against the backdrop of the ongoing withdrawal from Mali of the French troops.
Ms Zakharova says accusations against Russian mercenaries were part of a disinformation campaign against Russia linked to Ukraine, where its troops are accused of involvement in war crimes.
The US has called for the release of thousands of ethnic Tigrayans who reportedly remain detained arbitrarily in Ethiopia, and wants access to be granted to international monitors.
A joint report by rights groups Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch had earlier accused Amhara forces of waging a campaign of ethnic cleansing against ethnic Tigrayans in disputed areas.
The two rights groups also claimed that the federal government have approved or possibly participated in the alleged atrocities.
The US expressed concern over what it called ethnically-motivated atrocities against Tigrayans in western Tigray.
Ethiopia has called the humanitarian report unhelpful but pledged to examine the allegations.
Guinea's military junta has told foreign mining companies they must share profits equally with the country and must comply with a deadline set for May to present plans to build local refineries.
The presidency says a more equitable partnership with foreign firms was a win-win.
He added that If the end of May deadline is not met penalties will
The corruption trial of former South African President Jacob Zuma will resume on Monday at Pietermaritzburg court as several roads have been closed to the public.
Mr Zuma faces multiple charges of fraud, racketeering and money laundering relating to the 1990s arms deal with a French company.
He however says the charges are a witch-hunt by political rivals.
Mr Zuma’s lawyers on Monday will respond to the prosecution's affidavit, which seeks to introduce new evidence.
He has also applied to have the supreme court reconsider appeals rejected in March that sought the removal of the lead prosecutor citing bias.
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Malam Mohammed Musa Bello, has summoned an emergency meeting of the FCT Security Committee on how to strategise to contain the escalating banditry, kidnapping and robbery on the fringes of the seat of power, Abuja.
The Commissioner of Police, FCT Command, Babaji Sunday, says the emergency meeting raised a lot of concerns about kidnapping and banditry in FCT suburbs, adding that the security agencies also resolved to do their best to ensure the incidents were brought to the barest minimum.
He added that all the security chiefs would meet again to further strategise on what was discussed at the emergency meeting.
He, however, advised FCT residents to be security conscious and provide security agencies with actionable intelligence on criminal activities.
The Nigerian Correctional Service has described the allegation that some of its officials are in the habit of arranging for convicts to evade serving terms as wild, unsubstantiated, unpatriotic and most unfortunate.
Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana had alleged that some officials of the NCoS allow criminals to escape court verdicts by getting young men who will serve jail terms for criminals.
The spokesman of the NCoS, Francis Enobore says the statement is a wild and unsubstantiated allegation that is unpatriotic and most unfortunate, especially coming from a respected lawyer of international recognition.
Lagos has been chosen by the African Table Tennis Federation to host the World Championships regional qualification tournament, the African Club Championships and African Cup.
ATTF President, Khaled El-Salhy says the choice of Lagos was based on the remarkable organization of previous tournaments coupled with the positive comments from players, coaches, and participating teams.
The ATTF boss says the African Cup would now be a continental qualification for WTT Cup Finals.
The World Championships regional qualification for West Africa teams will kick-start the tournament on May 19 to 21 while the African Club Championships follow on May 23 to 25.
Justice Binta Nyako has dismissed eight out of the 15 charges brought by the government against separatist leader Nnamdi Kanu.
His camp sees the ruling as a step in the right direction - though he still faces the serious charges of terrorism and treason.
Justice Binta Nyako ruled that any rendition would have been legal as Mr Kanu had skipped bail and was regarded as a fugitive at the time while also refusing to grant him bail.
He faces life imprisonment if convicted of terrorism and treason - charges he pleaded not guilty to in October.
Former Governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi and presidential aspirant say Nigeria’s biggest problem is leadership failure.
He says Nigeria has experienced a cumulative effect of leadership failure over the years.
He says Nigerians want a leader who is competent and capable to start tackling the innermost problems affecting the country, starting from the issue of cohesion and unity.
Obi says he doesn’t believe in the idea of the first hundred days but rather he believes that issues should be tackled as quickly as possible.
The US State Department has approved the potential sale to Taiwan of equipment, training and other services worth $95m to support the island’s defence in what would be the third arms package since President Joe Biden took office a year ago.
The approval covers the training, planning, fielding, deployment, operation, maintenance and sustainment of the Patriot Air Defense System and associated equipment.
It says this proposed sale serves US national, economic, and security interests by supporting the recipient’s continuing efforts to modernize its armed forces and maintain a credible defensive capability.
The United States Congress voted to suspend normal trade relations with Russia and ban the importation of Russian oil, ratcheting up the US response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine amid reports of atrocities by Russian forces.
The measures now go to President Joe Biden to be signed into law. Action by the House of Representatives came quickly after the Senate approved the two bills with unanimous 100-0 votes on Thursday.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki says the legislation strengthens Biden’s hand in applying new trade penalties to Russian goods and puts the president’s ban on energy imports into law, signalling it will likely stay in place until well after any end to the war in Ukraine.
Japan’s industry minister says the country plans to reduce Russian imports of the fuel gradually while looking for alternative suppliers in the wake of sanctions against Moscow.
Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Koichi Hagiuda told reporters that Japan will aim over time to end coal imports from Russia, the country’s second-biggest supplier of thermal coal in 2021.
Hagiuda says finding immediate alternative suppliers would be difficult.
Hagiuda says they would need to find alternative suppliers or we would face difficulties securing domestic coal which could lead to power outage.
The UN General Assembly voted to suspend Russia from the UN Human Rights Council as punishment for the invasion of Ukraine.
Of the 193 members of the assembly, 93 voted in favour of suspension while 24 voted against and 58 abstained, suggesting weakening international unity against Russia.
It was the second-ever suspension of a country from the council. Libya was the first, in 2011.
The World Health Organization has warned that non-communicable diseases, or diseases that are not transmitted directly from one person to another, are said to be on the rise in Africa as climate change continues to pose a big threat to health in the region.
The WHO has called for sensible steps to curb the use of fossil fuels responsible for most of the harmful emissions that are linked to acute and chronic sickness.
Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa says non-communicable diseases are set to overtake communicable diseases, maternal, neonatal, and nutritional conditions combined, to become the leading cause of death by 2030.
Malawi’s Government says it will not be pushed to hike fuel pump prices in the country.
Minister of information Gospel Kazako however says that the reason why fuel prices have not been adjusted upwards is that there are other critical issues to be considered first.
Kazako says that the hike will not be because other sections of the public have made recommendations.
Energy minister Ibrahim Matola said Malawi Energy Regulatory Authority will announce the fuel prices at an appropriate time.
Nigerian authorities have issued new guidelines for trials of persons charged with terrorism in the federal high court.
The measures include a ban on media coverage of court proceedings unless ordered by the trial judge.
Only judges, lawyers and parties to a case are to be allowed into courtrooms.
Justice John Terhemba Tsoho, the chief judge of the federal high court, gave the new directions to ensure security and safety.
It said that any person who violates the guidelines shall be deemed to have committed an offence contrary to the country’s anti-terrorism law.
The Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission are set to reveal the revenue allocation formula with the reduction of the allocation to the federal government by 3.3 per cent while the allocation to the 36 states and the 774 local government councils would be increased by 3.07 per cent and 0.44 per cent respectively.
President Muhammadu Buhari stressed that for the nation to have a lasting review of the present revenue allocation formula, there must first be an agreement on the responsibilities to be carried out by all the tiers of Government.
He noted that the proposal seeks a 3.33% reduction in the current federal government’s allocation and on the other hand an increase of 3.07 per cent and 0.44 per cent for the states and local governments on the other hand.
President Muhammadu Buhari has approved Executive Order 11 on National Public Buildings Maintenance.
President Buhari directed all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies of government to set up maintenance departments, in line with the provisions of the new Executive Order.
The President presided over the Council meeting attended by the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, and the Secretary to Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha.
The Senate has extended the implementation of the 2021 Appropriation Act from March 31 to May 31, 2022.
Senate Leader Yahaya Abdullahi, says the extension of the budget period is necessary to ensure that ongoing projects are completed.
He also explained that that Appropriation Acts in the past were passed mid-year, with their implementation usually extended to the following year and these extensions are covered by a Clause, in line with the provisions of Section 318 of the Constitution.
Abdullahi says that the extension of the budget period became necessary in order to complete projects close to completion.
President Muhammadu Buhari is seeking an increase in the provision for petrol subsidy for 2022 from N442 billion to N4 trillion.
Buhari cited the rising market price of crude oil heightened by the Russian-Ukraine war.
He says there have been new developments both in the global economy as well as in the domestic economy which have necessitated the revision of the 2022 Fiscal Framework on which the 2022 Budget was based.
He added that these developments include spikes in the market price of crude oil, aggravated by the Russian-Ukraine war, significantly lower oil production volume due principally to production shut-ins as a result of massive theft of crude oil between the production platforms and the terminals.
Sri Lanka’s opposition has rejected an invitation from the president to form a unity government urging his resignation over the country’s worsening shortages of food, fuel and medicines.
The opposition’s demand on Monday came as anti-government protests continued throughout the country over its worst economic crisis in memory and deepening mistrust in President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s leadership.
The president’s office says he invites all political parties represented in the parliament to come together to accept ministerial portfolios in order to find solutions to this national crisis.
US President Joe Biden has called his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin a war criminal and suggested holding a war crimes trial.
The Kremlin has categorically denied accusations that its forces have killed civilians in Ukraine.
The Ukrainian government has demanded crippling new sanctions from Western powers over what it called the Bucha massacre.
A team from the International Committee of the Red Cross says it was prevented from reaching the besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol to evacuate civilians.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he will address the UN Security Council on Tuesday.
South Africa has announced the ending of Covid restrictions, two years after they were imposed.
President Cyril Ramaphosa says the national state of disaster would end at midnight on Monday.
He says although the pandemic was not over, he was confident that there were only better times ahead.
Mr Ramaphosa says it was important to boost the economy and create jobs.
South Africa has recorded far more coronavirus cases than any other African country.
France has called for an international investigation into reports that hundreds of civilians have been killed by government troops and Russian mercenaries in Mali.
The EU and the US have made similar calls related to the deaths in the central Moura region.
The Malian military says it had killed more than 200 Islamist militants during 10 days of fighting in the area.
Mali denies mercenaries from Russia's Wagner group are helping it fight an Islamist insurgency.
The federal government alleged that Shell Nigeria, Chevron and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited are hindering the full operation of the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas project by not allowing third parties to transit gas through their pipelines.
The government appealed to the partners to allow the transportation of third-party gas through its joint pipelines to increase gas supply to the NLNG and boost the supply of the product to Europe.
The Senior Adviser, Media and Communications to the Minister of State, Petroleum, Mr Horatius Egua, noted that the NLNG is at present only able to produce at about 70 per cent installed capacity.
The Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika has reacted to the offer by the management of Emirates Airlines to partner with the Nigerian government in its quest to establish a national carrier.
The Minister says the offer serves as an encouragement to the many bidders currently preparing their Public-Private Partnership bids for Nigeria Air in response to the recently advertised Request for Proposal.
Sirika added that the offer by Emirates cannot be anything other than an endorsement of the need, the zeal, and, of course, the process for the national carrier project.
The National Bureau of Statistics shows that Nigeria’s commercial capital Lagos received at least 86.9 per cent of the capital imported into the country in 2021.
The region with the second-highest figure was the Federal Capital Territory with 12.4 per cent of the over $6.7bn worth of capital imported into the country in 2021.
More capital was imported through Banking $1.4bn, Shares $1bn and Production $934mn than other sectors.
The Central Bank of Nigeria has warned Nigerians to avoid dealing with illegal and unlicensed financial operators who lure and defraud members of the public.
The Apex Bank says the increase in the activities of Illegal Financial Operators is becoming worrisome and portends a grave risk to public confidence and the stability of the Nigerian Financial System.
CBN advised members of the public to visit its official website and that of the Securities and Exchange Commission and other relevant member agencies of the FSRCC to verify the registration and license status of such companies and schemes before investing in them.
They also advised Nigerians to report any individual or entities suspected to be involved in such nefarious activities to the law enforcement agencies.
The Federal Government has directed telecommunication companies in the country to bar all outgoing calls on unlinked lines from Monday, April 4, 2022.
Unlinked lines are Subscriber Identity Modules not yet registered and linked with the National Identification Number by users.
The government says over 125 million SIMs have had their NINs submitted for linkage, verification, and authentication and NIMC has issued over 78 million unique NINs to date.
The government explained that the NIN-SIM linkage had been extended on multiple occasions to allow Nigerians to freely comply with the policy.
It added that the enrolment for NIN was a continuous exercise as it was a precondition for service in telecommunication companies, banks, Nigerian Immigration Service, and several other government agencies.
The Taliban has issued a decree banning the cultivation of opium poppy, as the group tries to assuage international concerns regarding drug control in the impoverished South Asian country.
Haibatullah Akhunzada says all Afghans are informed that the cultivation of poppy has been strictly prohibited across the country.
He added that If anyone violates the decree, the crop will be destroyed immediately and the violator will be treated according to Sharia law.
The order says the production, use or transport of other narcotics was also banned.
The Taliban has issued a decree banning the cultivation of opium poppy, as the group tries to assuage international concerns regarding drug control in the impoverished South Asian country.
The education minister says Sri Lanka’s cabinet members have resigned en masse from their positions as anti-government protests escalated despite curfews.
Education Minister Dinesh Gunawardena says all 26 ministers aside from President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his elder brother Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa stepped down.
Gunawardena says all the ministers submitted their letters of resignation so that the president can constitute a new cabinet adding that the decision was taken after discussing the worsening economic crisis.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says he was deeply shocked by images of dead civilians in the town of Bucha, near the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv and calls for an independent investigation.
Ukraine’s prosecutor general says the bodies of 410 civilians have been recovered from areas in the wider Kyiv region from which Russian forces withdrew.
FIFA faced calls to sanction Iran and even throw its team out of the 2022 World Cup finals over the Islamic republic’s renewed failure to allow women to attend an international football match.
The United for Navid group of exiled Iranian athletes and activists, set up after the execution of wrestling champion Navid Afkari in September 2020, said Iran should be suspended from international football until it changes its stance.
They formally request that FIFA immediately suspend Iran and prohibit its participation in the World Cup 2022 as long as the Football Federation of Iran continues to violate the Olympic Charter and FIFA regulations.
It says that Iran had pledged to FIFA that it would end its policy of gender apartheid by allowing women to attend matches.
The Ukraine war has led the World Trade Organization to cut its global trade growth forecast for this year.
WTO boss Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala says the previous 4.7% growth forecast has been cut to 2.5% due to the impact of the war and related policies.
She says disruptions would make food more costly, saying that a food crisis is brewing.
Dr Okonjo-Iweala told the BBC that although Russia and Ukraine only make up about 2.5% of global merchandise exports, they are very, very significant in certain sectors.
Angola's government has suspended the salaries of more than 5,000 doctors, describing their strike action as illegal.
The National Union of Angola Medical Doctors began an indefinite nationwide strike last week to press for better wages and working conditions.
Doctors say that in addition to poor salaries, health facilities are woefully under-equipped with frequent shortages of supplies and medicines.
The strike is the second in four months. In December, medics took industrial action over the death of 20 children in a hospital in the capital, Luanda.
Doctors allege they died because of shortages of medicine and medical equipment.
South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa has told an inquiry that riots and looting in two major provinces last July were a deliberate attempt to derail the economy.
President Ramaphosa told the inquiry by the South African Human Rights Commission that although the initial protests were presented as a political grievance, they were in fact an attempt to undermine the country’s democracy.
The deadliest unrest since the end of apartheid cost the economy $3.3bn.
Mr Ramaphosa says investigations to find the suspected masterminds were still continuing.
South Sudan rivals have signed an agreement on the formation of a unified armed forces command, a key pillar of a peace agreement signed in 2018.
Tensions between President Salva Kiir and First Vice-President Riek Machar had recently led to clashes between their respective forces.
The deal sets out terms for integrating opposition commanders into the armed forces.
President Kiir’s faction will have a 60% representation in key positions in the army, police and security forces while Mr Machar’s SPLM-IO and other opposition groups will occupy the remaining 40%.
Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, Gbenga Komolafe, says the federal government is targeting to add 800,000 barrels to Nigeria’s daily oil production from some important upstream projects being executed by Shell, TotalEnergies, and other oil companies, which had stalled due to funding and other reasons.
Komolafe listed some of the projects government was relying on to boost production including TotalEnergies’ Preowei project, Shell’s Bonga South-west Aparo, and Bonga North projects, as well as other projects being executed by other companies.
The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, has rued oil theft in the country, warning that Nigeria might go bankrupt if the trend is not checked.
He also raised concerns over the country’s economic future, warning that Nigeria’s debt to service revenue ratio might pose danger for decades.
He says that over 90 per cent of Nigeria’s revenue from crude oil sales is used to furnish interest accruing on debt.
He says the country is moving steadily towards a state of bankruptcy, a whole nation.
The Nigerian Railway Corporation says 21 passengers are still unaccounted for following the attack on an Abuja-Kaduna-bound train about a week ago.
The Managing Director of the NRC, Fidet Okhiria says a total of 80 meters of the affected section has been fixed including replacement of affected sleepers and twisted rails
The NRC boss says two more persons have returned home, taking the number of safe passengers to 172.
He says attempts are being made to reach the remaining numbers on the manifest.
A United States court has rescheduled the trial of Abba Kyari, and five others, for alleged $1.1 million fraud coordinated by Ramon Abbas, aka Hushpuppi.
The U.S. District Court for the Central District of California rescheduled the trial from May 17 to October 11, 2022, based on a joint request by the prosecution and three of Mr Kyari's co-defendants.
Judge Otis Wright, agreed that not granting the parties' request could deny defence counsel the reasonable time necessary for effective preparation, taking into account the exercise of due diligence.
He says it would unreasonably deny defendant continuity of counsel and could make proceeding impossible or result in a miscarriage of justice if the court rejected the postponement request.
Hong Kong has responded with fury over what it described as unfounded and ridiculous allegations in key reports from the United Kingdom and the United States that said the territory’s democratic rights and freedoms were continuing to deteriorate.
The UK says that alternative voices in Hong Kong’s executive, legislature, civil society and media had been all but extinguished.
The Hong Kong government strongly oppose the unfounded and ridiculous allegations against the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government made by foreign countries through various reports.
It added that Hong Kong continued to enjoy a high degree of autonomy under the one country, two systems that was adopted on its return to Chinese rule.
The White House says President Joe Biden will announce a record release from US strategic oil reserves in an attempt to curb a politically damaging surge in domestic fuel prices following Russia’s attack on Ukraine.
The white house says the scale of this release is unprecedented adding that the record release will provide a historic amount of supply to serve as bridge until the end of the year when domestic production ramps up.”
A senior US official told reporters that the US oil would be coming to market very soon and that with other countries making their own coordinated releases of reserves, the total addition to daily supply will be well in excess of the one million barrels.
President Vladimir Putin warned unfriendly countries, including all EU members, that they would be cut off from Russian gas unless they opened an account in rubles to pay for deliveries.
Putin says they must open ruble accounts in Russian banks. It is from these accounts that payments will be made for gas delivered starting April 1.
He announced that he signed a decree that outlines the clear and transparent process.
He says all payments will be handled by Russia’s Gazprombank, a subsidiary of state energy giant Gazprom.
Russia says it will expand the list of EU figures banned from entering the country following Western sanctions over Moscow’s military actions in Ukraine.
The foreign ministry says the restrictions apply to the top leadership of the European Union including a number of European commissioners and heads of EU military structures as well as the vast majority of members of the European Parliament promoting anti-Russian policies.
The ministry says the EU delegation in Moscow had been informed, adding that any hostile sanctions from the EU and its members would elicit a harsh response.
Mali’s military has received two combat helicopters and two sophisticated radar systems from Russia to help in its fight against Islamist Militants.
The junta, which seized power in 2020, has developed closer ties with Russia after a series of disagreements with France.
Russian mercenaries from the Wagner Group are now believed to be helping Mali’s military, though the junta has refused to confirm their deployment.
France’s foreign minister in an interview with France24 says that Mali’s military leaders had become hostage to the mercenaries from Wagner.
Mali’s Defence Minister Col Sadio Camara batted away such criticism, saying the equipment from Russia gave the army the autonomy it needed to battle insurgents.
Kenya’s Supreme Court has ruled against President Uhuru Kenyatta’s plan to make broad constitutional changes, saying he had acted unlawfully.
The government had sought to overturn its rejection by lower courts known as the Building Bridges Initiative.
Some points went in the government’s favour, but in essence, the ruling means the proposal cannot proceed.
They say the creation of 70 new constituencies without public participation was unconstitutional.
The United States officially marked the beginning of construction on a new, modern consulate building in Lagos.
Spokesperson Temitayo Famutimi, the US Consulate says the groundbreaking highlights the enduring bilateral friendship and partnership between the US and Nigeria.
The US Consulate says throughout the project, an estimated $95 million will be invested in the local economy, and the project will employ approximately 2,500 Nigerian citizens, including engineers, architects, artisans, construction workers, and administrative staff.
The Airline Operators of Nigeria have threatened to sue the Federal Government over continued multiple entries granted to foreign airlines.
The body also declared that for any foreign airline or investor to invest in the new national carrier, it must deposit at least $200 billion with the Central Bank of Nigeria to be sure of its seriousness.
President of AON, Alhaji Yunusa Abdulmunaf says that the body has decided to challenge the government in a court of law of the current policy on multiple entries to airlines is not addressed.
The AON President lamented that billions of naira are being lost annually to multiple designations granted to the foreign carriers and warned that if the policy continued unabated the domestic airlines would die, while the foreign airlines would eventually take over the domestic market.
The Nigeria Football Federation has sacked the Super Eagles’ technical crew.
The NFF in a statement says it has withdrawn the two-and-half years’ contract offered to the coaches and terminated the appointment of the entire technical crew of the team with immediate effect.
The NFF says a new crew will be announced after a proper review to lead the new charge of reinvigorating the Super Eagles to face future challenges appropriately.
It also confirmed that Austine Eguavoen had earlier resigned as the team’s technical director.
Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, Ado Doguwa, says Nigerians should be allowed to bear arms in self-defence considering the deteriorating security situation in the country.
Doguwa is of the opinion that the security agencies have failed and citizens should not be at the mercy of terrorists or bandits.
Another lawmaker, Honourable Aminu Suleiman questioned the effectiveness of the House regarding the resolutions passed on security-related matters and urged the lawmakers to embark on a strike until the security situation is handled.
President Muhammadu Buhari met with Service Chiefs in Abuja over the Kaduna train incident which occurred on Monday and directed the immediate conclusion of all the processes for the implementation of the integrated security surveillance and monitoring solution for the Abuja to Kaduna railway line.
The President says the solution should be extended to cover the Lagos-Ibadan railway line.
The presidential spokesperson Garba Shehu says the President also directed the Nigerian Railway Corporation management to speedily repair the damaged lines and resume normal service without delay.
He condemned the bombing of the passenger train, describing it as a matter of grave concern.
Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja has refused bail to the suspended deputy commissioner of police Abba Kyari.
The court held that the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has placed sufficient evidence before the court enough for it to refuse bail.
The NDLEA in its counter-affidavits to Mr Kyari’s bail application held that it is inappropriate to grant bail to the applicant because of the facts and circumstances of the case.
The court says the medical challenges of the applicant are not beyond the capacity of the NDLEA.
The Treasury Department says the United States has imposed new sanctions on individuals connected with Nigeria’s armed group Boko Haram,
Six Nigerian nationals who were found guilty of setting up a Boko Haram cell in the United Arab Emirates to raise funds for fighters in Nigeria have been placed on the sanctions list.
Under-Secretary of the Treasury Brian Nelson says with this action, the United States joins the UAE in targeting terrorist financing networks of mutual concern. The men, identified as Abdurrahman Ado Musa, Salihu Yusuf Adamu, Bashir Ali Yusuf, Muhammed Ibrahim Isa, Ibrahim Ali Alhassan and Surajo Abubakar Muhammad, were convicted in the UAE of attempting to send $782,000 from Dubai to Nigeria.
Adamu and Muhammad were sentenced to life in prison for violating UAE anti-terrorism laws, while Musa, Yusuf, Isa and Alhassan received sentences of 10 years in prison followed by deportation.
Nigeria's Government has disclosed that the Second Niger Bridge linking Anambra and Delta states, scheduled for completion in February 2022, is now 91 per cent completed.
Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, says the 206-billion-naira project has directly employed 1,486 people, while 8,110 indirect jobs have equally been created.
The Works and Housing Minister pegged major projects under the Presidential Infrastructure Development fund including the 375km Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano Expressway estimated at N797 billion; the 11.59km Second Niger Bridge at N206 billion and the 127km Lagos-Ibadan Expressway at N310 billion, at N1.3 trillion.
The Federation Accounts Allocation Committee has shared N695.03 billion to the three tiers of government as revenue for February amid plans by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation limited to deduct N242.53 billion for subsidy.
The FAAC Director Information, Mr. Olajide Oshundun, says the Federal Government received N236 billion, the states received N190 billion, the Local Government Councils got N140 billion, while the oil-producing states received N23billion as derivation and Cost of Collection received N23 billion and Transfer/ Refunds got N80 billion.
Oshundun noted that the Gross Revenue available from the Value Added Tax for February 2022 was N177 billion as against N191 billion distributed in the preceding month of January 2022, resulting in a decrease of N13 billion.
It also revealed that Petroleum Profit Tax increased significantly, while Oil and Gas Royalties increased marginally.
The federal government disclosed that it would soon begin the implementation of universal licence on all Microsoft products.
The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Ibrahim Pantami, says the initiative that would allow the federal government to purchase in bulk, all Microsoft product licenses and sell same to federal public institutions that are in need of such product licence.
Pantami says the process of universal licence for Microsoft products, when completed, would be presented to the Federal Executive Council for consideration and approval.
Pantami says some government institutions may have the capacity to purchase Microsoft product licences, while some may not, and this often leads to low patronage for Microsoft.
Nigerian Force Headquarters says Nigerians are to report police personnel who demand permits for tinted glasses at checkpoints in any part of the country.
The acting Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, stated that it would be out of bounds for any policeman to demand customs papers or other documents not relevant to their duties.
He explained that while there was no need to demand permits for tinted glasses, they could stop such cars only for the purpose of a search.
He says no policeman should demand customs papers except they are on a joint operation, but not just on mere routine checks.
The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission has confirmed the removal of electricity subsidies by the Federal Government.
The Chairman of the Commission, Mr Sanusi Garba, says the review was conducted in line with multi-year tariff order that mandates that electricity tariffs be reviewed every six months.
Mr Garba says it is the duty of electricity distribution companies to inform their customers of tariff review outcomes and the cost of power.
He blamed the poor state of electricity supply and grid collapses on vandalism of gas pipelines to power plants, plants maintenance and a trip on the 330KV line from the Ughelli power plant.
Nigeria’s consumer price index has increased to 15.70 per cent for the month of February.
The National Bureau of Statistics in a report state that this is 1.63 per cent points lower compared to the rate recorded in February 2021per cent, indicative that the headline inflation rate slowed down in February when compared to the same month in the previous year.
There were increases in all COICOP divisions that yielded the Headline index. On a month-on-month basis, the Headline index increased to 1.63 per cent in February 2022, this is a 0.16 per cent rate higher than the rate recorded in January 2022 per cent.
The Academic Staff Union of Universities has extended its warning strike by eight weeks.
ASUU reached the decision after its National Executive Council meeting held at the University of Abuja secretariat of the union following the expiration of its one-month warning strike.
The ASUU’s president, Emmanuel Osodeke, says NEC viewed Government’s response, so far, as a continuation of the unconscionable, mindless, and nonchalant attitude of the Nigerian ruling elite towards the proven path of national development which is education.
Nigeria's drugs agency has seized three million capsules of opioids.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency director Femi Babafemi, says the authorities intercepted about 1,500kg of Tapentadol and Carisoprodol.
He says the capsules were thought to have originated from China and were falsely labelled as insulation fittings and industrial office printers.
He says further investigation however proved them to be from India and some suspects have been arrested.
The Lagos State Government says it has commenced the publication of details of sex offenders in the state.
The Executive Secretary of the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency, Mrs Titilola Vivour Adeniyi says the details include the name and picture of the sex offender, the nature of the offence as well as the duration of the sentence handed down by the court.
She also said letters of advisory have been issued to local governments and traditional rulers of the communities where the convicts previously resided.
The Executive Security reiterated that the stance of the State government is resolute in preventing incidents of sexual and domestic abuse while ensuring justice for all survivors.
Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja stopped President Muhammad Buhari, the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, and the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, from tampering with the newly signed amended Electoral Act 2022.
Justice Ekwo agreed with the counsel to the party, James Onoja, that the Electoral Act has become a valid law and cannot be tampered with without following due process of law.
The court restrained the defendants from removing Section 84, Subsection 12 of the Electoral Act or preventing it from being implemented for the purpose of the 2023 general elections.
The PDP had dragged President Buhari before the court, challenging the fresh move to tamper with the newly amended Electoral Act signed into law some days ago.
Another set of Nigerians fleeing the crisis in Ukraine, have been successfully evacuated by the Nigerian Government.
The 306 Nigerians arrived at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport on Sunday morning.
They were brought home via an Air Peace flight from Budapest, Hungary where they had crossed over to safety from Ukraine.
The Director-General of NEMA, Mustapha Habib Ahmed, informed them that President Muhammadu Buhari had approved the evacuation back home to safety and also provided a sum of USD$100 to be given to each of them in aid of their transportation to their various locations.
The DG NEMA further informed the returnees that arrangement has also been made for a night’s accommodation for them to rest before continuing to their homes.
Nigeria has approved the request by the United States for the extradition of suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police Abba Kyari.
Kyari is wanted to stand trial for conspiracy to commit wire fraud, money laundering and identity theft.
He was accused of conspiring with a United Arab Emirates (UAE)-based Nigerian, Ramon Abbas, aka Hushpuppi to commit the crime.
The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), had on Tuesday filed an application before the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court in Abuja for Kyari’s extradition.
The AGF says the application followed a request by the Diplomatic Representative of the U.S. Embassy in Abuja.
The National Assembly granted financial and administrative autonomy to all the local governments across Nigeria.
Both chambers of the National Assembly during voting on the Constitution Amendment voted in favour of Local Government administrative autonomy as a tier of government and guarantee their democratic existence and tenure.
The bill to create a special account through which funds for local governments will be paid directly from the Federation Account had 257 ‘YES’ votes while nine persons voted ‘NO.’
The Federal Government has announced that Air Peace and Max Air may begin the evacuation of Nigerians from Ukraine on Wednesday.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, says the evacuation will be done following the approval of President Muhammadu Buhari.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs earlier said hundreds of Nigerians have been received in Poland, Hungary and Romania by Nigerian embassies in those countries.
The Federal Government says that Hungary and Romania have approved visa-free access to all Nigerians coming from Ukraine.
The Ministry of Foreign affairs advised Nigerians fleeing Ukraine to move to the Hungarian or Romanian borders for easy access.
Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Gabriel Aduda, noted that the government is fully aware of all the challenges being faced by Nigerians in Ukraine and is doing all it can to ease their pain.
Aduda says the Honourable Minister of Foreign Affairs is working on alleviating the suffering of Nigerians including deploying the International Organisation for Migration to the border to ensure easier access to all Nigerians and other nationals.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says the Federal Government is planning a special flight operation to evacuate Nigerians from Ukraine amid the escalating crisis in the country.
Russian President Vladimir Putin had announced a military operation in Ukraine with explosions heard soon after across the country and its foreign minister warning a full-scale invasion was underway.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been reassured by the Nigerian Embassy in Ukraine of the safety of Nigerians in that country and measures being undertaken to keep them safe and facilitate the evacuation of those who wish to leave.
Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo has called for the cooperation of the international community including other global, regional bodies and financial institutions to concretize the efforts of the leaders of the Economic Community of West African States against unconstitutional changes of government and deter coup plotters.
Osinbajo says there is a lot of attention being paid to coups d’etat going on, especially in the West African sub-region.
He added that one of the critical things which have been discussed at various ECOWAS meetings is how to cooperate with the rest of the world, bodies such as the UN, EU and some of the Development Finance Institutions to give our sanctions more teeth.
Justice Inyang Eden Ekwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja has refused to order the Federal Government to release the detained Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari, from the custody of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency.
The judge rather ordered that Kyari put the Federal Government on notice of the existence of the suit he instituted against it.
Kyari sought an order of the court to immediately release him and in the alternative, the suspended DCP, who is being held by the NDLEA over his alleged involvement in hard drug trafficking, asked the court to admit him to bail in liberal conditions.
The House of Representatives called on the Independent National Electoral Commission to urgently deploy physical enumerators and other assistance to conduct new voter registration across all federal constituencies.
They are worried that the online registration process will not cover all constituencies and lead to the disenfranchisement of Nigerians and voter apathy.
The House also wants the electoral umpire to situate voting points in safe areas only.
The House is urging the Federal Government to provide body cameras for all security operatives on duty across the country.
President Muhammadu Buhari has submitted the 2022 Appropriation Act amendment proposal to the National Assembly.
President Buhari is asking the National Assembly to approve the sum of N2.557 trillion supplementary budget for petrol subsidy from July to December 2022. President Muhammadu Buhari says the amendment is necessary to accommodate some issues in the country including Petroleum Subsidy which must be considered.
President Muhammadu Buhari says it was imperative to remove all capital projects that were replicated on the 2022 Appropriation Act.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has declared suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari, wanted over alleged links with drug trafficking.
NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi says he is wanted over his involvement in a 25 kilograms Cocaine deal.
The Agency says it declared Mr Kyari wanted after all efforts to get him to honour formal invitations for his interrogation failed.
It bemoaned a situation where those who are supposed to support current efforts to stem the tide of illicit drug trafficking and abuse are themselves neck-deep in the menace.
Members of the House of Representatives have called on the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited to suspend the four companies which recently imported adulterated fuel into the country.
The lawmakers also mandated its committee on petroleum downstream to investigate the release and sale of the off-spec Premium Motor Spirit by petrol stations across the country and to bring the culprits to book.
The NNPC GMD explained how adulterated Premium Motor Spirit from Belgium and listed the companies.
He said NNPC investigation revealed the presence of Methanol in PMS cargoes of the companies.
FMDQ Securities Exchange Ltd. has announced the listing of the Federal Government of Nigeria's $4 billion dollars Eurobonds under its global medium-term note programme on its platform.
The listings are 6.12 per cent $1.25 billion September 2028; 7.37 per cent 1.50 billion dollars September 2033 and 8.25 per cent 1.25 billion dollars September 2051.
It says that the listing of the foreign currency-denominated debt securities was another commendable feat for the Federal Government of Nigeria through the Debt Management Office.
The statement says the transaction demonstrated the government's unrelenting commitment to supporting the development of the nation's debt capital markets toward sustainable economic development.
The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund has lamented over the rising cases of Female Genital Mutilation in Nigeria.
The international agency says Nigeria accounts for the third-highest global number of FGM with a ‘worrying trend’ which has risen from 16.9 per cent in 2013 to 19.2 per cent.
UNICEF Representative in Nigeria, Peter Hawkins says female genital mutilation remains widespread in Nigeria. With an estimated 19.9 million survivors, Nigeria accounts for the third-highest number of women and girls who have undergone FGM worldwide.
He stressed that the case is prevalent among Nigerian girls aged 0-14 and an estimated 86 percent of females were cut before the age of 5, while 8 percent were cut between ages 5 and 14.
A Professor of Political Economy and management expert, Pat Utomi, says Nigeria needs a new political movement driven by ideas that can deliver the dividends of democracy to the masses.
Utomi also berated the ruling All Progressives Congress and the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party for failing to give Nigeria good governance.
He faulted the ruling political elites for poor performance while noting that there is a dire need for an alternative platform to deliver the dividends of democracy,
Utomi called for the inclusion of young Nigerians in the governance and decision-making process.
The Federal Government says it has uncovered 96 financiers of terrorism across the country, especially those backing Boko Haram and the Islamic State of West Africa Province.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, says the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit in 2020-2021, revealed 96 financiers of terrorism in Nigeria while 424 associates and supporters of the financiers were also uncovered.
He says about 123 companies and 33 Bureau de change, were linked to terrorists in addition to 26 suspected bandits/kidnappers and seven co-conspirators who have now been identified.
The federal government says its electricity deal with Siemens was on course, stating that the first phase of the programme under the Presidential Power Initiative would increase power supply to about 40 million Nigerians.
The Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Dr Zainab Ahmed, says the unveiling of the training session was a milestone under the initiative.
Ahmed assured that the collaborative effort with the implementing partner, Siemens, on the PPI was on track to bring positive change to the power sector.
She says the Government had been driving the process by coordinating key stakeholders’ input and working with the ministry of finance to secure financing and to enter into efficient commercial and contractual arrangements to deliver the PPI.
The Federal Government has reassured Nigerians of the quick return of peace to all terrorism-affected villages and communities across the country.
Vice President Professor Yemi Osinbajo urged Nigerians to continue to expect significant changes and improvement in the security architecture of the country, saying some measures are being put in place by the Federal Government.
Emir, HRH Abdulmumini Kabir Usman commended the Vice President for the visit which he described as historic and important especially as the problem of insecurity has become a source of concern to many.
The United Arab Emirates will resume passenger flights from Nigeria and 11 other African countries on Saturday, January 29.
UAE’s National Crisis and Emergency Management Authority says entry into the UAE for arrivals from Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Nigeria, the Republic of the Congo, the Republic of South Africa, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, and Zimbabwe is allowed again.
The country’s agency says entry procedures have been updated for flights originating from Ghana, Rwanda, and Uganda.
It added that passengers arriving from these three countries to the UAE must have a negative COVID-19 test obtained within 48 hours of departure from the approved labs in their respective countries.
The International Monetary Fund has retained its 2022 growth forecast for Nigeria at 2.7 per cent and increased the 2023 projection by 0.1 per cent to 2.7 per cent.
The IMF had in its October report last year projected a 2.7 per cent growth rate for 2022 and 2.6 per cent for 2023.
The IMF downgraded its growth forecast for sub-Saharan Africa to 3.7 per cent and 4.0 per cent for 2022 and 2023 respectively from 3.6 per cent and 3.9 per cent forecast in its October 2021 WEO report.
The IMF also reduced its forecast for global economic growth to 4.4 per cent in 2023, representing 0.5 percentage points lower than the 4.9 per cent projected in October.
The Minister of Finance, Budget and Economic Planning, Zainab Ahmed, says that the Federal Government had postponed the planned removal of subsidies on petroleum products till further notice.
The finance minister says the Federal Government initially had plans to remove subsidies on petroleum products from July this year.
She says that was the reason adequate provision was made in the 2022 national budget for subsidy payment till June.
She says the provision was made sequel to the passage of the Petroleum Industry Act which indicated that all petroleum products would be deregulated.
Chairman of the council, Samuel Nwanosike says that at least 112 illegal refineries have been discovered in Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State.
He says that 99% of the discoveries were made in a particular community located along the OML 17 trunk lines.
Governor Nyesom Wike had pledged N460 million to the 23 local government area chairmen to fight oil bunkering in the state.
Each chairman will receive N20 million to destroy illegal refinery sites that have been identified in their respective domains.
Former Head of State Abdulsalami Abubakar raised concerns over the removal of fuel subsidies.
General Abdulsalami says the country is facing challenges on multiple fronts and a fuel subsidy removal will only compound the situation.
The Federal Government says it plans to discontinue the payment of fuel subsidy by June but the move has been rejected by several stakeholders, including the Nigeria Labour Congress.
General Abdulsalami says Nigeria now faces a food security crisis that is compounded by the COVID-19 global pandemic and the banditry in many states in Northern Nigeria.
The Senate President, Ahmed Lawan says that President Muhammadu Buhari has not directed anyone in his administration to implement the removal of petroleum subsidies.
The Senate President says that lawmakers are worried about the agitations and protests across the country on the matter, which prompted the discussion with the President.
Lawan further questioned the claim that Nigerians consume a hundred million litres of the Premium Motor Spirit daily.
The Senate President explained that while it is impossible to consume that much within the boundaries of the country alone, there is a need to critically investigate to discover the truth.
Governors of the Peoples Democratic Party have asked President Muhammadu Buhari to restructure Nigeria’s security architecture.
The governors noted that the strategies deployed to confront terrorists, kidnappers, bandits and other criminals is still a major problem for the current administration.
The governors want Mr President to reconsider his position and consider decentralisation and restructuring of the security architecture as the most viable solution, together with proper arming, funding and training requirements for security agencies.
The Federal Government has asked Saudi Arabia to lift the travel restrictions it imposed on Nigerian travellers following the outbreak of the omicron variant of the COVID-19 in South Africa that was later discovered among some travellers said to have visited Nigeria.
Ambassador Zubairu Dada, the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, urged the Saudi Authorities to review the travel restrictions it placed on Nigerians over the Omicron outbreak as already done by many countries who have earlier banned Nigeria.
The Minister expressed optimism for a timely response to Nigeria’s request from Saudi Arabia.
Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike inspected two illegal refining sites recently discovered in Ikwerre and Emohua local government areas by the council chairmen.
The Governor ordered the arrest of those sponsoring the operation of the illegal refineries in the state, some of whom are said to be prominent businessmen in the state.
Wike urged the police to go after the culprits and directed the State Attorney-General, Professor Zacchaeus Adangor to take over the files of those arrested far from the police for state prosection.
He also demanded the redeployment of a divisional police officer said to be involved in the illegal activities in Emohua local government area.
President Muhammadu Buhari has directed that the national flag be flown at half-mast, effective from the 12th to 14th of January, 2022, as a mark of respect for the former Head of State Ernest Adegunle Oladeinde Shonekan, who died on Tuesday, January 11.
Chief Ernest Shonekan, who headed the Interim National Government that succeeded the military regime of General Ibrahim Babangida, died on Tuesday at the age of 85.
He was the interim head of the Nigerian Government between August 26, 1993, and November 17, 1993, but was ousted in a coup led by late General Sani Abacha.
Greece has donated about one million doses of the Johnson and Johnson COVID-19 vaccine to Nigeria as the Federal Government moves to ensure more citizens are vaccinated against the disease.
A delegation from the European country led by its Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nikolaos Dendias, says Nigeria and Greece have enjoyed a favourable bond over the years and that his country was even willing to expand the relationship.
The Greek minister explained that such an expansion would culminate in the signing of Memoranda of Understanding on various issues affecting both countries.
Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, declared 19 individuals wanted for operating illegal crude oil refining sites which are responsible for the black soot menace in Rivers State.
The governor directed the Rivers State Head of Service to query Mr Temple Amakiri, a Director in the Ministry of Energy, for abetting bunkering activities and hand him over to the police for investigation and possible prosecution.
He assured the people of Rivers State that his government is determined to effectively tackle the soot menace by destroying and closing down all identified illegal crude oil refining sites and activities across the state.
President Muhammadu Buhari has pledged to assist Mali in every way possible within the ambits of the Economic Community of West African States.
The president made the promise when he received a special envoy from Mali’s Minister of Territorial Administration and Decentralization, Colonel Abdoulaye Maiga at the State House.
Buhari says that every country has its issues and even Nigeria had fought her own civil war, it is impossible to know the totality of the internal politics within Mali.
He also met with the head of the ECOWAS Mediation Team and former President of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan in a parley, at the statehouse.
The Lagos State Government has cleared five students and five employees of Dowen College accused of complicity in the death of 12-year-old Sylvester Oromoni.
The state cleared them as well as the school following the Legal Advice of the Director of Public Prosecution, DPP, Ms Adetutu Oshinusi.
The advice says the interim and final autopsy reports issued by the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital and toxicology report of post mortem samples and that of the Central Hospital, Warri was in agreement as to the cause of death namely: Septicaemia, Lobar Pneumonia with Acute Pyelonephritis, Pyomyositis of the right ankle and Acute Bacteria Pneumonia due to severe Sepsis.
Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu has assured that the fourth quarter of 2022 completion time of the red and blue line rail projects in the State remains on course.
Governor Sanwo-Olu expressed satisfaction with the pace of work at the stations, noting that the contractors were on course and hoped that they would round up works on the Blue and Red line rails according to the schedule for commercial activities this year.
The Chairman, Senate Committee on Army, Senator Ali Ndume has asked the Federal Government to name and arrest those that finance terrorism in the country.
Ndume says he was prosecuted by the Federal Government for sponsoring Boko Haram.
He noted that his offence was because the Department of State Services tracked a phone and uncovered a call made by the spokesman of the insurgents.
He also criticised security agencies for not doing a proper investigation before subjecting him to public ridicule.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President, Garba Shehu, says President Muhammadu Buhari will not hamper the implementation of the 2022 budget despite the numerous changes made by the National Assembly.
The presidential spokesman dismissed reports of a crisis between his principal and the federal lawmakers.
He noted that while it is true that the President expressed disagreement with these and many of the other alterations, including the reduction in the provisions for many strategic capital projects to introduce Empowerment Projects, innumerable lies are being spread about the President being angry at, had blasted or lashed out at the Parliament.
Telecom consumers under the aegis of the National Association of Telecoms Subscribers have kicked against the plan by the Federal Government to introduce a suite of digital tokens to enhance the verification of the National Identity Number, effective January next year
The federal government says the digital tokens consisting of 16 alphabets and numbers will be accepted for third-party verification, instead of the 11-digit NIN.
The President, NATS, Adeolu Ogunbanjo, however, says the move was currently uncalled for, and shouldn’t be implemented without proper consultation with stakeholders.
The National Assembly has transmitted the 2022 Appropriation Bill to President Muhammadu Buhari for assent.
The House of Representatives and the Senate passed the Federal Governmentʼs budget on Tuesday and Wednesday last week, respectively, raising the total estimates from the proposed N16.391tn to N17.126tn. The oil benchmark was raised from the proposed $57 per barrel to $62.
President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, had said the budget would be transmitted to Buhari by Thursday.
The National Assembly had with the 2022 budget returned the country to a January-December budget cycle.
Buhari had signed the 2021 Appropriation Bill into law on January 1, 2021, while itʼs life cycle was expected to expire on December 31, but for the recent extension of the lifespan of its capital component three months by the National Assembly.
The President is expected to assent to the money bill by Saturday.
The Federal Executive Council meeting has approved N65.39bn in foreign and local denominations to execute power projects in the country.
The Minister of Power, Abubakar Aliyu, says the extraordinary session was to ensure the country begins 2022 on a clean slate in the area of electricity supply.
Aliyu says the Buhari regime had done more than its predecessors to ensure that Nigerians experience improved electric power supply.
President Muhammadu has declined assent to the Electoral Act Amendment Bill over the direct primaries clause.
President Buhari in a letter sent to the National Assembly cited several issues with the clause.
The President explained that direct primaries are expensive. Adding that it will put a financial burden on the country’s resources.
He further noted that conducting direct primary elections will be tasking, explaining that since such mode of election means a large turnout of voters, the move would stretch the security agencies.
The Nigerian leader equally fears that with direct primaries, citizens’ rights will be violated while smaller political parties may face marginalisation.
The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission says that three neighbouring countries did not make any payment for the second quarter of 2021.
The NERC revealed that Togo, Benin Republic, and Niger and some other special customers were issued a total bill of N770m by the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading company and the Market Operator of the Transmission Company of Nigeria.
The report however stated that no payment was made, adding that it is hoped the outstanding will still be paid when things begin to look up for those economies, as the pandemic played a great role in the non-remittance experienced.
The Commission further stated that it has through the applicable orders set a minimum remittance threshold for each Disco having adjusted for their tariff shortfall.
The Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, says that the Abuja-Kaduna train service generates at least three hundred million nairas for the country every month.
Amaechi says his ministry is beginning to contribute to the nation’s economic growth.
He disclosed that the government is planning to put about 16 trains on the Lagos-Ibadan rail line, stressing that this will increase revenue generation from that axis.
The minister says the country is capable of meeting its loan requirements.
Statistics from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control revealed that the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Nigeria increased to 220,020 with 1,424 additional cases confirmed on Wednesday.
The NCDC says that the new infections were recorded from 15 states in the country.
The number of confirmed cases of the virus in the country currently stands at 220, 020 cases while 211,292 cases have been discharged and 2,983 deaths have been recorded in 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory
The UK government has removed Nigeria and 10 other countries from a red list in the wake of the new Omicron variant of the COVID-19.
The red list was reintroduced in late November as a precaution after the emergence of the Omicron variant.
The ministers however have cited the further spread of the variant as a reason for reviewing travel rules.
All UK arrivals from red list countries must take COVID tests within 48 hours of setting off for the UK and PCR tests within two days of their arrival.
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Saturday expressed optimism that young Nigerian graduates can provide solutions to the biggest challenges confronting the nation.
The Vice President says while young Nigerians, particularly the OAU graduands, stood on the shoulders of great men and women before them, the onus is on their generation to “deal with the biggest issues that confront the world, and our nation.
Lagos Waste Management Authority has commended some markets and business facilities in the state, for supporting its drive to sustain effective waste management across the state, by ensuring their business transactions were carried out in a hygienic environment.
The Managing Director/CEO of LAWMA, Mr Ibrahim Odumboni, eulogised the markets, particularly, Tejuosho Market, Alaba International Market, Ayangburen Market, Sabo Ikorodu; Agege Main Market, Elemoro Market, Bodije; for setting the standard for other markets to emulate, regarding environmental hygiene around their facilities.
Odumboni stated that the task of keeping the city clean was a collective responsibility, where different stakeholders, including markets, were expected to play their parts, by making sure that indiscriminate and reckless disposal of waste, was totally eradicated.
The LAWMA boss called on traders at Mushin Main Market, Jakande Market, Ajah; Irepodun Market, Oko Oba; Ayetoro Market, Epe, and Alaba Arago, to redouble their efforts at restoring cleanliness to their markets, which in recent times had experienced the upsurge of indiscriminate waste disposal, warning that the Authority would not hesitate to shut down markets caught flouting the state’s environmental laws.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, has condemned the red listing of Nigeria by the UK government over the two cases of the omicron variant of COVID-19.
Mr Mohammed described the decision as unjust and discriminatory.
The minister has, however, called on the UK government to rescind their decision immediately.
He also discussed the way forward and the upscale of the current responses to the pandemic including ongoing mass vaccination, surveillance and screening at the various points of entry.
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The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited has put the amount spent on subsidising petrol, between January and October 2021, at N1.03tn.
The NNPC says it would deduct its October 2021 value shortfall of N199bn from its November 2021 proceeds meant for sharing at the December 2021 Federation Accounts Allocation Committee meeting.
The oil firm referred to its subsidy spending as under-recovery, as it had repeatedly stated that it had no authorisation by the National Assembly to pay subsidy.
The Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, has expressed disappointment over the United Kingdom government’s placement of Nigeria on its red list following the detection of the COVID-19 Omicron variant.
The minister says, there are many ways to manage the COVID-19 and not much is still known about the Omicron variant.
He says the move was ill-advised as he noted that it would have multiple impacts on commerce, and disrupt activities during the Christmas and New Year festivities.
Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila has reiterated the determination of the House of Representatives to support the development of education in Nigeria.
Gbajabiamila noted that education ranked topmost on the Legislative Agenda of the 9th House of Representatives because it remained the foundation of development in any society.
He says education is the foundation of civilisation and development and many members are trying to get tertiary institutions to their locality.
He added that Education remains the priority and everything will be done to bring it to fruition.
The Nigerian government has reassured the Republic of South Africa that it will continue to strengthen bilateral ties and work together to promote Africa’s development.
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama says both countries have common interests which must be used to move Africa forward.
He says the people of Southern Africa and West Africa are indeed brothers although separated by the distance they have the same outlook and aspiration.
He is confident that the conclusion and the implementation of these agreements would cause a significant improvement in relations between the peoples of our two great countries.
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo says that the public sector is critical for national development, very vital for governance, and quality public service delivery.
Prof. Osinbajo noted at the secretariat that the commissioning was historic because the seat of the civil service of any arm of government anywhere in the world is usually one of the major monuments enshrining not just the power, but also the splendour of the authority of government.
He says the imposing complex clearly meets this requirement and in due course, such buildings become historical monuments.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control says it was monitoring emerging evidence on the new COVID-19 variant, Omicron, which was first recently identified in Southern Africa.
The NCDC in a statement signed by its Director-General, Dr Ifedayo Adetifa, said the fears about its ability to evade protective immune responses and/or its being vaccine-resistant are only theoretical so far.
The NCDC urged Nigerians to take necessary precautions while noting that the WHO and researchers across the world are working at speed to gain an understanding of the likely impact of this variant on the severity of COVID-19 and on the potency of existing vaccines and therapeutics.
The Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, believes Nigeria is on the right path to economic diversification focusing on non-oil exports, with the zero-oil plan actively promoted by the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC).
The Vice President commended the outgoing NEPC chief for his foresight, and for putting in place a well-structured and detailed plan.
He says it is important to note that Nigeria is certainly getting away from the oil and gas era.
President Muhammadu Buhari has suspended the inauguration of the newly constituted Board of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited.
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Boss Mustapha, revealed that the inauguration of the Board, initially scheduled to hold on Wednesday, was suspended indefinitely.
Mustapha says President Muhammadu Buhari has directed the immediate suspension of the inauguration of the newly constituted Board of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited scheduled for Wednesday 24th November 2021 until further notice.
He says a new date for the inauguration of the Board will be announced in due course.
The Independent National Electoral Commission and civil society organisations called on President Muhammadu Buhari to sign the Electoral Act Amendment Bill.
The Executive Director, Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre, Clement Nwankwo, asked Buhari to use the weekly Federal Executive Council meeting to sign the bill while the INEC National Commissioner, Festus Okoye said assent will help improve its preparations for future polls.
Nwankwo says it is expedient for the electoral act amendment bill to be signed for the overall benefit of Nigerians.
A chieftain of the People's Democratic Party, Senator Shehu Sani says Nigerian politicians fear western sanctions more than the local laws.
He says the Nigerian political class fear foreign sanctions more than the laws of the land because they believe that as long as they belong to the circle of power, they can do anything and get away with it.
He added that they have had cases of people engaging in all sorts of violence during elections and they go scout free.
The Minority Caucus in the House of Representatives says it has reviewed the Lagos EndSARS report and observed that the Federal Government has questions to answer.
The lawmakers in a statement said the report has confirmed that there was indeed a massacre at Lekki Toll Gate on October 20, 2020, despite the earlier denial of killings.
The Minority caucus also flayed the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed for rushing to the media, ahead of the judicial panel, to insist that there were no killings at Lekki Tollgate, even in the face of testimonies of witnesses at the sad event.
They described it as a shocking attempt to cover up details of the October 20 event demanding that justice be served.
The Libyan general, Khalifa Haftar has announced that he intends to run in the presidential election due next month.
Gen Haftar says elections were the only way out of Libya's severe crisis.
The military prosecutor, Mohamed Gharouda, had already asked the electoral authorities to reject Gen Haftar's possible candidacy, because of the offensive he launched against the capital, Tripoli, in 2019.
The million to CGI Merchant Group, which plans to remove ex-president Donald Trumpâs name from the luxury propertyâs facade.
The Wall Street Journal says the Miami-based investment fund has struck a separate agreement with Hilton Worldwide Holdings to rebrand the Trump International Hotel as a Waldorf Astoria.
The historic building just a short walk from the White House and down Pennsylvania Avenue from the US Capitol is not owned by the Trump Organization.
The Trump Organization invested some $200 million in the renovation of the building, which was constructed in the late 19th century and is on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Austrian government has ordered a nationwide lockdown for people who have not been vaccinated against COVID-19, a measure aimed at slowing the fast spread of the disease in the country.
The move prohibits unvaccinated individuals older than age 12 from leaving their homes except for basic activities such as working, grocery shopping, going for a walk â or getting vaccinated.
Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg says it is their job as the government of Austria to protect the people.
Authorities are concerned about rising deaths and that hospital staff will no longer be able to handle the growing influx of COVID-19 patients.
The lockdown affects about 2 million people in the country of 8.9 million people.
Russian President Vladimir Putin told the European Union it needs to start talks withâ¯Belarusâ¯if it hopes to resolve a crisis over hundreds of migrants trapped on the border with Poland.
Poland is refusing to allow the migrants to cross, accusing Minsk of luring them toâ¯Belarusâ¯to send across the border in revenge for sanctions.
The EU has so far refused any direct contact withâ¯Belarusâs strongman leader Alexander Lukashenko, who warned that any new sanctions would be met with a response, including potentially cutting off natural gas transit to Europe.
Merkel had called Putin to ask him to use his influence on Lukashenko to end the crisis.
The Pakistani government and the armed group Pakistan Taliban have agreed to a one-month ceasefire.
Government spokesman Fawad Chaudhry says the Taliban government in Afghanistan helped facilitate the ceasefire between the government of Prime Minister Imran Khan and the banned outfit.
Chaudhry says the government of Pakistan and banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan have agreed on a complete ceasefire.
State broadcaster Pakistan Television reports that the minister said the focus of the talks was on state sovereignty, national security, peace, social and economic stability in the areas concerned.
UK visitors are now able to travel to the US for the first time in nearly two years.
The border reopened at 05:01 GMT and the first flights take off from Heathrow at 08:30 - but all UK visitors over 18 will have to provide proof of vaccination to enter the US.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has called this a significant moment for UK-US travel. He added that transatlantic flights are at the heart of UK aviation.
The travel ban is being lifted for people from Brazil, China, India, Ireland, South Africa, Iran and the Schengen countries - a group of 26 European nations.
The United States has approved a $650m sale of air-to-air missiles to Saudi Arabia in what would be the Biden administrationâs first major weapons deal with the Gulf kingdom.
The Pentagon says the US State Department approved the sale to help Riyadh counter current and future threats.
The Pentagon says this proposed sale will support US foreign policy and national security of the United States by helping to improve the security of a friendly country that continues to be an important force for political and economic progress in the Middle East.
It added that Massachusetts-based firm Raytheon would be the principal contractor for the sale of AIM-120C-7/C-8 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles and related equipment.
At least four persons have died after a high-rise building collapsed in the Ikoyi area of Lagos on Monday.
Some five persons have also been rescued alive as rescue operations intensified into the night. More people are believed to still be trapped in the rubble.
The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency says it was fully on the ground with heavy-duty equipment and life detection equipment have been dispatched.
The President prays for Godâs intervention in the ongoing rescue operations.
G20 leaders meeting in Rome committed to the key goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius and pledged action on the use of coal, but fell short on a target of zero emissions, according to a final draft communique.
The pledges by the Group of 20 major economies, who emit nearly 80 per cent of carbon emissions, are viewed as crucial to the success of make-or-break UN climate talks taking place in Glasgow over the next fortnight.
The leaders agreed to keep in play key commitments agreed at the landmark 2015 Paris accords.
Appzone Group, sub-Saharan Africaâs leading fintech software company has announced the launch of Zone, the continentâs first blockchain platform for payment processing that facilitates local and Intra-African payments in fiat and digital currencies.
CEO of Appzone Switch, Uche Elendu says Zone Switch represents the cashless and borderless future of payments in Africa adding that the platform will eliminate the systemic risk associated with centralized payment systems while delivering the uptime and throughput required in a truly cashless society.â
He says the team at Appzone Switch are looking to evolve the platformâs digital token for settlement into a stable Pan-African digital currency that is fully compliant, approved by Central Banks, and backed by a basket of fiat currencies in Africa.
Poland Defence Minister Mariusz Blaszczak says the country will increase to 10,000 the number of soldiers deployed to help border guards stop migrant crossings from Belarus,
He says they are increasing the number of soldiers to help the border guard service by 2,500. Soon, about 10,000 soldiers will be guarding the security of the border.
The EU believes the Belarusian regime is deliberately sending the migrants over in retaliation against EU sanctions.
U.S. tech giant Google has paid Russia more than 32 million roubles in fines for failing to delete content Moscow deems illegal.
Russia said it seek to fine the U.S. tech giant a percentage of its annual Russian turnover later this month for repeatedly failing to delete banned content on its search engine and YouTube, in Moscowâs strongest move yet to rein in foreign tech firms.
Marco Pancini, YouTube director for interacting with state authorities in EMEA, says that Google had paid all enforced fines on time. These stood at 32.5 million roubles for this year.
Communications regulator Roskomnadzor says it has the technical capability to slow down the speed of YouTube, Interfax reported, but that administrative measures are currently sufficient.
European Union leaders pressured a defiant Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki to fall back into line on recognising that EU law trumps national decision-making, hoping that dialogue will stave off a fundamental crisis in the bloc.
Morawiecki instead painted a picture of an overbearing union treating its 27 member nations as mere provinces, usurping ever more powers and feeling free to impose its values at will against the wishes of sovereign peoples.
He countered that Poland will not act under the pressure of blackmail.
Moscowâs mayor ordered the cityâs first coronavirus restrictions since the summer, as Russia registered 1,015 daily COVID deaths.
The government is considering keeping people off work for a week to reduce social contact in a bid to lower the tide of infections.
President Vladimir Putin is expected to decide on Wednesday which government measures put to him should be implemented to curb the spread of the virus across the country.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin ordered unvaccinated over-60s in the capital to work from home and extended mandatory vaccinations for service workers. Sobyanin also told employers to move 30 per cent of their staff to home working.
The Ethiopian government says recent attacks by the Ethiopian rebel group, the Tigray Peopleâs Liberation Front have claimed the lives of at least 30 civilians.
The government says the TPLF targeted areas in Amhara and Afar regional states, which both border Tigray, in unwarranted attacks against innocent civilians.
TPLF spokesman Getachew Reda says civilians were targeted but the federal government denies launching an attack.
The TPLF, which regards itself as the legitimate authority in Tigray, has not responded to the allegations.
Former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown has called for an immediate airlift of unused COVID jabs to countries in the global south.
Brown, an adviser to the World Health Organization is pressing the leaders of Canada, the European Union, the United Kingdom and the United States to hold an emergency summit to agree on the airlift ahead of the G20 meeting later this month.
He says an airlift of 240 million doses this month could save 100,000 lives.
He says It would be the first part of a plan to transfer a billion vaccine doses from rich countries to lower-income countries over several months.
The Nigerian Communications Commission has confirmed it is 97% ready for the implementation of 5G deployment in the country.
NCC Executive Vice Chairman, Professor Umar Danbatta, stated that this paradigm shift in communication has led to a significant increase in network connectivity requirements as a result of an unprecedented upsurge in internet traffic, occasioned by the use of a plethora of web applications.
He explained that the NCC is working with operators to implement a number of initiatives to ensure network expansion.
Qatar believes that recognising the Taliban government in Afghanistan is not a priority now and that the focus should be on engaging with the new administration and addressing humanitarian issues.
Mutlaq al-Qahtani, the special envoy of the Qatari foreign minister, called for other countries to engage more deeply with the Taliban as Afghanistanâs de facto authority while urging the group to act as a responsible administration and respect the right of women to work and girls to attend school.
Al-Qahtani explained that although the group wants international recognition and agreed on a peace deal with the US, it has resorted to public hangings and other brutal tactics since taking power.
Indian and Chinese say talks between both army commanders to disengage troops from key friction areas along their border have ended in a stalemate and failed to ease a 17-month standoff that has sometimes led to deadly clashes.
Indiaâs defence ministry in a statement, says it gave constructive suggestions but the Chinese side was not agreeable and could not provide any forward-looking proposals.
A statement from a Chinese military spokesperson says the Indian side sticks to unreasonable and unrealistic demands, adding difficulties to the negotiations.
Brazil star Neymar says that the 2022 World Cup will be his last as he doesnât have the strength to put up with more footballâ.
He says he doesnât know if he will still have the mental strength to put up with even more football.
Neymar says that he will do everything to get to the 2022 World Cup in great shape and will do everything to win for his country and fulfil his biggest dream.
Nobel Prize award body says Tanzanian author Abdulrazak Gurnah has won the 2021 Nobel Prize in literature.
The prestigious prize was awarded by the Swedish Academy, which cited Gurnahâs uncompromising and compassionate penetration of the effects of colonialism and the fate of the refugee in the gulf between cultures and continents.
He has published 10 novels and a number of short stories. He is best known for his 1994 novel âParadiseâ, set in colonial East Africa during World War I, which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize for Fiction.
Johnson & Johnson says it had submitted data to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for emergency use authorization of a booster shot of its COVID-19 vaccine in people aged 18 years and older.
J&J says its submission includes data from a late-stage study that found a booster of its vaccine given 56 days after the primary dose provided 94% protection against symptomatic COVID-19 in the United States and 100% protection against severe disease, at least 14 days after the booster shot.
The FDA has already authorized a booster dose of the vaccine developed by Pfizer Inc and partner BioNTech for 65-year olds and older, people at high risk of severe disease and others who are regularly exposed to the virus.
A senior official says the United Arab Emirates is trying to manage long-running rivalries with Iran and Turkey through dialogue to avoid any new confrontations in the region as the Gulf state hones in on its economy post-COVID-19.
Anwar Gargash, the diplomatic adviser to the UAE president, says there was uncertainty about the United Statesâ commitment to the region and concern about a looming Cold War between Washington and Beijing.
Gargash says they will observe in the coming period what really is going on with regards to Americaâs footprint in the region.
Qatarâs top diplomat says the Talibanâs moves on girlsâ education in Afghanistan are very disappointing and called on the groupâs leadership to look to Doha for how to run an Islamic system.
Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani was referring to, among other things, the Talibanâs refusal to allow Afghan female secondary school students to resume their studies, weeks after the group took power.
Doha has become a key broker in Afghanistan following last monthâs withdrawal of US forces, helping to evacuate thousands of foreigners and Afghans, engaging the new Taliban rulers and supporting operations at Kabul airport.
The Nigerian government says it has suspended the passports of more than 2,000 Nigerians accused of violating Covid-prevention protocols after returning from abroad.
Dr Mukhtar Mohammed says that the passports would remain suspended for a year.
Nigeria has strengthened its surveillance system at airports, seaports and land borders.
People arriving from places such as India, South Africa, Brazil and Turkey are expected to be in quarantine for 14 days at government-approved facilities.
Officials say Thailand is to cut the quarantine for vaccinated travellers to seven days starting in October, as it seeks to revive its battered tourism industry.
Authorities say that starting on Friday, the quarantine period for fully jabbed visitors will be seven days, halved from the current 14-day period â provided they have a vaccination certificate.
Visitors without certification will have to quarantine for 10 days if they enter by plane and 14 days if they come overland. All will require at least two negative Covid tests.
Government deputy spokeswoman Rachada Dhanadirek waved off concerns about unvaccinated travellers entering the kingdom.
Russiaâs foreign minister says Russia, China, Pakistan, and the United States are working together to ensure Afghanistanâs new Taliban rulers keep their promises, especially to form a genuinely representative government and prevent violence from spreading.
Sergey Lavrov says representatives from Russia, China, and Pakistan recently travelled to Qatar and then to Afghanistanâs capital, Kabul, to engage with the Taliban and representatives of secular authorities.
Lavrov says the interim government announced by the Taliban does not reflect the whole gamut of Afghan society ethnoreligious and political forces so they are engaging in contacts.
The US House of Representatives has approved $1bn in additional funding for Israelâs Iron Dome missile defence system after days of controversy around the push.
Legislators passed the bill in a 420 to nine vote on Thursday, paving the way for a significant increase in US support for the system.
The bill will now go to the Senate, where it is expected to pass easily before being signed into law by President Joe Biden, who already has signalled support for the additional aid.
The move came amid the growing number of progressive voices in Congress are calling on Biden to condition US assistance to Israel on the countryâs human rights record.
The US House of Representatives is moving to approve $6.3bn in emergency assistance to help resettle Afghan refugees in the United States after the countryâs evacuation operation from Kabul last month.
The funds are part of a larger $28.6bn disaster relief and stopgap government funding bill expected to be passed in the House.
Representative Deborah Ross, a House Democrat says the funding will ensure the government agencies involved in the resettlement process have the capacity necessary to help our Afghan allies build new lives in safety in the United States.
The Biden administration has signalled plans to double the United Statesâs refugee admissions cap for the next fiscal year, reaffirming a commitment to bolster a resettlement programme that was gutted by former President Donald Trump.
The Department of State announced that the administration sent a report to Congress recommending that the limit be raised from 62,500 to 125,000 in the next fiscal year, which begins on October 1, 2021.
State Department spokesman Ned Price in a statement says with the world facing unprecedented global displacement and humanitarian needs, the United States is committed to lead efforts to provide protection and promote durable solutions to humanitarian crises, including providing resettlement for the most vulnerable.
The United Nations Security Council has urged Somaliaâs feuding government leaders to resolve their disagreements through dialogue and give top priority to holding long-delayed national elections this year.
The body in a statement also called on the federal government and regional states to ensure that any political differences do not divert from united action against al-Shabab and other militant groups.
The text approved by all council members followed emergency consultations on Somaliaâs worsening political crisis, which has raised regional and international concerns that elections could be threatened and the wider region could face further destabilisation.
Council members expressed deep concern about the ongoing disagreement within the Somali government and the negative impact on the electoral timetable and process.
The United States Federal Reserve is reviewing the ethics policies that govern the financial holdings and activities of its senior officials in the wake of recent disclosures that two regional Fed presidents engaged in extensive trading last year.
Financial disclosure forms show that Robert Kaplan, president of the Dallas Federal Reserve Bank, in 2020 traded millions of dollars of stock in companies such as Apple, Amazon, and Google, while Eric Rosengren, president of the Boston Fed, traded in stocks and real estate investment trusts.
Both Kaplan and Rosengren said last week that their trades were permitted under the Fedâs ethics rules.
They however said they would sell their holdings at the end of this month and place the money in index funds, which track a wide range of securities, or in cash.
The US Justice Department says three hackers working for a company in the United Arab Emirates for the benefit of the government in Abu Dhabi has agreed to pay $1.68m in penalties as part of a legal settlement in the United States.
The Justice Department in a statement says the suspects, two US citizens and one former American citizen, provided zero-click computer hacking services to the UAE company that could compromise a device without any action by the target.
The Justice Department says all three previously worked for the US intelligence community or the US military,.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Mark Lesko says Hackers-for-hire and those who otherwise support such activities in violation of US law should fully expect to be prosecuted for their criminal conduct.
The UN human rights chief says gross violations continue to be perpetrated by all sides in Ethiopia's Tigray conflict and has warned that the country risks being torn apart.
Michelle Bachelet says civilian suffering was widespread.
She accused the Ethiopian government forces and their allies of mass detentions, killings, sexual violence, systematic looting, forced displacement and detention of civilians.
The UN rights chief also highlighted allegations that Tigrayan forces were recruiting child soldiers, attacking civilians in neighbouring regions and causing mass displacement.
Japan and Vietnam have agreed to step up cooperation amid worries about Chinaâs growing military influence, signing a new deal that enables the export of Japanese-made defence equipment and technology to Hanoi.
Japanâs Defence Minister Nobuo Kishi says the deal elevates the two countriesâ defence partnership to a new level and that Japan and Vietnam plan to deepen defence ties through multinational joint exercises and other means.
The Japanese Defence Ministry in a statement says details about the transfer of specific equipment, including naval vessels, will be worked out in subsequent talks,
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi also says China and Vietnam should refrain from any unilateral actions regarding the South China Sea that could complicate the situation and magnify disagreements.
Iran has emphasised its calls for the formation of an inclusive government in neighbouring Afghanistan, shortly after the Taliban formed what it said was an interim cabinet.
A foreign ministry statement says Iranian top diplomat Hossein Amirabdollahian told his peers Iran was following up on the formation of an inclusive government with the participation of all people and hoped the Taliban would abide by its promises for such an administration.
He says the experience has shown that a non-inclusive government does nothing to help stability, peace and progress in Afghanistan.
Iran has responded with defiance to a critical report by the United Nationsâ nuclear watchdog, signalling a difficult path ahead as world powers continue to try to restore the countryâs 2015 nuclear deal.
The International Atomic Energy Agency says in two confidential reports cited by Western media outlets, that Iran has continued to increase production of high-enriched uranium while failing to resume full cooperation with nuclear inspectors.
It also said the watchdog is deeply concerned about the longstanding issue of the presence of nuclear materials at several undeclared locations, something it says Iran has yet to adequately explain.
Britain says it would do its utmost to rescue more than 300 Afghans who helped its armed forces but are now languishing under the new Taliban regime.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson failed to answer a question on how many British-Afghans remained after a hurried Western airlift was ended.
He says thousands made it out from Kabul on packed Royal Air Force planes, but 311 people were left behind who are eligible for the UKâs Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy, such as interpreters.
Johnson demanded the Taliban honour commitments to allow out those wishing to leave, and to respect womenâs rights if the militia wants to gain access to billions of dollars in Afghan funds frozen overseas.
Dozens of women took to the streets of the capital to demand their right to work, a role in any future government, and a seat at the table in discussions with the Taliban. The protest began with 50 women marching towards the presidential palace. Razia Barakzai, a protester told Al Jazeera that the women were stopped near the entrance to the finance ministry, where the Taliban surrounded them and kept them from continuing on their march towards the palace entrance. Barakzai says the Taliban had employed both pepper spray and tear gas to try and disburse the crowd. Barakzai says the Taliban which tried to encircle the protesters were wearing red banners and carrying guns.
Officials have said nearly half a million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine have arrived in Australia overnight. Australia is under pressure to ramp up its vaccination programme and last week agreed deals with the United Kingdom and Singapore for a total of about 4.5 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, double this month’s supply. Lieutenant General John Frewen, head of the vaccination task force, told broadcaster ABC that there will be another set of flights in a couple of days, but they will be getting a million of the four million every week over the next four weeks. Frewen says one million doses of Moderna will also reach Australia in a week or so expanding a vaccine rollout, which also includes AstraZeneca.
The UAE announced a new visa allowing foreigners to work in the country without being sponsored by an employer, loosening residency requirements in an attempt to boost economic growth. Foreigners in the oil-rich United Arab Emirates are generally only given limited visas tied to their employment, and long-term residency is difficult to obtain. officials say those holding the new green visa will be able to work without company sponsorship, and can sponsor their parents and children up to 25 years old. Minister of State for Foreign Trade Thani al-Zeyoudi says It targets highly skilled individuals, investors, business people, entrepreneurs, as well exceptional students and postgraduates.
South Africa’s former president Jacob Zuma was placed on medical parole just two months into his term. The Department of Correctional Services in a statement says that Zuma’s medical parole took effect on Sunday and he will serve the rest of the 15-month prison sentence outside the jail. The statement says Zuma will complete the remainder of the sentence in the system of community corrections, whereby he must comply with a specific set of conditions and will be subjected to supervision until his sentence expires. It added that the decision was motivated by a medical report the department received.
Western diplomats in South Sudan have said the government should respect freedom of expression, including the right to peaceful protest. Their joint statement follows the arrest of a number of activists in the wake of a call by a group calling itself People’s Coalition for Civil Action, which is allegedly planning an anti-government protest on Sunday. The diplomats said freedom of expression was needed in parliament and in society at large, adding that freedom of assembly must also be protected. They pointed out that these were universal rights enshrined in South Sudan's transitional constitution.
Soldiers who seized power in Guinea have ordered government ministers and national figures to attend a meeting later on Monday. The special force's officers warned that anybody who failed to appear would be regarded as a rebel. They said regional governors have been replaced by military commanders, and the ousted president, Alpha Condé, was safe but in detention. An indefinite nationwide curfew is in force. The head of Special Forces, Colonel Mamady Doumbouya, said his soldiers had seized power because they want to end rampant corruption and mismanagement.
Zamfara Government has shut down internet and mobile phone services in the state as security forces fight to contain armed gangs who have been carrying out killings and kidnappings for ransom. The shutdown comes just days after gunmen abducted more than 70 schoolchildren in the town of Kaya-Maradun. The authorities believe it will help security forces track down gunmen behind the rising violence in the region. The kidnappers are believed to coordinate their activities and negotiate ransom payments for the release of their victims through mobile phones.
Managing Director, Financial Derivatives Company Limited and a member of President Muhammadu Buhari’s Economic Advisory Council, Mr. Bismarck Rewane has stated that Nigeria has maintained the infamous position as the poverty capital of the world, with 93.9 people in Africa’s most populous country currently living below the poverty line Rewane stated that seven million Nigerians fell into extreme poverty in 2020. The report had then stated that the number of Nigerians in extreme poverty increases by six people every minute. Rewane pointed out in the latest report that the Petroleum Industry Act, which is in the process of being implemented, would have minimal impact on new investments in the downstream sector of the Nigerian oil and gas industry.
The Director-General, Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation, Mr Folorunsho Coker has stressed the need for stakeholders in the tourism industry to collaborate in order to drive the growth of the sector. Coker says the time had come for actors in the tourism and hospitality industry to stop competing with one another and embrace collaboration to move the industry forward. He says stakeholders should collaborate rather than compete adding that the sector was the worst hit since the advent of the coronavirus. He says the COVID-19 pandemic has created a unique opportunity for advancement by accelerating the deployment of disruptive technologies to make work and living easier.
The Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending says with the release of N232 million to Gbagolo Integrated Farms Limited and TOAJ Nigeria Limited, it had so far disbursed over N128 billion for agriculture and agribusiness activities in the country since it was established about 10 years ago. Managing Director of NIRSAL Plc, Mr Aliyu Abdulhameed, says the huge investment translates to the creation of jobs, driving the growth of rural economies, and positively impacting Nigerian lives. Abdulhameed says the N232 million for Gbagolo Integrated Farms Limited and TOAJ Nigeria Limited, for investment in poultry production and cocoa export value chains in Cross River State, were sourced from Union Bank and Sterling Bank Plc.
The Nigerian Government has condemned what it describes as an apparent coup d’état in the Republic of Guinea. A spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mrs Esther Sunsuwa says the takeover of power by the military is in clear violation of the ECOWAS Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance. It says the Government of Nigeria strongly condemns and rejects any unconstitutional change of government and therefore calls on those behind this coup to restore constitutional order without delay and protect all lives and property. Incumbent President Alpha Conde who has been in office since December 2010, was said to have been arrested by the soldiers.
The federal government has expressed its readiness to withdraw the suit it instituted at the National Industrial Court against the striking Resident Doctors if the doctors return to their duty post. It also insisted on implementing the ‘no work, no pay policy against the striking doctors, saying it is a global practice which is also captured in Section 43 of the Trade Dispute Act under the International Labour Organisation. The Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige says the 12-point demands of the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors have been met. He, however, noted that the government would not be arm-twisted by the striking doctors not to follow the global standard.
The Supreme Court of the United States has refused to block a Texas law banning abortion after six weeks of pregnancy. The judges voted early on Thursday to deny an emergency appeal from abortion providers and others that sought to block enforcement of the law. The law prohibits abortions once medical professionals can detect cardiac activity, usually about six weeks and before most women know they are pregnant. The Supreme Court said its ruling does not make any conclusions on the constitutionality of the Texas law and allows legal challenges to the legislation to move forward.
The Taliban was expected to form a government as early as Friday as it faces domestic and international pressure to rule Afghanistan with greater tolerance, especially on women’s rights. Two Taliban sources told the AFP news agency that the announcement of a new administration could be made after Friday afternoon prayers as the group shift gears to governing the country while also trying to deflect an armed challenge from rebels in the Panjshir Valley region. The United Nations says it had restarted humanitarian flights to parts of the country, linking the Pakistani capital Islamabad with Mazar-i-Sharif in northern Afghanistan and Kandahar in the south.
Western Union Co says it is resuming money-transfer services to Afghanistan after suspending its operations in the Central Asian country two weeks ago as the Taliban advanced on Kabul. the company says starting September 2, 2021, Western Union will be resuming its money transfer services into Afghanistan, enabling customers from 200 countries and territories to once again send money to their loved ones in the country. The company also said it would offer a two-week, $0 transfer fee for all money transfers into Afghanistan from September 3 to 17.
The United Kingdom has announced new Myanmar sanctions, saying it was targeting a key business associate of the military government for providing arms and financial support following a coup earlier this year. The UK’s foreign ministry says it would impose an asset freeze on conglomerate Htoo Group of Companies and its founder Tay Za, adding that the tycoon was involved in arms deals on behalf of the military. It also said Htoo contributed funds to Rohingya clearance operations in 2017. The UK has previously imposed sanctions on individuals and entities in Myanmar following the February coup.
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has announced that he will not run in a ruling Liberal Democratic Party leadership race later this month, setting the stage for his replacement after just one year in office. He says running in the race and handling coronavirus countermeasures would have required an enormous amount of energy. Suga’s support ratings sink below 30 per cent as the nation struggles with its worst wave of COVID-19 infections, ahead of a general election this year. Toshihiro Nikai, the LDP’s secretary-general says President Suga wants to focus his efforts on anti-coronavirus measures and will not run in the leadership election.
Yonhap news agency reported that South Korea is in the final stages of developing a surface-to-surface ballistic missile as powerful as a tactical nuclear warhead as the country unveiled budget proposals aimed at bolstering its defences against North Korea. They report that the new weapon can carry a warhead of up to three tonnes with a flight range of 350 to 400 km. The report says it can also reach all areas of North Korea if fired from around the inter-Korean border. The project went ahead after the full lifting of US-imposed restrictions on missile development.
The United Nations says a blockade on aid routes to Ethiopia's northern region of Tigray is bringing millions to the brink of famine. A senior UN official says food supplies ran out two weeks ago. He says 170 aid trucks were stranded outside Tigray and that none of the vehicles had been allowed to enter the region for the past 12 days. The Ethiopian government denies it is blocking aid and says the vehicles are on their way to the region. The US government's humanitarian agency says Tigrayan fighters have looted its warehouses in neighbouring Amhara region.
The European Union will return millions of Johnson & Johnson vaccine doses made in South Africa to the continent. African Union’s special envoy Strive Masiyiwa told reporters that all the vaccines being produced in Africa will stay in Africa and be distributed to Africa. It follows criticism that vaccines were being shipped away from a continent that has the lowest vaccination rates in the world. Less than 3% of the continent’s population has been vaccinated.
The federal government will from September 9, 2021, commence the nationwide verification of all civil servants recruited by the Federal Civil Service Commission from 2013 to 2020. The Director of Recruitment and Appointment, Federal Civil Service Commission, Ibrahim Anjugu, stated this in a circular dated August 27, 2021. The circular added that the mandatory verification exercise would hold across the six geopolitical political zones of the country, including the Federal Capital Territory. The commission threatened that any officer who fails to turn up for the verification exercise would have his or her salary automatically stopped.
Former Inspector-General of Police, Sir Mike Okiro has advised the federal government to be two steps ahead of criminals in its resolve to address the rising security challenges facing the country. He also advised the government at the centre to adequately equip and train the nation’s security agencies in line with international standards. Okiro says the security problem is nationwide and not limited to any particular sector or organisation. He says the federal government really has to look into the security agencies and put them at par with what is happening in the outside world.
The federal government says that it will partner with journalists and the mass media in the campaign to eliminate and prevent child labour in the country. The government says there was a need to create more awareness of the dangers of child labour, and the efforts to prevent and eliminate this hydra-headed monster are now more imperative than ever. The Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Labour and Employment, Mr Yerima Tarfa, says that Nigeria is working on achieving a significant milestone in the elimination of Child Labour practices. He added that child labour and other forms of modern slavery are issues of grave concern in the global arena on account of their dire consequences, and the persistence of those consequences through generations of families.
The Enugu State House of Assembly has passed the anti-open grazing bill into law. The law was passed after the acceptance of the report of the public hearing by the joint committee of the House. Speaker of the assembly, Hon Edward Ubosi, thanked its sponsors, noting that the people of the state have been clamouring for the law for a long time. He expressed optimism that the state governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi would not waste time in accenting to the law, especially giving its relevance to the people. Ubosi insisted that the law was not intended to witch-hunt anybody or group but for the good of the people of the state and others that live in the state.
The Federal Government says it allocated N6trn to the Niger Delta Development Commission between 2001 and 2019. Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami says It is on record that between 2001 and 2019, the Federal Government allocated the total sum of approximately N6 trillion to the Niger Delta Development Commission. He says the figure is an indication that the Federal Government has allocated a good amount of funds to the development of Nigeria’s oil-bearing region. He, however, expressed concern over uncompleted and some unverified projects in the Niger Delta despite the allocations.
Qatar’s foreign minister has warned that isolating the Taliban could lead to further instability and urged countries to engage with the movement to address security and socioeconomic concerns in Afghanistan. Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani says they believe that without engagement they cannot reach real progress on the security front or on the socioeconomic front adding that recognising the Taliban as the government was not a priority. The Qatari foreign minister also warned against any rise of terrorism after the US withdrawal and called for an inclusive government.
The United Kingdom has opened talks with the Taliban to secure safe passage out of Afghanistan for its citizens and Afghans who have worked for the British government. Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s special representative for Afghan transition, Simon Gass, flew to Doha, Qatar, to meet Taliban representatives. Gass is meeting with senior Taliban representatives to underline the importance of safe passage out of Afghanistan for British nationals, and those Afghans who have worked with us over the past twenty years.
President Joe Biden says exit from Afghanistan was the best decision for America. He spoke after the United Nations warned of a looming humanitarian catastrophe in Afghanistan, underscoring the daunting challenges that the victorious Taliban face as they transform from insurgent group to governing power. Biden argued that the only choice in Afghanistan was leaving or escalating. He says no nation has ever done anything like it in all of history; only the United States had the capacity and the will and the ability to do it.
Energy experts in South Africa have expressed shock at the government’s announcement that it wants to install a new nuclear capacity to solve its power problems. The Department of Mineral Resources and Energy says that it planned to put out the tender by March next year. Prof Anton Eberhard of the Power Futures Lab at the University of Cape Town’s Graduate School of Business says that a new nuclear procurement would be a wasteful and costly diversion. He added that the country should instead focus on implementing its electricity supply plan, which prioritises generating 33 GW of power mostly from solar and wind by 2030.
The UN Security Council has renewed for a year sanctions imposed against targeted individuals and entities in Mali for obstructing the 2015 peace agreement. The sanctions include a year-long travel ban and an asset freeze to last until 31 August next year. Those targeted are accused of involvement in planning, implementing or perpetrating acts that violate international humanitarian law, including attacks on medical or humanitarian personnel. The UN Security Council requested that the UN chief includes in his next report on Minusma an update on measures taken to ensure that sanctioned individuals did not benefit from any UN support in Mali.
The mission's head says forces from Ethiopia's Tigray region have looted the US government humanitarian agency's warehouses in the neighbouring Amhara state. The head of USAID in Ethiopia told state television that Tigrayan fighters had emptied warehouses, taking food and other items also stole trucks. He says they had caused a great deal of destruction in the villages they went to. Last week, officials in Amhara accused Tigrayan forces of killing about 40 civilians and destroying schools, hospitals and other facilities. The Tigray rebel forces have formed an alliance with a rebel group in the country's largest state of Oromia, threatening a far larger part of Ethiopia.
The national oil company’s Group Managing Director, Mallam Mele Kyari, says when the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation is fully commercialised in the next few months, the corporation will no longer render free service to the federal government. Kyari noted that from then, all services rendered to the government by the NNPC limited or its subsidiaries will come at a cost to the government, including the remittance of federation crude account funds to the planned upstream commission. He stated that the NNPC was on course towards its final incorporation, explaining that it will no longer have access to government funding, but would survive based on its internal resilience and efficiency.
The United Nations says Nigeria is not the only country facing myriad human rights challenges. The UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, Edward Kallon says like other countries, Nigeria faces myriad human rights challenges. Kallon says they aim to reach a common understanding between the Government, human rights partners, civil society, and the UN on human rights priorities in Nigeria. Kalli says Nigeria has ratified the nine core UN human rights treaties, including other regional instruments. The Nigerian Constitution has elaborate provisions on the protection of human rights.
The President of the Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, disclosed that the 20 per cent equity taken by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation in his much-awaited refinery will not be paid in a single cash transaction. He noted that while a third of the $2.7 billion deal would be paid in cash, the second would be through crude sales and the third would be through profits made by the corporation. He noted that there are a lot of misconceptions around the planned 20 per cent equity holding by the national oil company, explaining that the deal also involves all the products to be churned out by the $19 billion facilities, including petrochemicals. He pointed out that the project currently employs 29,000 Nigerians and 11, 000 foreigners with plans to ramp up the number to 57,000 in the coming months.
The Federal Government is considering taking some measures against people who refuse to get vaccinated. The Executive Director of the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Dr Faisal Shuaib, explained that the Federal Government may apply the basic rule of law” against such people because they will be endangering the lives of other people. Shuaib noted that President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration is making frantic efforts in making the vaccines more accessible to all Nigerians.
The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Adeniyi Adebayo has explained that the nation’s economy is coming back strongly with foreign investors making a commitment to invest in the country. The Minister says Nigeria is open for business and our investment climate is continually improving. The year 2020 was challenging for all economies but Nigeria is coming back strong. He added that the Federal Government recognised the importance of attracting and retaining patient investment into the economy. He says this accounted for his Ministry’s commitment to the strategic relationship that exists with the Chamber and to continue working with the leadership towards our collective objectives of attracting more investments to the nation’s economy.
Niger State Governor Abubakar Bello has suspended the operation of cattle markets across the state. The Secretary to the State Government, Ahmed Matane, says that it was part of measures to address security challenges in the state. The statement added that any vehicle carrying cattle into the state must show a way-bill and evidence of the origin where the cattle were purchased and their destination. It also noted that the state government had banned the sale of petroleum products in jerry cans or any other containers at filling stations.
Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu has signed the anti-grazing bill into law. The governor signed the bill on Tuesday after it was earlier passed by the State House of Assembly. The governor says the signage of the bill is in line with the resolution of the Southern Governors’ Forum at its last meeting in Lagos where September 1 was set as the deadline for Governors in Southern Nigeria to sign the Anti-Open Grazing Bill into law. He says it is a very laudable development aimed at stemming needless instances of skirmishes, conflicts as well as infractions on the enviably peaceful disposition of the good people of Ondo State.
The Central Bank of Nigeria has directed all banks in the country to publish the names and Bank Verification Number of defaulters of its forex policy. The defaulters of the policy are those using fake visas and cancelling air tickets after purchase of Personal Travel Allowance and Business Travel Allowance. The Director of the Banking Supervision Department, says Haruna Mustafa explained that this practice will affect the integrity and stability of the forex market. He says the CBN has received and noted with concern reports of sharp practises by some unscrupulous customers to circumvent the new CBN policy on the sale of forex for overseas personal and business travel.
The Pentagon has announced that the number of hate crimes in the United States rose last year to the highest level in more than a decade, driven by a rise in assaults targeting Black victims and victims of Asian descent. The 2020 data submitted to the FBI by more than 15,000 law enforcement agencies across the country, identified 7,759 hate crimes in 2020, a 6 per cent increase over 2019 and the highest tally since 2008. The FBI data showed the number of offences targeting Black people rose to 2,755 from 1,930 and incidents against Asians jumped to 274 from 158.
The Pentagon has announced that the final US military flight has left the Afghan capital officially ending the United States’s 20-year war in Afghanistan after a chaotic evacuation effort. General Kenneth McKenzie, commander of US Central Command, says that the US evacuated 79,000 people from Kabul, including 6,000 American citizens, since August 14, a day before the Taliban took control of the city. He says the withdrawal signifies both the end of the military component of the evacuation but also the end of the nearly 20-year mission that began in Afghanistan shortly after September 11, 2001.
The UN Security Council adopted a resolution requiring the Taliban to honour their commitment to let people freely leave Afghanistan, but the measure did not cite a safe zone mentioned by French President Emmanuel Macron. The resolution was passed with 13 votes in favour and no objections while China and Russia abstained. The resolution says the council expects the Taliban to allow a safe, secure, and orderly departure from Afghanistan of Afghans and all foreign nationals. The Security Council expects that the Taliban will adhere to these and all other commitments.
The European Union on Monday recommended that its member states reimpose travel restrictions on US tourists over rising covid infections in the country. The European Council says it was taking six territories off its list of locations exempted from restrictions on non-essential travel during the coronavirus pandemic. The EU says Israel, Kosovo, Lebanon, Montenegro, the Republic of North Macedonia and the United States of America were removed from the list. The EU says it is without prejudice to the possibility for member states to lift the temporary restriction on non-essential travel to the EU for fully vaccinated travellers.
The National Institute for Communicable Diseases says South African scientists have detected a new coronavirus variant with multiple mutations but are yet to establish whether it is more contagious or able to overcome the immunity provided by vaccines or prior infection. The variant, known as C.1.2, was flagged last week by the KwaZulu-Natal Research and Innovation and Sequencing Platform in a preprint study that has yet to be peer-reviewed. NICD scientists say C.1.2 was only present at very low levels and that it was too early to predict how it might evolve. NICD researcher Penny Moore says they do not have experimental data to confirm how it reacts in terms of sensitivity to antibodies.
The International Committee of the Red Cross says more than 44,000 people, 45% of them children, are currently declared missing across Africa. The ICRC says about 82% of those missing are from just seven countries with armed conflicts. Nigeria accounts for more than half of the total number of missing persons in Africa – about 24,000 people have been registered missing in the country. The ICRC says the continent had seen a rise in the number of missing people in the past year as a result of armed conflicts and other forms of violence.
The United Nations Environment Programme says leaded petrol has been eradicated from the world. It described the end of its use as a huge milestone. The fuel has contaminated the atmosphere, drinking water and crops for nearly a century. The UN says its abolition will save 1.2 million premature deaths every year, largely by reducing heart disease and cancer. It also damages the developing brains of children.
The federal government revealed that it spent over N1.5 trillion in managing the effects of COVID-19 in the country. Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs Zainab Ahmed, says the growth rate was an indication that business and commercial activities had fully returned to the pre-pandemic level. The minister also predicted that if necessary economic measures and policies were put in place and sectors, such as agriculture, were improved upon, the economy would maintain a five per cent growth rate in the third quarter (Q3) of the year.
The Shehu of Borno, Abubakar El-Kanemi, says the people of Borno State were lucky to have President Muhammadu Buhari in government as his reign has changed the tide against insecurity significantly. The Shehu of Borno says his people had seriously suffered as a result of the Boko Haram crisis but added that they were lucky to have the Buhari government, which eventually changed the tide. He says all the local government areas in the state, which were under the control of Boko Haram had been taken back by the troops, adding that normal business activities had also returned in the state.
The Central Bank of Nigeria announced the formal engagement of global fintech company, Bitt Inc., as a technical partner for its proposed digital currency, also known as e-Naira. CBN Governor, Mr Godwin Emefiele, says the Central Bank Digital Currency would bring about increased cross-border trade, accelerate financial inclusion, and lead to cheaper and faster remittance inflow. He says digital money, also known as cryptocurrency, would lead to easier targeted social interventions, as well as improvement in monetary policy effectiveness, payment systems efficiency, and tax collection.
The Chief Justice of Nigeria and Chairman of the National Judicial Council, Justice Tanko Muhammad has summoned the Chief Judges of Rivers, Kebbi, Cross River, Anambra, Jigawa and Imo State to an emergency meeting. The CJN summoned the head of the concerned courts to the emergency meeting to brief him on the incessant granting of the conflicting orders on suits instituted by different political parties before the various courts. The Spokesperson of the NJC, Soji Oye confirmed that the letter indeed emanated from the office of the CJN but declined to say on what specific day the meeting has been scheduled for. He however said that the meeting will hold sometime this week.
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has called on leaders to make sacrifices in order to deal with tensions among people of different faiths and ethnicities in the country. He stated that there is no way that they can deal with the tensions between the faiths and ethnicities in Nigeria today unless those in leadership are prepared to make some important sacrifices. Osinbajo says those sacrifices are in what they say, how they say it, and then sacrifices also in the acknowledgement of whatever people are saying and the willingness to accept. Osinbajo also called for interfaith dialogue, emphasizing the importance of language and communication to prevent violence.
A band of veteran Afghan leaders, including two regional commanders, are angling for talks with the Taliban and plan to meet within weeks to form a new front for holding negotiations on the country’s next government. Khalid Noor, son of Atta Mohammad Noor, the once-powerful governor of northern Afghanistan’s Balkh province, said the group comprises veteran ethnic Uzbek leader Abdul Rashid Dostum and others opposed to the Taliban’s takeover. He says they prefer to negotiate collectively because it is not that the problem of Afghanistan will be solved just by one person. He says it is important for the entire political community of the country to be involved, especially the traditional leaders, those with power, with public support.
French President Emmanuel Macron says France, Germany and the United Kingdom are working on a United Nations proposal aimed at establishing a safe zone in Kabul to allow safe passage for people trying to leave Afghanistan. Macron says France had begun discussions with the Taliban to explore how to further evacuations might proceed. Macron says what they have proposed is a solution to create a zone allowing people to arrive at the airport. Macron says it was too early to reach any conclusions, but he said it was worth pursuing. Macron added says Discussions with the Taliban did not mean France would necessarily recognise Taliban rule officially.
Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu says Turkey cannot take the burden of a new migrant wave from Afghanistan, as concerns about a new migrant wave remain after the Taliban’s takeover. Cavusoglu says Turkey has sufficiently carried out our moral and humanitarian responsibilities regarding migration adding that It is out of the question to take an additional refugee burden. Cavusoglu says Europe, as well as regional countries, would also be affected if migration from Afghanistan turns into a crisis and that lessons should be learned from the Syrian refugee crisis.
President Joe Biden has met with the families of the 13 US soldiers who were killed in an attack at Kabul airport last week, as the remains of the fallen army personnel are returned to the United States from Afghanistan. Biden and First Lady Jill Biden attended the dignified transfer of the fallen soldiers at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware on Sunday, a military ritual of receiving the remains of those killed in foreign combat. Al Jazeera reports that the US soldiers ranged in age from 20 to 31.
The United States says it destroyed an explosive-laden vehicle with an airstrike in Kabul on Sunday, hours after President Joe Biden warned of another terror attack in the capital as a massive airlift of tens of thousands of Afghans entered its last days. The US says it had only struck the vehicle but added that secondary blasts indicated a substantial amount of explosive material. Local media reported possible civilian casualties, which the US said it was assessing. The Taliban revealed their supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada was in southern Afghanistan and planning to make a public appearance.
The AFP news agency reports that the Gambia has formally blocked flights bringing migrants deported from the European Union. Gambian foreign ministry spokesman Saikou Ceesay told AFP large numbers of returning migrants would cause social upheaval. AFP says the news came as Germany was preparing to expel a number of Gambians. The AFP says International Organization for Migration more than 35,000 arrived there between 2014 and 2018 - often taking dangerous journeys over the Mediterranean. The IOM says overseas remittances of an estimated 118,000 Gambians living abroad account for more than 20% of the country's GDP.
Rebel forces from Ethiopia's conflict-hit Tigray region have accused the African Union of bias, days after the bloc appointed the former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo as a mediator. A spokesman for the Tigray People's Liberation Front, Getachew Reda, accused the AU of siding with the Ethiopian government and barely acknowledging the existence of the ten month-long conflicts. He says the TPLF was not against the appointment of a mediator but said it would be naive to expect the mission to work. The Ethiopian government has repeatedly said it would not be willing to hold talks with the TPLF which it has described as a terrorist organisation.
Zambia’s new President Hakainde Hichilema has replaced the country’s top military commanders and the head of the police and signalled a focus on the security forces being more accountable to the citizens. The president announced new commanders of the Zambian army, the air force and the national service and their deputies, as well as a new inspector general of police. Mr Hichilema says the new office bearers must have the interest of the people at heart and serve the country diligently while ensuring human rights, freedoms and liberties are respected. He says the police must carry out proper checks before detaining suspects and that no one should be arrested before investigations are concluded.
President Muhammadu Buhari has appealed to the warring groups in Plateau States and other parts of the country to embrace peace and end the shedding of blood seen in the country in the past few days. The president in a statement by his spokesman, Malam Garba Shehu, also assured all citizens that his government was on top of the situation and was moving ahead to crush perpetrators of the unrest in Plateau State. He says to achieve success in that regard, communities must unite to end the orgy of violence in the past few days. He says attempts to simplify the reasons into a basic narrative may help raise donor-dollars for international non-governmental organisations , fill pages of overseas newspapers and burnish foreign politicians’ faith credentials.
Dangote’s $2 billion Petrochemical Plant located in Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos State will produce 77 different high-performance grades of polypropylene, drive investment in the downstream industries, generate employment, huge value addition, tax revenue, reduce foreign exchange outflow and increase the Gross Domestic Product of the country. Group Executive Director, Strategy, Capital Projects & Portfolio Development, Dangote Industries Limited, Mr Devakumar Edwin, says that the petrochemical plant, which is nearing completion, would also embark on the production of polyethene products in the nearest future. Edwin says the petrochemical plant would reduce the demand for foreign exchange from the nation’s treasury to import petrochemical by-products.
Human rights lawyer, Mr Femi Falana, says the judgement of the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt, which ruled against the administration and collection of Value Added Tax by the Federal Inland Revenue Service not only corroborated the struggle for restructuring via litigation but also strengthened the campaign. Falana urged all state governments to team up with Rivers State Government to defend the judgement. Falana warned that the FIRS should not be prevented from collecting VAT, pending the hearing and determination of the appeal. He said dispute over the enforcement authority of VAT, should not call for anarchy.
The interim Chairman, Alliance on Surviving COVID-19 and Beyond, Femi Falana, has asked the Federal Government to secure the release of the officer abducted during an attack on the Nigerian Defence Academy. Falana asked President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration to unmask the killers and bring the perpetrators to book to serve as a deterrent to others. The Senior Advocate of Nigeria noted that by choosing to invade the military institution, the criminal elements have proven that nowhere is safe in Nigeria. He says by attacking the military institution, the dangerous criminal elements had wanted to prove that nowhere is safe in Nigeria.
The Ministry of Labour and Employment has rejected the 21-day ultimatum given to the Federal Government by the Nigeria Medical Association saying it is in direct collision with the Memorandum of Understanding signed on August 21. The NMA had threatened to join the ongoing strike by the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors if the government failed to resolve all the issues contained in the various agreements signed with its affiliate unions. The government argued that the NMA’s position was at variance with the timeline stated in the Memorandum of Agreement.
A WHO document shows that the World Health Organization’s pandemic programme plans to ship 100 million doses of the Sinovac and Sinopharm COVID-19 shots by the end of next month, mostly to Africa and Asia, in its first delivery of Chinese vaccines. The Chinese shipments will help the sputtering global COVAX vaccine sharing programme which is far behind its pledge to deliver 2 billion doses this year following supply problems and export curbs imposed by major producer India. It could also boost Beijing’s vaccine diplomacy efforts despite concerns over the efficacy of the Chinese shots, which have been turned down or paired with boosters from Western manufacturers by some of the recipient countries.
The Africa director of the World Health Organization says COVID-19 vaccinations in Africa have tripled during the past week, though protecting even 10 per cent of the continent by the end of September remains a very daunting task. Matshidiso Moeti told reporters that this is a preventable tragedy if African countries can get fair access to vaccines. The WHO Africa director says 13 million doses were administered in the past week, three times more than the number of shots given in the previous week as donations of doses increased from developed countries.
India lifted its ban on Boeing Co.’s 737 Max jet, a major boost to the American planemaker that leaves China as the only leading aviation market yet to allow the aircraft to resume service. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation in an order posted on its website says India’s decision comes after it observed no untoward reporting on jets already flying since 17 global regulators allowed it to resume flights. Boeing rose 0.4% to $222 before the start of regular trading in New York. The stock had climbed 3.3% this year through Wednesday while the Dow Jones Industrial Average advanced 16%.
A group of seven US Capitol Police officers are suing former President Donald Trump accusing him of conspiring with far-right groups and intentionally sending a violent mob on January 6 to disrupt the congressional certification of the election. The suit filed in federal court in Washington, DC, alleged Trump worked with white supremacists, violent extremist groups, and campaign supporters to violate the Ku Klux Klan Act, and commit acts of domestic terrorism in an unlawful effort to stay in power”. The 71-page suit lays out in detail the officers’ arguments that Trump and his supporters conspired in the months leading up to January 6 to prevent Congress from certifying the election results through the use of force, intimidation, and threats.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced his country has already completed its evacuation operations in Afghanistan. The country pulled out its troops of Kabul just before the bombings on Thursday, after receiving very clear intelligence of an impending attack. Morrison says they were able to ensure the departure of the remaining Australian personnel over the course of last night, not that long before the terrible events that unfolded last night took place. He also said that American and British forces had helped Australia over nine days to evacuate some 4,100 people, including 3,200 Australians and Afghan citizens with Australian visas.
South Sudan’s government has vowed to foil anti-government protests called for by a group of activists on Monday. The People’s Coalition for Civil Action wants the president and his first vice-president to step down. They accused President Salva Kiir and First Vice-President Riek Machar of frustrating the people of South Sudan. Juba Mayor Kalisto Lado Faustino says his administration will restrict any gathering of two or more people in the city on Monday. Mr Lado described the group calling for the protests as people who are against the implementation of the revitalised peace agreement.
Kenya says that the main Covid-19 vaccine to be used in rural areas will be the one manufactured by Johnson & Johnson. Chairperson of the country's vaccine task force, Dr Willis Akhwale, says that hospitals in these areas did not have the infrastructure to store the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines, which require specialist equipment, such as very cold freezers. Dr Willis told the BBC that the AstraZeneca vaccine will also be used in hospitals in rural and urban areas.
A government-licensed recruiting agency based in Nigeria’s capital Abuja is conducting interviews for doctors to work in Saudi Arabia. Dozens of doctors have been applying for the jobs through Meed Consultants, which is recruiting doctors in different specialities under a programme tagged Saudi Ministry of Health Doctors Recruitment August 2021. Flyers announcing the recruitment have been circulating widely on social media, especially on WhatsApp platforms. A consultant pathologist, Dr Kura Phillip told the BBC that the problems faced by doctors in the country had already been outlined by their union which prompted the ongoing strike. He cited the meagre hazard allowances given to doctors exposed to numerous illnesses, ranging from communicable diseases, so many pandemics that were easily transmissible.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission says more than 70 per cent of Nigerian youth might soon become ex-convicts if the present high rate of their involvement in cybercrime was not stopped. The Benin Zonal Command of the agency secured the conviction of three cybercriminals before Justice A. T. Mohammed of the Federal High Court sitting Port Harcourt, Rivers State, bringing to 33 the number of internet fraud convictions recorded by the zone within 24 hours. The Ilorin zonal commander of the EFCC, Mr Usman Muktar decried the high rate of cybercrime among youths and enjoined every stakeholder in the country to discourage the youths from internet fraud. Muktar says the EFCC had witnessed an increasing number of arrests of Nigerian youths in cybercrime in recent times, charging parents to ask their children questions about sources of their wealth.
The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation is set to deduct about N215.3 billion from its contribution to next month’s joint Federation Account. The aforementioned amount is a combination of N175 billion value shortfall or subsidy and N40 billion Joint Venture cost recovery. Data showed that NNPC paid N67.280 billion to the joint account in July, in contrast to the N47.162 billion in June. The July payment was about N20 billion higher than that of June. The document showed that the NNPC has only been able to make a contribution of N349.254 billion to the three tiers of government with a huge deficit of N1.115 trillion.
The National Bureau of Statistics says Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product grew by 5.01% in real terms in the second quarter of 2021. It explained that the increase in the GDP index marked three consecutive quarters of growth following the negative growth rates recorded in the second and third quarters of 2020.
President Muhammadu Buhari has announced the declaration of a Profit after Tax of N287billion in the year 2020 by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation. A communique by his special media aide, Femi Adesina, says the President’s announcement is in fulfilment of an earlier pledge by the Federal Government to publicly declare the financial position of the NNPC. Adesina’s statement notes that Buhari has disclosed a Net Profit, making it the first time in the 44-year history of the establishment. This is the sequel to the completion of the statutory Annual Audit exercise for the Year 2020.
The Inspector-General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba, received the report of the panel set up to probe the bribery allegations against the Head of the Police Intelligence Response Team, Abba Kyari. DIG Egbunike, while presenting the report, appreciated the IGP for the confidence reposed on him and the members of the Panel to conduct the probe. He noted that the Panel commenced investigations immediately after it was inaugurated on 2nd August 2021 and the report submitted is an outcome of a painstaking, transparent and exhaustive investigative process.
Democratic leaders in the United States House of Representatives have passed a $3.5 trillion budget plan to include key parts of President Joe Biden’s domestic agenda. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi notched a victory with quick approval of the budget outline. The bill enables legislators to begin filling in details on a sweeping package that would boost spending on childcare, clean energy, education and other social programmes in addition to tax increases on the wealthy and corporations.
The White House remains non-committal on extending the withdrawal deadline from Afghanistan. The White House released a statement saying that the evacuation of American citizens, third-country nationals and Afghan allies was on pace to finish by the end of the month. White House press secretary Jen Psaki says the operation will end based on the achievement of their objectives. Psaki says Biden told fellow G7 leaders that US troops are facing increasing threats each day from ISIS-K, ISIL’s branch from Afghanistan.
The Taliban is reiterating that it will not agree to an extension of a looming deadline to evacuate Afghans from Kabul airport, even as Western countries say they are running out of time. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid says the group would not approve an extension and told the US to stop evacuating skilled Afghans. European nations have said they will not be able to airlift at-risk Afghans before the August 31 cut-off, and United States President Joe Biden has faced calls from all corners to extend the evacuation window. Mujahid also says female Afghan government workers should stay home until security conditions in the country improve. President Biden says he would stick to the schedule, but has faced growing pressure to negotiate more time for the evacuations.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson says the G7 has agreed to a plan to deal with the Taliban, with their number one condition being that the group must allow safe passage to Afghans wanting to leave the country even after an August 31 deadline. He says the G7 agreed not just a joint approach to dealing with the evacuation, but also a road map for the way in which we’re going to engage with the Taliban. Johnson says the huge leverage which the G7 could wield over the Taliban after it seized control of the country about a week ago included withholding substantial funds.
President Vladimir Putin says Russia would not interfere in Afghanistan and that Moscow had learned from the Soviet occupation of the country, a week after the Taliban swept back into power. Putin says they are not going to meddle in Afghanistan’s domestic affairs or involve their military in a conflict where everyone is against each other. He says the Soviet Union had its own experience in this country. We have learned the lessons we needed. Putin’s comments came after Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says US forces were pawning off Afghans fleeing the Taliban to neighbouring Moscow-allied Central Asia.
Algeria’s Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra says that his country has severed diplomatic relations with Morocco due to hostile actions, following months of resurgent tensions between the North African rivals. The countries have long accused one another of backing opposition movements as proxies, with Algeria’s support for separatists in the disputed region of Western Sahara a particular bone of contention for Morocco. He says Algeria has decided to cut diplomatic relations with the Kingdom of Morocco because Morocco has never stopped carrying out hostile actions against Algeria. Lamamra accused Morocco’s leaders of responsibility for repeated crises and behaviour that has led to conflict instead of integration in North Africa.
The US government's aid agency has denied accusations that it has been feeding rebels fighting in Ethiopia's northern region of Tigray. It follows accusations that humanitarian organisations were giving high-energy foods meant for mothers and children to fighters loyal to the Tigray People's Liberation Front. US Aid rejected accusations that it had deliberately given food to fighters, saying that its food donations were only meant for those in need.
Former South African President Jacob Zuma is asking the public to donate funds to support his legal battles - he is facing trial for corruption linked to a $5bn arms deal. A post on his foundation’s official Twitter page asks South Africans and the world to lend a helping hand to cover legal fees. Zuma has been serving a 15-month sentence since July for contempt of court for failing to appear at a separate inquiry into corruption. He has pleaded not guilty, saying the trial is politically motivated.
The Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission have announced plans to commence the process for a new revenue sharing formula for the federal, state, and local governments. RMAFC Chairman, Elias Mba reiterated that the commission is highly determined to produce, within the shortest possible time, a new revenue sharing formula that will be fair, just, and equitable to the three tiers of government. He believes the new sharing formula will help address issues of poor infrastructure, ecological challenges, and the series of agitations for a review. The new revenue sharing formula is expected to be implemented by the end of 2021, 28 years after the commission conducted a review.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission will hold banks liable where there are established cases of institutional complicity in fraud in the sector from September 1, 2021 The Chairman of EFCC, Mr Abdulrasheed Bawa, says bank auditors must take issues of transparency in their operations serious, adding that starting from the aforementioned day, it would no longer be business as usual as the commission would hold banks responsible for such transactions. He affirmed the commission’s willingness to partner with the association in tackling financial crimes and related challenges in the banking sector.
A former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria has called on the federal government to stop subsidising power and fuel consumption in order to put the economy on a sustainable fiscal path. He also warned the government against excessive borrowing, describing it as a time bomb. Sanusi says Nigerians have to understand that the way they run the state is unsustainable they cannot continue subsidising fuel. He says It is desirable, but not sustainable and they have to be ready to make certain sacrifices.
The Governor of Borno State, Babangana Zulum says that repentant insurgents should not be rejected in order to avoid worsening the insurgency war. He believes the price for rejecting the surrendered bandits could be far worse than the current situation. He says the report of the surrendering of the insurgents is a very welcome development unless they want to continue with an endless war.
Governor Samuel Ortom has described the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari as the worst when it comes to handling security matters. Governor Ortom says he was disappointed at the way the president has handled certain critical matters in the country, especially insecurity. The governor was reacting to the president’s open grazing policy. He says he has achieved some level of development in other sectors but these prominent things that are concerns to Nigerians and they are all worried.
Lawyers for President Joe Biden’s administration have asked the US Supreme Court to keep in place a federal prohibition on evictions, designed to curb the spread of the coronavirus, while justices consider a constitutional challenge by landlord groups to the ban’s legality. US Justice Department lawyers say the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention acted within its lawful authority earlier this month when it renewed a federal moratorium on kicking people out of their homes during the coronavirus pandemic. The CDC first issued an eviction moratorium in September 2020, with agency officials saying the policy was needed to combat the spread of COVID-19 and prevent homelessness during the pandemic.
The United States Department of the Treasury sanctioned an Eritrean official it accused of engaging in serious human rights abuses committed during the ongoing conflict in Ethiopia’s Tigray region. The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control is blacklisting General Filipos Woldeyohannes, the chief of staff of the Eritrean Defense Forces. The Treasury accuses EDF troops of massacres, looting, rape, torture, executions and purposely shooting civilians in the street. Director of the Office of Foreign Assets Control Andrea M Gacki says today’s action demonstrates the United States’ commitment to imposing costs on those responsible for these despicable acts, which worsen a conflict that has led to tremendous suffering by Ethiopians.
The US Food and Drug Administration fully approved Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine, a move expected to trigger a new wave of vaccine mandates as the Delta variant batters the country. Acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock in a statement says the FDA’s approval of this vaccine is a milestone as we continue to battle the Covid-19 pandemic. The decision to award it approval was based on updated data from the drug’s clinical trial, including a longer duration of follow-up, with safety and effectiveness evaluated among more than 40,000 people.
The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions has sued several companies for ordering employees to receive Covid-19 vaccines or risk the sack. ZCTU says the actions of the companies violated workers’ constitutional rights. They argued that there is no law in Zimbabwe making vaccination compulsory. Each person, having fully considered the implications and effects of vaccination, is expected to make a personal decision on whether or not to get vaccinated. The Zimbabwe government, which has ordered all civil servants to get vaccinated, is targeting to inoculate at least 10 million of its approximately 15 million citizens by the end of this year.
Morocco is preparing to launch a Covid-19 vaccination campaign for those aged 12-17. Said Afif, a member of the health ministry's scientific committee, told Morocco World News that various government ministries were working on the vaccine scheme for students. The country has succeeded in a rapid roll-out of the Covid-19 vaccine and has administered the highest number of vaccines of any African country by a significant margin. The health minister says currently almost half the population of 36.5 million people have received one dose of the vaccine, while 12 million have been fully jabbed.
Tunisian President Kais Saied has extended the suspension of parliament and parliamentary immunity until further notice. He says he would address the nation in the coming days, without giving more details. The president assumed executive authority last month in a surprise move his opponents labelled as a coup, Mr Saied has defended his actions, saying the measures which also included the sacking of the prime minister were necessary to save the country from collapse. The president was elected in a landslide in 2019 promising to stand up against corruption.
Edo State governor, Godwin Obaseki has declared that only those with the vaccination cards or proofs of having taken, at least, their first jabs of the Covid-19 vaccines, would be granted access to public places, including banks, worship places and other large gatherings. Obaseki handed down the new rules while flagging off the second phase of the coronavirus vaccination exercise. Obaseki says large gatherings, as well as high traffic public and private places, will only be accessed by persons, who have proof of taking at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccination. People who have not yet been vaccinated at all will depend on remote access to these gatherings.
President of the Senate, Dr Ahmad Lawan, has advised President Muhammadu Buhari to reduce borrowing from external lending houses to fund the country’s annual budgets. Lawan says the administration should, instead, focus on blocking financial leakages and avoiding wastage in all tiers of government. The senate president says his discussion with Buhari centred on the need to take steps to increase revenue generation by government agencies and reduce dependence on external loans to fund the budget.
President of the Senate Ahmed Lawan has debunked reports suggesting that members of the National Assembly were bribed to the tune of $10 million to pass the three per cent allocation to host communities as stipulated in the Petroleum Industry Act. Lawan told State House correspondents that he took exception to the spread of falsehood propagated to mislead the public. He says he wants to take this opportunity to accept those kinds of unwarranted, unprovable, false and fake information being fed to the Nigerian public.
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo says that the passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill, and Nigeria’s gas initiatives, will transform the nation into a gas-based industrialized country. He explained that they will create a better-managed petroleum industry with more value addition for both investors and Nigerians alike. Prof. Osinbajo says the main goal of the passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill and the gas initiatives aforementioned are to transform Nigeria not only into a gas-based industrialized nation through enhanced accelerated gas revolution. He says locally, they launch into the brave new world for the oil and gas industry with the Petroleum Industry Act 2021.
Vice President Professor Yemi Osinbajo has denied any interest in the 2023 election. A statement by his media aide, Laolu Akande says his principal is rather focused on working in his capacity as the Vice President to address the various challenges facing the country, including finding effective and lasting solutions to the security challenges and working to further boost the economy. The statement says the Office of the Vice President is not in any way connected with the distribution and deployment of any 2023 political posters whether on the streets or in online videos, banners and the like on social media.
The Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment says the Abuja Division of the National Industrial Court has ordered the National Association of Resident Doctors to suspend its ongoing nationwide strike. This followed an ex-parte motion filed on Friday last week by the Federal Ministry of Health, seeking an order of interlocutory injunction restraining members of NARD from further continuing the industrial action pending the determination of the substantive suit. The health ministry stated that the strike which began on August 2 was contrary to Section 41 of the Trade Dispute Act.
US President Joe Biden has pledged his unwavering commitment to getting US citizens and at-risk Afghans out of Taliban-controlled Afghanistan but warned of hurdles ahead, including the threat of an attack from the ISIL-affiliated Islamic State in the Khorasan Province. He says he has directed the US Department of State to contact Americans stranded in Afghanistan by phone, email and other means and that Washington had a plan to move them to the airport. Biden says the evacuation of thousands from Kabul is going to be hard and painful and would have been no matter when it began.
Ethiopia says it plans to develop its own social media platforms after accusing global companies like Facebook of acting against the interests of the country. The director of the government’s Information Network Security Agency, Shumete Gizaw, says that Facebook and Twitter had become instruments for political forces. He criticised the fact that some accounts had been blocked and content removed. Mr Shumete also said Ethiopia was developing platforms that can substitute the messaging programme WhatsApp and the video conferencing platform Zoom.
South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa has lauded the enthusiasm of the youth for Covid-19 jabs after the country expanded its vaccination programme. The president says more than 500,000 youth registered on Friday when vaccination became available for 18-34-year-olds. Mr Ramaphosa says he was impressed watching videos of young people queuing for vaccines and interviews of them explaining the benefits of receiving the jab. He says the group has good information and should convince all adults to get vaccinated. South Africa has so far administered 10 million doses of either the J&J or Pfizer vaccine.
Minister of State for Health, Dr Olorunnimbe Mamora, says the menace of drug abuse has reached an alarming proportion in the country and there is a need for a concerted effort by all Nigerians to tackle the problem. Momora says the prevalence of drug usage in Nigeria stood at 14.4 per cent, which was estimated at 14.3 million people between the ages of 15 and 64 years. The minister says the figure was about three times more than the 2017 global prevalence of 5.6 per cent among the adult population.
The Managing Director/Chief Executive, Jaiz Bank Plc, Mr Hassan Usman, says that the federal government utilised Islamic financing instruments, particularly the Sukuk, to raise over N350 billion within the past three years to execute road projects across the country. Usman says that the bank has been able to expand credit to the real sector of the economy, financing Small and Medium Enterprises as well as working with women, vulnerable groups and those at the bottom of the pyramid to deepen financial inclusion. The Jaiz Bank boss says the banks have the traditional mandate to engage in forex transactions. He pointed out however that the apex bank in a bid to bring forex services closer to customers decided to use the BDCs, a privilege that had been abused.
Human Rights Activist and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana has faulted the Presidency’s approval to review grazing reserves in 25 states in the country. Falana says the country has gone beyond the stage of looking for grazing routes adding that the President cannot be talking of looking for grazing routes in 2021, Nigeria. He says the Northern Governor Forum, the Southern Governors Forum, and even the Miyetti Allah group have all come to a conclusion that open grazing is obsolete.
The Federal Inland Revenue Service has directed taxpayers in the country to continue to pay their Value Added Tax to it or risk penalties for failing to do so. The FIRS says it decided to issue the directive following numerous enquiries in view of a recent court ruling obtained by Rivers State at a Federal High Court, Port Harcourt, that states, and not the federal government, are constitutionally empowered to collect VAT. The FIRS argued that since it had already appealed the Rivers judgment seeking a stay of execution order, the status quo ante subsists on the VAT collection authority hence taxpayers should continue to pay their VAT to it.
The leadership of the National Association of Resident Doctors has refused assent to a new memorandum of understanding brokered by the Nigeria Medical Association to end the three weeks old strike that has crippled medical services in government hospitals across the country. NARD President, Uyilawa Okhuaihesuyi says NARD’s leadership has to consult with members of the association before he appends his signature. Chris Ngige says all other unions in the negotiation, including the Nigeria Medical Association and the Medical and Dental Consultants of Nigeria, signed the new agreement, has agreed on all the issues raised. The minister also clarified that the meeting did not discuss the issues of no work no pay but said all parties at the meeting agreed to an out-of-court settlement.
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project has sued President Muhammadu Buhari over his failure to probe allegations that N106bn of public funds are missing from 149 ministries, departments and agencies and to ensure the prosecution of those suspected to be responsible, and the recovery of any missing public funds. The group asked the court to direct and compel President Buhari to promptly investigate the alleged missing N106bn of public funds, ensure prosecution of anyone suspected to be responsible and the full recovery of any missing public money. SERAP argued that recovering the alleged missing public funds would reduce the pressure on the Federal Government to borrow more money to fund the budget, enable the authorities to meet the country’s constitutional and international obligations, and reduce the growing level of public debts.
Uganda's foreign affairs minister says the government has not yet reached a formal agreement with the US to take in refugees who have fled Afghanistan in the aftermath of the Taliban's seizure of power. Jeje Odongo's says discussions were continuing but no decision had yet been made. He added that the US had approached Uganda because of its track-record on hosting refugees. Members of parliament asked the government to explain why it made a commitment to take in the Afghans without consulting the legislature.
The United Nations Secretary-General has called for an immediate ceasefire in the Ethiopian region of Tigray, where government forces and rebel fighters have been locked in conflict since November. António Guterres described the humanitarian conditions in Tigray as hellish and says aid agencies needed unrestricted access. He condemned the use of sexual violence against women in Ethiopia as a weapon of war. Mr Guterres says there could be no military resolution to the fighting, which has spread to neighbouring states.
A presidency statement says Algeria will review its relations with Morocco after accusing it of complicity in deadly forest fires. President Abdelmadjid Tebboune says most of the fires were criminal in origin. The decision to review relations with Rabat was made during an extraordinary meeting of the country’s Security Council, chaired by Tebboune and dedicated to evaluating the situation after the fires. The statement says the incessant hostile acts carried out by Morocco against Algeria have necessitated the review of relations between the two countries. It says there would also be an intensification of security controls on the western borders with Morocco.
The House of Representatives expressed displeasure over the way some Ministries, Departments and Agencies conceal their revenues, thereby denying the federal government the much-needed fund to fund its annual budget. The Chairman, House Committee on Finance, Hon. James Faleke also condemned the federal government’s plan to borrow N5.62 trillion to finance the 2022 budget, while the MDAs starve the government of funds. The lawmaker says the House of Representatives would be more interested in how much government agencies could save, saying the major problem facing the country was revenue generation. He stressed that if the committee discovered that any of the agencies’ capital projects were unnecessary, they would be removed in a bid to get revenue for the country.
The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation inaugurated the board of Greenfield Refinery Limited, a subsidiary of NNPC, to oversee the establishment and operation of new refineries. Group Managing Director of the corporation, Mallam Mele Kyari, charged them to explore all options to bring an end to the current challenge of petroleum products importation. He urged the board and management team of the new company to set up a proper structure with the required skills, technology and finance to drive the company’s operations.
President Muhammadu Buhari has approved recommendations of a committee to review with dispatch 368 grazing sites, across 25 states in the country to determine the levels of encroachment. A committee chaired by the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari had recommended the collection of field data collection on 368 Grazing Reserves across 25 states to assess encroachment and encroachers, stakeholder engagements and sensitization. The Committee also recommended the production of maps and geo-mapping/tagging of sites, analysis of findings and report preparations as well as design appropriate communication on Grazing Reserves and operations. The number of the Grazing Reserves and States were deduced from considerations of existing security concerns and other pre-existing socio-economic conditions.
Senator Godswill Akpabio says oil firms operating in the Niger Delta have defaulted in their statutory remittances to the Niger Delta Development Commission to the tune of $4 billion. Akpabio noted that oil firms operating in the area are expected to provide three per cent of their annual budgets to the commission, but none has complied with this. Akpabio stressed that the Ministry of Niger Delta will take a keen interest in the implementation of the three per cent Petroleum Industry Act compensation to host communities. He stated that the NDDC owes contractors three ₦3 trillion however, explained that not all awarded contracts with costs can be regarded as debt.
President Muhammadu Buhari has vowed not to exit the government as a failure at the end of his second term in office in 2023. The National Security Adviser, Major General Babagana Monguno, conveyed the President’s pledge to State House correspondents at the meeting, which lasted more than five hours. He says the President is quite happy that there’s been a tremendous success, especially with the advent of the new service chiefs and Inspector-General of Police.
US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan says the Taliban has told the US administration that it will allow a safe passage to the airport in Kabul, which remains under the control of American forces. Sullivan confirmed that the Hamid Karzai International Airport is now operational, and flights evacuating Americans and Afghan civilians are underway after a pause on the operation on Monday following chaotic scenes of people looking to flee the country. He says the Taliban have informed them that they are prepared to provide a safe passage of civilians to the airport, and they intend to hold them to that commitment.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says New Zealand’s first community case of COVID-19 in six months has been confirmed as the Delta variant and linked through genome sequencing to Australia, as the country began a snap lockdown to stamp out the virus. Ardern says genome testing showed a link to New South Wales, the eastern Australian state that has been struggling for weeks to contain a COVID-19 outbreak. New Zealand announced two new cases, bringing the total to seven. Ardern says she was confident the strategy would succeed against the highly transmissible Delta strain.
The UN's migration agency has called for a rapid expansion of humanitarian aid and more funding for operations in the northern Mozambican province of Cabo Delgado. The Director of the International Organisation for Migration, António Vitorino says the assistance was needed to support the hundreds of thousands displaced by insecurity in the area. He says significant additional funding is needed to cover life-saving humanitarian needs and work towards lasting solutions, especially before the next rainy and cyclone season in December. The IOM says it had provided assistance to more than 600,000 people in Cabo Delgado between January and July including through shelter construction or reconstruction support and providing household items.
The parliament in the Democratic Republic of Congo has voted to extend the state of emergency in Ituri and North Kivu. The state of emergency imposed by President Félix Tshisekedi on 6 May has been extended six times now. Military administrations have replaced the civilian authorities to curb insecurity in the provinces where several attacks carried out by rebels have left thousands dead. Some of the attacks have been blamed on the Allied Democratic Forces. The eastern provinces have also seen violence between ethnic groups.
Uganda says it was considering a US request to take in refugees from Afghanistan, where tens of thousands of people are trying to flee after the Taliban seized power. The foreign ministry in a statement says President Yoweri Museveni has expressed Uganda’s readiness to provide assistance including temporary hosting of some of the affected persons in the current crisis. Media reports had suggested that Uganda had agreed to take about 2,000 refugees but this was not confirmed in the ministry statement. An official from the UN refugee agency told AFP it had not been involved in the discussions between the United States and Uganda but that it stood ready to support any refugees who arrive in the East African country.
President of the African Export-Import Bank, Prof. Benedict Oramah, says that the bank will supply a total of 40 million doses of the Johnson and Johnson COVID-19 vaccine to Nigeria between now and 2022. Oramah stated that the bank was investing in trade and health infrastructure, and also involved in the procurement and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines to African countries including Nigeria, to enable the continent to achieve herd immunity. He declared that there is an arrangement under the Afreximbank facility to deliver 40 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines to Nigeria before the end of 2022. He says the bank was committed to ensuring the continent achieves herd immunity by vaccinating about 60 per cent of Africa’s population against the disease.
The Central Bank of Nigeria moved to strengthen the cyber resilience of Other Financial Institutions under its regulation in order to ensure that they remain safe and sound amidst an increase in the number and sophistication of cybersecurity threats and attacks against them. The apex bank explained that the purpose of the guidelines which provides a risk-based approach to managing cybersecurity risk was to among other things create a safer and more secure cyber environment that supports information system security and promote stability of the OFI sub-sector. It noted that the safety and soundness of the sub-sector particularly required that they operate in a safe and secure environment.
President Muhammadu Buhari will unveil an implementation committee for the Petroleum Industry Act. THISDAY reports that the committee may be chaired by the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Mr Timipre Sylva. The committee which has 12 months to carry out its tasks, would be saddled with the responsibility of establishment of Nigeria Upstream Regulatory Commission, Nigeria Midstream and Downstream Regulatory Authority as well as the corporatisation of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation to a Limited Liability Company, which will now be called Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited. The committee would also be tasked with the responsibility of determining the assets and liabilities of the NNPC, which would be transferred to NNPC Limited.
Governor of Imo State Hope Uzodinma says that the signing of the Petroleum Industry Bill 2021 into law will help to regulate environmental hazards such as oil spillage. He says all the hazards that follow the production of oil, mostly environmental hazards, are a result of the absence of regulatory environments. He says the laws put in place will not only regulate the environment but will also create room for value addition both in the oil-bearing communities. The Governor commended President Buhari for signing the bill into law, noting that it had been a struggle over the years.
The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva says the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation will become a commercial company within six months. Mr Sylva says a transitional committee is already in place to incorporate NNPC Limited. Mr Sylva noted that although the new petroleum act has deregulated the oil sector, subsidy policies will remain in place till further notice. He says an implementation framework for actual deregulation will be established to mitigate the impact on ordinary Nigerians.
United States President Joe Biden’s administration announced that it has approved the largest permanent increase to food stamp benefits. a boost that the White House and proponents of the move hope will help low-income families afford healthier food choices when stocking their fridges and pantries. Average benefits for food stamps starting in October officially known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program will increase more than 25 per cent above pre-pandemic levels. US Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack told reporters that the hike in benefits will do a better job of providing healthy food for low-income families. Nutrition advocates say that the hike will help Amer American families choose better quality food and improve nutrition and overall health.
The United Nations Security Council is calling for talks to create a new government in Afghanistan and an end to fighting and abuse after UN chief Antonio Guterres warned of chilling Taliban curbs on human rights and mounting violations against women and girls. The 15-member council issued a statement agreed by consensus after Guterres appealed to the body to use all tools at its disposal to suppress the global terrorist threat in Afghanistan and guarantee respect for human rights. The Security Council stressed the importance of combating terrorism in Afghanistan to ensure other countries were not threatened or attacked.
The United States has called for an inclusive new government in Afghanistan that respects human rights, including women’s rights, saying that the Taliban’s behaviour will determine whether Washington will recognise any new administration in Kabul. US State Department spokesperson Ned Price says that the US and its international allies would be watching closely after the Taliban took over the country in a blistering offensive, seizing control of the capital on Sunday. Price says there is decisive consensus in the international community on the kind of new government that should be formed in Afghanistan, citing a United Nations Security Council statement that called for an Afghan-led, Afghan-owned process of national reconciliation.
The president of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Felix Tshisekedi, says US special forces will soon deploy to the east of the country to help fight Islamist militants. He says they would stay for several weeks, supporting the Congolese army in its campaign against the Allied Defence Forces. They will advise gamekeepers in the Virunga and Garamba national parks, which are havens for militia groups. The US has designated the ADF as a terrorist group affiliated with Islamic State. United Nations experts have expressed doubts over the alleged links.
The World Health Organization says the tracing of people who came into contact with Ivory Coast's first Ebola case in 25 years has been completed. The WHO's representative in Ivory Coast Dr Jean-Marie Yameogo says if the contact persons do not show any symptoms they will be vaccinated and if any show signs of the disease then they would proceed to case management at the Ebola treatment centres. Vaccines were developed and were later used to fight outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Guinea.
Plateau state government has extended a curfew in the state capital Jos and surrounding areas after signs of increasing tension in the city. It follows the killing of at least 23 Muslim travellers returning from a religious ceremony. The Plateau state government says the imposition of the curfew was necessary to avoid a further deterioration of the security situation. The victims were returning to southern Nigeria from the northern city of Bauchi where they had attended a ceremony marking the Islamic New Year.
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha has urged striking resident doctors to accept every invitation for negotiation with the Federal Government. Boss Mustapha called on the medical practitioners to give the ongoing industrial action a rethink. Mustapha says vaccines have proven to be the game-changer in Nigeria’s response to the virus and vaccines are the only hope out of COVID-19. He says human resources is a big challenge in Nigeria, noting that the money the doctors are requesting has already been provided and is being processed.
The Federal Government has released a request for qualification for the concession of four international airport terminals and related services. A spokesperson for the Ministry of Aviation, James Odaudu, explained that the release was in compliance with the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission and National Policy on Public-Private Partnership. The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Hassan Musa, says the four major commercial airports and surrounding communities are intended to develop into efficient, profitable, self-sustaining, commercial hubs that will create more jobs and develop local industries through a Public-Private Partnership arrangement.
The Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu says the next step in Nigeria’s COVID-19 response will be dependent on health workers. Dr Ihekweazu says healthcare workers are the ones who will play the next pertinent role in the nation’s response to the disease. He says the next step of this will depend on healthcare workers, the distribution; and making the vaccines available to the last mile will depend on an incredible group of Nigerians that have been working hard for the last 18 months to deliver vaccines, test people, do contact tracing and treat individuals”. He says health officials are working tirelessly to beat the pandemic. The NCDC boss commended the frontline officials for their efforts and urged them not to rest on their oars.
President Muhammadu Buhari has signed the Petroleum Industry Bill 2021 into law. A statement signed by presidential spokesperson Femi Adesina says President Buhari signed the bill into law while in quarantine, after his arrival from the United Kingdom. The statement says the ceremonial part of the new legislation will be done on Wednesday, after the days of mandatory isolation would have been fulfilled. The Petroleum Industry Act provides a legal, governance, regulatory and fiscal framework for the Nigerian petroleum industry, the development of host communities, and related matters.
Fiji has enforced a no jab, no job coronavirus policy with unvaccinated public servants forced to go on leave. The government has argued that mandatory vaccinations are necessary to raise immunisation rates and end the outbreak. Fiji’s public servants who remain unvaccinated by November will be dismissed after a period of forced leave starting Sunday Employees at private firms could face fines and companies could be forced to stop operations over vaccine refusals.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson office says he will hold further crisis talks on Afghanistan as he recalled parliament from its summer break. A Downing Street spokesperson says Johnson had called a meeting of the COBR emergencies committee to discuss the situation, which follows the withdrawal of US-led forces, the second such meeting in three days. Parliament says it had approved Johnson’s request to call back MPs on Wednesday for an urgent debate on what Britain, which lost 457 troops in the two-decade-long war, should do next. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab says he had talked to Pakistan counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi, expressing his deep concerns and agreeing it was critical that the international community tell the Taliban that the violence must end and human rights are protected.
President Ashraf Ghani fled Afghanistan effectively ceding power to the Taliban as they reached the capital Kabul to seal a nationwide military victory in just 10 days. Abdullah Abdullah, who heads the peace process, says the former Afghan President has left the nation, leaving the people in this situation. He gave no indication where Ghani was going, but leading Afghan media group Tolo news suggested he was heading to Tajikistan. The insurgents say they want a peaceful transfer within the next few days, two decades after US-led forces toppled it in the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks. The group ordered its fighters earlier Sunday not to enter the capital, saying the remnants of the government’s forces were responsible for security.
The World Health Organization says Ivory Coast's first recorded case of Ebola in more than 25 years is of immense concern. Ivory Coast’s health ministry says the case was detected in the commercial capital, Abidjan. The WHO says further investigation is needed to identify the strain and determine if there is a connection between the two outbreaks The WHO’s regional director for Africa Matshidiso Moeti, says It is of immense concern that this outbreak has been declared in Abidjan, a metropolis of more than four million people. He added that Ivory Coast was one of six countries the WHO had supported recently to beef up Ebola readiness.
Prison authorities say Jailed former South African President Jacob Zuma has undergone unspecified surgery and remains in hospital with more operations planned. Zuma was sent to a hospital outside for observation on August 6, days before the start of a corruption trial he has thus far avoided. Prison spokesman Singabakho Nxumalo says Mr Zuma underwent a surgical procedure on Saturday, 14 August 2021, with other procedures scheduled for the coming days. Last week, a high court postponed his corruption trial to September 9 after his hospitalisation.
Zambian President Edgar Lungu has declared Thursday’s presidential and parliamentary election not free and fair after incidents of violence in three provinces. Lungu says the Patriotic Front party that he leads was consulting on its next course of action. President Lungu says the general election in three provinces, namely, Southern province, North Western province, and Western Province, were characterised by violence, rendering the whole exercise a nullity. He said Patriotic Front polling agents were brutalised and chased from polling stations, a situation that left the ruling party’s votes unprotected in those three provinces.
Member countries of the Economic Community of West African States have set a January 2025 deadline for the adoption of cleaner fuels and vehicles in the region to reduce air pollution across the cities. ECOWAS Director of Energy, Bayaornibe Dabire disclosed that the range of fuel specifications in the sub-region currently spans 50 Parts Per Million sulphur in some countries to 10, 000 ppm in others. He says the need for harmonisation led to the issuance of the ECOWAS directive which covers exhaust gas and particulate emission limits for two-wheeled, light and heavy vehicles. Dabire stressed that any improvement in fuel specifications without alignment with vehicle emission limits would not have the desired effect, emphasising that member states should prohibit the import of petrol and diesel which do not comply with the harmonised fuel specifications.
Chief Executive of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Mohamed Buba Marwa has commended the German government over ongoing efforts to boost the operational capability of the Agency with a world-class narcotic detection dog training facility. He expressed appreciation for past supports to the NDLEA adding that the 2million euro dog training school being planned for the agency will further boost NDLEA’s operations. The NDLEA chairman says drug trafficking is a complex and dynamic crime, which demands that the agency must always be a step ahead of drug cartels. He urged the German government to consider donating more dogs to the agency to be able to cover more areas of responsibility.
The federal government will commence the second phase of vaccination of Nigerians against the COVID-19 virus in Abuja. A statement by Yanda Muhammad for the Head of the Public Relations Unit of the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency says the national flag-off of the second phase of COVID-19 vaccination is scheduled to hold on Monday at the Federal Medical Centre, Jabi, Abuja. The Executive Director of NPHCDA, Dr Faisal Shuaib, says that the four million doses of Moderna vaccines donated by the United States Government and the 177,600 doses of Johnson and Johnson's vaccines received in the country last Thursday through the African Union and Afreximbank deal will be rolled out during the second phase of vaccination.
Mexico’s central bank raised borrowing costs for the second consecutive meeting Thursday, as stubbornly elevated and above-target consumer price increases have begun to contaminate inflation expectations. Banco de Mexico boosted its key interest rate by a quarter-point to 4.5% after a surprise hike in June that did little to tame inflation, currently running at almost double the bank’s target. Mexico’s economy is quickly rebounding so far in 2021 after shrinking 8.2% last year, the most in almost a century. The recovery, with GDP seen growing 6.2% by economists surveyed by Citibanamex, is adding to inflationary pressures and helped lead the central bank to start tightening its monetary policy earlier than expected by most analysts.
The Turkish lira rallied to lead gains among emerging-market peers after Turkey’s central bank held its benchmark interest rate, defying President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s calls for a cut. The currency rose as much as 1.2% after the Monetary Policy Committee held its one-week repo rate at 19% for a fifth month as forecast by all 20 analysts surveyed by Bloomberg. The decision appeased traders who were concerned that the policymaker would succumb to political pressure and lower borrowing costs despite the deteriorating outlook for inflation. Consumer-price gains accelerated to 18.95% in July, virtually wiping out Turkey’s real policy rate. The central bank says the benchmark rate will continue to be determined at a level above inflation to maintain a strong disinflationary effect until strong indicators point to a permanent fall in inflation and the medium-term 5% target is reached.
President Joe Biden called on U.S. lawmakers to enact legislation aimed at lowering drug prices, including allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices and imposing penalties on drugmakers that hike prices faster than inflation. The President’s remarks laid out his vision to help reduce the costs for prescription medications as part of the Build Back Better agenda he is seeking to push through Congress as the nation continues to grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic. Biden lauded drugmakers for their life-saving work developing the COVID-19 vaccines. Biden says U.S. prescription drug costs were higher than any other nation in the world by two to three times.
Jazz Pharmaceuticals PLC says its sleep disorder drug Xywav received U.S. regulatory approval for the expanded use in patients suffering from excessive daytime sleepiness despite a good night’s sleep. Xywav is currently approved in the United States for the treatment of excessive daytime sleepiness and sudden loss of muscle tone in patients aged seven or older with a neurological disorder called narcolepsy. Jazz shares rose as much as 1.1% to $146.66 in the afternoon session. Jazz says that it plans to make Xywav available to idiopathic hypersomnia (IH) patients later this year. Jazz has been attempting to expand its portfolio before the entry of cheaper generic competition for its top-selling drug Xyrem no later than 2023. In May, the drugmaker completed
The federal government has approved a total sum of N498.23 million for four power projects across the country. Minister of Power, Saleh Mamman, says the FEC meeting approved four power projects including the supply and installation of motorised portable hydraulic compressor for the Transmission Company of Nigeria in favour of Messrs Intern Equipment Nigeria Limited in the sum of US$502,950 plus N15,800,000. He says the second approval was also received for the award of the contract for the supply and delivery of three sets of online partial discharge measurement and monitoring equipment for the TCN in favour of Messrs T and D Technology Limited in the sum of US$ 874,800 offshore plus N240,100,000 onshore with a delivery period of nine months.
The Department of Petroleum Resources says Investors have proposed to spend over $500m in building gas pipelines and other facilities in Nigeria following the implementation of the Nigerian Gas Transportation Network Code that was launched last year. The Director and Chief Executive Officer, DPR, Mr Sarki Auwalu, says through the implementation of the network code, the DPR was able to improve the much-needed market alignment between critical demand points for gas and available supply opportunities. He says the agency had so far issued 12 shipper licences, with three licences under processing; one transporter licence; and three agent licences. He says the network code had improved investors’ confidence in the evolving domestic gas market.
Nigerian Lawmakers say the infighting among members of the executive arm of government and political intrigues in Nigeria are key issues stalling the growth of the power sector. Chairman, House Committee on Power, Magaji Aliyu, Aliyu, stated that findings by the committee had shown that many Nigerians were paying for electricity that they did not consume. He says the power sector is in a big problem because of the lack of efficient and dynamic policies. Aliyu added that there are political machinations not to allow power to grow in this country adding that there are machinations to interfere with the power sector generally.
A new report by SBM Intelligence, a geopolitical and socioeconomic research firm, claimed that the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation incurred a loss of N473.3bn in operating moribund refineries between January 2015 and February 2021. It further stated that the refineries had not been fully utilised over the years, adding that they had been unproductive since July 2019 despite the huge costs of maintaining them. The report says that the Nigerian government had been bent on wasting money in this area, adding that the Federal Executive Council approved $1.5bn to rehabilitate the Port-Harcourt refinery in March and $1.48bn was approved for the Kaduna and Warri refineries.
The Minister of State for Power, Mr Goddy Jedy-Agba, says investments of over $400bn are required for Nigeria to achieve universal energy access by 2030 and net-zero emission targets by 2050. Jedy-Agba shared the challenges facing the country in delivering energy to the 25 million Nigerians without access to energy using solar home systems and mini-grids. The minister reassured delegates of the readiness of the country to participate in the forthcoming COP26 UN Climate Change Conference. He says Nigeria would seek to align its position along with an energy transition that is equitable, inclusive and just.
Chancellor Angela Merkel says Germany will earmark up to 30 billion euros to rebuild after last month’s deadly floods that washed away homes, businesses and critical infrastructure. Merkel says the costs will be shared between the federal government and the 16 states calling it a sign of national solidarity. NRW state premier Armin Laschet, says his region has not had to rebuild thousands of destroyed homes at once since World War II. Merkel and regional leaders agreed to improve the country’s warning system, including by providing states with up to 88 million euros to upgrade and install sirens by 2023.
Twitter says it had suspended the account of controversial US lawmaker Marjorie Taylor Greene, a staunch supporter of former Republican President Donald Trump, for a week over a “misleading” tweet on coronavirus vaccines. The tweet says the US Food and Drug Administration should not give final approval to anti-coronavirus vaccines, with Greene saying they were “failing” and did not curb the spread of the virus. Twitter labelled the message misleading and suggested that users consult the information provided by US health authorities about vaccines and mask-wearing. The platform’s rules on Covid misinformation state that a seven-day suspension comes with a fourth violation of the site’s terms of use.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed issued a call for all eligible civilians to join the armed forces as fighting rages in multiple regions of Africa’s second-most populous nation. Abiy’s office in a statement says now is the right time for all capable Ethiopians who are of age to join the Defense Forces, Special Forces and militias and show their patriotism. Abiy ordered security forces to halt the destruction of the treasonous and terrorist TPLF organisation and the machinations of foreign hands once and for all.
South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa is due to appear on Wednesday morning before the country's corruption inquiry. It was set up to investigate allegations that his predecessor Jacob Zuma - during his term in office - allowed the wealthy Gupta family to plunder state resources and to influence policy and cabinet appointments. The corruption is estimated to have cost South Africa $81bn in public funds and lost opportunities. He has been called to answer questions on what the party knew, if anything, about the alleged misconduct and if they did anything to try to stop it.
The federal government says it is targeting to commence local manufacturing of COVID-19 vaccines in the next 12 months. The Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, says the agency has commenced clinical trials on three local herbal medicinal products for the treatment of the virus. Adeyeye says the government was concerned about the absence of medicine security and its implications for the healthcare needs of the people. She says the federal government was particularly worried about current challenges posed by an inadequate supply of the vaccines to take care of millions of Nigerians, adding that the government was working diligently to start local manufacturing of the vaccine.
The Edo State Governor, Mr Godwin Obaseki, has reiterated the need for Nigeria to diversify its economy from crude oil, noting that the nation could earn as much as $20bn annually from the cultivation and production of oil palm. Obaseki, says the decline in prices of crude oil and the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance and urgency to diversify the country’s economy, creating an alternative source of revenue. The governor says his government was investing hugely in the agricultural sector to boost the state’s economy, tackle food insecurity and create wealth for Edo citizens. He noted that to effectively and efficiently encourage investors, the state launched the Edo State Oil Palm Programme in partnership with other private sector stakeholders including the Central Bank of Nigeria.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control has called on state governments and citizens to take more proactive steps to combat the outbreak of cholera across states in Nigeria. The agency made the appeal in a report where it stated that there have been 31,425 suspected cases of cholera and 816 deaths reported from 22 states and the FCT, between January 1 and August 1, 2021. The NCDC says the recent outbreak has been exacerbated by poor access to clean water, open defecation, poor sanitation, and hygiene. The NCDC says it activated the National Cholera Emergency Operations Centre on June 22 and has deployed rapid response teams to support the most affected states, it warned that those actions won’t be enough.
The Federal Government has threatened to review its relationship with Indonesia if it fails to bring the Indonesian immigration officials that assaulted a Nigerian diplomat to book. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffry Onyeama, says there was absolutely no justification whatsoever for this kind of behaviour against not only a Nigerian diplomat but any Nigerian at all. He says It was totally unacceptable Nigeria has also summoned its ambassador to Indonesia to give a detailed account of the assault, which has sparked outrage after a video of it went viral.
Amazon.com Inc on Tuesday says it would pay customers who suffer injuries or property damage from defective goods others sell on its U.S. platform, in a new policy that could reduce litigation. Amazon maintains that sellers themselves are responsible, and most courts have ruled in its favour. A state appellate court in California, however, last year said it could be liable for goods it stores and ships via its Fulfillment by Amazon program. The company says effective Sept. 1, Amazon will pay valid claims of up to $1,000, which make up more than 80% of injury and damage cases on its platform, at no cost to sellers.
The Senate moved toward the final passage of a bipartisan $1 trillion infrastructure package, after clearing the last significant procedural hurdles for the legislation over the weekend. The legislation is expected to pass, after nearly 70 senators voted to advance it late Sunday night. It is the product of weeks of intense negotiations, largely led by White House officials and a core group of 10 Republican and Democratic senators. Senator Bill Hagerty, Republican of Tennessee, held up a move to expedite the bill over the weekend, largely to protest how it is paid for. Senators remained hopeful that on Monday they would reach an agreement on postponing the vote until Tuesday at a reasonable, daylight hour, rather than taking a vote in the early morning hours.
Mozambique's president has called for newly stationed multi-national troops to act with harmony and respect for human life as they prepare to serve in the troubled province of Cabo Delgado. The mission is funded by the southern African regional bloc, Sadc, with a budget of $12m and renewable on a month-by-month basis. More than 3,000 people have been killed and 820,000 displaced since the Islamist insurgency in Cabo Delgado began in 2017. Rwandan and Mozambican troops said they recaptured the rebels' stronghold of Mocímboa da Praia. Mozambique's President Felipe Nyusi urged the troops to strengthen their relations with the populations through humanitarian aid, whenever possible.
Health officials in Guinea have confirmed West Africa’s first case of Marburg, a highly infectious disease that’s in the same family as the virus that causes Ebola. The World Health Organization says the virus needed to be stopped in its tracks. Marburg virus disease is transmitted to people from fruit bats and spreads among humans through the transmission of bodily fluids. Dr Matshidiso Moeti, from the WHO, says the virus had the potential to spread far and wide.
The Central Bank of Nigeria says its proposed digital currency, known as e-Naira, will be treated as critical national infrastructure to protect it from operational and cyber-security risks. The apex bank says there would be a co-existence of traditional payment systems and the CBN Digital Currency to address interoperability risks that might be associated with the implementation. CBN says it would apply the regulatory framework and compliance mechanisms to prevent disruptive competition for electronic money. The bank explained that medium to long-term pay-off in increased efficiency of operations was expected to offset initial outlay. It added that any risk of disintermediation would be addressed by the introduction of limits on the e-Naira holdings.
The Lagos State House of Assembly has granted the request of the State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, for the state government to assume full ownership of the privately-owned Lekki Concession Company Limited. The House Committee on Finance led by Rotimi Olowo explained that upon the buy-out of all the shareholdings interest of LCC by the state, the government has become the subsisting shareholders of the company with 75% shareholding while the Office of Public-Private Partnerships was left with the remaining 25% shareholding. He says the original $53.9 million loan obligation from a private sector facility – the African Development Bank had been resolved after series of engagements between the bank, LCC, and the state government.
The Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr Faisal Shuaib, says Nigeria is scheduled to commence the second phase of its COVID-19 vaccination programme on August 16. The Federal Government had earlier scheduled the exercise to begin on Tuesday, but it was postponed due to unforeseen circumstances. Dr Shuaib suggested the postponement had been necessary for preparations to be finalised. The second phase of the vaccination programme was breathed into life after the US donated over four million doses of the Moderna vaccine.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has condemned the assault of a Nigerian diplomat by immigration officials in Indonesia. The victim was manhandled and arrested by immigration officials in front of his official quarters in the Asian country. A viral video of the event shows at least three men in a vehicle assaulting the official, ignoring his screams of pain. The Nigerian Foreign Affairs Ministry in a statement says the unfortunate incident is against international law and the Vienna Conventions governing Diplomatic and Consular Relations between states.
The chief executive of German company BioNTech says the first-generation vaccine developed by BioNTech-Pfizer works against coronavirus variants such as the Delta strain and does not need to be modified for the moment. He says It is quite possible that in the next six to 12 months, further variants will emerge and that would require adaptation of the vaccine but it is at the moment not yet the case. He says making a decision at the moment might turn out to be wrong in three or six months if another variant is dominating. Therefore the timing of the decision must be appropriate.
A lawmaker has accused some of the medical professionals of coming into the system illegally. Mr Yusuf Sununu, the House of Representatives, says some of the unpaid resident doctors flouted the rules as a result of their illegal employment. He highlighted some of the issues that led to the industrial action by medical practitioners. He expects a favourable outcome at the end of the meeting in order to ensure the striking doctors return to work following a week of paralysed activities in most of the government-owned facilities in the country. Yusuf was also critical of the present condition of the nation’s healthcare system, as well as the exodus of young and brilliant doctors from the country.
People in France will need to show a health pass from Monday to enjoy usually routine activities Learn more about manual excerpts such as sipping a coffee in a café or intercity travel, despite large scale protests against the plan. President Emmanuel Macron has championed the so-called COVID-19 pass, which is now being extended to cafés, restaurants and air and train travel, as a way to curb a fourth wave of the coronavirus and encourage people to get vaccinated. The plan however has led to four weekends of angry protests with almost a quarter of a million people taking to the streets across the country on Saturday. Health Minister Olivier Veran told Le Parisien daily that the pass and the vaccination drive should help us avoid new curfews and lockdowns.
The Tokyo 2020 Games were declared closed by IOC chief Thomas Bach on Sunday, ending the Olympic journey after a year’s pandemic delay and threats of cancellation. Bach called them unprecedented Olympic Games as he addressed the 68,000-seat Olympic Stadium. He says in these difficult times they are all living through, athletes give the world the most precious of gifts: hope. It marked a low-key end to an extraordinary Olympics that have mostly played out in empty venues with only athletes, team officials and media present.
Human rights campaign group Amnesty International says an Egyptian army propaganda video appears to show troops carrying out extrajudicial killings. The army posted the images on social media earlier this week in an update on its war against militants in the Sinai peninsula. Amnesty says it has analysed the footage, and it includes a scene in which a soldier shoots a person who is asleep in a makeshift tent. The video also shows an unarmed man being shot from above as he runs in the desert. Amnesty describes these as cold-blooded killings of people who posed no threat adding that the footage offered a glimpse of shocking crimes that are committed in the name of counter-terrorism in Egypt.
A Sudanese court has sentenced six members of a paramilitary group to death for killing protesters during the 2019 demonstrations over fuel and food shortages. The shooting of the six protesters, who included four schoolchildren, sparked days over violent protests across Sudan. Judge Ahmed Hassan al-Rahma says the six members of the Rapid Support Forces used unnecessary and excessive force during the July 2019 protests. The six are sentenced to be hanged, but under Sudanese law, they can appeal. Another RSF member was referred to a juvenile court as he was below 18 at the time of the demonstrations.
The Arewa Consultative Forum, Middle Belt Forum and Afenifere have reacted to the comment by a former military President, General Ibrahim Babangida that the next President of Nigeria should be less than 70 years and that the country’s corruption index is worse now than what it was when he was Nigeria’s military ruler. The pan Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, has also backed the former military president’s position on the age of the next president, citing the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo; and Chief Ladoke Akintola, who were in their 50s and 40s when they became premiers of the Western Region. The socio-political group, however, argued that a president’s performance does not depend on his age but his vision and the country’s political structure.
The Former Director of the Department of State Service, Mr Dennis Amachree, has called on the federal government to do everything possible to stop ransom payment to kidnappers, saying the decision would be the solution to the nefarious activities of making money through kidnapping by bandits and others. Amachree, says that bandits and others have found kidnapping very lucrative because they are paid the ransom, but this would stop if the federal government discouraged ransom payment and stopped negotiating with bandits when they kidnap persons. He said that many bandits and terrorists had engaged in the illicit business because firm actions had not been taken to stop the kidnapping. When decisive actions are taken by stopping ransom payment, kidnapping would end in Nigeria. He said that bandits and others who engage in kidnapping are largely located in the northwest and North-central, but insurgents like Boko Haram, who also engaged in kidnapping, stay in the northeast, noting that those are guided by different directions ideologies, including the condemnation of education.
The Presidential Steering Committee on COVID-19 has announced the postponement of the second batch of COVID-19 Moderna vaccines doses donated by the American government to intensify the battle against the virus. The Director Press, PSC, on COVID-19 Mr Willie Bassey, says the PSC announced the second phase of vaccination against the virus having received four million doses of Moderna vaccines donated by the United States government through COVAX. The News Agency of Nigeria reported that the exercise was earlier scheduled to commence tomorrow August 10, 2021, at the Federal Medical Centre, Jabi, Abuja. Bassey says the exercise was postponed due to some unforeseen circumstances.
The Senate has denied reports that the lawmakers have proposed the creation of 20 more states, saying the upper chamber was grossly misrepresented. Senate spokesman Ajibola Basiru in a statement says the report is a misunderstanding of the decision reached by the Senate Committee on the Review of the 1999 constitution. The statement says the report is a gross misrepresentation of the decision of the committee on the request for the creation of more states. He says Section 8 of the Nigerian Constitution clearly stipulates the procedures for the creation of additional states adding that the Senate Committee is not in a position to propose the creation of any state as reported.
The Coalition of Northern Groups has kicked against the suspension of the embattled Deputy Commissioner of Police, Mr Abba Kyari following his indictment by a US Court. Spokesman of the Coalition, Abdulazeez Sulaiman, noted that the Nigerian police authorities and the FBI breached Kyari ‘s fundamental rights by not allowing him to be heard before taking hasty actions against him. They have, therefore, demanded an immediate review of the suspension and have also asked that the ongoing investigation with the FBI be transferred to the Nigerian Intelligence Agency.
Barcelona says Argentine superstar Lionel Messi will not sign a new deal with Barcelona, ending his two-decade stay at the Nou Camp. The club says despite FC Barcelona and Lionel Messi has reached an agreement and the clear intention of both parties to sign a new contract today, this cannot happen because of financial and structural obstacles. The club added that FC Barcelona expresses its gratitude to the player for his contribution to the aggrandisement of the club and wishes him all the very best for the future in his personal and professional life.
The White says the United States will provide safe haven to citizens of the Chinese territory for the next 18 months, allowing thousands to extend their stays in the US. President Joe Biden says China has continued its assault on Hong Kong’s autonomy, undermining its remaining democratic processes and institutions, imposing limits on academic freedom, and cracking down on freedom of the press. Biden says offering safe haven for Hong Kong residents who have been deprived of their guaranteed freedoms in Hong Kong furthers United States interests in the region.
South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced that the African Union has started the distribution of 400 million Covid vaccines to member states. He says several countries will receive the first of the monthly shipments on Thursday and the AU's aim is to deliver 25 million vaccines a month by January. He says it is a momentous step forward in Africa’s efforts to safeguard the health and well-being of its people. He added that this will provide impetus to the fight against Covid-19 across the continent and will lay the basis for Africa’s social and economic recovery. The AU says the 400 million vaccines should be enough to immunise a third of the continent's population and bring Africa halfway towards the goal of vaccinating at least 60% of the people.
Mozambique’s former President Joaquim Chissano has told the BBC's Focus on Africa radio that the motivation behind the Islamist insurgency in northern Mozambique must be understood in order to pave the way towards a dialogue. He says that while the priority would always be to protect the people, there is a need to engage with those causing the violence. He says talking should not be ruled out because many groups using terrorism as a method of fighting have ended up with some dialogue with the authorities. He says that it was sometimes impossible to insist that fighting should end before talking begins adding that it's better to find out how they can talk even if the fight continues.
Tunisia’s President Kais Saied says there was no turning back from his decision to freeze parliament and assume executive power, moves his opponents have branded a coup. Saied also rejected calls for talks over the crisis, saying there is no dialogue except with the honest and that no dialogue was possible with cancer cells. Saied has not named a new prime minister, announced any steps to end the emergency or declared his longer-term intentions. The powerful labour union, as well as both the United States and France, have called on him to quickly appoint a new government. The union is preparing a roadmap to end the crisis that it says it will present to Saied.
South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa reshuffled his cabinet on Thursday with changes including the finance and health ministries. Former Health Minister Zweli Mkhize resigned hours before Mr Ramaphosa was set to fire him after he was embroiled in a corruption scandal. Enoch Gondongwana replaces Tito Mboweni who asked to be released from his post. The president has decided to do away with the state security ministry altogether Mr Ramaphosa also announced he will appoint an expert panel to review the country’s preparedness for future security responses.
The Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Awwal Zubairu Gambo, has announced that the Nigerian Navy would soon establish two additional operational bases in Cross River State. Gambo, says one of the bases would be an outpost at Ikang, and the other, a naval security station at Dayspring Island. Vice Admiral Gambo explained that the move has become necessary because they are aware of the security situation in the state. He added that it has been part of their strategic plan that they can improve our security architecture in the state and of course, secure our borders and around the Republic of Cameroon.
The Lagos State House of Assembly has slashed pensions of former governors by 50%. The assembly’s Committee on Establishment expunged the provision of houses in Abuja and Lagos for former governors as stipulated in an earlier law operated by the state. The report further showed a reduction in the number of vehicles to be made available to former governors and their deputies. Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa, suggested that former governors should get two vehicles (a car and a van) instead of three as recommended by the committee. Obasa also suggested that the amended bill should provide that the cars be changed every four years instead of the three years recommended by the report.
The Federal Government has asked striking resident doctors to resume work as most of the issues they have raised are state affairs. Minister of Health Dr Osagie Ehanire says that seven of 12 matters that were raised by the National Association of Resident Doctors were the responsibility of state governments. He expects the resident doctors to resume work on Friday and take up these issues with the state governments rather than embark on the nationwide strike as they had done. Dr Ehanire told journalists that the industrial action was crippling the government’s efforts in tackling the resurgence of the pandemic.
The Minister of State for Petroleum, Timipre Sylva, says that there is currently no set date for petrol subsidy removal. Mr Sylva adding that the government is being considerate of citizens. He says the Vice President is actually leading the efforts and they will tell Nigerians what date the removal of subsidy will kick in. He says the government is also making efforts to put structures in place to cushion the effect of the eventual subsidy removal.
The Federal Government has admitted that it is not in the best position to manage its refineries. Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, stated that they are going to have professional managers to manage the refineries. The minister believes it will not be out of place if the government gets the refineries working before taking appropriate decisions. He explained that the government does not subscribe to the idea of selling off the refineries in their present condition as such action would be widely criticised by citizens.
US President Joe Biden joined leading Democrats in calling on powerful New York Governor Andrew Cuomo to resign after an independent investigation concluded that he sexually harassed multiple women. Cuomo denied inappropriate conduct and resisted immediate calls to quit after the probe found he harassed current and former New York state employees. Biden and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the three-term governor should step down and state lawmakers moved to impeach him. State Attorney General Letitia James says the five-month investigation concluded that Governor Andrew Cuomo sexually harassed multiple women and in doing so violated federal and state law.
Mozambique’s health minister has expressed concern over the issue of African countries receiving Covid vaccines shortly before their expiration date. Armindo Tiago says this is a problem in the management of health systems as it imposes an urgent need to vaccinate many people in a very short time. Dr Tiago told a virtual meeting of health ministers of the southern African regional bloc Sadc that the issue also compromises the effectiveness of the vaccination campaigns. Vaccine availability and the reception of vaccines in minimal quantities also The minister has called for member countries to act collectively and plan jointly in the fight against Covid-19.
President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi of Egypt says that it was time to increase the price of bread, which has been a highly sensitive issue in the past. Mr Sisi says that there would not be a big jump. He however suggested it was no longer reasonable to continue subsidising bread to the extent that 20 loaves sell for the price of just a single cigarette. The International Monetary Fund argues that food subsidies should only benefit those most in need. A hike in the price of bread in 1977 sparked deadly riots.
A top UN official says Ethiopian government accusations that aid workers in the war-torn Tigray region are helping rebels are dangerous. Martin Griffiths, who heads the UN's humanitarian agency, has just wrapped up a six-day visit to the country. The UN says more than five million people in Tigray need humanitarian assistance and more than 400,000 are living in famine conditions. Some aid workers have been accused of siding with the rebel Tigray Defence Forces and aid convoys have been held up. Mr Griffiths says Blanket accusations of humanitarian aid workers need to stop.
Algeria’s Health Minister Abderrahmane Benbouzid, says Algeria will not introduce another full coronavirus lockdown as the current night-time curfew appears to be reducing infections. The authorities have introduced a curfew from 20:00 to 06:00 in the provinces with the highest infection rates. He says this has followed the rapid spread of the Delta variant that has put huge pressure on hospitals. Some hospitals have been running out of oxygen. Mr Benbouzid says that health workers in both public and private facilities will not take their annual leave until the epidemiological situation has improved.
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has urged the management of the Nigerian Exchange Limited to explore more avenues of growing the stock market by venturing into emerging frontiers. The Vice President also commended the completion of the demutualisation of the stock exchange, describing it as a welcome development, as Popoola made a presentation on the post-demutualisation of the company’s activities. Professor Osinbajo assured the management that the government will create policies that will enable the company and the stock market to reach greater heights. Chief Executive Officer, Mr Temi Popoola says the organisation has been repositioned for profit and is now aligned to the tastes and preferences of the market. He says under the new arrangement, the market will be opened for more companies to be listed, resulting in more revenues for the government as listed companies pay more taxes and are more responsive to the environment they operate in.
The United Arab Emirates announced that it was relaxing restrictions for inbound passengers from six countries, including Nigeria. The country’s National Emergency and Crisis Management Authority says the lifting of the restrictions will take effect from August 5. The country in January had announced a ban on transit flights from Nigeria as it battled a rise in COVID-19 cases. The Authority says travel for transit passengers from all countries from which transit passengers have been suspended will be resumed in advance provided that the passenger’s last destination is accepted with a laboratory check-up within 72 hours of departure and state airports will allocate special lounges for transit passengers.
Nigeria has been allocated about $3.35 billion as part of a historic general allocation of Special Drawing Rights of the International Monetary Fund. This is a result of the approval of a general allocation of about SDR456 billion – an equivalent of $650 billion – by the IMF Board of Governors on Monday. The allocation which was approved on Monday aims to boost global liquidity at a time when the world is grappling with the coronavirus pandemic. IMF Managing Director, Kristalina Georgieva says this is a historic decision, the largest SDR allocation in the history of the IMF and a shot in the arm for the global economy at a time of unprecedented crisis. It is a potential claim on the freely usable currencies of IMF members and can provide a country with liquidity.
Nigeria is expected to receive the sum of $125 million to boost the education sector. The Minister of State for Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, says the money forms part of funds being disbursed to countries at the Education Summit which took place in London, the United Kingdom last week. Nwajiuba says $125 million will be coming to Nigeria. He says they also have the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education who is going to be on the board who is going to then make sure that they allocate the money to states where they have the biggest problems. President Muhammadu Buhari had during the summit, pledged to increase the budget for the education sector by as much as 50 per cent over the next two years.
The Federal Government has announced that Nigeria has exited the Maritime Organisation for West and Central Africa. Eric Ojiekwe, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Transportation, explained that the decision followed the disregard for Rules of Procedure regarding the eligibility of candidates nominated for the position of the Secretary-General of the organisation. He noted that Nigeria as a nation must take a stand against the promotion of illegality, disrespect for the rule of law, and contravention of the rules regarding the election of the Secretary-General of MOWCA. This position followed the presentation for election for the position of Secretary-General of overaged candidates by Guinea and the Republic of Benin, leading Nigeria to further observe.
Germany health Ministry says it will start offering COVID booster shots to the elderly and at-risk from September, citing concerns over a reduced or rapidly declining immune response among some groups. The health ministry says the booster shot either Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna will also be offered to anyone who received the two-dose Astrazeneca or single-dose Johnson & Johnson jabs in the interests of preventative healthcare.
The presidency in a statement says Tunisian President Kais Saied relieved both the finance and economy minister and the communications and technologies minister who is also acting agriculture and water resources minister from their positions. The statement added that Saied named Sihem Boughdiri to run the finance and economy ministry and Nizar ben Najy to run the communications and technologies ministry.
Morocco government says it will lengthen its night curfew, starting two hours earlier at 9 p.m. from Tuesday, as it tightens restrictions to counter a surge in coronavirus infections. The government in a statement says the business and tourist hubs of Casablanca, Agadir and Marakech will be closed except to holders of the vaccine pass or those on necessary travel. The move is expected to hurt tourism business which pinned hopes on the summer season to attract national tourists after travel receipts dropped 70% in the first half this year. Morocco has administering 24 million doses of the AstraZeneca and Sinopharm vaccines.
Tunisian President Kais Saied says that his country has received 6 million doses of the coronavirus vaccine as donations from friendly countries, as Tunisia struggles to stop the rapid spread of COVID-19. Saied says that Tunisia’s vaccination rate will be accelerated. The number of deaths due to the pandemic has exceeded 20,000 in Tunisia.
The federal government has warned that House Officers on mandatory two-year housemanship training that embarks on strike would be made to repeat the posting without remuneration. Registrar, Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, Dr Tajudeen Sanusi, says the law regulating the housemanship programme does not condone strike action by House Officers. He says anyone found to be disobeying the rule should be reported to the Chief Medical Director, Medical Director or Medical Superintendent of the affected housemanship training Institution. He says any interruption for any reason, including embarking on strike actions, during any of the postings will not be condoned and should be reported immediately to the Chief Medical Director, Medical Director or Medical Superintendent of the housemanship training Institution.
The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation assured that it would protect the interest of Nigeria in any transaction involving international oil companies interested in divesting from the country. Group Managing Director of the corporation, Mr Mele Kyari, says the NNPC cannot stop any of the oil concerns from deciding to sell off any of their assets as far as the rules are followed. The NNPC boss noted that having learnt from previous experiences, the corporation was developing requisite divestment policies that will provide clear guidelines and criteria for exiting of partners’ interest in all its Joint Venture and Production Sharing Contracts arrangements.
The federal government will commence cash payment to 200,000 urban poor senior citizens that do not have access to regular income and were severely impacted by the COVID-19 lockdown. Coordinator, National Social Safety Net Programme, Iorwa Apera, say the cash transfer for the 200,000 senior citizens would roll off after the data of the intended beneficiaries were authenticated by their respective communities. He says four per cent of the 35 million poor and vulnerable persons drawn from 8.5 million in the national register across 36 states and the FCT was made up of elderly persons. He says two million individuals, who were categorised as senior citizens were aggregated by location, education, age grade, status, disability and sex.
The Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba, has appointed a Deputy Commissioner of Police, Tunji Disu, as the new Head of the Police Intelligence Response Team. The Force Public Relations Officer, CP Frank Mba, announced Disu’s appointment in a statement on Monday in Abuja, saying it was with immediate effect. Kyari is being investigated following his indictment by the Federal Bureau of Investigation over his alleged relationship with the fraudster Ramon Abbas, popularly known as Hushpuppi. Mba explained that Disu’s appointment would fill the leadership gap within the IRT and refocus the Unit for better service delivery.
Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has raised an alarm over the increasing figure of coronavirus in the state and warned foreigners who violate guidelines that they risk deportation. The governor called on residents to adhere strictly to the guidelines put in place to curb the spread of the virus. The Governor says the positivity rate in Lagos is 8.9 per cent adding that it is an eight-fold increase over the recorded figure a month ago, and it should rightly be alarming. Governor Sanwo-Olu believes everyone should be concerned about the rising cases, but he does not want people to panic.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control says thirty-two Delta variant cases of coronavirus have been reported in five states across the country. The Director-General of the NCDC, Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu says Nineteen of the cases were reported in Akwa Ibom State. Ihekweazu listed Lagos, Cross River, and Oyo states as well as the Federal Capital Territory, as the other places where at least one case of the Delta variant of COVID-19 has been confirmed in the country. Health experts have continued to watch certain coronavirus mutations and variants that have become more contagious and deadlier than the original strain.
A report in the Financial Times newspaper shows that Pfizer and Moderna, the manufacturers of two of the most effective COVID-19 vaccines, have raised the prices of their jabs in their latest European Union supply contracts. The media outlet says the new price for the Pfizer shot was 19.50 euros compared with 15.50 euros previously, citing portions of the contracts it had seen. The FT says the price of a dose of the Moderna vaccine was set at $25.50, according to the contracts, compared with $22.60 in the first procurement deal, although lower than the previously agreed $28.50 because the order was larger. Al Jazeera’s Neave Barker, says the price hikes reflected the continued demand for effective jabs and that governments had become a captive audience to pharmaceutical companies.
Canada has officially marked the abolishment of slavery nearly 200 years ago in its first nationwide Emancipation Day. Canadian parliamentarians unanimously voted in March to recognise Emancipation Day across the country on August 1, the same date in 1834 that an act came into effect banning slavery in former British colonies, including Canada. Senator Wanda Thomas Bernard, says the day is not a celebration but rather a time of reflection, a time of remembering their ancestors and a time for honouring their ancestors. Thomas Bernard explained that Black history must be taught across Canada year-round and that an apology and reparations need to be discussed.
Ethiopia's national carrier Ethiopian Airlines has denied reports that it shipped arms to the conflict-hit region of Tigray. The airline says that after the airspace was reopened it only gave commercial essential service by transporting civilians. The airspace was reopened in December 2020 then closed again a few weeks ago when Tigray rebels started fighting against pro-government forces. Ethiopian Airlines says it has had no flight to the region since the recent closure. The airline says the reports are from people who want to defame and spoil its image. It says photos of uniformed officers disembarking are old and that it had never transported soldiers to combat areas.
The federal government says there is an ongoing effort involving some key government establishments in the gas and power value chain to address the gas supply challenge and increase output from the power generation companies. The federal government says it would take a decisive measure against the ministries, departments and agencies under it over their high indebtedness to the Gencos and distribution companies. Special Adviser to the President on Infrastructure and Secretary of the Power Sector Reform Working Group, Mr Ahmed Zakari, says discussions were ongoing to address the gas supply concerns. Zakari attributed the gas supply challenge to a lack of firm gas agreements backed with Power Purchase Agreements between some of the Gencos and their gas suppliers.
The Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, Rt. Hon Patricia Scotland QC says the Commonwealth was closely monitoring developments around the suspension of Twitter and allegations of repression of the rights to freedom of expression, access to information, media freedom, as well as disregard for the rule of law in Nigeria. Scotland says she had been following the developments in Nigeria very closely and was engaging the relevant stakeholders. She says all Commonwealth member countries including Nigeria have committed themselves to uphold freedom of expression as one of the core values and principles of the Commonwealth Charter, which underscores a commitment to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other relevant human rights covenants and international instruments.
The National Primary Health Care Development Agency says the Federal Government will receive about 4.8 million doses of Moderna COVID-19 Vaccines. NPHCDA Executive Director/ CEO, Dr Faisal Shuaib, says the consignment is a donation from the American government. The PSC Chairman and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, says the call followed recent confirmation of more cases of the Delta variant of COVID-19 in several states and the continued rising number of infections and hospitalization across the country. He warned all political parties, State governments, Independent National Electoral Commission and State Independent Electoral Commissions to avoid the spread of the virus amid political gatherings and ensure maximum public safety.
The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation has announced that its downstream subsidiary, the Petroleum Products Marketing Company, recorded ₦234.63 billion revenue from the sale of white products in March representing a 24.7% increase from the ₦188.15billion sales recorded in February. The report indicated that total revenues generated from the sales of white products for the period of March 2020 to March 2021 stood at ₦2.129trillion, where petrol contributed about 99.24% of the total sales with a value of ₦2.113trllion. The NNPC continues to monitor the daily stock of PMS to achieve uninterrupted supply, effective distribution and zero fuel queue across Nigeria.
The Senate Committee on Banking and Other Financial Institutions has urged state governments particularly in the northwest zone of the country to ensure financial inclusion for poor citizens. They raised the concern that over 70 per cent of adults in the northwest zone are financially excluded while addressing reporters in Kaduna. The Chairman of the committee, Senator Uba Sani, urged the Northern Governors to come with a sustainable framework as soon as possible. He described the situation as a threat to the realization of the Federal Government’s poverty reduction plan. Senator Sani says state governments must hasten the establishment of microfinance and community banks to help deepen access to financial services in the rural communities, where the majority of the country’s excluded population live.
A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Muiz Banire has described the indictment of a Deputy Commissioner for Police, Abba Kyari, in the case of international fraud, as a dent in the image of the country. Mr Muiz in an interview on Channels Television’s made the comments while reacting to the suspension of Mr Kyari by the Police Service Commission on Sunday. The commission has also directed the Inspector General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba, to furnish it with information on further developments on the matter for necessary further action.
The Police Service Commission has suspended a Deputy Commissioner of Police and Head, Intelligence Response Team of the Nigeria Police Force, Abba Kyari. A statement by the commission’s Head of Public Relations, Ikechukwu Ani says the decision was conveyed in a letter signed by Justice Clara Bata Ogunbiyi, a retired justice of the Supreme Court. Kyari’s suspension took effect from July 31 and would subsist pending the outcome of the investigation in respect to his indictment by the Federal Bureau of Investigation of the United States. The commission has also directed the Inspector General of Police to furnish it with information on further developments to further action.
Tunisian President Kais Saied has indicated plans for a looming crackdown on corruption in the country, days after he seized control of the government by sacking the prime minister and several cabinet members, and suspending the parliament. President Saied acted on an article in the constitution that gives him temporary exceptional powers in times of a crisis, but his political opponents described the move as a constitutional coup. He says hundreds of businesspeople had stolen nearly $5bn in state funds through fraud and unpaid taxes. President Saied says he will offer conditional amnesty to these business people in exchange for their investment in development projects chosen by citizen-based regional commissions.
Kenya has signed a deal with the UK that will allow its unemployed nurses and other medics to work in the UK. Britain's Health Minister Sajid Javid and Kenya’s Labour Minister Simon Chelugi signed the agreement on the third day of President Uhuru Kenyatta’s visit to London. The British government says the scheme is open to Kenyan health workers who are qualified but unemployed, ensuring the process is managed for Kenya’s benefit. This arrangement was requested by Kenya and should allow health professionals and managers to benefit from a special way through the UK's immigration system, before returning to work in Kenya’s health sector. The exact details should be confirmed before the end of October.
The US aid agency boss Samantha Power is set to visit Ethiopia to push for more aid to be allowed into the conflict-hit Tigray region. The agency says Ms Power will meet government officials to seek a solution to the lack of humanitarian aid to those affected by the nine-month conflict. UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths says the humanitarian needs in Ethiopia had increased because of the conflict and ethnic clashes in other regions. The UN World Food Programme added that its supplies were running out as trucks couldn't get into the northern region because of the fighting.
The Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority has concluded plans to build a world-class hospital in Abuja, as part of efforts to strengthen the country’s healthcare system. Managing Director of NSIA, Mr Uche Orji, says NSIA is also developing 20 other health projects in the areas of cancer, radiology, and diagnostics nationwide to support Nigeria’s comatose health sector as part of its health intervention initiative. He added that NSIA had already built one world-class cancer centre at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital and two radiology and diagnostics centres in Kano and Umuahia. He stated that NSIA’s health care investment company was managing the health sector initiatives.
The federal government says that it would require about $2.3 trillion cumulatively or $150 billion annually to upgrade the poor state of Nigeria’s infrastructure. Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Boss Mustapha, noted that the private sector is expected to fund about 56 per cent of this sum. He says even with dwindling resources, the federal government is committed to putting in its own 44 per cent to ensure that the nation’s infrastructure stock which he said the Muhammadu Buhari met at 35 per cent is upgraded. Mustapha stated that this number was grossly inadequate for a country that was in dire need of inclusive growth and was far below the 70 per cent international benchmark already attained by some emerging markets. He stated that in the light of limited resources worsened by the Covid-19 pandemic, the government needed to explore other financing options, which necessitated a greater focus on public-private partnerships.
The Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission has warned the Transmission Company of Nigeria against dealing with unlicensed individuals and business concerns on an eligible customer basis. The Vice-Chairman, NERC, Dr Musiliu Oseni, explained that the TCN could not continue to deal directly with the so-called eligible customers when they had not met the requirements for eligibility. TCN’s General Manager, Public Affairs, Mrs Ndidi Mbah, says in Abuja that power was fully restored at 4:59 pm on July 28, after the grid collapse triggered by a sudden drop in system frequency to 47.21Hz. NERC says TCN should deal with only those who had fulfilled the eligibility conditions.
Human rights lawyer and a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana has kicked against the breakup of Nigeria along ethnic lines. Falana says he has a fundamental disagreement with secessionist groups in the country. He explained that amid the agitations in some quarters that the nation should split, the Federal Government owes it a duty to convince the agitators by reposing confidence in the corporate existence of Nigeria. Falana says the current administration should respect human rights in line with Article 20 of the African Charter on Human Rights.
The Department of State Services has defied a court order to produce the 12 detained aides of Yoruba-nation agitator, Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho. Justice Obiora Egwuatu of the Federal High Court in Abuja had ordered the DSS to produce in court on July 29, the 12 aides who have been in their custody since July 2, 2021. Their case was expected to proceed regardless of the annual court vacation slated to begin on July 26. He stressed that when a court of competent Jurisdiction, gives an order, such must be respected and obeyed.
The Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba, has ordered an internal review of the allegations against a Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari, by a United States Court. The United States District Court for the Central District of California says alleged international fraudster, Ramon Abbas aka Hushpuppi used Kyari to arrest and jail a co-conspirator, Chibuzo Vincent. A communique from the court says the arrest was made after Vincent threatened to expose a $1m fraud committed against a Qatari businessman. The IGP says further developments on the case will be communicated to members of the public accordingly.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson says that the UK is available to assist Nigeria in its war against terrorism. Johnson stated this while holding bilateral talks at the sidelines of the Global Education Summit in London on Thursday. President Buhari had earlier reviewed the security situation in the country's different regions, while PM Johnson pledged Britain’s preparedness to lend a helping hand. The two leaders equally discussed how to increase trade between the two countries, develop solar and wind power, the leadership of the Commonwealth going forward, and other matters of mutual interest.
German drugmaker BioNTech plans to develop its first malaria vaccine and begin clinical trials by next year. The ambitious turnaround time is thanks to the mRNA technology used to develop the Pfizer and Moderna coronavirus vaccines in under a year. The only approved malaria vaccine, Mosquirix, took scientists at GlaxoSmithKline more than 30 years to develop. Apart from vaccines and pills, countries - including Malawi, Tanzania and Kenya - use drones to find mosquito breeding grounds and kill the larvae before they hatch.
The African Union has joined the European Union and the US in calling for dialogue and calm in Tunisia after the president suspended parliament and sacked government officials. The union urged Tunisia to respect its constitution and reject violence. The AU in a statement says Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat had a phone conversation with Tunisia's foreign minister in which he reiterated the need for government to respond to the aspirations of its people. A spokesperson of the EU Commission urged all actors to respect Tunisia's constitution and called for calm. The US state department spokesperson Ned Price urged Tunisia not to squander its democratic gains and to avoid taking any actions that could stifle democratic discourse or lead to violence.
The International Monetary Fund has revised upward its growth forecast for the Nigerian economy in 2022 by 0.3 per cent to 2.6 per cent compared to its earlier projection in its April edition while it retained its growth forecast for 2021. Division Chief, Research Department, IMF, Malhar Nabar, stated that the reemergence of fuel subsidy and rise in security was hindering growth. Nabar says they have maintained an unchanged forecast of 2.5 per cent and we have upgraded slightly for 2022 to 2.6 per cent. The reason for the unchanged forecast for this year is because it is a product of opposing developments.
The Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, Prof. Bolaji Owasanoye, says the private sector was responsible for over 60 per cent illegal movement of funds from Africa to foreign countries. The ICPC boss says perpetrators of illicit financial flows channel such funds through commercial activities enabled by the private sector. He says about 60 per cent of funds taken or stolen away from Africa through illicit financial flows are being done by the private sector, basically, through commercial transactions, seemingly harmless transactions that are put together by accountants, auditors and bankers. The ICPC chairman also commented on attacks on staff of the commission and other anti-corruption agencies by suspects under investigation.
The Chief Of Army Staff, Lt Gen Farouk Yahaya has urged troops to be professional and competent in discharging their duties. General Yahaya enjoined the troops to learn from their superiors in order to be proficient as he encouraged Senior Non-Commissioned Officers and Regimented Sergeant Major to uphold the professionalism of the Nigerian Army. The COAS charged the RSMs as custodians of regimentation to endeavour to bring back the glory of the Nigerian Army by being role models to the young ones.
The Federal Government has vowed to sanction returning passengers who abscond from quarantine facilities, including possible prosecution of such individuals. The Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, believed such persons constitute a major risk to the country’s health system. He raised concerns over reports from port health officials that some passengers from high risks countries have continued to abscond from facilities where they were quarantined. Osagie noted that the world has witnessed an increase in reported cases of COVID-19 across a significant number of countries, due to the high transmissibility of the Delta Variant. He explained that the threat included importation from countries that were popular travel destinations for Nigerians, including the United Kingdom, United States, UAE, France, and Turkey, which have a high incidence of virulent strain.
The Presidency issued an oath of secrecy to staff, warning them against divulging state secrets to the public. State House Permanent Secretary, Tijjani Umar noted that alerting staff of the penalties that accrue to a breach of classified documents without authorization, has become fundamental, particularly to retired staff. He disclosed that there has been no record of any breach of information yet, neither is their anticipation of any, but the exercise will continue to put civil servants in check. The Director of Special Services Department, Office of the Government of the Federation, Tukur Yahaya, explained to the staff that underwent the sensitization program, that the safety and security of government information, documents and facilities is critical to guarantee continuous delivery of national service.
The Central Bank of Nigeria has announced an end to the weekly allocation and sale of foreign exchange to Bureau De Change operators in the country. CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele says they have continued to observe that stakeholders in some of the sub-sectors have not been helpful in maintaining the country’s foreign exchange reserves to safeguard the value of the naira. Emefiele says that the Bureau De Change operators have abandoned the original objective of their establishment which was to serve retail end users who need $5,000 or less. He accused the BDC operators of facilitating grafts, illicit financial flows, and money laundering in the country. He also accused international organisations, development finance organisations, and embassies of patronising BDC operators to fund local operations contravening Nigeria’s foreign exchange regulations.
The Federal Government has approved the extension of the deadline for the National Identification Number - SIM data verification to October 31. They said the decision to extend the deadline was made following a request by stakeholders to accommodate registration in hard-to-reach remote areas, foreigners and diplomatic missions, diaspora and address low enrolments in schools and hospitals, as evidenced by enrolment statistics. It also followed a review of the progress of the exercise which indicated significant progress hence the need to consolidate the gains of the enrolment and NIN-SIM verification process across the country. They added that there are over 5,500 enrolment systems within and outside the country and this would significantly ease the NIN enrolment process and subsequent linkage of NIN to SIM. Socio-Economic Rights Group Sues President Over Gag Order On Reporting Of Terrorist Attacks The Socio-Economic Rights and AccountabilityProject and the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development have filed a lawsuit against President Muhammadu Buhari and the Minister of Information and Culture, Mr Lai Mohammed, over the order to stop journalists and broadcast stations from reporting details of terrorist attacks and victims. They are also seeking an order to compel and direct the NBC and Mr Lai Muhammed to withdraw the directive asking journalists and broadcast stations to stop reporting details on terrorist attacks and victims, as the directive is unlawful and inconsistent with the Nigerian Constitution of 1999 and the country’s international human rights obligations. Nigerians Spent N2.07tn on Petrol in 12 Months The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation has revealed that it sold a total of N2.106 trillion of refined products to Nigerians between February 2020 and February 2021, with petrol taking a huge chunk of N2.070 trillion of the entire sales. The corporation also disclosed that in terms of quantity, 17.215 billion litres of fuel, accounting for 99.37 of total refined products were imported during the period under review. The NNPC noted that N188.15 billion was made on the sale of white products in the month of February 2021, lower than N190.72 billion sales recorded in January 2021. The NNPC stated that 1.414 billion litres of white products were sold and distributed, compared with 1.436.40 billion litres in the month of January 2021. The national oil company says this comprised 1.414 billion litres of petrol and 0.17 billion litres of diesel, consumed by Nigerians during the period. Okonjo-Iweala Decries Low Rate of COVID-19 Vaccination in Nigeria Director-General of the World Trade Organisation, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has lamented the low rate of COVID-19 vaccination in Nigeria and Africa, in general. Okonjo-Iweala says to fill the wide immunisation gap, WTO was ramping up vaccines’ production, with a target of 11 billion doses by the end of this year, way beyond the present output level of 3.8 billion. Okonjo-Iweala says the production of the vaccine volume had been increasing, with the figure in June growing by 1.1 billion, representing a 45 per cent increase from May production. She however says most doses end up in the developed countries and the vaccine inequity continues and vaccines producers need to change the story. Tunisian President Suspends Parliament Tunisian President Kais Saied announced the suspension of the country’s parliament and the dismissal of Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi following a day of protests against the ruling party. He says the constitution does not allow for the dissolution of parliament, but it does allow for its work to be suspended citing Article 80 which permits such a measure in case of imminent danger. Saved says he would take over executive power with the help of a government headed by a new chief appointed by the president himself. He also said that the immunity would be lifted for parliamentary deputies. South Africa Eases Covid Restrictions South Africa has eased some Covid restrictions after President Cyril Ramaphosa said the country had largely passed the peak of its third wave of the pandemic. A night-time curfew and mandatory face mask-wearing remain in force, but Mr Ramaphosa is lifting the weekday ban on alcohol sales and is allowing people to move between provinces. Schools will also be allowed to reopen on Monday. Mr Ramaphosa says overall infections were down 20% from the previous week, though the figures are still rising in three provinces. Ethiopian Region Calls For Citizen Mobilization The president of Ethiopia's Amhara region has called on all residents holding arms to mobilise against rebels from neighbouring Tigray. He says from Monday all people of age who are armed either at a governmental or private level will be mobilised for a survival campaign. The call to arms from Mr Agegnehu follows a similar statement on Friday by the leader of Ethiopia's Afar region, leading to fears that the eight-month-long conflict in Tigray could spread. A spokesman for Tigrayan rebels has vowed they will liberate every square inch of Tigray, which includes disputed areas that have been occupied by Amhara forces since the beginning of the war. Tanzania Receives 1m Covid Vaccines Tanzania has received more than one million doses of the Johnson and Johnson coronavirus vaccine. The single-dose vaccine will be offered free of charge in all government hospitals. The country will also offer the jab to those planning to travel abroad - at a cost. The semi-autonomous Tanzanian islands of Zanzibar began a vaccination campaign about two weeks ago using China's Sinovac vaccine. No data has been shared on how many people have so far been vaccinated there. It is also unclear how many doses the authorities received from the Chinese government.
President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan has advanced reasons to justify the position taken by the Senate on the electronic transmission of election results. The Senate voted that the Commission may consider the electronic transmission of results, provided the national coverage is adjudged to be adequate and secure by the National Communications Commission and approved by the National Assembly. Lawan explained that the Upper Chamber voted the way it did in defence of about half of the Nigerian voters whose votes may not be counted with immediate deployment or application of electronic transmission of election results.
Inspector-General of Police Assures Nigerians Of Sustained Efforts At Improving Security The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Usman Alkali Baba has assured the nation of sustained efforts by the Force in fighting crimes and criminality and improving public safety and security across the country. The IGP charged Commissioners of Police in all the States of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory, and their supervisory Assistant Inspectors General of Police, to beef-up security ahead of the Eid-el-Kabir celebration, to prevent any untoward situation in their Areas of Responsibility throughout the Eid-el-Kabir season and beyond. He particularly directed the Zonal AIGs and State Command CPs to put in place all necessary security measures to ensure a secure, peaceful, and incident-free celebration.
President Joe Biden says 35 million American families have started receiving their first monthly payout from the US government in an expanded income-support programme that could help end child poverty. Under the Child Tax Credit programme that was broadened under the COVID-19 stimulus, eligible families collect an initial monthly payment of up to $300 for each child under six years old and up to $250 for each older child. Payouts made to families, covering nearly 60 million eligible children, totalled about $15bn for July. The payments are automatic for many US taxpayers, while others need to sign up. Biden says he wants to extend expanded, monthly benefits for years to come as part of a $3.5 trillion spending plan being considered by Senate Democrats, who expect strong Republican opposition to the full bill.
Cybersecurity researchers at the University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab, which tracks illegal hacking and surveillance says at least 100 activists, journalists and government dissidents across 10 countries were targeted with spyware produced by an Israeli company called Candiru. The researchers said using a pair of vulnerabilities in Microsoft Corp.’s Windows, cyber operatives operating in Saudi Arabia, Israel, Hungary, Indonesia and elsewhere purchased and installed remote spying software made by Candiru. Cristin Goodwin, general manager of Microsoft’s Digital Security Unit says the tool was used in precision attacks against targets computers, phones, network infrastructure and internet-connected devices. The users of the spyware also hacked politicians and human rights activists, according to the researchers, who declined to name the victims. The Citizen Lab researchers say the Candiru spyware is part of a thriving private industry selling technology to governments and authoritarian leaders so they can gain access to the communications of private citizens and political opposition.
A World Health Organization official says a total of 450,000 Covid vaccine doses have been destroyed in nine African countries. The WHO Africa's immunisation programme manager, Dr Richard Mihigo, says a delayed shipment of the AstraZeneca vaccines, which is widely used in the continent, is to blame for this. The countries that destroyed vaccines are Malawi, South Sudan, Liberia, Mauritania, Gambia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Comoros, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Malawi was the first country to publicly destroy vaccine doses on 19 May. The health minister says that it needed to be done to show public trust adding that to avoid wastage, countries are being urged to use up vaccines immediately after they are delivered.
The World Health Organization says Coronavirus-linked deaths in Africa surged by 43 per cent in the space of a week, driven by a lack of intensive-care beds and oxygen as the new Delta variant surged on the continent. Fatalities associated with COVID in the WHO’s Africa region, which includes North Africa, rose to 6,273 in the week of July 5-11, compared with 4,384 in the previous week. Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO regional director for Africa says deaths have climbed steeply for the past five weeks. This is a clear warning sign that hospitals in the most impacted countries are reaching a breaking point. She says under-resourced health systems in countries are facing dire shortages of the health workers, supplies, equipment and infrastructure needed to provide care to severely ill COVID-19 patients.
Senegalese health officials recommended Thursday that people refrain from travelling for the Eid al-Adha Muslim festival set to take place next week. Health minister Abdoulaye Diouf Sarr recommended mask-wearing at all times and avoiding movement and travel during the Tabaski festival, as the holiday is known in the west and central Africa. Families typically mark Tabaski by gathering for a sacrifice and may travel long distances in crowded cars and buses for the occasion. Diouf Sarr also recommended working from home whenever possible and reducing staff elsewhere. The ministry also announced the arrival of some 500,000 vaccine doses before the end of the month, hoping to end the current shortage.
The Senate approved President Muhammadu Buhari’s request for ongoing external loans to the tune of $8,325,526,537 and €490,000,000 under the 2018-2020 External Borrowing Plan. The approval followed the consideration of a report on the 2018-2020 External Borrowing Plan by the Committee on Local and Foreign Debt. Chairman of the Committee, Senator Clifford Ordia, says the Committee noted with utmost importance the genuine and very serious concerns of Nigerians about the country's borrowings' level and sustainability/serviceability in the Last Decade. He explained that rapid infrastructural and human capital development is needed due to the shortfall in the country’s annual revenues. Ordia noted that out of the total borrowing request of $36 billion in the re-forwarded request of Mr President, a sum of $26 billion is for funds proposed to be borrowed from various financial institutions from the Peoples Republic of China.
Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu says that persisting rumours and conspiracy theories about the COVID vaccine have affected the uptake of the vaccine in Nigeria despite the increasing demand for the vaccine in Lagos State. Sanwo-Olu averred that false and alarming conspiracy theories about the COVID vaccine abound, seeking to sow doubts in the minds of the people. The Governor noted sadly, that many of the rumours and misinformation have gained ground amongst the populace with a significant effect on the popularity of the vaccination campaign. He says the myths and rumours need to be aggressively dispelled in order not to jeopardize the efforts of all stakeholders, and to ensure the protection of the health and wellbeing of our citizens.
The National Economic Council is urging for strict adherence to the COVID-19 response guidelines across the country, after receiving a regular state performance report from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control. The report says the Coronavirus positivity rate has gone up in the country just as 3 cases of the Delta variant have now been detected. The Council received the state performance report on COVID-19 from the Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, who noted that the Delta variant is a new variant identified in 103 countries and is 60% more transmissible than the highly infectious Alpha variant which was previously identified.
The Federal Government has declared Tuesday, July 20, and Wednesday, July 21, 2021, as public holidays to mark this year’s Eid-el-Kabir celebration. The Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, congratulates all Muslim faithful and Nigerians at home and in the Diaspora on this occasion. The Minister assured that the Administration of President Muhammadu Buhari is committed to the security of lives and property of every Nigerian, empowering the citizens for successful living. He added that provisions of social investments programmes and adequate security in the schools, especially with the spate of innocent school children
The Senate adopted a three per cent allocation to host communities in the Petroleum Industry Bill, despite protests by southern lawmakers at the National Assembly. The southern lawmakers had demanded five per cent for host communities. The number in dispute is the percentage of their total operating expenses oil companies are expected to contribute to a trust fund created for host communities. Senator Sekibo said he is not part of the vote on the allocation clause and Senator Dickson said his privilege had been breached as his views were not accommodated. Senate President Ahmad Lawan however says that the Senate had taken a resolution on the matter and could not go back on its decision.
The Nigerian Senate has approved the conditional electronic transmission of electoral results. Senators voted publicly along party lines over section 52 of the electoral act amendment bill, which deals with electronic transmission of poll results. 28 Senators mostly from the PDP voted for the original amendment in the report while 52 Senators mostly from the APC voted for the amendment as proposed by Senator Sabi Abdullahi. This means the majority of Senators voted that INEC may consider electronic transmission provided the national network coverage is adjudged to be adequate and secure by NCC and approved by the National Assembly.
The UN Human Rights Council called for those behind massive scale enforced disappearances in Syria over the past decade of conflict to be held accountable. The resolution, presented by Britain and a number of European countries, along with the United States, Turkey and Qatar, decried that Syria’s crisis had entered a second decade marked by consistent patterns of gross violations. Tuesday’s resolution, adopted with 26 of the council’s 47 members in favour, six opposed and 15 abstaining, voiced particular concern about the fate of tens of thousands of people who have vanished. The text strongly condemns the continued use of involuntary or enforced disappearances in the Syrian Arab Republic, and related human rights violations and abuses, which have been carried out with consistency, in particular by the Syrian regime. It also criticised enforced disappearances by other parties to the conflict, including the Islamic State group, but said the Syrian regime was the main perpetrator.
A cabinet minister has announced that Algeria is set to start producing coronavirus jabs from September. Lotfi Benbahmed told National Radio Algeria that in addition to the Russian vaccine Sputnik, they will be producing the Chinese Sinovac as well. He says Chinese technicians would arrive in Algeria by the end of the month to prepare the arrival of raw materials and the production of the vaccines would start in September. He says the state-owned pharmaceutical company Saidal will be producing 2.5 million doses of both vaccines a month adding that locally made vaccines would be 45% cheaper than imports and 90% cheaper once the raw materials were produced in Algeria.
East African neighbours Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo have announced a joint plan to combat armed groups and foster economic growth. The presidents of both nations signed a series of agreements in Kinshasa on security and also infrastructure - with plans for a railway to connect the nation's major cities and boost trade. No cost and deadline were made public for the projects but a joint commission of experts who will oversee its progress was announced.
The African Union Commission has condemned the violence in South Africa that has left 72 people dead. Protests against the jailing of former president Jacob Zuma morphed into looting and destruction of property in some provinces. The commission in a statement says the AU Commission Chairperson, Moussa Faki Mahamat, condemns in the strongest terms the surge of violence that has resulted in the deaths of civilians and appalling scenes of the looting of public and private property. He says failure to resolve the crisis would have grave impacts on the country and the region.
The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, expressed the determination of the commission to deepen democracy through the use of technology. He also put the number of Nigerians who have completed online voters’ pre-registration at 542,576. He spoke against the backdrop of the clamour for the inclusion of electronic transmission of election results in the 2010 Electoral Act Amendment Bill 2021, amidst efforts by the leadership of the National Assembly to delete the provision from the bill. Yakubu said the voters’ register remained at the heart of any credible election. He says the first quarter of the physical registration would commence between June 28 and September 30, while the second quarter of the exercise will start October 4 to December 30.
The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr Godwin Emefiele, says the N15 trillion Infrastructure Company Limited created by the federal government to bridge the nation’s huge infrastructure gap is to take off in the third quarter of the year. Vice President Yemi Osinbajo says that although the government’s economic reforms had paid off in telecommunications, pension and maritime sectors, the current administration was making efforts to address the challenges in the power sector privatisation. Emefiele says the federal government had approved KPMG as the financial adviser to InfraCo, adding that the firm is expected to commence operations in the third quarter of 2021. He stated that for Nigeria to attain meaningful growth, there must be huge investments in key sectors of the economy, including infrastructure such as rail and power, among others.
The Senate has passed the National Electoral Offences Commission Bill which if assented to by President Muhammadu Buhari, will be charged with investigating electoral offences and prosecuting electoral offenders. The bill will ensure that the National Electoral Offences Commission, shall have the power to appoint and maintain investigators, prosecutors and experts to prosecute electoral offenders. The Chairman of the Committee on INEC, Senator Kabiru Gaya says the creation of the commission is critical because the Independent National Electoral Commission clearly lacks the needed human capacity to prosecute electoral offences committed across Nigeria’s 119,973 polling units.
The Senate has rejected the nomination of Lauretta Onochie as an Independent National Electoral Commission National Commissioner. The chairman of the committee on INEC, Senator Kabiru Gaya, says Onochie’s nomination was rejected because there is a serving INEC commissioner representing Delta state. The rejection also followed the massive outcry that has trailed her nomination, especially from members of the opposition and civil society organisations who claim she is a card-carrying member of the ruling All Progressives Congress Former INEC Chairman, Attahiru Jega, says any person who generated such a controversy, the appointing authorities should be careful because it can lead to a loss of trust of the electoral management body.
Nigeria has recorded a fresh spike of COVID-19 cases. The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control in its report on Monday night disclosed that the country has recorded 161 new cases. Lagos State recorded 153 new cases, while Gombe recorded two, Oyo and Rivers one each and the FCT four cases respectively. This now brings the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 168,713. 164,476 have recovered. The NCDC, however, assured Nigerians that the federal government has put measures in place to combat the disease, asking them to adhere to the recommended safety protocols.
Chairman House of Representatives Committee on Information National Orientation Ethics and Values, Segun Odebunmi, says that the House has agreed to suspend the Nigeria Press Council and the National Broadcasting Commission Amendment bill. Odebunmi explained that the suspension is to allow for proper consultations over the bill. The lawmaker had earlier faulted claims that the bill was targeted at gagging the media. He rather maintained that it is aimed at removing identified hindrances to optimum performance.
The head of the World Health Organization has urged wealthy nations to focus on providing coronavirus vaccines to poorer countries, rather than booster shots for their own populations. Tedros Adhanom Ghrebreyesus says the distribution of vaccines was still hugely uneven at a time when the Delta variant was threatening to cause health systems to collapse. WHO director of health emergencies, Dr Mike Ryan complained that rich countries were behaving selfishly.
Ethiopia's state-linked broadcaster Fana reports that Ethiopia and Russia have signed a military cooperation deal following three days of talks. The Ethiopian Defence Force's finance division signed the deal, which it said will boost long-standing relations between the two nations to a higher degree. The agreement will reportedly focus on improving the national defence force's knowledge, skill, and technical capabilities. Ethiopia's foreign policy alignment has recently shifted to Russia and China as a result of substantial pressure from the US government over the war in the Tigray region.
The European Union foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, has urged member states to consider imposing sanctions over the crisis in the Ethiopian region of Tigray. He believes that the situation in Ethiopia would certainly require that they consider the possibility of all options at our disposal, and the option of restrictive measures. Mr Borrell says the EU wanted a ceasefire declared by the Ethiopian government to be implemented on the ground. He says the region was instead being cut off from the rest of the world. Last month rebel fighters retook large parts of Tigray. The Ethiopian government has been accused of shutting down essential services there - including electricity and telecommunications.
South African chemists helping the government’s Covid-19 vaccination campaign warned that the unrest gripping the country would slow inoculations in the continent’s worst-hit country by the pandemic. An association representing more than 1,100 pharmacies says the violence had left drugstores looted and destroyed with millions of rand of much-needed medication lost. The Independent Community Pharmacy Association however says vaccination is now impossible since pharmacy vaccination sites have been destroyed and looted. It also warned that the frenzied looting itself created potential super-spreaders gatherings.
The World Bank is set to disburse an additional $750 million to strengthen the implementation of the States Fiscal Transparency, Accountability and Sustainability scheme. The scheme was approved for Nigeria in December 2020 to support the implementation of the National Executive Council’s COVID-19 Plan. Programme Manager of the SFTAS/Open Government Partnership, Nigeria, Mr Andrew Onyeanakwe, says additional financing of $ 750 million to expand the programme to support state governments to implement the NEC COVID-19 Plan in response to COVID-19 was approved by the World Bank Board in December 2020. He added that the disbursement is a loan from the World Bank to the federal government to be provided as conditional performance-based grants to state governments that actually achieved results under the SFTAS programme.
The federal government has earmarked N4.8 billion for the National Intelligence Agency to monitor WhatsApp, an encrypted messaging application, and Thuraya, a satellite telephone. The provision seen by an online newspaper, TheCable, is contained in the supplementary 2021 budget passed by the National Assembly. The National Assembly had approved the sum of N982 billion as the supplementary budget for 2021. While N123 billion was approved for recurrent expenditure, N895 billion was earmarked for capital expenditure. The budget is meant to boost military operations and to facilitate the procurement of the COVID-19 vaccine. The line items of the budget showed that police “commands and formation” got N33.6 billion for some projects, including the fumigation of 19 training institutes at N200 million.
The federal government pledged its renewed commitment to full compliance with the country’s crude oil production quota, which is pegged at 1.554 million barrels per day in June. Minister of State, Petroleum Resources, Mr Timipre Sylva says that rationing production was the right thing to do at the moment. The minister stated that apportioning quotas did not hurt the country’s production, adding that if not because of the cartel’s intervention, the price of crude oil would still fall below. Sylva says the 1.554 million barrels per day which were allocated to Nigeria for June, excluded condensates, stressing that as of today Nigeria has fully complied without exceeding the total allocated to the country since the OPEC member countries agreed to cut production. He stated that it is the way things work in OPEC wherein every member has to agree on every issue before it can be resolved.
Several newspapers in Nigeria on Monday published an advertorial against media regulations bills being considered at the National Assembly. The advertorial was sponsored by the Nigeria Union of Journalists, the Nigerian Guild of Editors and the Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria. The advertorial says the NPC and NBC (Media) Act amendment bills being considered by federal lawmakers was geared against the right of citizens to information. The bills, which are already at the public hearing stage, are being sponsored by Olusegun Odebunmi, Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Information, National Orientation, Ethics and Values.
Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN has welcomed the formation of a legal team by Ohanaeze Ndigbo to monitor the proceedings at the trial of the self-acclaimed IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu. A communique by the AGF’s spokesman, Dr Umar Jibrilu Gwandu noted that the group showed a mature departure from the mindset of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra while channelling concerns and presenting demands. Malami says by urging the youths to be law-abiding and sheath their sword as well as asking them to try to obtain voter’s cards to enable them to contribute to national development, the position of Ohanaeze becomes glaringly constitutional and commendable.
The Governor of Sokoto State and former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, has backed the calls for the electronic transmission of votes. Tambuwal in a statement stressed the need for the lawmakers to give the country an electoral law that allows free, fair, and credible polls. He also faulted the alleged plan by the federal parliament to disempower the Independent National Electoral Commission from transmitting results of elections electronically. He says some have argued that internet penetration in all parts of Nigeria is not assured.
The Suez Canal netted Egypt a record $5.84 bn in the last tax year despite the coronavirus pandemic’s effect on world trade as well as a six-day blockage of the busy waterway by a giant cargo ship. Osama Rabie, head of the Suez Canal Authority says despite various challenges, revenues from the canal rose sharply in the fiscal year ending June 30. He says authorities netted the highest revenues in the history of the canal, hitting $5.84 billion more than two per cent up from the previous year. Rabie says the SCA’s marketing and flexible pricing policies helped maintain a good rate of traffic through the canal and earned the trust of our partners.
Peru has extended until the end of August a coronavirus-related state of emergency that allows the government to impose restrictions in an effort to stem infections. Interim President Francisco Sagasti and his government’s resolution extended the order, which was expected to be lifted on July 31, until the end of next month. That means that restrictions including a nighttime curfew in place since March last year would continue. Data from Johns Hopkins University shows that Peru has struggled to contain surging coronavirus cases and deaths in recent months, with the country recording more than 2.07 million infections and more than 193,000 deaths since the pandemic began.
Officials say the death toll in last month’s collapse of a Florida apartment building has now risen to 90 with another 31 people still unaccounted for after the tragedy. Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava says the number of confirmed deaths is now 90. Seventy-one victims have been identified adding that 217 people are accounted for and 31 people remain potentially unaccounted for. Miami-Dade fire chief Alan Cominsky says the recovery and removal operation was proceeding around the clock, and emergency personnel were at the point of accessing cars in the underground parking garage. Cominsky refused to be drawn on a possible endpoint for the recovery work.
South African ex-president Jacob Zuma asked the nation’s top court to let him out of jail by rescinding its 15-month sentence for snubbing anti-graft investigators. The Constitutional Court sentenced Zuma to prison for refusing to appear before a probe into the corruption that mired his nine years in power. Zuma is seeking to have that ruling set aside on the grounds that it was made in his absence. The court says should the bid fail, Zuma’s team will seek to convince the judges that jail time is not the appropriate punishment for this instance of contempt, due to reasons including the implications for Zuma’s health. His lawyers had also petitioned the Pietermaritzburg High Court in KwaZulu-Natal to stave off imprisonment however was rejected because he lacked jurisdiction over the matter and claims about his health were not supported by any evidence.
President Emmanuel Macron says France is to start closing its bases in northern Mali before the end of 2021. The country will initially move troops south, before reducing the numbers to around half - amounting to about 2,500 to 3,000 soldiers. Macron says the decision had been taken in line with the imperative of containing the spread of the threat to the south. The French president was keen to point out they would continue to work in the region, even with reduced numbers. Macron says they will remain committed. But to remain committed is also to adapt.
President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa has extended the Covid-19 lockdown by another two weeks as cases increase in the country. The president says schools would remain closed and night curfew would remain. The sale of alcohol remains prohibited and mass gatherings are still not allowed. Restaurants have however been allowed to reopen with strict social distancing rules. The president says the government will extend the Covid-relief fund to benefit more businesses affected by the lockdown. South Africa recorded 16,302 new virus cases on Sunday bringing the total number of infections to 2,195,599.
The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority says that it would in the coming weeks, commence public sensitisation to further enlighten air travellers on steps to take in case of flight delays or cancellations by airlines. Director-General of NCAA, Capt. Musa Nuhu, says this would enable the agency to respond appropriately in cases where their rights are trampled upon by airlines. Capt. Nuhu says that the law on 100 per cent refund on air tickets in cases of a three-hour delay is not novel to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulation stressing that it has been in existence since 2015. He, however, clarified that in the case of natural phenomena, the airlines would not be sanctioned by the agency, describing it as a force majeure.
The former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission has commended the National Assembly for taking steps to review the Electoral Amendment Act as amended but faulted the exclusion of electronic transfer of results. Jega lamented that the decision of the 9th Assembly to allow INEC to use electronic voting without the electronic transmission of results is counterproductive. The former INEC boss explained that not all politicians are fraudulent and want to win by hook or by crook.” Jega asked the National Assembly to diligently work to ensure that the Electoral Amendment Bill is appropriately amended before being passed.
Lagos State Government has raised the alarm of a possible third wave of Coronavirus pandemic, following a sharp increase in the number of positive cases recorded in the last few weeks. He says the development may not be unconnected to the careless attitude of air passengers from countries in the high-risk zones. Sanwo-Olu disclosed that 18 per cent of 50,322 air passengers of interest could not be reached for COVID-19 status monitoring by EKOTELEMED because they supplied the wrong contact details. Sanwo-Olu says air passengers would face prosecution, including fines and imprisonment in line with the Lagos State Coronavirus Law of 2021.
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project has asked the Federal High Court in Abuja to order the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission and the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission to perform their statutory functions to review downward the remuneration and allowances of President Muhammadu Buhari, Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, 36 governors and members of the National Assembly”. SERAP says that slashing jumbo pay for these high-ranking political office-holders would reduce the unfair pay disparity between political officer holders and judicial officers, address the persistent poor treatment of judges, and improve access of victims of corruption to justice and effective remedies. SERAP added that an order of mandamus to direct and compel the RMAFC to perform its mandatory constitutional duty to urgently review upward the remuneration, salaries, and allowances, as well as the conditions of service for Nigerian judges.
Finance ministers and central bankers from the group of 20 rich countries will meet face to face on Friday for the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic at a gathering in Venice where corporate tax reform will top the agenda. The G20 is expected to give its political endorsement to plans for new rules on where and how much companies are taxed which were backed last week by 130 countries at the Paris-based Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. Officials say the two-day gathering in Italy’s historic lagoon city will open a discussion on how to put the OECD proposals into practice, with the aim of reaching a final agreement at a Rome G20 leaders’ summit in October.
Organisers of the Tokyo Olympics agreed to ban fans from the events under a COVID-19 state of emergency. Japan’s Olympics Minister Tamayo Marukawa says they reached an agreement on no spectators at venues in Tokyo. Japan’s Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga says it was essential to prevent Tokyo, where the highly infectious Delta COVID-19 variant was spreading, from becoming the source of another wave of infections. Suga says taking into consideration the impact of the Delta strain, and in order to prevent the resurgence of infections from spreading across the country, we need to step up virus prevention measures.
UN agency says Countries of Latin America and the Caribbean should register GDP growth of 5.2 per cent on average in 2021, an improved forecast but not enough to offset coronavirus losses. The UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean upped its April forecast of 4.1 per cent for 2021, which comes on the back of a 6.8 per cent contraction in 2020 as the region of 33 countries was ravaged by the Covid-19 pandemic. The report says the expansion, however, will not manage to ensure sustained growth, because the social impacts of the crisis and the structural problems in the region have deepened and will continue to do so during the recovery. It added that there is nothing to indicate that the low growth dynamic prior to 2020 is going to change.
The World Health Organization says Africa has just lived through its most devastating week of the pandemic, but the worst is yet to come as the third wave gathers pace on the continent. The WHO’s regional director for Africa, Dr Matshidiso Moeti says Africa has just marked the continent’s most dire pandemic week ever. But the worst is yet to come as the fast-moving third wave continues to gain speed and new ground. Coronavirus cases have been rising in Africa since the start of the third wave on the continent on May 3. During the week ending July 4, more than 251,000 new Covid-19 cases were recorded on the continent, a 20% increase over the previous week and a 12% jump from the previous January peak.
Tunisia’s health ministry spokeswoman says the health system has collapsed under the weight of the Covid-19 pandemic describing the virus’s effect on the country as catastrophic. Tunisia recorded 9,823 cases and 134 deaths, its worst daily toll from the virus. Hospitals in the north African country have seen a significant influx of patients over the past two weeks. The country of approximately 12 million inhabitants has suffered nearly 465,000 cases and 15,735 deaths. She says the current health situation is catastrophic and the number of cases has risen dramatically. Ben Alya said hospitals are overwhelmed, and it is difficult to find available beds and oxygen supplies.
The Ugandan government has begun distributing Covid relief money to people affected by the second lockdown. The money will be distributed through mobile money services with each beneficiary expected to receive $29. Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja launched the exercise in the capital, Kampala with about half a million people living in urban areas benefitting from the 53.7bn Ugandan shillings. The beneficiaries will include slum dwellers, food vendors, waiters, club bouncers, restaurant workers, musicians, comedians, taxi drivers, single mothers, teachers and support staff in private schools as well as those in government schools who are not on the payroll.
The UN Security Council members have backed the African Union’s mediation efforts on the Nile dam row between Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt. The members asked the three countries to resume negotiations, which have yielded little progress since they began a decade ago. Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the US ambassador to the UN, says the negotiations should be held under the leadership of the AU and should recommence with urgency. The European Union says the AU-led talks needed to be intensified adding that it was ready to support the negotiations as observers working with the UN and the US. Vassily Nebenzia, the Russian representative to the UN, proposed that the three parties meet while in New York to resolve the issues.
The Federal Inland Revenue Service has directed commercial banks in the country to freeze the accounts of Multichoice Nigeria Limited and Multichoice Africa, in a bid to recover about ₦1.8 trillion outstanding taxes. FIRS spokesman, Abdullahi Ahmad in a statement says FIRS discovered that the companies persistently breached all agreements, while the groups’ performance did not reflect in their tax obligations and compliance level in the country. FIRS further explained that multi-choice Africa, which provides services to its Nigerian subsidiary had never paid value-added-tax to the Nigerian government since its inception, even as the country contributes 34 per cent of total revenue for the multichoice group. They said the decision to appoint the banks as agents and to freeze the accounts was due to the groups’ continued refusal to grant FIRS access to their servers for audit.
The presidency says President Muhammadu Buhari is not responsible for promotion in the Nigeria Police Force. Presidential spokesman, Garba Shehu says this as former acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ibrahim Magu was declined promotion. President Buhari’s media aide says promotion in the nation’s police structure is determined by the PSC, noting that his principal had no hand in the exercise. The PSC could have given you the correct position on this if there was an effort to reach them. Shehu’s reaction followed some rumours suggesting that President Buhari was pushing for the Magu’s promotion who has been under probe over allegations of misuse of his office.
Nigeria has confirmed the detection of the Delta COVID-19 variant in the West African country. The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control has detected a confirmed case with the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant, also known as lineage B.1.617.2. The health agency in a statement says the variant was detected in a traveller to Nigeria, following the routine travel test required of all international travellers and genomic sequencing at the NCDC National Reference Laboratory, Abuja. The NCDC, however, assured Nigerians that the federal government has put measures in place to combat the disease, asking them to adhere to the recommended safety protocols.
Saudi Arabia’s Deputy Defence Minister Khalid bin Salman is meeting with top Biden administration officials in the United States, just months after a US intelligence report linked his brother, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, to the killing of journalists Jamal Khashoggi. White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki says Khalid bin Salman is expected to meet with Biden’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan, as well as with US State and Defense Department officials. Psaki says they will discuss the longstanding partnership between the United States and Saudi Arabia, regional security and the US commitment to help Saudi Arabia defend its territory.
The World Health Organization has added lifesaving interleukin-6 receptor blockers to its list of treatments for COVID-19 as the pandemic continues to accelerate across the world. The WHO says the medicines worked particularly well when used alongside corticosteroids, which were recommended by the WHO in September 2020. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in a statement says these drugs offer hope for patients and families who are suffering from the devastating impact of severe and critical COVID-19. The WHO says the trials showed that in severely ill patients, administering the drugs resulted in 15 fewer deaths per 1,000 patients.
The Pentagon says it scrapped a massive $10 billion cloud computing contract, sidestepping a bitter dispute between Amazon and Microsoft over allegations of political bias that swayed the bidding. A Defense Department statement says the Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure contract was cancelled because it no longer meets current needs and that it would start a process for a new multi-cloud computing contract. Officials say that instead of going forward with the deal in the face of litigation, the government would start over with the aim of getting the most up-to-date technology. Defense Department spokesman John Sherman, says JEDI, conceived with noble intent, was developed at a time when the department’s needs were different.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stressed the need for a negotiated ceasefire in Tigray in a call with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. The US official called for the full withdrawal of Eritrean and regional Amhara forces from Tigray and for the authorities to ensure unhindered and safe humanitarian access to the people in need. Mr Blinken also emphasised the urgency of holding an inclusive political dialogue to resolve the ethnic and political divisions in the country. The conflict has pushed Tigray into a deep humanitarian crisis, with hundreds of thousands of people living in famine-like conditions.
Zimbabwe will from Wednesday circulate new 50-dollar currency notes, the highest ever denomination to be printed. The new note is only worth 60 US cents. The new notes were launched on Tuesday and the central bank said it would circulate 360m dollars through banks. This is the sixth denomination to be circulated in the country but the lower-value notes have not been in high circulation because of inflation. People had to carry many notes for transactions hence the need for a higher denomination. The new note's design features an image of anti-colonialist heroine Mbuya Nehanda.
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo assured Nigerians that President Muhammadu Buhari will not waste time before signing the Petroleum Industry Bill which has just been passed by the National Assembly. Osinbajo described the passage of the legislation as a feat noting that he was not unmindful of the challenges faced by operators in the oil and gas sector. Osinbajo says the global lockdown triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic had pushed the industry into a state of major economic crisis and further amplified the global clamour for cleaner and more sustainable renewable energy. Osinbajo stated that the future survival and the success of many players in the industry will not only depend on their achieving greater focus on cleaner energy sources but also upon their ability to deliver low-cost solutions to their stakeholders.
The Taraba State Governor, Darius Dickson Ishaku, has called on the Federal Government to speed up oil exploration in the northeast region of the country in order to help enhance and diversify the country’s economy. He urged the federal government to expand and expedite exploration in the Chad basin, as well as the Benue trough, which, according to geological reports, is rich in oil and gas. He says they anticipate that early exploitation of petroleum resources in the North-East region will increase our revenue profile. Governor Ishaku also recommended that the Forum push for the removal of the exploration and exploitation of mineral resources from the exclusive list to the concurrent list.
The Senate has condemned the unlawful encroachment and arrest of Nigerians by the authorities of the Republic of Benin. This stance by the upper chamber followed a motion by Senator Tolu Odebiyi during the plenary on Tuesday. The lawmaker drew the attention of lawmakers to reports of encroachments into Nigeria’s territory by authorities of the Republic of Benin. Odebiyi noted that the arrest of these Nigerians is based on the allegation that they are resisting encroachment into Nigerian land through Igbokofi village in Yewa North LGA of Ogun State.
The Governor of the Central bank of Nigeria, Mr Godwin Emefiele, has asked managers of higher institutions of learning in the country to draw knowledge from curricula that cater to the modern realities of the country. The CBN boss emphasised the need for an enhanced learning experience for students as well as fostered innovation amongst faculty and staff in schools across the country. Mr Emefiele says enhanced collaboration between universities and players in key sectors of the economy such as agriculture, manufacturing and ICT is necessary to enable the implementation of sound ideas generated from our universities. Emefiele advocated collaboration between institutions of higher learning and industry key players in key sectors of the economy.
President Muhammadu Buhari commended the nation’s security and intelligence agencies for their work in arresting secessionist Nnamdi Kanu and raiding the home of ‘Yoruba Nation’ activist Sunday Igboho. The President in a statement says the security agencies demonstrated significant deftness, guile and secrecy in carrying out these missions. He says the level of professionalism must be sustained and brought to bear as they focus on extracting from the society those who have found a new trade-in targeting students, rural dwellers and our citizens in the North-West.
Carrie Lam, the chief executive of Hong Kong, has brushed off a warning by major tech companies including Google, Facebook and Twitter that they may quit the Chinese-controlled city if authorities go ahead with plans to change privacy laws. Lam told reporters on Tuesday that the proposed changes would only target illegal sharing of people’s private details online without their consent. The practise came under scrutiny in Hong Kong during the anti-government protests of 2019, when police officers were targeted after their details were released online. The Hong Kong government is now proposing changes to the city’s privacy laws, including imposing a one-year jail term and a maximum fine of one million Hong Kong dollars for offenders who disclose personal data without consent.
Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich says they expect the Covid-19 pandemic to cost them 150 million euros ($178 million) in lost match-day revenue. Bayern president Herbert Hainer confirmed the forecasted loss after so many games behind closed doors but insisted their ambitions have not diminished. Bayern hopes health regulations in Bavaria will allow a limited number of fans to watch their first home game against Cologne on August 21 at the 75,000-capacity stadium. The club’s new chairman and CEO Oliver Kahn says they want fans back in the stadium as soon as possible but safety remains the priority. Kahn also stated next season’s target is to win a tenth straight Bundesliga title. Kahn also revealed the club is in contract-extension talks with midfielders Leon Goretzka and Kingsley Coman.
Hackers are demanding $70 million in bitcoin in exchange for data stolen during a gargantuan attack on a US IT company that has shuttered hundreds of Swedish supermarkets. Researchers believe more than 1,000 companies could have been affected by the attack on Miami-based firm Kaseya, which provides IT services to some 40,000 businesses around the world. Ciaran Martin, a cybersecurity professor at the University of Oxford says It’s probably the biggest ransomware attack of all time,” He however added that because this was a supply chain attack and the total number of victims was potentially huge. Cybersecurity firm ESET says it had identified victims of the hack in at least 17 countries, from South Africa to Britain to Mexico. New Zealand’s education ministry said at least two schools there had been affected.
South Africa’s police minister says he was awaiting court instructions on whether to arrest ex-president Jacob Zuma, who has been given a 15-month jail term for contempt. The country’s top court last week convicted Zuma for contempt and ordered him to turn himself in by end of Sunday to start his sentence. If he failed to do so, the police would be told to arrest him within the following three days. Police Minister Bheki Cele told reporters that they hope that they will be getting the clarification because when they were given the instruction there were no other legal activities taking place.
The UN's refugee agency says it is alarmed by reports of attacks on Eritrean refugees in Ethiopia’s war-torn Tigray region. A spokesperson for the UNHCR's Ethiopia office told the BBC they received reports, from online and other sources, that hundreds of Eritrean refugees in the western town of Shire have allegedly been killed". Neven Crvenkovic said in an email to the BBC sys they have not been able to corroborate any of the allegations received but we continue collecting relevant information to help assess the veracity of these reports. Rights activists say they have received reports that many refugees were brutally killed by local militias.
Egypt has denounced Ethiopia's decision to begin filling the reservoir behind its giant hydropower dam on the Blue Nile for a second year. The Egyptian irrigation minister, Mohamed Abdel Aty, says he'd received official notice of the filling from Ethiopia and had categorically rejected it. He says that the unilateral move was a violation of international laws and norms that regulate projects built on the shared basins of international rivers, including the Nile River. The minister has also written to the United Nations Security Council informing it of the latest measure by Ethiopia. Egypt and Sudan had warned Ethiopia that it should wait until they'd all reached a legally binding agreement on the operation of the dam.
Data from the federal government shows that about 400,000 barrels of crude oil are lost daily to theft. The Minister of Environment, Mr Mohammed Abubakar, says statistics had supported Nigeria as the most notorious nation in the world for oil theft. The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said about N60 billion was being spent yearly by the federal government to repair vandalised pipelines The minister also cited a report by Nigeria Natural Resources Charter, which estimated that approximately N4.75 trillion was lost by the country to oil theft between 2015 and 2018. He considered sustained oil pipeline vandalism as one of the major problems that have contributed to environmental degradation in the Niger Delta. He said the attack on oil facilities had become the innovation that replaced the agitation in the Niger Delta against the perceived poor governance and neglect of the region.
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo says he is done with partisan politics, noting that claims making the rounds in the media that he is planning to float a new political party ahead of the 2023 general elections are false. He says his door is open to any individual or group of individuals who want to seek his opinion, view, or advice on any issue or matter. The former president warned those who want to use the back door to force him to return to partisan politics to respect his choice to remain a non-partisan statesman. He insisted that he will continue to perform his role with a focus on providing counsel, support, or solutions wherever possible in Nigeria, Africa, and indeed the world.
Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka has asked the Federal Government to apologise to Sunday Igboho after the Department of State Services officials invaded his home and killed two of his associates. In an interview with BBC Pidgin, Soyinka says the government’s actions and rationale for invading Igboho’s home stinks. He advises the government to stop pursuing Igboho as a criminal because they have begun acting criminally against him.
Southern governors have jointly agreed that Nigeria’s next president should emerge from the southern region. The governors also set September 1, 2021, as the deadline for the promulgation of anti-open grazing law among its member states. Chairman of the Southern Governors’ Forum, Rotimi Akeredolu, says the Forum reiterates its commitment to the politics of equity, fairness and unanimously agrees that the presidency of Nigeria be rotated between Southern and Northern Nigeria and resolved that the next president of Nigeria should emerge from the Southern Region. The governors affirmed their commitment to the unity of Nigeria on the pillars of equity, fairness, justice, progress, and peaceful co-existence between and amongst its people.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to announce a further relaxation in coronavirus restrictions in England later on Monday, saying people must learn to live with the virus and exercise judgement as they go about their daily lives. Johnson is expected to move ahead with the final stage of the four-step plan out of lockdown and restore people’s freedoms when he speaks at a news conference on Monday. Step four, which is scheduled to come into effect on July 19, will mean the removal of mask-wearing rules, the end of social distancing and the return of large-scale events. He says that the pandemic is not over and that cases will continue to rise over the coming weeks. The British Medical Association has expressed concern about removing all measures to curb the spread of the virus given the surge in the Delta variant.
The United Arab Emirates has rejected a plan by the OPEC oil cartel and allied producing countries to extend the global pact to cut oil production beyond April 2022, a rare statement revealing the country’s frustration with the group. The UAE is seeking to increase its output setting up a contest with ally and OPEC heavyweight Saudi Arabia, which has led a push to keep a tight lid on production. The UAE says it supported plans for output increases over the summer, believing the market to be in dire need of higher production. The country suggested deferring the whole discussion of the agreement’s extension to a later meeting and appealed for an updated production quota that reflects our current production capacity.
Britain has announced it will seek harsher sentences for migrants caught entering the country without permission amid a record-breaking surge in arrivals over the English Channel. The legislation announced that it will make it a criminal offence to arrive in the UK without permission, with a maximum sentence for those entering the country unlawfully increasing from six months to four years. Patel says the plans were fair but firm adding that the UK would welcome people through safe and legal routes whilst preventing abuse of the system, cracking down on illegal entry and the criminality associated with it. The Home Office says it was very likely that those travelling to the UK via small boat will have come from a safe European Union country in which they could have claimed asylum.
Saudi Arabia has suspended flights to three countries, including the neighbouring United Arab Emirates, to protect against a coronavirus variant. The UAE, and especially Dubai, is a key leisure destination for Saudis. An interior ministry official says Flights to and from the UAE, alongside those to Ethiopia and Vietnam, will be suspended from Sunday. It added that Saudi citizens and residents returning from these countries will be required to quarantine for 14 days. Citizens would be banned from travelling directly or indirectly, without obtaining prior permission from authorities.
Kenya has denied any involvement in the arrest and extradition of Biafra separatist leader, Nnamdi Kanu. The Kenyan High Commissioner to Nigeria, Wilfred Gisuka Machage, told journalists in Abuja the allegation that his country was involved was fictional, imaginary and concocted. He challenged those accusing Kenya to provide evidence. He was responding to speculation that Mr Kanu was arrested in the East African country. The high commissioner says Kenya has no intention of interfering in Nigeria’s internal affairs. The Nigerian government says Mr Kanu was arrested on Sunday but declined to disclose where and how he was picked up.
South Sudan’s Minister of Petroleum, Puot Kang Chol says that the country’s local refinery is now operational and will soon supply the 10 regional states and countries in the region with refined oil products. The minister says the refined products will be enough for domestic consumption and for supply to the neighbouring countries. He says the refinery is operational and they only have issues to do with evacuation. He says South Sudan has the biggest oil reserves in the region and should be the hub and the biggest supplier of oil products.
The World Health Organization says that new and faster-spreading variants are fuelling the continent’s surging third wave, infections reaching an all-time peak compared to past waves. The Regional Director for Africa, Dr Matshidiso Moeti, says that the speed and scale of the third wave are like nothing they have seen before, pushing the threat to Africa up to a whole new level. The latest data, the Delta variant has been detected in 97%of samples in Uganda and 79% in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The head of DR Congo coronavirus response Jean-Jacques Muyembe says that the rate at which the Delta variant is spreading is worrying. He says that hospitals are already overwhelmed and the morgues are full to capacity.
The 17 governors of the Southern states will meet in Lagos to continue their search for the solution to the problems confronting the country. The governors had earlier issued a 12-point resolution, which included the ban on open grazing in all the states and the call for restructuring, among others. The present meeting in Lagos will examine the progress made regarding the Asaba Declaration, examine opposition to some of the demands and come up with a better strategy for actualising the demands. The governors were demanding inclusive government at the federal level, state police, and a review of the revenue allocation formula in favour of the sub-national governments. They also wanted the creation of some other institutions, which will legitimately advance commitment to the practice of federalism.
Groups from oil-bearing communities in Abia, Delta, Edo and Ondo states have demanded an upward review of the three per cent host communities’ fund approved in the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), which was passed last Thursday by the National Assembly. Clause 240 of the draft bill had proposed five per cent of the annual profit of the oil companies for host communities. The President-General of Urhobo Progress Union, Chief Moses Taiga, called for an objective, realistic and patriotic review of the fund to 10 per cent. He, however, stated that despite any shortcomings that may be observed, the PIB as passed is a good and practical starting point towards changing the administrative, regulatory and fiscal framework of the nation’s oil and gas industry.
President Muhammadu Buhari has joined President Joe R. Biden the Government and people of the United States to commemorate its 245th Independence Day and the annual celebration of nationhood. President Buhari noted with delight how the Biden administration is working earnestly to overcome some of the country’s greatest challenges that include racism and the Coronavirus epidemic. President Buhari says he was confident that given the shared values of democracy, rule of law and inclusive prosperity, the strategic partnership and engagements between Nigeria and the United States would continue to grow for the mutual benefits of our two countries and our peoples.
The Anglican Bishop of Kaduna Diocese, Reverend Timothy Yahaya has expressed concern over the rising insecurity in the country, with a call on the Federal Government to urgently declare a state of emergency in the nation’s security sector. The Bishop also urged the government to recruit more youths into the armed forces, in order to protect the citizens from constant attacks by bandits and terrorists. The cleric stressed that the current number of personnel of the armed forces is not enough to deal with the emerging security challenges confronting different parts of the nation. He also proposed a National Diploma Certificate as a minimum requirement for enlistment into the Nigerian Police force.
Hepsiburada.com was valued at $3.9 billion in its initial public offering on Nasdaq, the first such listing on the exchange by a Turkish firm. Hanzade Dogan Boyner, the founder and chairwoman says the company sold shares at $12 apiece and is planning to use the proceeds to offer additional services such as booking flights and money transfers. She says they are aiming to use the proceeds to expand our services not only in our home market of Turkey but also in nearby and high-potential markets. The company says it sold shares worth $738 million, or 20% of the total shares, in the offering, and will receive a net of $470 million through its rights issue.
The World Health Organization warns that the third wave of infections is now inevitable unless citizens and legislators are disciplined. The UN health agency’s regional director for Europe Hans Kluge says the number of new cases across Europe rose by 10 per cent last week. The WHO’s 53-nation European region includes all 27 member states of the European Union, the United Kingdom, Russia, Turkey, several Central Asian nations, and Israel. Kluge says the uptick in infections was driven by increased mixing, travel, gatherings, and easing of social restrictions, as countries throughout the region edge out of lockdown measures.
Officials from 130 countries and jurisdictions have thrown their support behind the United States proposal to require a minimum global tax for corporations starting at 15 per cent. The Wall Street Journal reported the agreement following a virtual meeting of 130 nations and jurisdictions, including all of the Group of 20 member states. A press release from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development says together the economies represent 90 per cent of the global gross domestic product which coordinated the negotiations. India and China were among the countries to approve the proposal after initially opposing it. The move represents the largest overhaul of the global tax system in more than a century and has the potential to curb tax avoidance by corporations that move their operations to countries with lower tax rates to avoid paying up. The OECD’s director says an estimated $240bn per year is lost because of tax avoidance by multinational companies.
A Dutch advisory group says the Netherlands should apologise for its role in the transatlantic slave trade and recognise it as a crime against humanity. The independent panel recommended that the Netherlands' colonial past should be taught in schools and a national slavery museum should be established. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has previously said that his government would not apologise for the slave trade because it was not his place to pass judgement on Dutch history. Historians estimate that Dutch traders transported around half a million enslaved Africans to the Americas between the 16th and 19th Centuries.
Africa's top health body has strongly criticised the European Union's decision to exclude AstraZeneca vaccines made in India from their Green Pass programme for travellers. The director of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, John Nkengasong, says the EU's move was not driven by science and data because vaccines produced in India have not proven to be less efficient than those in the EU. The World Health Organization says it is in talks with the EU to resolve the matter, but insisted that individual EU states still have the flexibility to accept vaccines that have been authorized by the WHO, such as Covishield, the India-produced AstraZeneca vaccine. The EU's Digital Covid certificate comes into effect today with the aim to facilitate travel during the Covid-19 pandemic.
South Africa’s top court cleared President Cyril Ramaphosa of lying to parliament about a donation to his 2017 election campaign, quashing a critical report by the country’s ombudswoman. Busisiwe Mkhwebane in 2019 determined that Ramaphosa had deliberately misled the National Assembly in his answer to a question posed by an opposition lawmaker the previous year. She says there was evidence of money laundering, conflict of interest and personal enrichment. Justice Chris Jafta says there was no evidence to support money-laundering allegations or to show the president had personally benefitted from campaign donations. He added that investigations into the private affairs of political parties were outside Mkhwebane’s jurisdiction.
Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN met with the High Commissioner of Great Britain, Ms Catriona Laing to discuss bilateral issues relating to Asset Recovery, Anti-corruption crusade, amendment of the Electoral Act, the Audit Bill, Petroleum Industry Bill, Twitter ban, and counter-terrorism approaches. Malami says the fundamental interest and objective of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration was to leverage the bill to enhance value in terms of creating an amicable environment for investment, protecting the public interest for the maximum benefit of the country. Malami said the essence of the amendment of the Electoral Act was to enhance the democratic system thereby aiming at addressing delays in judicial determination of pre-election matters, as well as ensuring justice and fairness in the conduct of election processes including party primaries.
The federal government has appealed to Nigerians not to leave firefighting in the hands of professional firefighters alone, calling on all to contribute their quota towards guaranteeing fire safety and avert the spate of fire incidents across the country. A statement on Thursday by the Director of Press in the Ministry of Interior, Mrs Blessing Lere-Adams, says fire safety management is the collective responsibility of the people and professional firefighters. He added that the best approach of fire safety management would eventually lead to the protection of lives and property by averting the outbreak of preventable fire incidents.
Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed has stated that the collaborators of the now arrested leader of the Independent People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu will face the full wrath of the law for their activities that challenged the nation’s sovereignty and threatened its unity. Mohammed asserted the government’s planned course on the arrested leader of the proscribed separatist group, who is now standing trial for an 11-count charge of treason, treasonable felony, terrorism and illegal possession of firearms, among others, at a media briefing Thursday. The minister says that forensic investigation carried out so far had revealed a treasure trove of information on Kanu and his collaborators. He vowed that the IPOB leader’s financiers will be exposed no matter how highly placed, saying no one is bigger than the country.
The House of Representatives has upheld the federal government’s decision to suspend the operation of micro-blogging company, Twitter in the country indefinitely. The federal government had announced the indefinite suspension of Twitter because it allowed its platform to be used for activities that were capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence. The House rejected the lifting of the ban during the consideration of the report submitted by the joint committee constituted to investigate the ban.
The Senate has passed the Petroleum Industry Bill known as PIB. The bill was passed during the plenary on Thursday after careful consideration of each of the clauses. The Bill seeks to introduce changes to the governance, administrative, regulatory, and fiscal framework of the Nigerian oil and gas industry to ensure transparency, strengthen the governing institutions, and attract investment capital, among other objectives. Senate President Ahmed Lawan says the Senate expects President Buhari to sign the bill as soon as it is transmitted.
The Federal Government says it has approved the extension of the deadline for NIN-SIM data verification to July 26. A statement signed jointly by spokespersons of the Nigerian Communications Commission and the Nigeria Identity Management Commission says at least 57.3 million Nigerians have enrolled for the NIN, with an average of three to four SIMs per NIN, according to the agencies. The agencies also noted that as of June 28, a total of 5,410 enrollment systems have been made available nationwide to significantly ease the NIN enrolment process and subsequent linkage of NIN to SIM.
Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk says that his Starlink venture was growing quickly as he forecast total investment costs in the satellite internet business at between $20bn and $30bn. He says Starlink has two quite significant partnerships with major country telcos that could help the SpaceX division plug the gaps in fifth-generation mobile and cellular networks. The Tesla Inc CEO and founder of SpaceX, a rocket ship venture that seeks to colonise Mars, says investment costs before Starlink achieves fully positive cash flow would be $5bn to $10bn.
The prime minister’s office says Somalia’s political leaders have agreed to hold a long-delayed presidential election on October 10, following months of deadlock that turned violent at times. The office of Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble unveiled the timetable for indirect parliamentary and presidential elections in a statement on Twitter, saying stakeholders had agreed to a roadmap for a vote following two days of talks in the capital Mogadishu. President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed and the leaders of Somalia’s five states had been unable to agree on the terms of a vote before his term lapsed in February, triggering an unprecedented constitutional crisis.
Health authorities in Uganda have approved a locally manufactured herbal medicine to treat Covid-19 patients and other viral infections. The country’s drug regulator, the National Drug Authority says the product is formulated from herbal plants that have been traditionally used to alleviate symptoms of several diseases. It is however not a cure for Covid-19. Mbarara University of Science and Technology, where the developer Prof Patrick Ogwang teaches, also claimed the product as its own and said it had been leaked to the market before going through the right procedure. The NDA says the approval was based on initial assessment, published literature, and safety studies and that its innovator had also withdrawn unsubstantiated claims that the product treats and prevents Covid-19.
The United States says Ethiopia's declaration of a unilateral ceasefire in the Tigray region could be a positive step if it results in moves to end the conflict. The State Department urged all parties to allow humanitarian access and speed up the delivery of food assistance. United Nations officials say the rebels entered the town of Shire on Tuesday, after seizing the regional capital Mekelle the day before. The United States also called for the immediate, verifiable withdrawal of Eritrean troops, who've been supporting Ethiopian federal forces. The Tigrayans have said they will not stop fighting until they have degraded the capabilities of their enemies.
The Niger State House of Assembly has passed a bill imposing capital punishment on kidnappers, bandits, and their informants. The bill, if assented to by the Governor, Alhaji Abubakar Bello, will check the increasing wave of kidnapping and banditry in the state and strengthen the fight against criminalities by the state government. The bill states that anyone found guilty of the offence of banditry, kidnapping, or giving out information that results in kidnapping and banditry will be sentenced to death by hanging in public. The bill amends the Kidnapping and Cattle Rustling (Special Provision) Law 2021. The recommendation was made by the House Committees on Security and Intelligence and Judicial Matters when it presented its report to the House. The Chairman of the committee, Hon. Bello Ahmad, representing Agwara Constituency, said informants were included in the bill because the information given to criminals contribute to the increasing spate of banditry and kidnapping in the state.
The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has ordered that the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, be remanded in the custody of the Department of State Service (DSS). Justice Binta Nyako gave the order while granting the application by the prosecution who had applied to remand Kanu. The court ordered that Kanu be remanded in the DSS facility and adjourned his matter to July 26 and 27. Mr Kanu’s re-arraignment comes after he was re-arrested by Nigerian authorities and brought back to the country. He is expected to face charges of treason in court.
The Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Mele Kyari explained why the national oil company is purchasing a stake in the Dangote oil refinery. The refinery is expected to begin production in 2022 with an installed 650,000 barrels per day capacity. It has been touted as a groundbreaking project for energy security in the country and for the African continent. He argued that the decision was also driven by the profit potential of the refinery business. He says the net effect is that Nigeria will become the hub of petroleum products and supplies.
Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio says he wants to set up an international task force to counter the threat posed by the spread of ISIL affiliated groups across the African continent. Di Maio says there are fears that the group can regain strength. He also warned against the alliance letting down its guard, despite the fact the ISIL fighters had lost much of their territories in Iraq and Syria. Di Maio told reporters that with the support of the USA and many other partners, he proposed the establishment of an Africa task force to identify and stop ISIL related terrorist threats on the continent.
The European Commission says it had adopted decisions allowing Europeans’ data to keep flowing to Britain, satisfied that protections had so far not been affected by Brexit. The commission vice president in charge of transparency, Vera Jourova, says London’s legal regime of protecting personal data is as it was. She says they have significant safeguards and if anything changes on the UK side, they will intervene. The decisions will notably ensure that British-based companies reliant on EU citizens’ data can continue to operate. A post-Brexit transition period leaving rules on data flows unchanged was to run out at the end of June.
The eastern DR Congo city of Beni closed its schools, markets and churches for 48 hours after three bomb attacks over the weekend sparked fears of further violence. The attacks included the first targeting a Catholic Church building and the first suicide bombing in the region, which has declared a state of siege after a string of massacres carried out by the Allied Democratic Forces militia. Beni Mayor Narcisse Muteba announced a curfew saying that everyone should go inside because we have information that something else is being planned. Muteba also asked that anyone wanting to enter Beni carry their identity papers. The army asked Beni residents to report any suspicious movement, to dissociate themselves from the armed groups and to rally behind the armed forces.
Rights group Amnesty International has expressed concern over Zambia’s deteriorating human rights record ahead of the 12 August election. The organisation’s director for East and South Africa, Deprose Muchena, says the past five years have seen an increasingly brutal crackdown on human rights, characterised by brazen attacks on any form of dissent. He says protests were being stopped with unlawful and lethal force amid intimidation against those who spoke about corruption allegations facing the regime. Amnesty says the last five years under President Edgar Lungu have been marked by media censorship, use of excessive force by the police, arrests and detention, which have created fear.
Egypt has used the opportunity of a meeting of foreign ministers in Rome to talk to the US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken about the controversial dam that Ethiopia is building on the Nile. A tweet from Egypt's foreign ministry says that the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam was a major issue of concern Ethiopia says the hydroelectric dam is vital to its development and could provide 65 million people with electricity. AU-mediated talks aimed at negotiating an agreement between Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan, which is also affected, have stalled. Egypt and Sudan appear to want commitments about the volume of water that Ethiopia will release.
There are concerns that the European Union's vaccine passport programme could exclude people who have been given a version of the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine that was made in India. The head of the African Union's vaccine delivery programme, Dr Ayoade Alakija, told the BBC's Focus on Africa programme that she hoped the EU exclusion was an administrative error. She however says she was concerned that what it feels like here is there's a two-tier vaccine system. The EU is set to introduce its Digital Covid Certificate on Thursday, but only four vaccines have been approved for inclusion.
The AFP news agency reports that the United States, Ireland and Britain have called for an emergency UN Security Council public meeting over the conflict-hit northern Tigray region. Residents told the BBC that the forces had taken control of the streets and the airport. They also said they saw the Ethiopian military leaving the city during the day. The Ethiopian government has not confirmed the loss of Mekelle but has declared a unilateral ceasefire. The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he had spoken to the Ethiopian prime minister, Abiy Ahmed, and was hopeful that a cessation of hostilities would take place.
Taraba State Governor Darius Ishaku has called for constitutional review as it concerns mining rights. Mining is currently mostly under the Federal Government’s control under the law, but the Governor believes the exclusivity is worrisome and should be reviewed to promote the development of the sector. He says Governors across the country have proffered solutions to the Federal government in order to have a win-win situation, but the Federal Government has paid deaf ears to their suggestions. He says the mineral that is below the ground belongs to the Federal Government but they cannot go under the ground without calling on the landowner to access it
The Independent National Electoral Commission has commenced the online continuous voter registration exercise where intending voters can register before they complete the process at a designated centre. New voters can pre-register on the INEC portal while those who have registered in the past can access the platform to review their voter registration status. Registered voters can also request for replacement of damaged or defaced Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVC) on the portal. New voters are only required to fill the forms on the portal with their biodata and required documents, after which they are expected to visit an INEC state or local government office.
Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo blamed corruption and lack of transparency, among other factors, for poor contract negotiations in Nigeria. The Vice President made the comment while addressing a two-day capacity building workshop for negotiators. Vice-President Osinbajo cited the P&ID case and the Strategic Alliance Contract case where Nigeria is at risk of losing billions of dollars due to poor and shrewd negotiations of the contracts. He called for proper negotiation by Nigeria in the ongoing discussion on climate change which he says should put into consideration Nigeria’s peculiar economic situation and needs of the citizens.
A reformist newspaper says a group of Iranian lawmakers are working on a draft bill that could further restrict access to the internet. The bill calls for organising social media and the banning of virtual private network software used widely by Iranians to bypass internet restrictions and blocks imposed on several social media websites. Etemad says internet users in Iran have expressed concern over the draft bill proposed by some conservative lawmakers, who hold the majority in parliament since 2020. The newspaper added that the text also calls for jails terms of between 91 days and six months for anyone found guilty of violating the terms of the bill if it becomes law. The Repeat offenders could also be fined, receive up to 30 lashes and be deprived of their civic rights.
Thailand will reimpose Covid-19 restrictions on restaurants, construction sites and gatherings in the capital Bangkok and its suburbs as it tries to contain a wave of coronavirus cases. The government says in an order published Saturday that new restrictions will begin Monday and last for a month. They include closing construction sites in Bangkok and surrounding areas, banning workers from leaving, prohibiting eat-in customers at restaurants, and restricting gatherings to a maximum of 20 people. Checkpoints will be set up in Thailand’s southernmost provinces of Narathiwat, Pattani, Yala and Songkhla. Travellers must carry a letter of intent to leave or enter.
Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni has called out vaccine selfishness in the world but says it will wake up Africans to be self-sufficient. President Museveni says what Africa needs is raw materials to produce its own Covid vaccines and not donations from the developed nations. President Museveni said countries across the continent need to stop waiting for vaccine donations and manufacture them locally. President Museveni says Uganda was in the process of making its own Covid vaccine and only needed help with some raw materials. The African Union has been calling for a Covid vaccine patent waiver to allow the continent to make its own vaccines as the shortage continues in different countries.
Sudan will cut its government spending and increase social spending after completing a raft of rapid economic reforms this month that threatens to compound pressures on the majority of the population. Sudan fully removed subsidies on car petrol and diesel, and in February it devalued its currency and began a policy of a flexible managed float. The country will cut costs of external official trips by 50%, reduce fuel quotas for government vehicles by 20%, sell all surplus government vehicles and cut embassies' budgets by 25% among other measures. The cabinet after three days of closed meetings says the government will expand the registration of a family support project called Thamarat or Fruits to include three million families or about 15 million people within two months.
A senior official says Sudan has rejected an Ethiopian proposal to manage the filling for a second time of a giant dam that it is building on the Blue Nile deepening a regional dispute over the project. Addis Ababa has said it will again fill the reservoir behind the multi-billion dollar hydropower dam after seasonal rains start this summer, a move that both Sudan and Egypt oppose without a binding agreement on filling and operating the dam. The senior Sudanese official says the Ethiopian proposal for the second filling was not real and a way to buy time, adding that any such proposal should come under the auspices of AU mediators and involve all parties. The official also said that Ethiopia had put forward impossible conditions related to the division of the share of the water, which Sudan considers outside the scope of negotiations.
Members of the organised private sector have advised state governors to eliminate multiple taxations and introduce measures to further improve Ease of Doing Business in order to attract investors and promote economic growth. The advice by the OPS followed the recent EoDB report released by the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council which ranked Gombe State number one among the 36 states with an overall average score of 7.69 out of a maximum score of 10. Officials of the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce and Industry says the state governments should focus on eliminating multiple taxations, improving electricity supply, transportation, security and investment promotion, to ease doing business. They also called for streamlining tax administration, introduction of legislation to provide a legal framework for doing business in their respective states.
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project has asked the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights in Banjul, The Gambia, to issue provisional measures to urgently stop the Nigerian government and National Assembly from supporting and pushing through two bills to gag the media, and impose arbitrary and harsh punishment on journalists, broadcast stations, media houses and media practitioners in Nigeria.” The right group says these anti-media bills are the latest threats to freedom of expression, access to information and media freedom in the country. They said the bills are not in keeping with the provisions of the Declaration of Principles on Freedom of Expression in Africa, which supplements articles 1 and 9 of the African Charter.
Chief Olusegun Obasanjo has asked Nigerian leaders to begin at this moment in the nation’s history, to prepare for and against population explosion. Obasanjo says Nigeria’s population is becoming a liability due to its improper management, stressing that except there is urgent intervention, then the nation may be declared the third most populous nation in the world. He says population management must come to the fore, especially in the face of the geometric population explosion without a corresponding socio-economic development. Obasanjo expressed worry over the management of the population of the nation.
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo says Nigeria is set to utilise its legal provisions that empower the Federal Government to collect taxes on profits made in the country by global technology and digital firms not based in the country, but with a significant economic presence here. The Vice President says it is already empowered to widen the tax net, including through the collection of taxes on the Nigerian income of global tech giants with a significant economic presence here, even if they have not established an office or permanent establishment and are currently not paying taxes in Nigeria. He says they have had severe economic downturns which of course imply that we may not be able to collect taxes with the aggressiveness that would ordinarily be expected.
U.S. President Joe Biden approved an emergency declaration in the state of Florida and ordered federal assistance to supplement state and local response efforts after a building collapse near Miami left at least one dead and nearly 100 missings. The White House says the President's action authorizes the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate all disaster relief efforts. Rescue crews picked through tons of rubble on Thursday looking for survivors after the collapse of part of the oceanfront apartment tower in Surfside near Miami.
Algeria’s president has accepted the prime minister’s resignation, paving the way for the formation of a new government following parliamentary election results. A statement by the Algerian presidency says Abdelmadjid Tebboune accepted the resignation of the government led by Abdelaziz Djerad and appointed him as caretaker premier until a new cabinet is formed. Djerad’s resignation follows a parliamentary election on June 12 that was marked by a low turnout and no majority winner after two years of mass protests and political turmoil.
Afghan leaders Ashraf Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah will meet United States President Joe Biden at the White House on Friday for a high-stake discussion likely to shape Afghanistan’s future as the US withdraws forces nearly 20 years after invading. President Biden is expected to offer assurances of US backing for the Afghan government in Kabul and is likely to press Ghani and Abdullah to unify their rival political factions in the face of rising Taliban assaults, analysts say. Ghani and Abdullah are expected to appeal to Biden for specific and concrete pledges of financial and diplomatic support, including continued technical assistance for embattled Afghan military forces. Director of the Afghanistan programme at the US Institute of Peace, Scott Worden, says the security situation is alarming and it’s deteriorating.
A war of words between Moscow and London escalated on Thursday as both sides accused one another of giving inaccurate accounts of an incident involving a British warship and Russian forces in the Black Sea. Russia says it fired warning shots and dropped bombs in the path of HMS Defender on Wednesday as it sailed off the coast of the Crimea peninsula, accusing the Royal Navy destroyer of breaching its territorial waters. The United Kingdom disputed Russia’s account, saying no warning shots were fired and no bombs were dropped but suggested a Russian gunnery exercise had been taking place in the area. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson told reporters that HMS Defender was acting legally in international waters and described the vessel’s route as wholly appropriate.
The World Food Programme says Communities in Madagascar are on the verge of starvation, with women and children walking for hours to reach food after the worst drought in four decades devastated the south of the island. The WFP says acute malnutrition has almost doubled over the last four months with more than a quarter of people suffering in one area. WFP executive director, David Beasley in a statement says there have been back-to-back droughts in Madagascar which have pushed communities right to the very edge of starvation. He added that families are suffering and people are already dying from severe hunger. WFP says $78.6 million was needed to fight the crisis.
The International Air Transport Association says the continent's aviation sector is unlikely to recover to pre-Covid-19 levels for another two years. IATA says that vaccination should not become a mandatory requirement for air travel, owing to Africa’s slow vaccine rollout. IATA’s vice-president for Africa and the Middle East, Kamil Al-Awadhi, says passenger numbers are unlikely to pick up any time soon. IATA is now asking African governments to adopt a single digital platform for verifying coronavirus tests and vaccine certifications, as part of efforts to standardise ways to keep track of the health of passengers.
President Muhammadu Buhari has tasked the National Space Research and Development Agency to effectively utilise the satellite facilities at its disposal towards resolving the critical issues confronting Nigeria, particularly in the areas of security, improved communication, and digital penetration, as well as agriculture. The President expressed a renewed commitment to the space sector, describing it as the foundation of cybersecurity and a vibrant digital economy. President Buhari directed the Minister of Science and Technology to prepare and submit a revised 25-year roadmap for the implementation of the National Space Policy to the Federal Executive Council for consideration and approval. He noted that there was a need to put in place the necessary infrastructure required for the actualisation of the goals and objectives of the nation’s space policy and programme.
President Muhammadu Buhari has allocated a three-bedroom flat each to members of the 1994 African Cup of Nations winning squad, 27 years after the federal government made the promise. The President approved the allocations in their states of preference, noting that six players and three technical crews received their houses already. Former Nigerian captain and coach Stephen Keshi, Uche Okafor, Wilfred Agbonavbare, and Thompson Oriha – all squad members who won the competition in Tunisia – have died.
President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, has explained why it is important for the Nigerian government to continue to borrow responsibly to fund critical projects in the country. He believes it is not feasible for the government to tax the people further in the face of the present economic situation and the nation’s infrastructure must be developed. The Senate President says the options are really very limited for the country with no necessary revenue.
The Presidency says President Muhammadu Buhari will travel to London, the United Kingdom on Friday. The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, explained that the President’s trip to London was for a scheduled medical follow-up, adding that he would be back in the country during the second week of July. President Buhari’s scheduled trip to London comes almost three months since he last visited the United Kingdom for the same purpose. He also stated that there was no need for the Nigerian leader to transmit power to the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, since he would not be away for so long to contravene the law.
The administration of President Joe Biden conceded it won’t meet its goal of administering one or more doses of a Covid vaccine to 70 per cent of US adults by July 4. Head of the White House Covid response team, Jeffrey Zients thinks it’ll take a few extra weeks to get to 70 per cent of all adults with at least one shot. The vaccination rate has been declining since April when it hit a peak average of 3.4 million daily shots. The latest average is around 850,000 daily shots. The bottom of the table is dominated by states in the South, with Mississippi covering just 45 per cent of adults with one shot and 37 per cent with two. The nationally representative surveys carried out by the Kaiser Family Foundation shows that unvaccinated adults are significantly younger, less educated, more likely to be Republicans, people of colour and uninsured.
A coalition of opposition parties in the Central African Republic has called on Russian private security forces to leave the country. The group says it is organising protests against the Russians, who it accuses of abusing civilians whilst fighting rebels. The contractors are said to have killed 10 villagers and burned homes in the north-eastern Haute-Kotto region. The Russians have been training and fighting alongside the security forces in the Central African Republic. The United Nations Working Group on Mercenaries recently said it had received reports of the contractors committing grave human rights abuses.
Tanzania has announced that school-age mothers can be enrolled back into education from next year. Tanzania's education ministry has now agreed, after consultations with the World Bank, to allow teenage mothers to attend classes at what is called Folk Development Colleges, which teach basic numeracy and literacy, across the country. But the ban from school has not been reversed.
Sudan's foreign minister has written to the UN Security Council to intervene on the row over Ethiopia's Grand Renaissance Dam on the Nile River. Sudan wants the council to meet and discuss the dam's impact on the safety and security of millions of people. Minister Mariam al-Mahdi's letter to the council head asks him to urge Ethiopia to stop the unilateral filling of the dam. Ethiopia says the dam is vital for its development as it could bring power to 60% of the population. Sudan says filling the dam without solving outstanding issues would threaten national security. Sudan wants Ethiopia to commit to a legally binding agreement, rather than guidelines, on the amount of water retained and the timetable for filling the reservoir.
President Muhammadu Buhari has pledged to bequeath a citizen-led policing system to the nation at the end of his eight-year rule in 2023. He stated that his administration has demonstrated firm commitment towards changing the principle and strategy of policing. He mandated the Ministry of Police Affairs to receive complaints from the public on cases of abuse and maltreatment by police personnel. Buhari added that he has directed the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission to review upward police emoluments. He said the new pay structure would be commensurate with the vital functions of the police performed as the lead agency in internal security operations.
President Muhammadu Buhari has transmitted a 2021 Supplementary Appropriation Bill of N895.842 billion to the Senate for passage into law. Buhari says the amount captured in the bill was proposed to fund the COVID-19 vaccine programme. He added that part of the supplementary budget would be used to also fund health-related expenditures for the treatment of additional 50,000 patients under Nigeria Comprehensive AIDS Programme in states and to procure additional equipment to tackle security challenges nationwide. He says the supplementary budget will be funded through facilities sourced from the World Bank and available new facilities. Buhari said the supplementary budget was promoted by the need to make provision for procurement and administration of COVlD-19 vaccines.
The Senate has confirmed the appointment of Major General Farouk Yahaya as the new Chief of Army Staff. The red chamber took the decision following the consideration of the report of its joint committee on Defence and Army led by Senators Aliyu Wamakko and Ali Ndume. The federal government kick-started the process of resolving its dispute that led to the suspension of the operations of the microblogging platform, Twitter, in Nigeria, with President Muhammadu Buhari raising a team to negotiate with the United States-based company.
The U.S. Consulate General in partnership with the Nnamdi Azikiwe University unveiled the Awka Window on America, the newest addition to the existing network of American Spaces in Nigeria. The new Window on America will offer dynamic programming on topics including U.S. culture and society, education, women’s empowerment, civic engagement, entrepreneurship, and STEM learning to Nigerians from all walks of life. U.S. Consulate Public Affairs Officer Stephen Ibelli noted that the new Window on America is open to everyone in the community offering its services, programs, and resources to the public at no cost.
The ECOWAS Court of Justice in Abuja has restrained the Federal Government from imposing sanctions or harassing, intimidating, arresting, or prosecuting Twitter. It also restricted the government from carrying out such actions against any other social media service provider, as well as media houses, pending the hearing and determination of a suit challenging the government’s suspension of Twitter operations in Nigeria. The court gave the restraining order after hearing arguments from parties in a suit filed by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) and 176 concerned Nigerians.
President Muhammadu Buhari has inaugurated the National Steering Committee of the National Poverty Reduction with Growth Strategy to be chaired by the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo. President Buhari was confident that the program would address the underlying causes of poverty on the basis of which it developed programmes that would deal with the multi-dimensional nature of poverty within the practical context of comparative advantage of human and natural resources in the various geo-political zones. He says the major challenge before the committee is to translate the good intention of the government into a positive impact on the average Nigerian in order to create an appreciative impact on the poverty situation in the country.
The United States, the European Union, Canada and The United Kingdom have imposed sweeping sanctions on Belarusian entities and officials and called on Minsk to end its repressive practices against its own people. The allies also told the administration of President Alexander Lukashenko to cooperate with investigations into the forced landing of a Ryanair flight there in May and the arrest of the journalist Roman Protasevich and his girlfriend Sofia Sapega, who were on board. They said they are committed to supporting the long-suppressed democratic aspirations of the people of Belarus and stand together to impose costs on the regime for its blatant disregard of international commitments.
The US Supreme Court ruled that America’s top university athletics body cannot block student-athletes from getting extra benefits, eroding its power over the multi-billion-dollar college sports industry. The high court sided unanimously with student-athletes in a narrow case focused on whether they can receive limited cash or non-cash benefits from their schools related to their education, which the National Collegiate Athletic Association currently forbids. The Supreme Court made it clear it did not accept the NCAA’s claim that its strict ban on their earning any money, to retain “amateur” status, was important to the business. The court called the NCAA an effective monopoly in its control over the lucrative industry of college sports.
The World Health Organization says it is setting up a hub in South Africa to give companies from poor and middle-income countries the know-how and licences to produce COVID-19 vaccines, in what President Cyril Ramaphosa called a historic step to spread lifesaving technology. The WHO says the tech transfer hub could make it possible for African companies to begin manufacturing mRNA vaccines in as little as nine to 12 months. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus made the announcement aimed at boosting access to vaccines across the African continent, where coronavirus infections and deaths increased by almost 40 per cent over the past week.
The UN's human rights chief, Michelle Bachelet, has highlighted ethnic tensions in Ethiopia as voting continues in regional and parliamentary elections. Nearly a fifth of the constituencies is not taking part in the poll because of insecurity and irregularities. Ms Bachelet says the volatile situation needed to be addressed and called for a political dialogue. She says in many other parts of Ethiopia alarming incidents of deadly ethnic and inter-communal violence and displacement are linked to increasing polarisation about longstanding grievances. She added that the ongoing deployment of military forces is not a durable solution and encouraged comprehensive and multi-dimensional dialogue throughout the country to address the real grievances held.
The Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, is confident that Nigeria will remain united as a strong nation to the frustration of those waiting to see the country broken into pieces. He made the remark on Monday in Abuja at the maiden edition of the All Progressives Congress. The Vice President acknowledged the need for all Nigerians to be guaranteed a fair chance at improving their human condition and urged the youth to be a part of conversations that will ensure this. He asked the young generation not just to say it was time for them and for the older people to give way, stressing that such was unlikely to happen. Professor Osinbajo, however, stated that it was the strength of the ideas and the depth of the youths’ organisation and not age that would retire those ahead of them.
The Senate dismissed insinuations that the ongoing efforts by the National Assembly to amend the National Broadcasting Commission Act and other media laws are a ploy to gag the media and stifle freedom of expression. Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Ajibola Basiru says that the current efforts to amend the NBC Act and other relevant laws should not be misinterpreted as an attempt to stifle freedom of speech and free press. He, however, said there is the need to ensure that some regulations are put in place to prevent abuse of such rights as exhibited by a few media establishments and individuals in recent times. He stated that the current attempt to amend the NBC Act and the Press Council Act is to improve and sanitise the media industry and not to stifle the civic space.
The Director-General of the World Trade Organisation, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has listed Nigeria and South Africa among nations being considered by Africa, in conjunction with the European Union and other partners, to create regional vaccine manufacturing hubs on the continent. Okonjo-Iweala stated that regional production hubs would offer a more promising path to preparedness for a future health crisis. Rwandan President, Mr Paul Kagame, also confirmed at the Qatar Economic Forum that Senegal, Rwanda, and South Africa were in talks with investors to start the production of COVID-19 vaccines in Africa. The continent of 1.3 billion people has fully vaccinated only about one per cent of its people against COVID-19 even as some wealthier countries have inoculated enough of their citizens to begin reopening their economies.
President Muhammadu Buhari has appointed Mr George Ekpungu as the secretary of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. Dr Umar Gwandu, the spokesman for the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice noted that the appointment by the President was for a fresh tenure of five years. He says President Buhari also appointed four other persons as Board Members of the anti-graft agency. They are Luqman Muhammad, Anumba Adaeze, Kola Adesina and Yahya Muhammad. Gwandu stated that the appointment was in line with Section 2 (1) and Section 4 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission Act, 2004. He says the EFCC has been operating without board members since 2015 and President Buhari has already directed that the names of the appointees be forwarded to the Senate for confirmation.
The Federal Government has announced the development of a National Humanitarian Development Peace Framework. Sadiya Farouq, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development explained that the National Humanitarian Coordination Technical Working Group, as directed by the National Humanitarian Coordination Committee came up with the initiative aimed at restoring peace and stability in Nigeria. Farouq noted that the framework developed with the support of UNOCHA and other critical international and national humanitarian stakeholders would address root causes of conflict, by coherently addressing socio-economic vulnerabilities, to ensure sustainable peace, stability, and development in the country when launched.
Qatar’s prime minister announced Doha is seeking to provide one million doses of a coronavirus vaccine to fans attending the 2022 World Cup in the country. The Gulf nation has been slowly opening up as it continues with its mass vaccination programme. Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al-Thani says there is the possibility that some countries will not be able to vaccinate all their citizens. He says Qatar will not allow fans to enter stadiums without being fully vaccinated against the virus. Sheikh Khalid also said that approximately 72 per cent of Qatar’s 2.75 million population will have received at least one dose of vaccine within the next week.
A statement released by the continental organisation says CAF president Patrice Motsepe believes Africa can succeed where Europe failed and launch a Super League. He says they have been following attempts by some top European clubs to form a Super League and will learn from their experience and pitfalls,” said the South African. Motsepe is pushing forward after FIFA president Gianni Infantino told CAF officials last year that he favoured 20 permanent African Super League members and additional competitors through qualifying. He did suggest, however, that each permanent member should contribute $20 mn annually — a target even the richest African clubs would find hard to meet.
Commonwealth Bank says it would sell its Australian general insurance business to South Africa’s biggest privately-owned insurer Hollard Group, marking the completion of a multi-year divestment strategy following a series of scandals. Australia’s largest lender says it will sell CommInsure General Insurance, for an upfront cash consideration of A$625 million ($468 million), plus deferred payments. The lender says it expected the sale would deliver a post-tax gain of A$90 million and further increase its common equity tier 1 capital by about A$400 million, which according to analysts ups the odds that CBA will return extra cash to investors. CBA also expects to get a pre-completion dividend.
The Senator Representing Kebbi North, Yahaya Abdullahi, has blamed what he describes as a poor security arrangement in the country for the Kebbi School abduction. Abdullahi says the number of security personnel, specifical policemen across the country, is grossly insufficient to fight the level of insecurity the country grapples with. He says in the entire nation, there are only 350,000 policemen and a good solution would be to allow more community policing. He believes that banditry in the country has become a recurring decimal and we should not look at it as something that is just happening today.
President Muhammadu Buhari has affirmed that dialogue is the way to resolve the southeast's security situation. Senator Ngige says the President has also enabled series of dialogues to be held with leaders in the region. He added that discussions at the meeting equally encapsulated what the south-east is demanding from the Federal Government and what the government plans to do for the region to assuage the people's feelings. He further disclosed that complaints from the national labour union regarding a breach of the agreement had reached the President and they have begun plans to halt any further friction in the midst of the fragile situation within Kaduna State.
Operators in the aviation industry and the Akwa Ibom State government have taken steps towards developing maintenance facilities in Nigeria. Industry experts said the move would end the huge resources spent overseas in the maintenance of aircraft, which is the highest operations cost to airlines after aviation fuel by Nigerian carriers and others. The Head of Engineering and Maintenance of Ibom Air, Mr Lookman Animaseun, says that it was good that the NCAA was licensing MRO organisations in Nigeria to save the country about $2 billion spent on aircraft maintenance overseas every year. Animaseun says besides the Nigerian market, airline operators in West and Central Africa would also bring their aircraft to be maintained in Nigeria, which would attract forex to the country.
The National Democratic Coalition has written to President Muhammadu Buhari over the rising security challenges in the country and canvassed as a panacea, the return to the 1960 and 1963 Constitutions to replace the extant 1999 grundnorm, which it said the military imposed on Nigerians. The pro-democracy group pressed for the suspension of further elections until the country gets a new constitution. NADECO, in the letter to the president, accused him of fuelling secessionist agitations through the Fulanisation policy of his administration and its disregard for the constitution. It also decried the deterioration of national security and political instability under Buhari’s administration.
A 1933 Double Eagle sold for a record-shattering $18.9m at a Sotheby’s auction in New York on Tuesday, and the world’s rarest stamp raked in a whopping $8.3m.
Sotheby’s says the 1933 Double Eagle has a richly captivating history that encapsulates large swathes of United States history and has been at the centre of intrigue for more than 80 years.
The coins were struck but never issued for use. All 1933 Double Eagles were ordered destroyed after President Franklin Roosevelt, in an effort to lift America’s battered economy from the depths of the Great Depression, took the nation off the gold standard..
The privately-owned 1933 Double Eagle coin was sold by American shoe designer and collector Stuart Weitzman.
The United Nations General Assembly adopted a declaration on Tuesday aimed at ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030 after Russia failed in a bid to remove language it said pushed countries to decriminalize prostitution and drug use.
Deputy Russian U.N. Ambassador Dmitry Chumakov says from the Global AIDS strategy 2021 to 2026, UNAIDS considers these to include laws that in any way persecute prostitution and drug use.
Australian U.N. Ambassador Mitch Fifield pushed back against Russia, saying that reforming laws and policies to ensure that they are grounded in evidence and human rights is essential for an effective HIV response.
Miner Vale SA says it will settle in advance liabilities of around US$2.5 billion related to the project finance for the Nacala logistic corridor that serves a coal mine in Mozambique.
Vale says it will have fulfilled all the conditions for completion of its purchase of Mitsui & Co Ltd’s stake in the Moatize mine and the logistics corridor.
Vale’s press office explained that Payment was necessary as the project finance conditions did not allow Mitsui to sell its stake.
Vale says it will start consolidating the Moatize mine and CLN in its financial statements.
Vale says its EBITDA will no longer be burdened with costs related to debt service, investment in maintenance of operations and others charges that in 2020 impacted its earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization by about $300 million.
A statement from the finance ministry says Sudan fully liberalized gasoline and diesel prices on Tuesday and previous prices would be cancelled and gave new prices that it said were in line with import costs.
Sudan has been implementing aggressive IMF-monitored reforms in the hopes of turning around its economy and attracting debt relief and renewed financing.
The reforms have been painful and annual inflation climbed to 363% in April. Sudanese officials and the IMF have said the reforms, which included a sharp currency devaluation, would cause prices to rise and add to pressure on citizens.
The finance ministry says the price of gasoline will rise from 150 Sudanese pounds per litre to 290 pounds, while the price of diesel will rise to 285 pounds per litre from 125 pounds.
South Sudan’s Education Minister Awut Deng Acuil has threatened to close schools that violate the Covid-19 public health protocols.
The warning comes after some schools were inspected and found not to have hand washing facilities and learners were not wearing masks.
Ms Acuil cited the rising coronavirus cases in neighbouring countries as the reason why school administrators need to enforce all regulations.
She recommended that classes be split into small sizes to enable learners to observe social distancing.
Ms Acuil also appealed to parents to ensure the guidelines are being followed in schools.
South African Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize has been placed on special leave by President Cyril Ramaphosa pending a corruption probe.
Dr Mkhize is being asked to address allegations that two of his close aides embezzled more than $6m from public coronavirus funds, using a front company that was awarded a contract to run the health ministry's Covid communications.
The minister denies any wrongdoing and is seeking to state his case to the governing African National Congress.
There has been public outrage that thousands of Covid-linked contracts have been awarded to politically connected companies.
The Federal Government says it is targeting over nine million pupils in public schools across Nigeria in the second phase of its school feeding programme.
Under the scheme, the pupils will receive free daily meals courtesy of the Federal Government.
The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Farouk, disclosed that one million Nigerians will also receive N5,000 for six months under the Rapid Response Register, an intervention by the Federal Government targeted at urban informal workers impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Minister says 550,000 applicants qualified for the final selection of the first stream of Batch C and that another 500,000 will subsequently be engaged.
A report by Moody’s Investors Service says that Nigeria holds the key to the growth of the telecom’s sector in Sub Saharan Africa.
Moody’s tipped Nigeria to lead the sector’s growth in Africa because of its large population and relatively low internet and mobile phone penetrations compared to its population.
It also estimated that mobile subscribers in SSA would increase by 150 million over the next five years, with most of the growth coming from markets with large populations and low penetration rates.
The report stated that African telecoms would benefit from strong growth but are faced with increasing sovereign risks.
It added that growth would be highest in the SSA countries with large populations and relatively low mobile penetration rates such as Nigeria, Ethiopia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania and Kenya.
President Muhammadu Buhari has written to the House of Representatives, urging it to confirm the appointment of Major General Farouk Yahaya as the Chief of Army Staff.
Buhari also sent an executive bill to the House seeking to increase the retirement age of teachers from 60 to 65 years.
The president says Yahaya’s appointment was in compliance with the provisions of Section 18 subsection 1 of the Armed Forces Act 2004.
The speaker referred the request for confirmation to the Committees on Defence and Army.
The Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Mallam Mele Kyari, called on International Oil Companies (IOCs) operating in Nigeria to be more accountable to Nigerians and not just to their shareholders and companies.
Kyari says at the Nigeria International Petroleum Summit (NIPS) in Abuja that although oil companies plying their trade in the country were responsible to their home companies, they must also strive to incorporate the interest of the government and its people.
He added that shareholders expect companies to deliver value, which is reflected in the dividends that they are able to deliver and beyond that, they expect that chief executives should act responsibly.
He says acting responsibly means recognising that there are citizens of that country that have different expectations.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described his country’s bilateral relationship with a superpower as one of nuptial bliss.
Netanyahu says he wasn’t talking about Washington and arguably one of the most pro-Israeli US administrations in history. He was speaking about China.
He says the value of trade between the two countries grew from roughly $1bn at the turn of the century, to a little over $11.2bn in 2019.
He says China currently stands as Israel’s second-largest trading partner behind the US.
The head of the UN nuclear watchdog Iran has failed to answer questions about the discovery of uranium particles at former undeclared sites in the country, calling on Tehran to provide information without further delay.
Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, has been pushing Iran for answers on three sites dating back many years where inspections had revealed traces of uranium of man-made origin, suggesting they were once connected to Iran’s nuclear programme.
Grossi is concerned that nuclear material has been present at the three undeclared locations in Iran and that the current locations of this nuclear material are not known by the agency.
Haiti has postponed a constitutional referendum scheduled for June 27 due to the coronavirus pandemic without giving a new date for the vote, further deepening the country’s political crisis.
President Jovenel Moise has been ruling Haiti, the poorest country in the Americas, by decree after legislative elections due in 2018 were delayed following disputes on the limits of his term.
In addition to presidential, legislative and local elections in September, Moise had wanted to submit a new draft of the island nation’s constitution to a popular vote on June 27.
He says he would go ahead despite international criticism that the process is not inclusive, participatory or transparent enough in a country plagued by political insecurity and criminal gangs.
The United States has imposed visa restrictions on people accused of inciting violence in English-speaking western Cameroon.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken says the US was deeply concerned by the continued violence in the Anglophone regions of Cameroon”.
He says they condemn those who undermine peace through engaging in or inciting violence, human rights violations and abuses, and threats against advocates for peace or humanitarian workers.
He urged the Cameroonian government and separatist armed groups to end the violence and engage in a dialogue without preconditions to peacefully resolve the crisis.
A member of the House of Representatives, Isiaka Ibrahim lamented over the refusal of Heads of government to appear during the investigative hearing on recovered loots.
Ibrahim lamented that the repeated absence of the Head of Governments is disrespectful to the National Assembly.
Those invited to the hearing and refused to show up include, CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele; the Inspector General Of Police, Usman Alkali Baba; the National Security Adviser, Babagana Monguno; and the Director-General of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency.
Ibrahim added that the lawmakers have no business being in the parliament if agencies of government who are creations of the parliament refuse to respect the institution that created them.
Senator Kola Balogun has called on the Federal Government to grant the South-West Security Network codenamed Amotekun the license to bear arms.
The lawmaker says they are not as equipped as these invaders who are savages and who go on the rampage.
Senator Balogun appealed to the IG and the police to grant them the license to be well-equipped as long as what they are doing is in support of what the police is doing.
Analysts called on the federal government to address structural factors, which have jacked up the cost of production of goods, thereby encouraging importation over local production.
The analysts urged the federal government to also narrow the trade imbalance by making exports more attractive than imports, adding that “though devaluation becomes a tool in achieving this.”
They urged the government to invest in value addition to raw materials and agricultural products as well as create a conducive environment for manufacturers.
The National Bureau of Statistics says Nigeria’s total external merchandise increased to N9.76 trillion in the first quarter of the year, representing a 6.99 per cent rise over the N9.12 trillion recorded in the preceding quarter.
President Muhammadu Buhari called on the operators of Nigeria’s oil and gas industry to search for more efficient ways of exploiting the commodity to reduce the cost of production per barrel.
He says that although Nigeria is observing the trend in the global movement toward renewables, he is optimistic that oil would remain relevant in the coming years.
He says his administration’s drive for the discovery of more reserves and ramping up oil production is irrevocable.
He stated that his administration has demonstrated commitment to the overhauling of the oil and gas industry to make it fit for the future.
The president says the accelerated and unprecedented oil demand disruption and the supply glut that generated the crisis in the global economy had presented both challenges and opportunities.
Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, rejected the secession agitation by some groups in the South-west and ruled out the break-up of Nigeria.
He urged the over 200 million Nigerians to utilise the numerical strength and the beauty of the diversity of the country to foster economic prosperity and political stability.
He argued that it is important for fairness and equity to take their rightful places in the governance of the country so that no group is aggrieved or feels sidelined in the running of the country.
Sanwo-Olu says he remained committed to one united and prosperous Nigeria where fairness and equal distribution of resources are the order of the day.
The federal government’s suspension of Twitter might have left both in a catch-22 situation as the duo has lost millions of followers that they had built for more than half a decade.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, had last week announced the suspension of Twitter after the firm deleted some aspects of President Muhammadu Buhari’s tweet, which the company found to be in breach of its rules.
Muhammed added an extra reason for the act, saying the temporary prohibition of the internet platform was a response to the firm’s persistent violation of the nation’s national security interest.
However, many Nigerians have circumvented the federal government’s blockage of the micro-blogging facility, resorting to the virtual private network to connect Twitter.
Staff members of a Brazilian Senate inquiry into the country’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic have called for the upcoming Copa America football tournament to be postponed, citing low vaccination rates and the risks of spreading the virus.
The Senate commission staffers say only 10.77 per cent of the population had received first doses of coronavirus vaccines as of Friday across Brazil.
The staffers say Brazil does not offer sanitary security for holding an international tournament of this magnitude. In addition to transmitting a false sense of security and normality, opposite to the reality that Brazilians are living, it would encourage agglomerations of people and set a bad example.
There is growing public support among the world’s scientific community for fully exploring the possibility the coronavirus may have emerged from the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
Observers say the hypothesis became perniciously intertwined with the administration of former US President Donald Trump’s inflammatory anti-China rhetoric and xenophobic framing of the pandemic, causing an apparent chilling effect among the scientific community.
J Stephen Morrison, director of the Global Health Policy Center at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told Al Jazeera that the question of whether a lab accident was the origin got stuck in this hyper-politicised context.
He says when Trump was instrumentalising the issue as part of an anti-China and anti-Asia campaign, people didn’t want to associate with that so they kept their distance.
Namibia says the deal agreed with Germany for €1.1bn in aid following the colonial-era genocide is not enough but it would revisit and renegotiate as funding is rolled out.
A week ago Germany issued a long-awaited apology for the murder of tens of thousands of Herero and Nama people.
Germany's apology resulted from the first negotiations of their kind by a former colonial power.
Campaigners say the impact of the atrocities endured and the return of ancestral lands that were confiscated.
There are also calls for compensation to made directly to the victims' descendants, for fear the money won't reach those for whom it's intended.
Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni has shut down schools and suspended public gatherings as the country faces a surge of infections in a second Covid-19 wave.
Public transport between districts will be banned starting Thursday to allow students who are in schools to return home.
Bars, cinemas and theatres have also been closed.
The suspension of schools and gatherings takes effect from Monday and will be in place for 42 days.
A rise in coronavirus cases was reported two weeks ago and officials mulled over a lockdown to prevent health facilities from being overwhelmed.
Colonel Assimi Goïta is being sworn in as Mali’s interim president on Monday.
It’s a fortnight since he removed the transitional president and prime minister in a coup - the second he’s engineered in nine months.
Ecowas, joined the African Union in suspending Mali's membership, calling on the military government to adhere to an 18-month transition towards presidential elections in February.
France and other Western powers also want a return to civilian rule.
Mali is key to the stability of the Sahel region that’s beset by a jihadist insurgency.
A former Governor of Sokoto State, Alhaji Attahiru Bafarawa, kicked against the growing discussions and tensions surrounding the zoning of the presidency to any part of the country, describing it as ill-timed.
Bafarawa says that the agitations were getting increasingly strident, noting that it is a misplaced priority given the problems besetting the country.
He stated that it was high time politicians toned down such political issues and concentrated on good governance so that the country would eventually have peace.
He advised all politicians across the political, tribal and regional divides to come together for the common good of the country.
The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation is been affected by the under-recovery of petroleum-price and it may have begun to affect its operations as the national oil company failed to fund six of its scheduled projects in April.
NNPC is also to team up with the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative and the Department of Petroleum Resources to sign an agreement on a framework to ensure greater transparency in the oil and gas industry.
The funding performance from January to April, contained in the corporation’s presentation to the Federation Account Allocation Committee in May, showed that the gas infrastructure development, frontier exploration services and renewable energy development received zero allocation for the month.
The data indicated that with the underfunding of the projects, variance in terms of actual budget and actual funding for five of the projects stood at N26.236 billion.
Transactions across various electronic payment channels rose marginally by 0.38 per cent to N21.27 trillion in May 2021, up from the N21.19 trillion recorded in April 2021.
The report showed that the value of transactions was flat due to the slow level of economic activities recorded last month.
It showed that while point of sale transactions declined marginally to N503.96 billion in May, down from N507.86 billion the previous month; transactions via NIBSS Instant Payment climbed to N21.246 trillion, as against N21.191 trillion recorded the previous month.
It stated that the Q1 2021 data confirmed a slow growth and fragile economy, even as inflation showed a slight moderation to 18.12 per cent with food inflation down to 22.72 per cent.
The Central Bank of Nigeria announced the increase of foreign exchange allocations to banks to meet the requests of customers, particularly travellers, seeking forex for travel allowances, payment of tuition and medical fees, among other invisible.
The CBN Governor, Mr Godwin Emefiele cautioning them to desist from denying customers, particularly travellers, the opportunity to purchase forex for Personal Travel Allowance, Basic Travel Allowance, tuition fees, and medical payments as well as Small and Medium Enterprises transactions or for the repatriation of Foreign Direct Investment proceeds.
The Acting Director, Corporate Communications Department at the CBN, Mr Osita Nwanisobi, says that the CBN remained committed to ensuring liquidity in the forex market to meet genuine and legitimate demands of customers.
Nigeria’s Ambassador to Sierra Leone Henry Omaku has restated President Muhammadu Buhari’s firm commitment to assisting Sierra Leone.
He restated the commitment when he presented his letter of credence to President Julius Maada Bio on Saturday in the Country’s capital, Freetown.
Mr Omaku reiterated the relationship that both countries have and assured to sustain it in their interest.
Nigeria’s high commissioner who felicitated with President Julius over his country’s 60th anniversary, offered himself to be a part of its nation-building policies.
President Julius says his country remains indebted to Nigeria for its support which centres on peacebuilding, health and Education.
Algerian President Abdelamdjid Tebboune says France should now fully recognise the colonial crimes it committed in his country.
Mr Tebboune told the French magazine Le Point that this would be a form of apology.
He referred to the massacre of 8 May 1945 when the French authorities killed thousands of Algerians during a peaceful demonstration. The Algerians were celebrating the end of World War Two and demanding independence.
The Algerian leader says that the generation of President Emmanuel Macron and the French intellectuals today did not blame those crimes.
The parliament in the Democratic Republic of Congo has voted to extend martial law in Ituri and North Kivu provinces that have been rocked by insecurity.
The state of emergency imposed on 6 May has been extended for 15 days.
Military administrations have replaced civilian authorities in the two provinces to curb insecurity.
President Félix Tshisekedi gave extra powers to the military to address the insecurity, which has seen numerous attacks every week despite the presence of thousands of UN peacekeepers.
Some of the attacks in the areas have been blamed on the Allied Democratic Forces.
The Independent National Electoral Commission says it is already working on a project to allow the electorate to cast their votes online and decongest crowds at polling stations across the country.
Mr Festus Okoye, INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of Information, however, did not give a specific timeframe as to when online voting would be implemented.
He says people voting online or using the internet to vote is a project that the commission is working on and at the appropriate time, the commission will unveil what it is doing.
Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege says all parts of the current constitution cannot be altered as many would have it modified.
Senator Omo-Agege urged all those agitating for a new constitution to mount pressure on their representatives at the National Assembly.
Constitution amendment and review has been an issue of debate in Nigeria for quite a while with many calling for the total repealing of the present charter.
The Deputy Senate President says a bill needs to be put forward to effect an amendment of Section 9, however, noted that it is very difficult to muster the vote needed for a revision of the section that could give the power needed to have the present constitution repealed.
The lawmaker assured Nigerians that President Muhammadu Buhari is interested in the constitutional review process and will assent to any bill that emanates from it.
Governor Yahaya Bello says Nigeria needs a credible and patriotic leader to fix the myriads of challenges besetting the nation.
Governor Bello says the position of president should not be determined by zoning but by sincerity and competence.
The Kogi governor was of the opinion that the security challenges the country faces at the moment are mostly politically engineered.
He says fairness, justice, and equity will play a great role in restoring lasting peace in Nigeria.
Bello argued that competence should be the requirement for electing the next president and not his ethnicity or religion.
The Federal Government says the unpredictability of vaccine supply as a result of global shortage remains a huge challenge.
The Minister of Health, Doctor Osagie Ehanire says Nigeria is looking to get a donation of the COVID-19 vaccine from the Covax facility and other countries that no longer have a need for their oxford AstraZeneca vaccine.
He further explained that the local production of the COVID-19 vaccine is not yet feasible owing to the high cost of conducting clinical trials that run into millions of dollars.
Doctor Ehanire highlighted that the country has begun putting strategies in place towards potentially becoming a vaccine production hub in Africa.
President Muhammadu Buhari called for global support to develop the resources in the Niger Basin area – home to over 160 million people who depend on the river as a means of sustenance.
The President believes the Niger River, commonly called Djoliba in Guinea and Mali, offers enormous development opportunities in the fields of agriculture, animal husbandry, fishing, fish farming, hydropower, hydraulics and navigation.
President Buhari commended technical and financial partners, including the African Development Bank, Global Environment Fund, and German Financial Cooperation, to identify with the authority's vision and projects.
He urged them to continue to support efforts at developing the Niger Basin in the fight against pollution and the degradation of ecosystems to manage its resources sustainably and equitably.
Military authorities have dispelled the rumour of mass compulsory retirement of senior military officers, following the appointment of the new Chief of Army Staff, Major General Farouk Yahaya.
The Acting Director of Defence Media Operation, Brigadier General Benard Onyeuko, faulted the claim at a press conference on Thursday at the Defence Headquarters in Abuja, the nation’s capital.
The military spokesman also highlighted some of the feats recorded by troops in the course of various operations in parts of the country.
He says there is no gainsaying that the military and the security agencies are committed to ensuring peace returns to the country.
The World Health Organization approved the Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine for emergency use — the second Chinese jab to receive the WHO’s green light.
The UN health agency signed off on the two-dose vaccine, which is already being deployed in several countries around the world.
WHO says the move gives countries, funders, procuring agencies and communities assurance that it meets international standards for safety, efficacy and manufacturing”.
WHO’s listing paves the way for countries worldwide to quickly approve and import a vaccine for distribution, especially those states without an international-standard regulator of their own.
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has vowed to defeat the criminals who shot and wounded a former army commander, killing his daughter and driver.
An army spokeswoman described it as an assassination attempt on Gen Katumba Wamala and said security forces were investigating a number of phone calls that may provide leads.
The attack on the current government minister of works and transport, who has also headed Uganda's police force, is not the first high-profile shooting.
Mali has been suspended from the African Union following last week's military coup.
The AU in a statement called for a return to the civilian government saying it would not hesitate to impose sanctions and other punitive measures unless troops were urgently ordered to return to barracks.
Leaders of the West African bloc Ecowas also suspended Mali's membership, calling on the military government to adhere to an 18-month transition period towards presidential elections next February.
Colonel Assimi Goita, who led the coup, was appointed transitional president by the country's constitutional court four days ago.
President Muhammadu Buhari suggested his administration has no third term agenda and will do its best to ensure elections hold across the country despite increasing violence.
The President made the comment after receiving the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu and other electoral commissioners at the State House in Abuja.
INEC chief, Professor Yakubu says INEC facilities across the country have recently come under attack.
In the last four weeks, 11 offices of the commission have been either set ablaze or vandalized.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, has faulted the 1999 Constitution, calling for an amendment by the National Assembly.
Gbajabiamila says the National Assembly could only achieve the task after getting the inputs and support of the citizens.
He says the 1999 Constitution is the product of a hurried national compromise that they entered into two decades ago in order to ensure that the military returned to the barracks.
Gbajabiamila says though the current exercise is not the first of its kind, it might be the most important one in the nation’s recent history as the decisions to be made would have far-reaching consequences for the future of Nigeria.
Peru has announced a sharp increase in its COVID-19 death toll, giving the South American nation the worst coronavirus-related death rate per capita in the world.
The presidential palace in a statement says the country has more than 180,000 people who had died since the start of the pandemic – up from previous data indicating that 69,342 Peruvians had died due to the coronavirus.
The new toll includes deaths reported between March 2020 and May 22 of this year.
Health Minister Oscar Ugarte says that a significant number of deaths were not classified as caused by COVID-19 adding that the criteria for assigning the novel coronavirus as a cause of death had been changed
The World Health Organization has announced that Coronavirus variants are to be known by letters of the Greek alphabet to avoid misreporting and stigmatising nations where they were first detected.
The new system applies to variants of concern – the most troubling of which four are in circulation – and the second-level variants of interest being tracked.
The WHO says while they have their advantages, these scientific names can be difficult to say and recall, and are prone to misreporting.
It added that people often resort to calling variants by the places where they are detected, which is stigmatising and discriminatory.
Mali’s military rulers are poised to remain firmly in charge of the conflict-hit nation following a feeble response by the West African regional bloc, Ecowas, over its second coup in less than nine months.
Ecowas continues to be blindsided by the Sahel nation’s political crisis, underscoring its diminishing political influence in the region.
Col Assimi Goita’s ascendancy as Mali’s interim president is the latest demonstration of contempt by the west African nation’s military rulers towards the regional and international community whose influence over the political crisis is quickly waning.
The lack of targeted sanctions against Col Goita and Mali’s junta leaders is likely to embolden the military to continue dominating key state institutions in the expected cabinet appointment.
The African Union Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat has appealed to the members of the Pan-African Parliament to "recover their composure after scuffles were reported in Monday's session.
He said the violent scenes tarnish the image of this honourable institution.
The scuffles were at a session set to elect a new leader for the continental body.
Local media in South Africa where the sessions are held reported that blows were exchanged during the scuffles.
The Pan-African Parliament, also known as the African Parliament, is the legislative body of the African Union.
It has been touted as a political transitory arrangement towards the United States of Africa.
Senate President, Ahmad Lawan has condemned the killing of Ahmed Gulak and urged security operatives to ensure that all those involved are made to pay for their gruesome deed.
The President of the Senate described the killing of the former Speaker of the Adamawa House of Assembly and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress as one crime too many.
Lawan in a communique noted that there can be no justification for the brutal murder of a human being and fellow citizen.
He, however, appealed for restraint on the part of those calling for revenge, saying they should allow the relevant authorities to serve justice on the matter as the injury of the crime was inflicted on Nigeria as a whole.
Economic and commercial activities came to a standstill on Monday in the South-East region of the country.
This is in compliance with the sit-at-home order issued by the proscribed group, Indigenous People of Biafra.
IPOB, through its spokesperson, Emma Powerful said the human and vehicular movement would be restricted across the South-East on Monday to mark the 54th anniversary of Biafra.
Imo State capital was empty. Businesses, schools, and other major economic hubs were shut. Vehicular movements were also grounded.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has ordered flags flown at half-mast on all federal buildings, including the Peace Tower on Parliament in Ottawa, after the remains of 215 Indigenous children were found at a residential school.
Trudeau says the move is to honour the 215 children whose lives were taken at the former Kamloops residential school and all Indigenous children who never made it home, the survivors, and their families”.
Indigenous community leaders and many others had called on the government to lower flags across Canada after a First Nation in the province of British Columbia announced that the remains of 215 children had been found on the site of the Kamloops Indian Residential School.
Israeli and Egyptian officials held talks in both countries aimed at bolstering the Cairo-brokered ceasefire that ended the latest deadly flare-up of violence between the Jewish state and Gaza’s Hamas rulers.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel in Jerusalem to discuss strengthening cooperation between their countries.
Israel’s Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi tweeted that they would discuss establishing a permanent ceasefire with Hamas, a mechanism for providing humanitarian aid and the reconstruction of Gaza with a pivotal role played by the international community.
The Egyptian foreign ministry also tweeted that the ministers’ talks were part of Egypt’s relentless and continued efforts to revive the peace track and to build on the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
Leaders of the West African grouping Ecowas have suspended Mali's membership from the bloc following last week's military coup - the second in nine months.
The coup leader and now interim president, Colonel Assimi Goïta, attended the meeting in the Ghanaian capital, Accra.
Ghana's Foreign Minister Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey told reporters that the block has called on Mali to nominate a new civilian prime minister immediately, to adhere to an 18 months transition period and to hold a presidential election next February.
Ghana says the stability of Mali was critical if West Africa was to hold back terrorist activities from the region.
South Africa is increasing its Covid-19 restrictions to try and fight a surge in recent infections.
A nightly curfew is to be extended meaning non-essential shops, bars and restaurants, will be forced to close by 22:00.
President Cyril Ramaphosa says further restrictions were necessary to ensure that health facilities were not overwhelmed.
South Africa has recorded more than 56,000 deaths and more than 1.5 million - more than any other Africa nation.
Only about 1.5% of the country's 60 million people have so far received a vaccine.
Egypt will lift restrictions put in place to prevent the spread of coronavirus from Tuesday.
Restaurants will be allowed to operate long after the 6 May order for them to close by 21:00 local time.
Businesses in Egypt have summer and winter working hours with closure time ranging from 22:00 local time to midnight.
The restrictions were imposed after a rise in coronavirus cases.
The country had imposed strict measures at the start of the pandemic last year but eased out slowly.
The Nigerian Army has reiterated its commitment to crushing Boko Haram terrorists, members of the banned Indigenous Peoples of Biafra and ending all forms of criminality in the country.
Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff, Major General Farouk Yahaya stated this during the passing out parade of the 80 regular recruits intake at the Nigerian Army Depot, Zaria in Kaduna State.
Major General Farouk explained that the military will not rest on its oars until the entire country is safe for all citizens to live in.
He says that the contemporary security challenges orchestrated by bandits and terrorists across the country demand that the Armed Forces maintain a well-trained and disciplined force, congratulating them for the completion of their initial training at the institution
The House of Representatives has suspended its constitution review hearing scheduled to hold in Imo and Abia States.
In a communique by the Deputy Speaker of the House, Idris Wase noted that the House of Representatives Special Committee on Constitution Review Zonal Public Hearing scheduled to take place in Owerri Central (Imo and Abia States) has been suspended until further notice.
This suspension of the constitution review hearing in the two South-Eastern states comes on the heels of the gruesome murder of a former presidential aide, Ahmed Gulak, in Owerri, the Imo State capital.
Agitators for the creation of new states in the South-east, South-south and the North-west geopolitical zones at the weekend intensified their lobby of the National Assembly to ensure that their demands sail through.
THISDAY reports that the agitators made forceful arguments for new states in their memoranda submitted to the Senate Committee on Constitutional Review, which concluded its two-day public hearing in the six geopolitical zones of the country last Thursday.
Their demand stemmed from the fact that of the six zones in the country, only the South-east has the least number of states, which is five. While the North-west has seven states, each of the other four zones has six states.
President Muhammadu Buhari condemned the heinous murder of Adamawa State politician, Hon. Ahmed Gulak, in Owerri, Imo State capital, by yet-to-be-identified gunmen yesterday.
He vowed that the federal government would spare no efforts in bringing the killers of Gulak, an All Progressives Congress chieftain, to justice.
The Imo State Commissioner of Police, Mr Abutu Yaro, says a combined team of operatives of the command’s Tactical Units, Intelligence Response Team, and Police Mobile Force had killed the suspected killers of Gulak.
Gulak was a consultant to the Constitution Review Committee whose assignment to Owerri ended last Thursday after a two-day public hearing.
The WHO says Africa needs at least 20 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine within six weeks if those who have had their first shot are to get the second in time.
The World Health Organization’s Regional Director for Africa, Dr Matshidiso Moeti in a statement says Africa needs vaccines now
It says any pause in the vaccination campaigns will lead to lost lives and lost hope.
The WHO statement underlined the importance of respecting the recommended interval of eight to 12 weeks between doses to ensure a recipient’s prolonged 81-per cent protection rate.
The statement added that another 200 million doses of any WHO Emergency Use Listed COVID-19 vaccine are needed so that the continent can vaccinate 10% of its population by September 2021.
US President Joe Biden has called for a ceasefire in Ethiopia's conflict in the northern region of Tigray.
His comments are the strongest yet from the US about the conflict in Tigray and come as relations between Washington and Addis Ababa continue to deteriorate.
The US announced visa restrictions against unnamed current or former Ethiopian and Eritrean officials that it sees as responsible or complicit in rights abuses as well as hindering a peaceful resolution to the fighting.
Ethiopian says if the US continues to interfere in its internal affairs, it could be forced to reassess its ties with Washington.
Ex-President Jacob Zuma has failed in his attempt to recoup the personal costs he has incurred while challenging the constitutionality of the ongoing corruption inquiry against him.
South Africa's Constitutional Court struck his application off the roll on Thursday when his legal team missed a deadline to file the appeal record.
It means the former president will have the shoulder those costs of 10m rands himself.
The State Capture Commission of inquiry was set up in 2018 to investigate corruption in state institutions.
The German government has confirmed more than a billion dollars in development aid for Namibia in a statement that recognised the genocidal killings carried out by colonial settlers against indigenous people in the first years of the 20th Century.
Germany's Foreign Minister, Heiko Maas, says his country bore historical and moral responsibility for the atrocities.
He says Germany would ask forgiveness from Namibia and the victims' descendants.
Nigeria has signed an offshore oil deal with Shell, Exxon, Total and Eni, that the state says will generate millions, settle disputes and open the way to a $10 billion investment.
The Execution of Oil Mining Lease 118 Agreements was signed Tuesday by the local subsidiaries of the four oil majors and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation.
NNPC head Mele Kyari says the agreement also brings immediate income for the government in the excess of $780 million and an opportunity to resolve a $9 billion which he did not specify.
Kyari says that he hoped the agreement would be an opportunity for investors to see that this country is open for business.
Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami has denied allegations suggesting that N2 billion was paid to his office from the recovered funds.
The Minister noted that it was on the basis of the application of the said funds in line with the agreements that Nigeria earns a reputation among the international committee of nations which translated into further recoveries.
He said the Federal Government has a designated account at the Central Bank of Nigeria for all recovered assets, adding that neither he as a person nor as Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, has in any way received any funds from the recovered assets.
President Muhammadu Buhari has appointed Major-General Farouk Yahaya as the new Chief of Army Staff.
A statement signed and released by military spokesperson Brigadier-General Onyema Nwachukwu.
The statement says Major-General Yahaya was the General Officer Commanding 1 Division of the Nigerian Army and the incumbent Theatre Commander of the Counterterrorism, Counter-Insurgency military outfit in the North East code-named Operation HADIN KAI.
President Buhari had described the late officers as heroes who paid the ultimate price for peace and security in the land.
EU leaders welcomed the introduction of a bloc-wide COVID-19 pass that they hope will unlock a tourist surge this summer.
The 27 member states want the EU Digital Covid Certificate, to be launched July 1, to turn the page on coronavirus restrictions that have crimped Europeans’ cherished freedom of movement.
European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen told a media conference after the summit that more than 300 million Covid-19 vaccine doses will have been delivered by the end of this week, rising to 400 million next month.
The UK government has warned of the risk of famine within months in Tigray, northern Ethiopia, calling the situation catastrophic.
Special envoy on famine prevention, Nick Dyer, made the assessment during a visit to the region, which is being devastated by conflict.
Mr Dyer says atrocities were continuing, citing harrowing reports of killings and rapes.
He described the destruction of farm tools, seeds, and indeed of whole villages. Mr Dyer warned that ill health was as much a threat to people as starvation.
Troops from neighbouring Eritrea are still fighting in the region – having been invited in by Ethiopia to help their army defeat a rebellion by local Tigrayan forces, which are now labelled terrorists by the Ethiopian authorities.
The corruption trial of the former South African President Jacob Zuma is due to begin on Wednesday, following multiple delays.
The once-celebrated hero of the anti-Apartheid struggle is expected to plead not guilty to charges of fraud and racketeering in a case that dates back to an arms deal in the 1990s.
He claims he's the victim of a political witch hunt - that the nation’s courts are working for his political enemies.
Mr Zuma is also facing fresh allegations of corruption and could be imprisoned for contempt of court in a separate matter.
Kenya will receive 72,000 Covid-19 vaccines from the Covax facility this week.
The vaccines were re-distributed from South Sudan after the country’s health officials say they could not use the jabs before their expiry date.
South Sudan received 132,000 Astra Zeneca doses from Covax in late March.
The country’s Health Minister Mayen Machout told journalists that they were not able to use all the doses because of delays by parliament to approve the use of the vaccine.
AFP news agency reports that South Sudan will be left with 52,000 doses that it hopes to use before they expire on 18 July.
The Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Oladayo Amao, has constituted a committee to conduct a safety audit of all Nigerian Air Force operational and engineering units.
A statement on Tuesday by NAF Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet, revealed that the committee comprised serving and retired senior officers of the force.
The committee is to analyse safety reports from operational and engineering units, conduct safety evaluation of NAF units, and recommend measures to enhance the safety of operations in the units.
It was also mandated to interact with unit operational and technical personnel for views, observations, and contributions on safety measures.
The Federal Government has begun to administer the second dose of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine to eligible persons in the country.
Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr Faisal Shuaib, says a total of 4,683 people have taken the second jab
Shuaib noted that the agency has almost completed administering all first doses as of Monday.
He advised that all Nigerians who have received their first dose should check their vaccination cards for the date of their second dose, and ensure that they receive the second dose to gain full protection against COVID-19.
The Federal Government says it is taking significant precautions to protect Nigerians against B.1.617.2, also known as the Indian variant of coronavirus.
Dr Faisal Shuaib, the Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency says Flights from India and other high-risk countries such as Turkey and Brazil have been barred from entering Nigeria.
He revealed that the agency has almost completed administering all first doses as of Monday as 1,929,237 Nigerians have been captured.
The Monetary Policy Committee of the Central Bank of Nigeria has again voted to retain the monetary policy rate at 11.5 percent.
The CBN governor, Godwin Emefiele says the committee voted to leave the MPR at 11.5 per cent, Cash Reserve Ratio at 27.5 percent, and Liquidity Ratio at 30 percent.
He explained that the move is expected to allow further economic growth, after the country exited recession in the fourth quarter of 2020, amid rising inflation.
The MPC also lamented the effect of insecurity on the nation’s economy and called on the Federal Government to handle insecurity immediately to successfully tackle inflation.
The MPC also noted that at least 70% of Nigeria’s population must be vaccinated if the country means to achieve economic recovery.
The Accountant General of the Federation, Ahmed Idris says the £4.2m looted by ex-Delta State Governor, James Ibori, has been returned to the state.
The Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami argued that the law that was alleged to have been breached by Ibori was a federal law and that the parties of interests involved in the repatriation of the funds were national and not sub-national governments.
He says the major consideration relating to who is entitled to a fraction or perhaps the money in its entirety is a function of law and international diplomacy.
European Union leaders have agreed on a set of sanctions against Belarus, including a ban on the use of the 27-nation bloc’s airspace and airports amid fury for the forced diversion of a passenger jet flying between two EU countries in order to arrest an opposition journalist.
The EU leaders also decided to slap individual sanction on officials linked to the operation
They called on the International Civil Aviation Organization to start an investigation into what they see as an unprecedented move and what some have called state terrorism.
The decisions at the summit will be turned into action as soon as legal proceedings allow.
Police in India’s capital has served notice at Twitter’s offices, seeking information for a complaint about why a tweet by the spokesman of the ruling Hindu nationalist party was tagged as manipulated media.
Congress complained to Twitter saying the document was fake, after which the United States’s company marked some of the posts manipulated media.
New Delhi police say they had received a complaint about the classification of Patra’s tweet, which it was investigating, adding that a team of officials visited a Twitter office to serve notice of the inquiry.
Twitter says it applies its manipulated media tag to posts that include media that have been deceptively altered or fabricated.
The United Nations and the African Union says soldiers in Mali have detained the president and prime minister of the interim government deepening political chaos in the country just nine months after a military coup overthrew its previous leader.
The bodies in a joint statement called for President Bah Ndaw and Prime Minister Moctar Ouane’s immediate and unconditional release and say the international community rejects in advance any act of coercion, including forced resignations.
The United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany and the West African regional bloc known as ECOWAS also signed the statement.
Ethiopia ministry of foreign affairs has announced the country will reassess its relationship with the US if it continues to meddle in its internal affairs.
It was reacting to the US's decision to impose wide-ranging restrictions on economic and security assistance to Ethiopia over the conflict in the Tigray region.
The foreign ministry in a statement called the decision, which also involved visa restrictions on unnamed officials, regrettable.
The Ethiopian authorities say they have been engaging with international partners, including the US, to improve humanitarian access to the conflict-hit Tigray region.
It however says it would not negotiate with Tigray People's Liberation Front.
US President Joe Biden and Egypt's President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi discussed on Monday the Nile dam dispute with Ethiopia.
The White House in a statement says that President Biden acknowledged Egypt’s concerns about access to Nile River waters.
It says Mr Biden underscored the US interest in achieving a diplomatic resolution that meets the legitimate needs of Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia".
A statement from the Egyptian presidency is quoted by Reuters news agency as saying that both presidents agreed to strengthen diplomatic efforts during the coming period in order to reach an agreement that preserves water and developmental rights for all parties.
The World Bank will in the next few weeks make some major announcements concerning its efforts to commence the production of COVID-19 vaccines in some African countries.
The bank says it had already begun consultations with some African manufacturing hubs to that end, noting that the move is to ensure that the jabs are available and accessible to poor nations.
President of the bank, Mr David Malpass, stated that there is an urgent need to find faster and more effective ways to get vaccines to people in developing countries and to plan for future health emergencies.
He also urged countries with excess vaccine supplies to release their surplus doses as soon as possible to developing countries that have vaccination operations already in place as well as increase the transparency of delivery commitments.
Sudan has declared a state of emergency and a night curfew in parts affected by ethnic clashes.
Violence was reported in some parts of the coastal Port Sudan city.
State Media Suna reports that at least five people were killed and 13 injured.
The Red Sea state governor's media office did not give any figures in their statement.
Ethnic clashes are common in Sudan among rival groups with some being over shared natural resources.
A member of the House of Representatives from Rivers State, Awaji-Inombek Abiante, is proposing a bill to repeal the National Youth Service Corps Act.
He noted that the NYSC was established to encourage and develop common ties among the Nigerian youths, promote national unity, as well as develop the youths and the country into a great and dynamic economy.
The lawmaker lamented that the programme has failed to address the essence of its establishment after several decades.
He decried that several reform efforts have also not yielded desired results but have continued to be a drain on the nation’s scarce resources and exposed families to several nightmares, and even loss of loved ones after so much investment.
A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Professor Itse Sagay has advised the government to scrap the Constitution and adopt the 1963 Republican Constitution.
He believes the 1963 Republican Constitution addresses everything that is being agitated for in the country and can help halt the turmoil that has rocked the nation.
Sagay, who is also the Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee against Corruption, noted the report of the Nasir El-Rufai led All Progressives Congress Committee on Restructuring.
He stated that the committee came up with an excellent report, stressing the need to look at the content of the documents and implement them.
The House of Representatives Special Committee on Constitution Review has fixed Tuesday and Wednesday next week for its zonal public hearing scheduled to take place across the six geopolitical zones of the country.
The Deputy Speaker of the House and Chairman of the committee, Ahmed Wase, called Nigerians, including members of the executive and judicial bodies, traditional institutions, political parties, civil society organisations, and professional bodies, among other stakeholders to attend the hearing in their respective zones.
He noted that the members of the committee would be posted outside their zones to have a feeling of what was obtainable in other regions.
The Deputy Speaker says they have an opportunity to write their names in gold.
President Muhammadu Buhari has lamented the Friday crash that led to the loss of the former Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Ibrahim Attahiru and 10 other military personnel, saying the incident has compounded the nation’s woes.
President Buhari told the delegation that he is hoping that God would provide the enablement for the nation to deal with challenges.
He says to lose choice officers has increased the problem of the country but they will continue to work hard and pray hard so that God will give them the power to appreciate and apply themselves to the problem.
The Presidency has faulted the recent resolutions of the Southern Governors, including the ban on open grazing in the entire southern part of the country.
The President’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, believes the Governors have failed to provide any solution to the lingering crisis between farmers and herders in the country.
He says the citizens of the Southern States have a right to expect their elected leaders and representatives to find answers to challenges of governance and rights, and not to wash their hands off hard choices by, instead, issuing bans.
Shehu explained that the President has expressed a strong resolve to address the conflicts of herders and farmers in a sustained and lasting manner.
A study by Public Health England shows that the Pfizer-BioNTech and Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines have been found to be highly effective against the coronavirus variant that was first identified in India.
The Pfizer vaccine was 88-per cent effective and the AstraZeneca jab was 60-per cent effective against the B1617.2 strain after the second dose.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock described the outcome as groundbreaking, while PHE says it expects to see even higher levels of effectiveness against hospital admission and death.
The speaker of Iran’s parliament says a three-month monitoring deal between Tehran and the UN nuclear watchdog has expired and that its access to images from inside some Iranian nuclear sites would cease.
The International Atomic Energy Agency and Tehran struck the three-month monitoring agreement in February to cushion the blow of Iran reducing its cooperation with the agency, and it allowed monitoring of some activities that would otherwise have been axed to continue.
IAEA chief Rafael Grossi is in talks with Iran about extending the agreement.
European diplomats say that a failure to agree upon an extension would plunge the wider, indirect talks between Washington and Tehran on reviving the 2015 deal into crisis. Those talks are due to resume in Vienna this week.
In Gaza, a UN official called for a genuine political process to avert further bloodshed after the military conflict between Israel and Islamist group Hamas that ravaged the Palestinian enclave.
Head of the UN Palestinian refugee agency, Philippe Lazzarini, says the reconstruction needed to go hand in hand with efforts to create a different political environment.
He says they need to have a genuine focus on human development on proper access to education, jobs and livelihoods.
Top European Union officials warned Belarus on Sunday that it would be held responsible for the fate of a flight diverted to Minsk and demanded all passengers be released.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell tweeted that they hold the government of Belarus responsible for the security of all passengers and the aircraft.
The president of the European Council Charles Michel, who will host a summit of the 27 EU national leaders on Monday, also spoke out.
He says an ICAO investigation of the incident will be essential referring to the International Civil Aviation Organisation, a UN agency.
Interior minister Priti Patel says Britain is to announce plans for a fully digital border, including US-style electronic travel authorisation to pre-check travellers to the UK.
The minister will announce the plans in parliament on Monday as part of a wider overhaul of the country’s immigration system, including introducing a points-based migration system.
Patel says the new fully digital border will provide the ability to count people in and out of the country, giving us control over who comes to the UK
Patel unveiled elements of her New Plan for Immigration in March, calling it the most significant overhaul of our asylum system in decades.
The United States is imposing wide-ranging restrictions on economic and security assistance to Ethiopia over the conflict in the Tigray region.
The US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, also announced visa restrictions on Ethiopian and Eritrean officials and others who are accused of atrocities.
Mr Blinken stressed that international action was needed to help resolve the crisis and said those involved had taken no meaningful steps to end hostilities.
The Ethiopian government dismissed allegations that civilians in the war-hit Tigray region were targeted with chemical weapons by the Ethiopian or Eritrean armies.
A court in Egypt has denied a request made by the owner of the ship that blocked the Suez Canal in March to have it released.
The Ever Given ship owner wanted his vessel to be released pending the determination of another case in which the Suez Canal Authority is seeking compensation for the six days blockage.
The authority wants the ship to be detained until a deposit of the compensation is paid.
The authority says the compensation covers the costs of freeing the ship, damage caused and diversion of ships away from the canal.
The organised labour cautioned the National Economic Council against approving a recommendation by the Nigerian Governors’ Forum seeking an N385 pump price for petrol.
Their warning came ahead of a National Executive Committee meeting of the Nigeria Labour Congress, scheduled for Abuja tomorrow, to deliberate on the issue.
The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Mr Timipre Sylva, had however fears of an increase in petrol price, the various states’ chapters of the labour unions vowed to resist the proposed price regime if approved.
Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product has recorded a growth of 0.51 per cent year-on-year in real terms in the first quarter of 2021.
The National Bureau of Statistics in the latest Nigerian Gross Domestic Product Report noted that the new figure represented two consecutive quarters of growth following the negative growth rates recorded in the second and third quarters of 2020.
The rate of growth recorded in the first quarter of 2021 was slower than the 1.87 per cent rate recorded in the first quarter of 2020.
The figure was however higher than the 0.11 per cent recorded in the fourth quarter of 2020, indicative of a slow but continuous recovery.
The Presidential Steering Committee has published the names of 90 returning travellers who evaded the mandatory seven-day quarantine for persons arriving from restricted countries.
A statement by the PSC Chairman, Boss Mustapha, revealed that the erring persons comprised 63 Nigerians.
Mustapha noted that the committee had issued a travel advisory on May 1 for passengers arriving in Nigeria from Brazil, India, and Turkey, saying the measures were necessary to mitigate the risk of importation of variants of concern and break the chain of transmission to the population.
The erring persons, according to the SGF, arrived in Nigeria between May 8 and 15 through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos and Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.
President Muhammadu Buhari has directed that the national flag be flown at half-mast in all public buildings, facilities, and official residences across the country.
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, explained that the presidential directive was to honour the memory and services of the late Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Ibrahim Attahiru, as well as the senior military officers and service members who died in a plane crash on Friday last week.
Mustapha added that the President has approved Monday as a work-free day for members of the Nigerian Armed Forces.
Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu says the decision of the Southern Governors to ban open grazing is irreversible and will be enforced.
Akeredolu, says they are ready to defend the legality of their decision in court.
He is reacting to the statement by the Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami who faulted the ban on open grazing and said the governors do not have the right to do so.
Ondo Governor in reaction said Malami’s comparison of open grazing to auto parts trading is not only strange but also annoyingly and ‘betrays a terrible mindset.
He stressed that the Southern Governors are most willing to meet him in Court.
The House of Representatives has called on the Federal Government to stop the proposed increase of the electricity tariff for June.
They stressed that it was important to direct the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission to rescind its decision on the proposed increment in view of the hard times Nigerians were going through.
The lawmakers also mandated the House Committees on Power, Poverty Alleviation, as well as Labour, Employment and Productivity to ensure compliance with the directive.
President Joe Biden signed a hate crimes law on Thursday aimed at protecting Asian Americans who have suffered a surge in attacks during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Biden told Asian American politicians and senior members of Congress in a packed room at the White House that racism is an ugly poison that has long plagued our nation.”
Biden says the Asian American community had been made a scapegoat.
Zimbabwe has imposed a mandatory quarantine on travellers arriving from India, after a localised outbreak of a variant of Covid-19 first identified in India in central Zimbabwe.
Health Minister Constantino Chiwenga says genomic sequencing tests revealed its presence in the country.
All travellers from or transiting through India will now be quarantined at designated centres at their own cost.
They will also be subject to a local coronavirus test.
Zimbabwe’s Covid numbers remain low with 17 new cases and no deaths recorded in the latest daily update.
Ethiopia’s electoral board has announced that country’s general election will now take place on 21 June, 16 days later than planned.
The country was supposed to hold nationwide elections last year but they were postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The delay contributed to the escalation of political tensions as some groups accused Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s administration of using the pandemic as a pretext to stay in power illegally.
The electoral board says that logistical and operational difficulties, including belated voter registration in some areas due to recurring violence, meant it wouldn’t be possible to conduct the polls on time.
The African Union has called for a democratic transition in Chad within 18 months following last month's military takeover.
The AU says it categorically rejected any extension of the transition period.
Chad's military council has promised to hold elections within 18 months.
It is headed by the son of the former president, Idriss Déby, who died last month after being injured fighting rebels.
There have been regular opposition protests since the military took over, with dozens of activists arrested.
Former Ghanaian President John Mahama has withdrawn his acceptance as a special African Union envoy to mediate talks over the political crisis in Somalia.
Mr Mahama noted the lack of support by the Somali federal government.
He says the proposed assignment required that he enjoy the unalloyed support and co-operation of all political stakeholders.
The AU appointed Mr Mahama as its special representative to Somalia on 7 May, but the Horn of Africa country questioned his impartiality.
A long-running maritime border dispute has also contributed to stormy relations.
The Federal Government on Thursday convened a conciliatory meeting with the Kaduna State government and the Nigeria Labour Congress to resolve the impasse that has grounded labour activities in the state.
The minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige says that the state government delegation disagrees with the labour leaders.
He noted that the meeting, thereafter, resolved to constitute a 10-man committee comprising six state government officials and three NLC representatives to discuss and resolve the impasse.
The minister stated that the committee chaired by the Head of Service in Kaduna State was given a mandate of up to Tuesday next week to report to him.
The French President, Emmanuel Macron, has called for major reforms in the way African countries are given financial assistance.
The African Development Bank estimates that tens of millions of people could fall below the poverty line this year with many African countries at risk of debt distress because of the pandemic.
Mr Macron drew a link between the continent’s economic troubles and the spread of Islamist militancy as he called for the financial rules to be changed.
Health authorities in Malawi are expected to destroy more than 19,000 doses of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccines later on Wednesday.
They say the vaccines have expired and there is no sufficient data to know if they are safe for use, following guidance from the World Health Organization.
The authorities say the move seeks to give confidence to Malawians to get the jab when available.
Officials fear that using vaccines past their expiry date will further reduce public trust.
The Algerian authorities have tagged a separatist group and an opposition movement as terrorist organisations.
The High Council for National Security announced that the Movement for the Autonomy of Kabylie and the Rachad opposition movement were illegal and terrorist entities.
Both groups are based abroad but have supporters in the country.
They could be jailed for life if convicted of membership in these organisations under a new law that punishes any Algerian joining an organisation abroad that damages the interests of the country.
The Lagos State Government launched 300 first and last-mile buses, as well as 100 high-capacity buses to enhance the mode of transportation in the state.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu says the buses will promote the state’s vision of an intermodal, integrated transport system, and enhance passengers’ connectivity to major routes in the state.
He says they launched 500 units of First and Last Mile buses and 100 high and medium capacity buses for standard routes.
He says the buses will serve 286 identified routes within the communities as an alternative to addressing the menace and security threat constituted by Okada riders.
Germany has agreed to return all Benin artefacts by 2022. The artefacts are those taken from the Benin Royal Court following the British incursion in 1849.
This was announced on Tuesday at a press briefing in Abuja, the nation’s capital.
The German Director-General Culture and Communication, Dr Andreas Gorgen says Germany acknowledges that Nigeria has suffered a loss.
He says Germany is on a restitution mission to Nigeria, to return all artefacts taken from the Benin Empire.
He also announced that Germany will partner with Nigeria in the area of culture promotion and preservation.
The Kaduna State Government ordered the sack of nurses below level 14 for joining a strike called by the Nigeria Labour Congress.
The government has also directed the state’s Ministry of Health to place advertisements for immediate recruitment of new nurses to replace those dismissed.
The government says the sack of public servants has become imperative due to dwindling financial resources and higher wage bills which have become unsustainable.
President Muhammadu Buhari says France and Nigeria should deepen anti-terror cooperation to fight groups such as Boko Haram.
The President is currently in Paris to attend the African Finance Summit hosted by French President, Emmanuel Macron.
He says Nigeria and France should deepen its anti-terror cooperations if they are to overcome the scourge.
He added that they must be agile and flexible, cooperating across borders to cut the head off their groups.
President Muhammadu Buhari has written to the National Assembly for the approval of a fresh 2.343 trillion naira external loan.
The President is requesting for the resolution of the National Assembly for the implementation of the external borrowing of 2.18 billion dollars in the 2021 Appropriations Act.
President Buhari further stated in the letter that the 2021 budget provides for 4.686 trillion as new borrowing to part-finance the 2021 fiscal deficit of which 50 per cent is specified as new external borrowing.
The loan is to be sourced from a combination of sources namely multilateral and bilateral lenders, the international capital market through the issuance of Eurobonds.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison says it was still not safe to allow residents, even those fully vaccinated against COVID-19, to travel overseas, as industries hit hard by the pandemic press for a faster reopening of international borders.
Morrison says any plans to relax border rules for vaccinated travellers could be implemented only when it is safe to do so.
Australia plans to reopen borders to the rest of the world from the middle of 2022 even as the federal budget unveiled last week hopes to fully vaccinate it is near 26 million population by the end of this year.
United States President Joe Biden has conveyed his support for a ceasefire to end violence in the Gaza Strip while facing increasing pressure from rights advocates and members of his own Democratic Party.
The White House says Biden expressed his support for a ceasefire and discussed US engagement with Egypt and other partners towards that end in a phone call with Israeli caretaker Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
A day earlier, Netanyahu had said the Israeli military offensive on Gaza would continue full force.
The head of the World Health Organization has described the situation in Ethiopia’s conflict-hit Tigray region as horrific.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says people were dying of hunger with malnutrition spreading fast.
He criticised the fact that health services had been destroyed and said rape was rampant.
His comments came as the Ethiopian government issued a statement denouncing what it called a campaign to exert undue pressure.
It said aid agencies had free access and rejected calls for any form of dialogue with the TPLF, with whom it is fighting the conflict.
Spain is deploying the army in its North African enclave of Ceuta to stem a huge influx of migrants from Morocco.
A record 5,000 arrived on Monday. Moroccan border guards did nothing to stop them. Police sources say the number could increase further.
Spanish officials have accused Morocco of using the migrants as blackmail.
Diplomatic relations are tense after the leader of the Polisario Front was allowed into Spain for Covid-19 treatment.
Polisario is fighting Morocco for control over Western Sahara.
The Federal Government is concerned about Nigeria’s security challenges and doing all it can to restore peace in every part of the country.
Lai Mohammed, the Minister of Information and Culture, called on the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations as a stakeholder on national issues, to speak out against those fanning the embers of disunity and discord in Nigeria.
Mohammed welcomed the NIPR’s offer to make available its platform for a national engagement on national unity, peace and security, saying it falls into the template of the town hall meetings on topical issues which have been institutionalised by the Federal Government.
State governors have called for the devolution of powers to states to tackle the disturbing trend of insecurity in the country.
The governors stressed the need to take action to advance the conversation on what they described as the worsening security situation and collapsing economy of the nation.
President Muhammadu Buhari was urged to send an executive bill to the National Assembly.
The bill was to amend the Constitution to devolve more powers to the states concerning security arrangements culminating in some form of state policing and the general security architecture.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has arrested the immediate past governor of Kwara State, Abdulfatah Ahmed.
Sources at the anti-graft agency say that the former governor is being questioned by a crack team of operatives at the EFCC headquarters in the Jabi area of Abuja.
Sources revealed that his arrest was in connection with how funds to the tune of about N9 billion were allegedly diverted from the coffers of the Kwara State government.
A spokesman for the EFCC, Wilson Uwujaren, confirmed that the former governor responded to the commission’s invitation.
The head of Ethiopia's electoral board says elections which were due to take place on 5 June will have to be postponed owing to logistical issues.
The board has yet to formalise the decision or set a new date - but it is likely to be a delay of several weeks.
Birtukan Mideksa says there were still challenges with voter registration, training of electoral staff and ballot papers.
The election was initially due to have taken place last year but was postponed because of coronavirus.
The United States has condemned the blocking of aid by military forces operating in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region.
A statement from US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called on the governments of Eritrea and Ethiopia to ensure aid is allowed to reach the millions who need it.
The UN World Food Programme says 5.2 million people are in need of food assistance in Tigray and there were many credible reports of armed forces attacking civilians including gender-based violence.
He added that the conduct of the Eritrean military and troops from the Amhara region had been particularly egregious.
Seven members of the Sudan military have been arrested and will be prosecuted in connection with the killing of two demonstrators in the capital, Khartoum, last week.
The head of the interim sovereign council running the country, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, ordered an investigation into Tuesday’s deaths that happened outside the army headquarters in Khartoum.
The seven soldiers are due to be prosecuted however many people in Sudan are angry that there has still not been any justice for a far bigger atrocity that happened almost two years ago.
South Africa health minister says the country will launch phase two of its vaccine rollout on Monday with the aim of inoculating five million citizens aged over 60 by the end of June.
Zweli Mkhize says this is provided that the supply of vaccines flows as anticipated. By the end of June, they expect to have received 4.5 million doses of Pfizer and 2 million doses from Johnson & Johnson.
Mkhize says that more than 325,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine would arrive at midnight on Sunday, bringing the total of Pfizer doses up to 975,780.
The health minister says the country was still awaiting the Johnson & Johnson vaccine to be released by the United States Food and Drug Administration after its administration was paused and then restarted two weeks later due to concerns over blood clots.
The authorities in South Sudan reported that Twelve civilians have been killed by members of a militia in the oil-rich Abyei region.
South Sudan in an official statement accused neighbouring Sudan of assisting the Misseriya militia in the attack early on Sunday.
The Sudanese government has not commented.
The Abyei region has long been claimed by both countries and has seen frequent clashes between people from the Dinka ethnic group and the Arab Misseriya militia.
The UN recently said relations between the two communities were tense and described the area as both volatile and unpredictable.
Algeria Presidency says the country will reopen air and land borders on June 1, but strict measures will be imposed to limit the spread of the coronavirus.
President Abdelmadjid Tebboune says only five flights a day from and to Algerian airports will be allowed with full adherence to strict precautions.
He added that more details would be announced in a week.
Algeria closed borders and suspended all flights in March 2020 when the number of COVID-19 infections started to increase, but domestic flights resumed in December last year.
The North African country has so far recorded 125,311 coronavirus cases, including 3,374 deaths.
Senator Rochas Okorocha says that Nigeria loses billions of dollars from cattle business, urging the Federal Government to invest in the business.
He noted that if the cattle business is being tapped well, it could create one million jobs for Nigerians.
Okorocha advised that the nation’s challenges should not be politicised.
He also commended the 17 southern governors for meeting in Asaba, the Delta State capital to discuss sensitive issues that concern their region, describing the meeting as the first in the nation’s history.
The Nigerian Labour Congress and its affiliate unions will on Monday embark on a five-day warning strike over the recent disengagement of civil servants by the state government.
The NLC has vowed to resist the action of the state government, accusing the governor of not being sensitive to the plight of the workers.
The NLC Chairman in the state, Ayuba Suleiman, disclosed that the industrial action will be accompanied by a peaceful protest which will be led by the President of the Union, Ayuba Wabba and other labour leaders across the country.
Former Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, has supported the call for national dialogue by southern governors to address the issue of insecurity and other challenges in the country.
He stated that those who have faulted the action of the governors misunderstood their motive of making such a move.
He says they put aside their political differences and called for a national dialogue, as well as restructuring of the country along with fiscal federalism, devolution of powers, and state police, among other demands.
The number of recorded COVID-19 infections in India climbed above 24 million on Friday amid reports that the highly transmissible coronavirus mutant first detected in the country was spreading across the globe.
A WHO infectious diseases expert, Jairo Mendez says the Indian B.1.617 variant of the virus has been found in cases in eight countries of the Americas, including Canada and the United States.
He says the variants have a greater capacity for transmission, but so far they have not found any collateral consequences.
Public Health England says the total number of confirmed cases of the variant had more than doubled in the past week to 1,313 across the United Kingdom.
Canada’s Quebec province unveiled sweeping legislation aimed at curbing the decline of the French language in the former French colony, particularly in Montreal where businesses are using English more and more.
The bill is a revamp of a 1977 law, reaffirming French as Quebec’s main language and promoting its use locally on signage, in education and in workplaces.
Simon Jolin-Barrette, Quebec minister responsible for the French language says the French language is in decline across parts of the society.
He says the updated law affirms that French is the only official language in Quebec and the common language of the Quebec nation.
South Africa-born pharmaceutical entrepreneur Patrick Soon-Shiong says that his family's foundation will spend $211m to help develop vaccine production in South Africa.
Dr Soon-Shiong, however, told a meeting of the World Health Organization on access to the means to fight the spread of Covid-19 that he wanted the donation to transfer the know-how around vaccine development and build self-sufficiency and innovation.
Dr Soon-Shiong says he is concerned about the variants that have been prevalent in India and says second-generation vaccines now need to be developed.
He added that he was motivated to act as a South African-born Asian American.
Kenya’s High Court has declared a government-sponsored bill to amend Kenya’s constitution irregular, illegal and unconstitutional.
It has also ruled that President Uhuru Kenyatta violated the constitution by initiating a process that ought to be driven by the ordinary citizen.
Kenya appeared headed for a referendum before next year’s general election, backed by state resources, the president and powerful opposition leader Raila Odinga.
The judges say that by initiating the constitutional changes, President Kenyatta had usurped the powers of ordinary citizens.
Zambia's parliament has been dissolved exactly 90 days before the upcoming general election.
The house held its last sitting on Wednesday and the clerk announced that it would formally dissolve on Friday.
The Zambian constitution requires that parliament is dissolved 90 days before the next election. Zambians will head to the polls on 21 August.
Zambian President Edgar Lungu is seeking re-election and has in the past assured international partners of a free and fair election.
The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr Abubakar Malami says that the federal government will soon resuscitate a special court for the trial of terrorism suspects.
He reiterated the commitment of the federal government to end insurgency and other forms of insecurity ravaging the country.
Malami says the Buhari administration is planning to resuscitate the special court for the trial of terrorism suspects in order to checkmate the menace.
President of the Senate, Dr Ahmad Lawan and the Speaker, House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, took on the 17 Southern governors, in Asaba, canvassing, among others, restructuring the country.
The duo, during an interaction with reporters in Abuja, challenged governors to start the restructuring from their states.
Lawan and Gbajabiamila both expressed reservations about the Southern governors’ advocacy, saying their charity should begin from home.
Lawan says the governors should not be the ones agitating for restructuring.
He urged them to first, do in their states what they are requesting the federal government to do.
The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Army, Senator Ali Ndume, has faulted the declaration of the ban on open grazing in the South by governors in the region.
He believes making a public proscription of the movement of cattle by foot in the southern part of the country by the governors cannot be as effective as meeting with the President to address the issues of concern.
He noted that the governors should develop an immediate solution, a mid-term solution, and a long-term solution to open grazing.
Health Minister Chen Shih-Chung says Taiwan may raise its COVID-19 alert level in the coming days if cases rise, which would mean shops selling non-essential items would have to close.
Taiwan announced plans to restrict public gatherings as a result of a cluster of six new cases with no clear source of infection, an unusual outbreak for the island that had kept the pandemic well under control.
Chen told parliament the level could be lifted a notch to 3, limiting gatherings to five people indoors and 10 outdoors, as well as the closure of non-essential businesses.
The World Health Organization is reviewing coronavirus data from Seychelles after the country’s health ministry said more than a third of people who tested positive for COVID-19 in the past week had been fully vaccinated.
The ministry and the WHO stressed on Tuesday that the majority of those who tested positive had not been vaccinated or had only received one dose, that no one who had died had been fully vaccinated and that nearly all of those needing treatment for severe or critical cases were unvaccinated.
The WHO however says it was closely following the situation in the Indian Ocean nation, which has a population of less than 100,000 and has been reporting daily cases numbers in the low hundreds.
Fears the shutdown of a major fuel pipeline would cause a gasoline shortage led to some panic buying and prompted US regulators on Tuesday to temporarily suspend clean fuel requirements in three eastern states and the nation’s capital.
A ransomware attack on Friday on Colonial Pipeline forced the company to shut down its entire network, though industry experts say any shortages will be temporary.
The Environmental Protection Agency announced a one-week suspension of clean air rules in an effort to ease supply issues.
Kenya has suspended flights to Somalia just days after its neighbour said diplomatic ties between the two countries had been normalised following months of tension.
The Kenya Civil Aviation Authority says that commercial flights to and from Somalia would be paused for three months.
The regulators say all flights between Kenya and Somalia are suspended except medevac flights and United Nations flights on humanitarian missions only.
KCAA director-general Gilbert Kibe told AFP news agency the suspension was a decision by the government.
The directive appeared to catch some Somali aviation officials and travel agents by surprise.
The World Food Program has announced that some 500 trucks of food aid have reached Ethiopia's Tigray region.
The WFP says 500 more trucks are on their way to the troubled region to assist the more than two million affected people.
The trucks came into the country from neighbouring Sudan and It has been difficult for humanitarian aid to reach the Tigray region.
The international community has been calling for the Ethiopian government to allow humanitarian aid workers to access the region.
The head of the Suez Canal Authority says that it plans to expand and deepen the stretch of the canal where the container ship Ever Given became stuck for six days in March.
Osama Rabie made the remarks at an event attended by Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi, where a variety of infrastructure products were inaugurated.
The blockage of the Suez Canal caused a huge disruption to global trading networks.
The Ever Given is still being held as the Suez Canal Authority seeks hundreds of millions of dollars in compensation from its owner.
The acting Chief Medical Examiner of Lagos State, Dr Sunday Soyemi testified before the judicial panel on restitution for victims of SARS-related abuses.
He showed the panel a bullet he extracted from a victim of an extrajudicial killing, Charles Otoo.
Dr Soyemi, a lecturer in the college of medicine, Lasuth and a pathologist of 17 years, testified that the cause of death was a severe injury to the brain following a gunshot to the skull.
He said the bullet would still need to undergo ballistic examination before the coroner’s court.
President Muhammadu Buhari has approved new security measures for the South-east and South-south regions of the country.
The acting Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba, refused to disclose the new measures, saying a decision was reached at the meeting not to, henceforth, publicise measures to be deployed to tackle insecurity in the country.
He says the Security Council meeting which has taken place three times within the past 11 days has assessed the security situation in the country, particularly in the South-East, South-South as it affects law and order.
The Federal Government is set to prosecute 400 suspects arrested for allegedly funding terrorism in the country.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed reiterated the commitment of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration in tackling the menace of insurgency, banditry and other security threats across the country.
He says the Honourable Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice has announced that the Federal Government is set to prosecute 400 suspects arrested for allegedly funding terrorism.
The Minister also appealed to Nigerians to support security agencies, who face the added task of having to watch their backs while working to protect others.
Nigerian Southern Governors have banned open grazing of cattle across states in the region and urged the President to address Nigerians on the state of the nation.
The Governors also called for the restructuring of the country to address increasing agitations in different parts of the nation, while restating their commitment to the unity of the country.
The ban on open grazing comes as herdsmen violence continues to be reported across the country.
Government data released shows that China's population grew at its slowest pace in decades.
The average annual growth rate was 0.53% over the past 10 years, down from a rate of 0.57% between 2000 and 2010 - bringing the population to 1.41bn.
The results add to pressure on Beijing to boost measures for couples to have more babies and avert a population decline.
The results were announced in a once-a-decade census, which was originally expected to be released in April.
The census was conducted in late 2020 where some seven million census takers had gone door-to-door to collect information from Chinese households.
An emergency legal challenge to Australia’s contentious ban on citizens returning from Covid-struck India failed dashing stranded travellers’ hopes of an immediate return.
Federal Justice Thomas Thawley ruled the government had not overstepped its biosecurity powers in banning Australians from returning home temporarily.
Thawley ruled that Morrison acted within the law, dashing the hopes of a 73-year-old Australian man who brought the case as he tries to return from Bangalore.
The judge did not rule on the more complex question of whether the decision was unconstitutional, an issue that is set to be taken up at a later date.
After widespread public outcry, Morrison indicated that the ban will not be extended beyond May 15.
The World Health Organization says a Covid-19 variant spreading in India, which is facing an explosive outbreak, appears to be more contagious and has been classified as being of concern.
The UN health agency says the B.1.617 variant of Covid-19 first found in India last October seemed to be transmitting more easily.
The WHO’s lead on Covid-19, Maria Van Kerkhove also pointed to early studies suggesting that there is some reduced neutralization meaning that antibodies appeared to have less impact on the variant in small-sample lab studies.
The WHO insisted though that it was far too early to interpret this to mean that the variant might have more resistance to vaccine protections.
French Prime Minister Jean Castex says that France was emerging on a long-term basis from the Covid-19 crisis as he gave new details about shop and restaurant openings.
Castex told Le Parisien newspaper that restaurant and bar terraces would open nationwide on May 19, but would be limited to half their normal capacity, while eating inside would be possible from June 9, also with half capacity.
Shops will reopen on May 19, but with restrictions on the number of people they can admit based on their size, with limits set to be lifted on June 30.
France is currently in a third lockdown, which is more limited than previous episodes from March-April and October-November last year.
South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir has reconstituted the national parliament after dissolving it on Saturday, to pave way for the appointment of new MPs.
The names of the appointed MPs were announced on the national broadcaster, South Sudan Broadcasting Corporation.
The expanded parliament now includes legislators from the former rebel group, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM-IO) which is led by First Vice-President Riek Machar and other political parties.
The Transitional National Legislative Assembly which was expanded on Monday from 400 to 550 MPs, consists of 332 lawmakers from President Kiir’s Sudan People’s Liberation Movement and 128 from Mr Machar's SPLM-IO.
A new bridge over the Zambezi River linking Botswana and Zambia has been officially opened and should boost trade in the region.
The Kazungula road and rail bridge built at a cost of more than $250m were paid for by the African Development Bank and a loan from the Japanese government.
Truck drivers can also now avoid long waits at Zimbabwe's border.
The Botswana government tweeted this shot of the 1km-long bridge.
Other countries in the region should get an economic boost as it'll speed up trade between South Africa's ports and countries to the north, including the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The Federal Government has declared Wednesday and Thursday as public holidays to mark this year’s Eid-el-Fitr celebration.
Minister of Interior, Mr Rauf Aregbesola, believes that development cannot thrive in a rancorous atmosphere and urged all Nigerians to be law-abiding and embrace the spirit of love, self-discipline, kindness, and tolerance, as taught by the Holy Prophet Mohammed.
He called on all security agencies in the country to be more courageous and patriotic to surmount the ongoing battle against resurging insecurity and activities of criminal elements in the country.
The Lagos State Government has announced that it would launch buses to replace motorcycles popularly known as Okada and tricycles known as Keke to ply inner roads in the state.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu added that over 500 minibuses would be deployed next week.
He said the move is to alleviate the pain residents of the state go through following the restriction of motorcycle and tricycle operations.
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Boss Mustapha, stated that returning foreign passengers who fled the quarantine facilities and violated the compulsory requirement will not go unpunished.
Mustapha condemned the violation of the nation’s laws and hospitality, noting that the committee was awaiting the report of ongoing investigations and would impose appropriate sanctions on the violators.
He revealed that the PSC has considered several pre-emptive measures to be taken to mitigate the likely impact of the variants of COVID-19, should they get imported into Nigeria.
Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has announced the review of the existing night-time curfew in the state.
He noted that the initial starting time of 10 pm has been adjusted to 7 pm until further notice.
The governor explained that the time was adjusted by the State Security Council after an appraisal of the recent security situation in which seven police officers were killed in another overnight attack on two police stations and a checkpoint.
He described the killing of innocent policemen as sad and unfortunate, stressing that the security officials did no wrong but were killed doing their job of protecting the people.
The Federal Government has reintroduced COVID-19 restrictions across all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
A member of the Presidential Steering Committee on COVID-19, Dr Mukhtar Mohammed, declared that the new directive is to take effect by midnight of Tuesday.
Mohammed says the government has directed that bars and nightclubs should remain closed and the nationwide curfew will be in force until further notice.
He added that only essential international travels would be encouraged, and all existing protocols must strictly adhere to.
The US Navy seized a huge cache of illicit Russian and Chinese weapons from a stateless vessel sailing in international waters of the northern Arabian Sea.
The US Fifth Fleet, which is based in Bahrain says the guided-missile cruiser USS Monterey intercepted the boat and discovered the cargo during a routine boarding in a two-day operation on May 6-7.
It says the arms are in US custody and their source and intended destination is under investigation.
The Fifth Fleet says the Monterey was in operation for 36 hours, providing security for boarding teams.
The U.K government says England will move ahead with plans to ease further COVID-19 restrictions on May 17, including allowing people to hug and meet indoors, thanks to favourable data on infections and vaccines.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson will hold a news conference on Monday afternoon to announce the details of the third step in the United Kingdom’s roadmap out of the crisis, following discussions with colleagues and advisers in the morning.
The country is in the process of gradually lifting its latest lockdown across a period of months, in line with a four-step plan unveiled in February.
Eli Lilly and Co said it had signed licensing agreements with three Indian generic drugmakers to expand the availability of its arthritis drug baricitinib in the country for treating COVID-19 patients.
The three Indian drugmakers - Cipla Ltd, Lupin Ltd and Sun Pharma - will collaborate with U.S.-based Lilly to help make and sell baricitinib in India.
Eli Lilly in an emailed statement says Baricitinib has been given restricted emergency use approval by India's drug regulator for use in combination with remdesivir for the treatment of hospitalised COVID-19 adult patients requiring supplemental oxygen.
Top pandemic advisor Anthony Fauci says the United States, which has reported the world’s worst overall Covid-19 death toll, has no doubt been undercounting fatal cases.
The United States has reported over 32.6 million cases since the virus was first identified at the end of 2019 in China.
White House Covid-19 coordinator Jeffrey Zients told CNN’s State of the Union that they are turning the corner.
He says there is 58 per cent of adult Americans with at least one shot, over 110 million Americans fully vaccinated.
South Sudan's President Salva Kiir has dissolved parliament, paving the way for the appointment of MPs from opposing sides in the country's five-year civil war.
Activists and civil society groups say the move is long overdue.
A peace deal signed three years ago determined that almost a quarter of the MPs would come from the party of Mr Kiir's former foe, Riek Machar.
South Sudan's MPs will not be elected but will instead be nominated by different political parties.
The UN says more than 100 former peacekeepers from Ethiopia have sought international protection and have applied for asylum in Sudan.
The UN says instead of returning home when their mission ended in the Darfur region, around 120 Ethiopian peacekeepers applied for asylum in Sudan.
The head of Ethiopia's Orthodox Church says the atrocities amount to genocide.
The Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions has described the decision of the federal government to reduce salaries of civil servants as insensitive, provocative and inciting.
The General Secretary of NASU, Prince Peters A. Adeyemi, pleaded with President Muhammadu Buhari to rethink his government's policy direction.
NASU says the recent pronouncement by the federal government to reduce salaries of federal civil servants is an act of insensitivity, provocative and inciting.
President Muhammadu Buhari has directed that the forthcoming Eid celebrations in the country should be limited.
He explained that the directive became necessary due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, revealed that the President would stay behind at the Presidential Villa in Abuja to celebrate the end of this year’s Ramadan.
Shehu, however, stated that the celebration would be held low-key and President Buhari would not welcome any Sallah homage as it was the usual practice.
President Muhammadu Buhari has called on local leaders to advise the youths in their various domains against acts that can harm the country in any way.
He asked the leaders to warn the young Nigerians against being used to incite violence.
He also condoled with all those who have lost family members due to what he described as the madness going on in parts of the country.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, noted that the President would not be travelling to his country home in Daura, Katsina State for Eid-el-Fitr – a day that is celebrated to mark the end of Ramadan, the month of fasting.
The Tanzanian government has issued new guidelines on coronavirus, including a 14-day quarantine period for people arriving into the country.
The measure will apply to both foreigners and citizens, who will be required to present a test certificate showing negative Covid-19 results.
Those arriving from countries with a high number of cases will have to undertake another mandatory Covid test on arrival at their own cost.
The directive, signed by the Permanent Secretary for Health Prof Abel Makubi, is effective from Tuesday.
Her predecessor, former President John Magufuli, downplayed global warnings on the threat of coronavirus.
The European Union has cancelled its observer mission for Ethiopia's June elections citing a lack of agreement on key parameters.
High Representative Josep Borrell says standard requirements like the mission's independence and importation of communication system for their security had been denied.
He says It is disappointing that the EU has not received the assurances necessary to extend to the Ethiopian people one of its most visible signs of support for their quest for democracy
The EU urged the Ethiopian government to carry out free and fair elections.
It said it had supported the electoral board with €20m.
The Senator representing Ekiti North in the National Assembly, Olubunmi Adetunmbi, has asked Nigerian politicians to forget political activities for the 2023 general elections and address the worsening security situation in the country.
Adetunmbi noted that without security, polls cannot hold.
He says the country should suspend this issue of focus on 2023 and focus on how to salvage this country so that people have the capacity, knowledge, vision and solution to solve this problem.
The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami says any moment from now, Nigeria expects the return of £4.2million seized from the associates of convicted former Governor of Delta State, James Ibori.
The AGF says the Federal Government of Nigeria is working tirelessly to ensure the return of looted Nigerian assets kept outside the country’s territorial boundaries.
He said the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice and other relevant government agencies will keep the general public informed once the Ibori loot is received and confirmed.
He also added that the Federal Government of Nigeria is in touch with the government of the United Kingdom on the matter.
Akwa Ibom State Governor, Udom Emmanuel, has promised that the government will ensure the killer of Miss Iniubong Umoren does not go unpunished.
A suspect identified as Uduak Frank Akpan has since been arrested by the police in connection with the killing.
Governor Emmanuel, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Dr Emmanuel Ekuwem, lamented that the whole state was saddened by the gruesome murder of the young jobseeker.
He was, however, confident in the ability and commitment of the police to ensuring that justice was served, adding that the state government would not interfere with the investigations.
The Federal Government is partnering with Microsoft Corporation to accelerate Nigeria’s resolve towards a more digital economy.
This is in line with the Economic Sustainability Plan of the Muhammadu Buhari administration, said a statement by Laolu Akande, the spokesman for the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo.
In an announcement by both the government and the tech giant, no less than five million Nigerians would benefit from a digital upskilling programme.
Professor Osinbajo stated that the government was committed to leveraging innovation and technology to bring better outcomes across a wide area of governance concerns.
The Vice President added that This launch is indicative of our commitment to this and will involve collaboration with various government agencies as implementing partners.
The Federal Government has approved the establishment of the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons.
The new centre will be domiciled in the office of the National Security Adviser and Retired Major General AM Dikko has been appointed as Pioneer Coordinator.
The Head, Strategic Communication, Office of the National Security Adviser, Zakariya Usman says the decision is part of the ongoing restructuring of Nigeria’s security architecture.
He says President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the establishment of a National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons to be domiciled in the Office of the National Security Adviser.
The military is restating its commitment to the Nigerian Constitution with a promise that it will remain apolitical and loyal to the civil authority and the President who is the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.
The acting Director of Defence Information, Brigadier General Onyema Nwachukwu made the pledge on behalf of the military in a statement on Monday.
The military pledged that it would continue to discharge its constitutional responsibilities professionally, especially in protecting the country’s democracy, defence of its territorial integrity, as well as protecting the lives and property of the citizens.
It added that the current security challenges in the country were not insurmountable, saying the Armed Forces and other security agencies were working assiduously to ameliorate the problems.
Two pioneering web services of the internet age, Yahoo and AOL, have been sold after the latest owner failed to revive their fortunes.
US telecoms giant Verizon is selling its media assets, which include the two companies, to a US private equity firm in a deal worth $5bn.
Verizon bought Yahoo in 2017 and AOL in 2015 for a combined $9bn.
Verizon will retain a 10% stake in the division under the sale of the media assets to Apollo Global Management.
Verizon bought the two brands in the hope of a quick entry into the digital advertising market, believing they still had enough resonance with consumers.
Yahoo and AOL were pioneers in offering a wide range of free and informative web services to consumers, long before Google came into existence.
A draft decree showed that Italy is considering extending to mid-2022 tax breaks that are expected to spur on mergers in the fragmented banking sector while boosting incentives for any tie-ups.
The draft bill seen by Reuters reintroduces for the current year tax benefits for companies shedding impaired loans which had expired in December.
The government is considering extending state guarantees on bank loans to firms and a debt holiday scheme, with only interest payments resuming after June.
Tax breaks for corporate mergers, due to expire in December, are a key plank of an incentive package Italy’s former government had prepared to convince the country’s No.2 bank UniCredit to take on loss-making Monte Dei Paschi.
The proposed changes extend the timeframe for possible mergers and give banks an even bigger incentive to join forces and buttress profits through cost cuts.
South Africa has allocated an extra 4 billion rand to buy COVID-19 vaccines and extend a special distress grant to thousands of people hit by the pandemic, in a Special Appropriation Bill presented by the finance minister.
The bill, expected to be debated with the National Treasury in a parliamentary committee meeting allocates an additional 1.25 billion rand to the department of health to purchase COVID-19 vaccines and another 2.82 billion rands to social development for funding the distress grant.
The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation sold crude oil worth N267.59 billion in February, while its total daily production stood at 1.42 million barrels per day in the first quarter of 2021.
The value of the crude, both export and domestic for February, was 97 per cent higher than that of January which was N134.35 billion.
Similarly, crude oil export revenue received in March amounted to $93.37 million, equivalent to N35.72 billion, representing a 204 per cent increase compared to February’s receipts.
NNPC says Nigeria maintained a 1.426 million BPD OPEC production cut in 1Q21. The overall NNPC crude oil sale valued at N267.59bn (export & domestic crude) in February 2021 is 97.71 per cent higher than the N134.35 billion recorded in January 2021.
The Lekki Port LFTZ Enterprise Limited says it has received the sum of $60m, which is the first instalment of the $629m loan facility from the China Development Bank for the construction of the deepest seaport in Sub-Sahara Africa.
The Managing Director, Lekki Port LFTZ Enterprise Limited, Du Ruogang stated that the first instalment of the loan facility was received on Thursday, April 29 as the company had satisfied all the conditions necessary for the release of the funds.
He stated that receipt of the first instalment of the loan facility is a major breakthrough in the quest to deliver a world-class deep seaport and to ensure that commercial operations commence before the end of 2022.
The Charted Institute of Taxation of Nigeria, Ikeja and District Society, has urged governments to imbibe and display the culture of accountability and transparency in administration and utilisation of tax income.
The tax body said corruption was responsible for the low income from tax in the country.
The Chairman, CITN, Ikeja and District Society, Mr Funso Abidakun, made reference to recent research by the Nigerian Economic Summit Group, which revealed that more than 81 per cent of taxable Nigerians did not pay their income taxes as and when due.
The research showed that the local governments and their officials were among the most untrustworthy, followed by the state governments and the tax officials, the statement said.
He says figures available revealed that there were 20 million registered taxpayers in the country, which was low compared to the country’s population of nearly 200 million people.
The country’s external reserves lost $350m in two weeks, falling to $34.9bn on April 29 from a high of $35.25bn as of April 16.
Figures obtained from the Central Bank of Nigeria on Monday revealed that the reserves, which had been fluctuating, rose from $34.85bn as of April 1 before returning to a downward path in the middle of the month.
The CBN had recently attributed the improvement in the level of external reserves to the recent upsurge in crude oil prices on the backdrop of the renewed optimism on the successful deployment of COVID-19 vaccines across the globe.
It added that available data showed that Nigeria’s reserves per capita decreased to $171.88, compared with $176.89 at end-December 2020.
The military is restating its commitment to the Nigerian Constitution with a promise that it will remain apolitical and loyal to the civil authority and the President who is the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.
The acting Director of Defence Information, Brigadier General Onyema Nwachukwu made the pledge on behalf of the military in a statement on Monday.
The military pledged that it would continue to discharge its constitutional responsibilities professionally, especially in protecting the country’s democracy, defence of its territorial integrity, as well as protecting the lives and property of the citizens.
It added that the current security challenges in the country were not insurmountable, saying the Armed Forces and other security agencies were working assiduously to ameliorate the problems.
The United States denied a report by Iran's state television that the arch-foes had reached a prisoner swap deal in exchange for the release of $7 billion frozen Iranian oil funds under U.S. sanctions in other countries.
Iranian state television says that Tehran would free four Americans accused of spying in exchange for four Iranians held in the United States and the release of the frozen Iranian funds.
The U.S. government denied that an agreement has been reached.
Iran's envoy to the United Nations, Majid Takht Ravanchi, says the report could not be confirmed, adding that Tehran has always called for a full prisoner exchange with Washington.
Iran and world powers are holding talks to revive the 2015 nuclear accord that Washington abandoned three years ago and reimposed sanctions on Tehran.
British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab told Reuters that the Group of Seven richest countries will look at a proposal to build a rapid response mechanism to counter Russian propaganda and disinformation.
Raab says the United Kingdom was getting the G7 to come together with a rapid rebuttal mechanism to counter Russian misinformation.
He says they must come together to provide a rebuttal and frankly to provide the truth, for the people of in the country but also in Russia or China or around the world.
British, the U.S. and European security officials say Russia and China are trying to sow mistrust across the West, whether by spreading disinformation in elections or by spreading lies about COVID-19 vaccines.
South African Health Minister Zweli Mkhize in a statement says Pfizer Inc will ship 4.5 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine to South Africa by June.
He says the first batch of 325,260 doses will arrive in the country Sunday night, adding that they will be expecting a same number of doses to arrive on a weekly basis.
He says the vaccine supply will increase to an average of 636,480 doses weekly from 31 May which will see us accumulating close to 4.5 million doses by the end of June.
South Africa has secured 30 million doses of Pfizer's two-shot vaccine.
The country's health regulator also approved Johnson & Johnson vaccine in early April and the government has ordered 31 million doses of the one-shot vaccine.
A former government minister in the Democratic Republic of Congo has been sentenced to three years in prison for money laundering and the illegal transfer of funds abroad.
Congolese prosecutors had been investigating Willy Bakonga over the embezzlement of funds earmarked for free primary education.
In February the World Bank suspended the first tranche of $100m which was to be used to fund free education in DR Congo because of concerns about corruption.
Chad’s army spokesman said the military junta that took power in Chad last month after the shock death of veteran leader Idriss Deby Itno named a transition government on Sunday.
The Transitional Military Council had pledged to restore democracy to the poor Sahel country within 18 months after what the opposition condemned as an institutional coup.
Junta spokesman Azem Bermandoa Agouna in a televised statement says Deby’s son Mahamat, the country’s new strongman, named a government comprising 40 ministers and a deputy minister.
Deby also created a new national reconciliation ministry to be headed by Acheick Ibn Oumar, a former rebel chief who became a diplomatic adviser to the presidency in 2019.
President of the Democratic Republic of Congo President Felix Tshisekedi declared a state of siege in two provinces.
Government spokesman Patrick Muyaya says the objective is to swiftly end the insecurity which is killing our fellow citizens in that part of the country on a daily basis.
He did not say what steps would be taken next under the state of siege.
A Ugandan insurgent faction active in eastern Congo since the 1990s called the Allied Democratic Forces is believed to be responsible for much of the recent bloodshed.
Nigeria will ban travellers coming from India, Brazil and Turkey because of concerns about the rampant spread of coronavirus in those countries.
Boss Mustapha, chairman of the presidential committee says Non-Nigerian passport holders and non-residents who visited Brazil, India or Turkey within Fourteen days preceding travel to Nigeria, shall be denied entry into Nigeria.
He says the ban will take effect from May 4.
The Kaduna State University Chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities and the students have rejected the proposed 500 per cent increase in tuition fees by the government.
They stated that if a monumental school fees increase was allowed to stand, it would force about 75 per cent of the university’s students to drop out of school, causing massive youth unemployment and restiveness.
ASUU Branch Chairman, Dr Peter Adamu, decried that the consequences of the upward review of the school fees would be unquantifiable.
He urged the state government to rescind the decision, stressing that it was not the best time to increase tuition fees due to the present economic instability in the country.
Adamu argued that public education should not be for revenue generation and asked the government to look for other better ways of funding the system.
The Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, has faulted governors yet to pay the new minimum wage to workers in their states.
He stated this Channels Television’s Sunday Politics saying that any employer paying its employee below N30,000 was doing so in contravention of the law.
The minister says the law does not give room for picking and choosing, it is a must and the state governors not paying are breaching the law of the land.
The Minister of Labour says he is authorized or any person nominated or designated by the minister to take action against such an employer on behalf of the worker to recover the balance of the wages.
The Department of State Services says it will begin a clampdown on agents of anarchy in various parts of the country.
The spokesman, Peter Afunanyai in a statement says the service faulted those said to be creating instability through comments that threaten the sovereignty and corporate existence of the nation.
It also condemned what it called the unnecessary vituperations and activities of some religious and past political leaders who have either called for a forceful change of government or mass action against it.
The agency, however, says it was working with other security and law enforcement agencies to ensure the maintenance of peace and internal security in the country.
Nigeria’s Security forces have uncovered a plot by insurgents to infiltrate the nation’s capital, the Federal Capital Territory using tinted vehicles and covered plate numbers.
The joint security task force, comprising the military, police, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps and intelligence agencies, however, has intensified patrols and surveillance in and around Abuja.
The investigation also revealed that the meetings of the joint security task force under the office of the Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor, continued at the weekend.
A statement by the command says while security forces sustained pre-emptive measures against any eventuality, the reported attack on FCT was a clash of cultists in Mpape, an outskirt of Abuja and not an attack by terrorists.
President Muhammadu Buhari and the President of the Senate, Dr Ahmad Lawan, have urged the media to express its freedom with responsibility.
Buhari called for responsible press freedom among media professionals in the country and urged the media to purge itself of bad eggs, promising that the National Assembly won’t pass anti-press legislations.
Buhari stressed the commitment of his administration to the freedom of the press.
He, however, urged journalists to wield their freedom responsibly and without licentiousness.
He says freedom of the press is a minimum feature of a democracy that would flourish, adding that freedom must be used responsibly.
He charged those who manage government information to do everything in the public interest, while also encouraging the media to use the Freedom of Information Act to make its jobs easier.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has postponed planned parliamentary elections next month amid a dispute over voting in Israeli-annexed East Jerusalem and splits in his Fatah party.
Abbas blamed Israel for uncertainty about whether it would allow the legislative election to proceed in Jerusalem as well as in the occupied West Bank and Gaza on Friday.
The decision came three months after he announced the first national elections in 15 years in what was widely seen as a response to criticism of the democratic legitimacy of Palestinian institutions, including his own presidency.
Former US President Donald Trump complained Thursday that an FBI raid on the New York apartment of his ex-personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani was so unfair.
Federal investigators with search warrants combed Giuliani’s Manhattan residence and a separate office on Wednesday, seizing electronic devices as part of a probe into his dealings in Ukraine.
Trump told Fox Business that Rudy Giuliani is a great patriot and loves the country.
Giuliani, himself once a top New York prosecutor and then mayor of the city, was a personal lawyer for Trump when the president was impeached in December 2019 for seeking political help from Ukraine.
Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta has sacked the entire board of directors of the country’s medical supplies agency that has been hit by a series of scandals.
The Kenya Medical Supplies Authority's latest scandal involved supplying 24,000 doses of HIV drugs that had been phased out.
Kenya stopped using Nevirapine in 2019 after patients suffered serious side effects.
The agency is also part of the reason why more than 200,000 doses of anti-retroviral drugs are stuck in a warehouse in the coastal city of Mombasa, four months after being donated by the US.
Last year, Kemsa was also implicated in the alleged misuse of millions of dollars meant for buying Covid-19 supplies.
Kenya says it has formally communicated to the UN refugee agency that it will close the Dadaab and Kakuma refugee camps on 30 June 2022.
Interior Minister Fred Matiang'í says a team of officials from the government of Kenya and the UNHCR will fast track the process set to begin on 5 May 2022.
The latest roadmap includes voluntary repatriation or issuing of free work or residence permits for refugees from the East African Community.
The government in March gave the UN a two-week ultimatum to come up with a roadmap for the closure of the two camps, which host more than 400,000 refugees mostly from Somalia, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Principal Secretary Karanja Kibicho added that the decision to close Dadaab and Kakuma camps by 30 June 2022 is in the country’s public interest.
Ebonyi State Governor, Dave Umahi has issued a seven-day ultimatum to native doctors and traditional medicine dealers to register with government agencies or face arrest and prosecution.
The governor says all Native Doctors and Traditional Medicine Dealers in the state shall register with the Commissioner of Police, Commissioner for Health and Commissioner for Internal Security and Border Peace, within 7 days as part of security measures in the state.
The governor imposed a 10-hour curfew on the state’s entry and exit points, from 8:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m., with defaulters facing an N1 million fine.
Umahi also directed the security forces to bring those responsible for the deaths of a police officer and two soldiers to justice within 72 hours.
The Central Bank of Nigeria has announced new appointments in one of Nigeria’s commercial banks, First Bank of Nigeria PLC, and retained Dr Sola Adeduntan as the bank’s Managing Director.
This comes a day after the bank announced the removal of Adeduntan and Gbenga Shobo as his successor.
The CBN, however, queried the bank for the move on Thursday, saying that it did not notify it of the decision to remove Adeduntan who had yet to complete his tenure.
The Central Bank Governor, Godwin Emefiele, told a news conference in Abuja that the board is vested with the authority to make changes in the management team subject to CBN approval.
The CBN governor reassured the depositors, creditors and other stakeholders of the bank of its commitment to ensuring the stability of the financial system.
The Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant-General Ibrahim Attahiru has reiterated the commitment of the Nigerian Army in crushing Boko Haram terrorists in the northeast.
The Army chief says there is no way troops would always claim victory over their enemies, as sometimes the opposite is the direction.
He says they are committed to the focus of the entire operations which is the total annihilation of Boko Haram from Nigeria.
The COAS says President Buhari is committed to providing them with the needed resources they would require to execute the fight against insurgency and other violent groups across Nigeria.
The presidency has reacted to accusations levelled against President Muhammadu Buhari by the Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom over the insecurity in the country.
Ortom had on Tuesday accused President Buhari of working for the Fulani ethnic stock to take over Nigeria in a reaction to the recent killing of residents allegedly perpetrated by herdsmen.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, condemned Governor Ortom for blaming President Buhari for the deaths.
He says the President expresses his condolences to the families of citizens who lost their loved ones in the recent spate of killings in Benue State.
Spotify co-founder Daniel Ek says he wants to bring back the glory to Arsenal as he plans to test the resolve of the club’s American billionaire owner Stan Kroenke with a takeover bid.
Kroenke, through his Kroenke Sports and Entertainment business, has been the Gunners’ majority shareholder for a decade and took full control of the club by buying out Russian oligarch Alisher Usmanov’s stake in 2018.
Arsenal’s performances on the pitch have declined markedly during the Kroenke reign.
Arsenal was one of 12 clubs to initially sign up to proposals for the breakaway competition but, along with five other English clubs, withdrew from the plans within 48 hours after a fierce backlash from fans, players, governing bodies and the British government.
South Africa's finance minister, Tito Mboweni has upset Zambia over an alleged disparaging tweet.
The tweet says that nothing much was happening in Zambia, insinuating that the country's economy was not doing well.
A statement by Zambia's Information Minister Dora Siliya says the government has noticed a very worrying trend by Mr Mboweni, of ignoring diplomatic etiquette and embarking on bad-mouthing a sovereign state.
Ms Siliya says she hoped Mr Ramaphosa will censure the minister again.
The offending tweet has since been deleted but Mr Mboweni's tweeted on Tuesday about being persecuted for scientific truth.
South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa has admitted to the failure of the ruling party to prevent corruption during former president Jacob Zuma’s rule.
He says the African National Congress should have done more to prevent corruption, as he gave his testimony before a judicial inquiry probing allegations of corruption during Mr Zuma’s term as president.
He says the ANC had not lived up to the expectations of the South African people in enforcing accountability, noting that corruption had undermined the rule of law.
He says ANC would try to shed light on the matters being investigated - so as to hold to account those responsible.
The federal government has been urged to involve information technology professionals in its digital economy drive in order to achieve the desired results.
President, Nigeria Computer Society, Prof. Adesina Sodiya, says the federal government would achieve faster and better results when indigenous IT professionals are involved.
He frowned upon the situation where the federal government still rely on foreign IT professionals to execute sensitive government projects, thereby putting citizens’ sensitive data at risk while encouraging capital flight in the process.
He says such NCS member needed government support and the enabling business environment to perfect the solution and develop more for the country.
The federal government has reiterated its commitment to national development through the use of Information and Communications Technology solutions.
The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Ibrahim, Pantami, says the projects, which cut across several geo-political zones of the country, were executed by the government parastatals as part of the implementation of the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy for a digital Nigeria.
He says in line with the Economic Development Road Map of Nigeria and the present administration’s focal points of economic development, security and the eradication of corruption.
He noted that the federal government had also approved the National Policy on Virtual Engagement, which has recently institutionalized virtual engagement, particularly in government circle.
The Senate has extended the powers of the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria to enable it to recover monies from bank debtors.
It has also empowered the agency to go after bank debtors and take over assets other than those used as collateral to recover their debts.
These new measures formed part of the amendments to the AMCON bill passed by the Senate during Wednesday’s plenary at the upper chamber of the National Assembly in Abuja.
They also give AMCON the power to approach credit tribunals to recover their funds, eliminating the bottlenecks often encountered in normal courts.
The Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, has called on the elites to rise up and speak the truth against forces of division in the country.
He explained that this has become necessary to preserve the unity of the nation as Nigeria cannot afford a war.
He warned that if the political elite does not speak up, they will endanger themselves and endanger the future of the country.
He stated that every conflict was a result of the elite’s failure to speak up and tell the truth to their communities.
The Independent National Electoral Commission has announced the date for the 2023 general elections in the country.
INEC Chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu says By the principle established by the Commission, the 2023 General Election will hold on Saturday 18th February 2023 which is exactly one year, nine months, two weeks and six days or 660 days from today.
He says they hope to immediately release the Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the General Election after the Anambra Governorship election scheduled to hold on 6th November 2021.
Yakubu noted that one of the numerous responsibilities carried out by the commission is the prosecution of electoral offenders, describing it as the most challenging duty for INEC.
A bipartisan group of US Senators urged the Biden to impose additional sanctions on Myanmar's military junta over its February takeover of the government.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen in a letter on Tuesday was asked to explore new avenues to support the people of Burma in their ongoing struggle for democracy in the face of escalating crimes against humanity.
Biden is urged to target or freeze all foreign currency revenues and foreign exchange reserves held in state accounts outside of Burma.
The lawmakers also called for the joint ventures involving multinational oil and gas companies to pay revenue into a trust or protected account which is either held until such time as Burma has a legitimate and democratically-elected government or used for humanitarian purposes.
Sri Lanka’s cabinet has approved a proposed ban on wearing full-face veils including Muslim burqas in public, citing national security grounds, despite a United Nations expert’s comment that it would violate international law.
The cabinet approved the proposal by Public Security Minister Sarath Weerasekera at its weekly meeting on Tuesday
Weerasekara has called burqas, a garment that covers the body and face worn by some Muslim women, a sign of religious extremism and says a ban would improve national security.
The UN special rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief Ahmed Shaheed tweeted that a ban would be incompatible with international law and the right to free religious expression.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has announced that fully vaccinated Americans do not need to wear a mask when they are outdoors.
The new guideline says those who have received all required jabs can ditch their face coverings if alone or in small groups of vaccinated people.
The CDC however left in place its guidance to don a mask indoors and in crowded settings or venues.
President Joe Biden celebrated the new guidance as extraordinary progress and also urged Americans who have not yet received their shot to do so, calling it a patriotic act.
The UN refugee agency's high commissioner has crossed the border from Rwanda into Burundi alongside 159 refugees who are being repatriated.
Filippo Grandi joined the convoy as an observer while visiting the Great Lakes region.
A spokeswoman tells the BBC that more than 23,000 refugees have been repatriated since last August.
Many more have registered to go back home since March when the UN's food agency reduced cut food aid by 60% to refugees in Rwanda blaming a sharp fall in international aid.
David Ngarura of Mahama refugee camp told BBC that many refugees in Rwanda said they expected solutions from Mr Grandi's visit, but they haven’t heard any comforting news from him.
Unicef says the vaccines distributed under the global Covax initiative expire on 24 June.
About 1.3 million doses out of the 1.7 million doses will now go to other countries including Senegal, Comoros, Ghana and Angola.
DR Congo had delayed its rollout of the AstraZeneca vaccines, which it received in March, over concerns that they could be linked to rare blood clots.
While the vaccination campaign was initially scheduled to have started on 15 March, the drive was postponed to 19 April.
The Lagos State Government defended the recently signed Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission Act, saying that anybody who is dissatisfied with the law should challenge it in court.
Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Gbenga Omotoso downplayed concerns by critics that the law was meant to protect a former governor of the state, Senator Bola Tinubu, or any politician.
The state government is to establish an anti-corruption agency to take over graft cases concerning present and former officeholders from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission
Omotoso however says there was no ulterior motive behind the enactment of the law as the state House of Assembly reserves the right to make laws for the good of the state.
Members of the organised private sector have urged the federal government to rise to the occasion and arrest the worsening insecurity in the country in order to salvage the nation’s economy from a total collapse.
They say the economy could slide back into another recession if the government fails to combat insecurity.
They also warned that insecurity could hurt manufacturing, severely undermine microeconomic stability, scare away investments and constrain multinationals to shut down businesses and vacate the country.
they added that the worsening insecurity could impair Nigeria’s hope of benefiting from the African Continental Free Trade Area agreement.
The lawmaker representing Kogi West senatorial district, Senator Smart Adeyemi, has decried the rate of insecurity in the land.
The lawmaker says the president cannot pretend that they are not capable of confronting the situation at hand.
He acknowledged that he remained a supporter of President Muhammadu Buhari, as a member of the ruling All Progressives Congress but insisted that the President must be told the truth.
Members of the House of Representatives have called on President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately declare a state of emergency on security.
Considering the present situation, they believe this will ensure the fast track of all measures towards restoring peace in the country.
The call formed part of the resolutions reached at the closed-door session to discuss pressing national issues, which lasted about four hours on Tuesday at the lower chamber of the National Assembly in Abuja.
The Speaker of the House, Femi Gbajabiamila, noted that the House Security Committees were mandated to immediately commence a comprehensive audit of all military and paramilitary assets and arms and revert back within four weeks.
President Muhammadu Buhari has asked United States to reconsider relocating US Africa Command from Stuttgart, Germany, to Africa, so it can support Nigeria in tackling the insecurity challenges facing the country.
President Buhari says AFRICOM, which partners with countries to counter transnational threats, should be relocated to Africa to strengthen ongoing efforts to check the security situation, with likely effect on other nations.
He says the security challenges in Nigeria remain of great concern and impacted more negatively, by existing complex negative pressures in the Sahel, Central, and West Africa, as well as the Lake Chad Region.
President Buhari says Nigeria will enhance collaborations in all forms, with friends and strategic partners, to work together for greater security for all, which remain the most significant condition for overcoming the existential challenges.
The White House says the US will share up to 60 million doses of its AstraZeneca vaccine with other countries as they become available.
The doses will be able to be exported in the coming months after a federal safety review.
The US has a stockpile of the vaccine even though its regulators have not yet authorised it for public use.
Critics have accused the government of hoarding the vaccine, while other countries are in desperate need.
Last month President Joe Biden pledged to share about four million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine with Mexico and Canada - both of which have approved the jab.
The White House says it expected that about 10 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine could be released when the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) finishes its review in the coming weeks.
White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said FDA officials would carry out quality checks on doses before they were exported.
A top White House economist says President Joe Biden will propose a tax hike on investment gains of the wealthiest individuals to help pay for his massive infrastructure and jobs package.
Biden is expected to lay out his plan this week for $2 trillion in investments to create millions of jobs and has said higher taxes on the rich and corporations will offset the hefty price tag.
Head of the White House National Economic Council, Brian Deese says the increased tax on profits earned from sales of stocks and other assets will only impact those earning $1 million a year, a narrow sliver of American taxpayers — about 500,000.
He says the change will only apply to three-tenths of a per cent of taxpayers, which is not the top 1 per cent, it’s not even the top one half of 1 per cent.
He did not provide any details of the new higher tax, but media reports last week cited officials saying Biden will increase the capital gains tax rate to 39.6 per cent from 20 per cent.
AstraZeneca says EU legal action taken against AstraZeneca over shortfalls in its delivery of Covid vaccines is without merit.
The company in a statement says they believe any litigation is without merit and we welcome this opportunity to resolve this dispute as soon as possible.
AstraZeneca says it had fully complied with the Advance Purchase Agreement with the European Commission.
It added that in line with AstraZeneca’s forecast, the company is set to deliver almost 50 million doses to European nations by the end of April.
The EU executive and AstraZeneca have been at loggerheads as the British-Swedish company’s alleged shortfall of deliveries to the bloc hobbled the early efforts to roll out jabs.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s spokesman says he was unaware of the specifics around the legal action.
Giant telecom operators from the UK, South Africa, Kenya and Japan are bidding to enter Ethiopia’s untapped telecom market.
The country's finance ministry announced that it received two bids - from South Africa's MTN Group and a consortium that includes Kenya's Safaricom - as it works to open the telecom market to international operators.
The consortium also includes Vodafone and CDC companies from the UK, South Africa's Vodacom and Japanese firm Sumitomo.
Financial and technical assessments of the bids will be done by a national evaluation committee.
The UN has warned that the slow implementation of the peace accord in South Sudan is putting the country at risk of a return to large-scale conflict.
A new report has recommended that the arms embargo be extended and for new sanctions against those who hinder the implementation of the peace deal.
The country has experienced many incidents of violence between supporters of President Salva Kiir, and his rival, Riek Machar, who under the terms of the agreement was reappointed vice-president.
The report says the conflict has prevented the delivery of humanitarian aid putting the people of South Sudan in urgent need of assistance.
The US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has urged Ethiopia to address what he described as an impending humanitarian disaster in the northern region of Tigray.
He says troops from neighbouring Eritrea should be withdrawn immediately, in full and in a verifiable manner.
He expressed concerns about ethnic tensions elsewhere in the country.
The State Department Spokesperson Ned Price says that during the conversation with Mr Abiy, the secretary of state had stressed his support for Ethiopia, but also expressed concerns about human rights abuses in Tigray.
He says although the Eritrean government had said that it would withdraw its troops it hadn't actually done so.
Katsina State Governor, Aminu Masari, has insisted that Nigeria has the ability, capacity, and resources to deal decisively with the current and lingering security situation bedevilling the country.
The governor believes the present problems in the country are parts of the process of growth and development, as well as indicate that nothing good comes easy.
Governor Masari added that recent happenings call for more action and more unity among members of the National Assembly.
He says the nation needs leadership and you have a history to make. We need to look at our problems and other challenges facing the country without blame games.
Nigerian Lawmaker Gbajabiamila explained that the President listens to ideas and is keen on bringing solutions to the ongoing crisis in various parts of the country.
He added that the National Assembly would do everything possible to assist the President to reach a consensus on the nation’s security challenges.
The speaker noted that the House of Representatives had passed a resolution and set up a special ad-hoc committee to find solutions to the nation’s problems.
He says the House of Representatives some time ago passed a resolution and they set up a special ad-hoc committee, which involves all principal officers and 30 other members of the House.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed has rejected the calls for secession, saying that more effort is needed to break Nigeria than to fix it.
The Minister says the nation’s strength lies in its diversity and the agitation for political restructuring is okay.
He says Nigerians would need more energy to break Nigeria than to fix it. As a matter of fact, the strength of Nigeria is its diversity. So everybody agreed that secession is not an option.”
He also backed several calls for the creation of state police and called on the National Assembly and the States House of Assemblies to collaborate to enable it to happen.
Bandits have killed two more students abducted from Greenfield University in Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
The Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs in the state, Samuel Aruwan, confirmed this in a statement on Monday.
He disclosed that two more bodies of the abducted students were recovered by security agencies and have been evacuated to a mortuary, while the university has been notified of the development.
This brings the total number of students abducted from the school and killed by the bandits to five.
Aruwan has said that the remains of the three students were found in Kwanan Bature village, while Governor Nasir El-Rufai has condemned the killing as sheer wickedness, inhumanity, and an outright desecration of human lives by vile entities.
The Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr Faisal Shuaib says the Nigerian government is expecting about 29.8 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine.
He added that the government signed off to receive the vaccines through the African Union while vaccine deliveries through the COVAX facility were expected by the end of May or early June.
He noted that by then, Nigeria would have completed the process of administering the second dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine to those who got the first dose.
He revealed that the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control has continued discussions with manufacturers to examine their vaccines, in anticipation of emergency use listing from the World Health Organisation.
More than 80 people died Sunday when a fire ripped through a Baghdad hospital for Covid-19 patients, sparking outrage and the suspension of top officials overseeing Iraq’s crumbling health services.
Medic says the blaze at eastern Baghdad’s Ibn al-Khatib hospital began when badly stored oxygen cylinders blew up.
The health ministry says 82 people were killed and 110 wounded, while the Iraqi Human Rights Commission says 28 of the victims were patients who had to be taken off ventilators to escape the flames.
A medical source says the blaze tore across multiple floors in the middle of the night, as dozens of relatives were visiting patients in the intensive care unit.
Russian news agency TASS reported while quoting Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova saying Russia has put the U.S. on its list of unfriendly states.
The move comes amid an escalating diplomatic row between Russia and several European countries.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday signed a law to limit the number of local staff working at foreign diplomatic missions and other agencies and ordered the government to draw up a list of unfriendly states that will be subject to the restrictions.
Zakharova says the whole story began with another wave of unfriendly U.S. steps and naturally, the U.S. is on this list.
Iran's top nuclear negotiator in the ongoing Vienna talks aimed to revive the Iran nuclear deal and that his country will not allow talks of attrition.
Abbas Araqchi, who heads the Iranian negotiating team in the ongoing talks with the representatives from the UK, China, France, Russia, and Germany in Vienna say the exact time cannot be predicted for the duration of talks.
He says they will not allow attritional talks. If they feel that the other parties are not serious or intending to buy time or add other issues to the discussions, they will give up the negotiations.
He echoed what Iran's top leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has said of Iran's approach to the nuclear talks: Iran will re-embrace its suspended obligations under the 2015 nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action only after the United States removes its sanctions on Iran.
The senior Iranian diplomat rejected again the long-abandoned plan to revive the nuclear deal.
British lawmakers on Monday called on the government to publish all communications with pharmaceutical companies to understand if private lobbying influenced its opposition to a waiver of intellectual property rules for COVID-19 vaccines.
The United States and a handful of other big countries, including the United Kingdom, have blocked negotiations at the World Trade Organization involving a proposal spearheaded by India and South Africa that now has the support of 100 WTO members.
The proposal would temporarily waive the intellectual property rights of pharmaceutical companies to allow developing countries to produce vaccines.
The waiver is opposed by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and big pharmaceutical companies such as Pfizer PFE.N, BioNTech 22UAy.DE, Moderna MRNA.O, and Johnson & Johnson JNJ.N.
A spokesperson for the UK government said it prioritised transparency but stakeholders had a right to expect a reasonable degree of confidentiality in their communications.
South Africa’s Health Department has announced that the country’s rollout of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine will resume on Wednesday after it was temporarily placed on hold for two weeks.
The move came after it was reported in the United States (US) that patients who had been administered the Johnson and Johnson vaccine, developed blood clots.
The Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize says it had been established that there’s a one in a million chance of getting blood clots after being jabbed and that it appears that women between the ages of 18 and 48 years old are particularly at risk. With such a low probability of developing a clot, all the regulators across the world have recommended the continued use of Johnson and Johnson.
The South African Health Products Regulatory Authority has recommended that pregnant women be excluded from getting the shot.
Dr Zweli Mkhize further says vaccination sites will be expanded to 95 sites across the country and these sites will continue to vaccinate health care workers during the first phase of the rollout.
The UK government has urged for restraint and called for dialogue as fighting broke out in Somalia's capital Mogadishu.
Rival units in the security forces and some former warlords and clan leaders clashed on Sunday.
The British embassy in Somalia said the violence reports were "deeply concerning".
The international community has been calling for dialogue on the election impasse in the country after parliament extended President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo's term by two years.
Former Somali president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and opposition leader Abdirahman Abdishakur said pro-government soldiers had attacked their homes.
The government has since denied the accusations. Somali Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble called for negotiations after Sunday's violence.
The Academy of Medicine Specialties, together with its Rapid-Response initiative group, has advised the federal government to shut the country’s international airports for at least two weeks to avoid the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The President of the Academy of Medicine Specialties of Nigeria, Prof. Oladapo Ashiru, noted that the transmission of the third wave was still active but at a low level.
Ashiru says the low-level transmission was due largely to the lockdowns going on in Europe and some countries.
He further stated that the ongoing transmission in the country was caused largely by those inbound passengers from India and those countries with surges in the cases reported daily.
He recommended that Nigeria’s testing strategy should still be PCR-based. He, however, added that some other Genes should be looked out for aside from the ‘S’ gene.
He recommended that Nigeria should close the international airports to all flights for at least two weeks, stressing that the third wave was affecting not only India but France, Germany, and Italy.
Nobel laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, has called on the Federal Government to seek help where necessary to regain peace in the country and chart a way forward without using Nigerians as victims.
He made the call in a statement while reacting to the killings across the country by bandits, terrorists, and other gunmen in the country.
Professor Soyinka decried that these gunmen have sacrificed and traumatised the country’s youths beyond their capacity to cope.
He says the country is at war and it is time to stop pretending while the government should put in more efforts to stop the killing of youths who are the future.
The Nobel laureate also condemned the practice of blame trade, saying it should be left for later.
The spokesman of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Emmanuel Powerful says the Group has no connection with the recent attack on Governor Hope Uzodinma’s country home.
He described those linking the incident to the secessionist group as liars, stressing that neither IPOB nor the Eastern Security Network was responsible for the incident.
He says they don’t want to tell the citizens that Nigeria is almost collapsing, and IPOB has decided that nothing will stop them to back out on this course for Biafra restoration.
They were, however, repelled by the security operatives attached to the governor’s house, but some vehicles parked on the premises were burnt.
The attack was condemned by various individuals and groups, including members of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum.
The Nigeria Governors’ Forum has condemned the attack on the country home of Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma.
THE NGF Chairman and Ekiti State Governor, Kayode Fayemi said the governors described the incident as taking criminality to reckless and irresponsible heights.
They say those responsible for the attack must be mindful that they do not have the monopoly of violence.
The governor stated that all hands must be on deck to apprehend the attackers whom they said constituted a small league of persons trying to harm the nation's corporate existence.
The governors believe the mantra for every Nigerian at such a challenging time should forge peace and unity across Nigeria’s divides and shun violence and wanton destruction.
The European Commission is looking to launch legal action against AstraZeneca for underdelivering COVID-19 vaccine doses to the EU, hobbling the bloc’s early rollout of jabs
The EU executive says any lawsuit against AstraZeneca would begin in a Belgian court — the jurisdiction agreed under the commission’s contract with the British-Swedish pharmaceutical company.
A Commission spokesman, Stefan De Keersmaecker says AstraZeneca is not delivering the number of doses that have been agreed upon in the contract. He says this is one of the reasons why they keep their options open together with member states to take any further steps.
The World Health Organization has urged African countries not to destroy Covid-19 vaccines that may have passed their expiry date.
Countries have been told to keep hold of them and wait for further guidance.
The appeal comes after Malawi and South Sudan said they would destroy more than 70,000 doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca jab because they expired in mid-April.
The Africa Centres for Disease Control says it had been assured the doses were safe to use.
Many vaccines can be used up to 36 months after manufacture, but because Covid-19 jabs are so new there is not enough data to prove their effectiveness over longer periods.
The final decision on whether to use expired jabs rests with national drug regulators, the BBC's health reporter in Nairobi, Rhoda Odhiambo, notes.
The roll-out of coronavirus vaccines across Africa has been slow, partly because of supply issues and wider scepticism about the jab.
Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Ibrahim Muhammad says that the strike embarked on by the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria is legal since it is aimed at realizing their constitutionally guaranteed rights.
JUSUN had asked its members to proceed on indefinite strike pending when state governments obey the constitutional provisions of financial autonomy of the Judiciary.
The Union had in March gave a 21-day ultimatum but was not heeded by the government.
The CJN had held a meeting with JUSUN leaders asking them to call off the strike in view of its adverse effect on the justice system in the country.
Muhammad noted that it had become difficult to fault the idea of the strike since the rights of the union and its members which were clearly defined in the Constitution were being denied, especially at the state level.
Nigerian lawmakers directed the Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire to put together a policy to compel all government hospitals to procure locally manufactured syringes.
The Senate Committee on Health gave the Minister a six-week ultimatum to carry out the directive.
The committee is investigating the failure of government agencies to implement the Backward Integration Policy, on local production of syringes five years after it was validated.
Members of the committee say it is alarming that despite the capacity of local manufacturers to meet the market demands, an estimated 1 billion units of syringes and needles are imported into the country per annum.
The House of Representatives is set to investigate the incessant jailbreaks in the country.
The House is worried that the jailbreaks will only continue to fuel the insecurity in the country.
Hon. Chudy Momah raised the motion during the plenary. His statement follows the most recent attack on April 5, where gunmen attacked the Nigerian Correctional Services and the Police Headquarters in Imo State, freeing an unspecified number of prison inmates.
IPOB has been blamed for the recent attacks on prisons and police stations in the South-East but the group has denied these claims, noting they are agitators, not gunmen.
The Muhammadu Buhari administration has declared its support for the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Pantami, amid calls for his resignation or removal.
Mr Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity in a statement says the administration stands behind Minister Pantami and all Nigerian citizens to ensure they receive fair treatment, fair prices, and fair protection in ICT services.
Pantami was widely criticised recently for the comments he made in the past in support of extremist groups.
The remarks he was said to have made many years ago sparked debate and controversy just recently, with many calling for his resignation while others called on President Muhammadu Buhari to relieve him of his duties.
Shehu claimed that Pantami was being subjected to a cancel campaign instigated by those who seek his removal.
United States President Joe Biden has signed an executive order that imposes a slate of new sanctions against Russia, as well as expelling 10 diplomats from the US, in response to a massive Russian hacking campaign that breached vital federal agencies, as well as for election interference.
President Biden says he warned Russian President Vladimir Putin about the sanctions when they spoke by telephone in a candid, respectful conversation on April 13.
Biden in a remark at the White House says the United States is not looking to kick-off a cycle of escalation and conflict with Russia but a stable, predictable relationship.
The White House says the order sends a signal that the United States will impose costs in a strategic and economically impactful manner on Russia if it continues or escalates its destabilizing international actions.
The Covax scheme launched a push for an extra $2 billion in donations on Thursday, saying it needed the money in advance to reserve Covid-19 vaccine doses.
The Covax facility ensures the 92 poorest participating economies can access coronavirus jabs, with the cost covered by donors.
The United States co-hosted Thursday’s donor event at which the first $400 million was raised.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says People everywhere should have access to rigorously tested, safe, and effective Covid-19 vaccines.
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga will host a Covax funding summit focused on the 92 countries in June.
The Somali government says it stands by the decision to extend the term of the president and criticised the international community for seeking to undermine the country's democratic processes.
The foreign affairs ministry says it was dismayed by statements from some of its international partners.
It says they had misconstrued Somalia's laws passed to uphold the democratic rights of the people to choose their leadership, and instead paint them as unlawful term extensions.
The ministry added that inflammatory statements laden with threats, which undermine the political independence and sovereign rights of national institutions, will only serve to embolden terrorist organisations and anti-peace elements in Somalia.
Sudan’s Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok has called for an urgent summit of leaders of Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan to try and resolve the dispute over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.
The talks are seen as last-ditch attempts to revive tripartite talks that collapsed last week in Kinshasa.
Ethiopia has vowed to go on with a second filling of the dam during the rainy season beginning June. But Egypt and Sudan want a binding agreement in place before the filling continues.
MP Tarek Redwan told a human rights conference in Cairo that Ethiopia’s PM and parliament had twice refused invitations to Egypt to listen to the plight of millions of farmers who were fearful of the impact of the dam on downstream countries.
The International Monetary Fund has warned that more than 30 million people in sub-Saharan Africa are being pushed into poverty by the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
The IMF estimates that some African countries - aiming to vaccinate 60% of their populations - will need to increase their health spending by 50%.
The lockdowns have hurt businesses - from market-stall holders to tourist resorts and multinationals.
Having a young population seems to have helped protect the continent from the coronavirus.
The IMF estimates that they will recover this year with a growth spurt of 3.4%, although all other regions in the world are expected to experience greater economic growth.
The US envoy to the United Nations has called for the withdrawal of Eritrean troops from Ethiopia immediately after reports of rape and sexual violence.
Linda Thomas-Greenfield says that after a UN security council meeting on the Tigray conflict.
The US has called for a joint investigation by the Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights and the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission in Tigray.
The US mission in a statement says they acknowledge Prime Minister Abiy’s commitment to hold accountable all those responsible for human rights violations and abuses, and atrocities. The Eritrean government must make a similar commitment.
Eritrea has previously dismissed accusations of abuses.
Ethiopia says it is investigating the reports of sexual violence. A senior Eritrean official described the allegations as fabricated.
The Inspector-General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba has unveiled a new policing vision and crime-fighting strategies for the Nigeria Police Force.
A spokesman for the force Frank Mba noted that the IGP made the new operational protocols public, today, Thursday, 15th April 2021, during the inaugural conference with Zonal Assistant Inspectors General of Police, Commissioners of Police, and other Heads of Police Formations in the country, at the Force Headquarters, Abuja.
He says the new policing vision includes; deploying cutting-edge policing technology and integrating intelligence-led policing practices to core policing functions.
He says the new policing vision equally seeks to give full effect to the concept of community policing and deliver quality police service that will be guided by the principles of public accountability and conformity to the rule of law.
Nigeria’s Vice President Yemi Osinbajo says Nigeria is on the path of ensuring more access to affordable, reliable energy for its populace, as well as transitioning to the use of cleaner energy in line with the net-zero emissions global target, but an end of international funding for gas as a fossil fuel would create dire challenges for gas-producing countries especially in Africa.
The Vice President noted that Nigeria is already transitioning from petrol to natural gas, which is accepted more or less as a transition fuel, the bridge to renewable energy.
He says Nigeria supports the goal of the Commonwealth in outlining responsible transition pathways to decarbonize and achieve net and negative zero emissions.
Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu flagged off the red line rail project which, when completed, has the capacity to commute at least one million persons daily.
The governor explained that the 37-km Rail Mass Transit will traverse from Agbado to Marina, noting that it would become operational by the last quarter of 2022.
He says efficient transportation is the backbone of any economy and people can meet their daily targets and aspirations.
The rail corridor will be constructed in three phases, the first – Agbado-Iddo – will be completed in two years and will share the track with the Lagos-Ibadan Railway Modernisation Project up to Ebute – Metta.
Governor Sanwo-Olu also presented cheques to property owners affected by the right-of-way and described the project as part of his government’s effort to deliver quality infrastructure for the transport system.
The Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi and other dignitaries were also present at the ceremony.
The Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed says Twitter chose Ghana as the headquarters for its African operations, due to the unpatriotism of Nigerians.
Mr Mohammed says the tech giants chose Accra over Nigeria because the nation’s West African neighbours are champions of democracy and abide by the rule of law.
He says the reasons cited by Twitter for citing the headquarters in Accra, Ghana is that Accra is a champion of democracy and there is rule of law in the country, among other reasons.
He says this is what happens when the country is de-market.
He further blamed the media for championing the course of devaluing Nigeria by fervently putting out negative reports and painting the country as hell on earth.
The Federal Government says the issuance of new SIM cards will resume on April 19, as long as verification is done and the guidelines are fully adhered to.
The Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy communicated this in a statement signed by Femi Ademiluyi, a techncal aide to Minister Isa Pantami.
The government suspended the activity in December 2020 as it embarked on an audit of the Subscriber Registration Database.
The Communications Ministry says at the time that the audit exercise was important in order to verify and ensure compliance by Mobile Network Operators with set quality standards and requirements of SIM Card Registration.
The resumption of new SIM cards issuance comes as the country is set to implement a Revised National Digital Identity Policy for SIM Card Registration.
U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration has told Congress it is proceeding with more than $23 billion in weapons sales to the United Arab Emirates, including advanced F-35 aircraft, armed drones and other equipment, congressional aides said on Tuesday.
A State Department spokesperson says the administration would move forward with the proposed sales to the UAE even as they continue reviewing details and consulting with Emirati officials related to the use of the weapons.
The Democratic president’s administration had paused the deals agreed to by former Republican President Donald Trump in order to review them. The sales to the Gulf nation were finalized right before Trump left office.
The Trump administration told Congress in November it had approved the U.S. sale to the UAE as a side deal to the Abraham Accords, a U.S.-brokered agreement in September in which the UAE agreed to normalize relations with Israel.
President Joe Biden’s planned announcement on Wednesday of a complete U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan by Sept. 11 aims to close the book on America’s longest war, as critics warn that peace is anything but assured after two decades of fighting.
As officials disclosed Biden’s pullout plans, the U.S. intelligence community renewed deep concerns on Tuesday about the outlook for the U.S.-backed government in Kabul, which is clinging to an eroding stalemate.
The U.S. assessment states that the Afghan government will struggle to hold the Taliban at bay if the coalition withdraws support.
Biden plans to announce at the White House on Wednesday that all U.S. troops in Afghanistan will be withdrawn no later than Sept. 11.
US health authorities on Tuesday recommended pausing the Johnson & Johnson Covid shot over blood clot fears, with the company quickly announcing it would delay its European rollout, in a setback for global immunization campaigns.
Official says out of nearly seven million Americans who have so far received the single-dose vaccine, six women aged between 18 and 48 developed a rare type of clot in the brain along with low platelets.
Food and Drug Administration scientist Peter Marks says the disorder might be triggered by a rare immune response to the vaccine similar to that seen among a few hundred recipients of the AstraZeneca jab in Europe.
Both vaccines are based on adenovirus vector technology.
The European Union has signed a deal for 200 million shots of the vaccine with an option for 200 million more.
US authorities are now carrying out an investigation which could end up leading to tough regulatory choices, such as restricting the J&J shot to subsets of the population.
People who have received a J&J shot within the past three weeks were asked to report to their doctors if they experienced severe headaches, abdominal pain, leg pain, or shortness of breath.
The Sudan Tribune news website reports that Sudan has closed its eastern border with Ethiopia after an increase in coronavirus infections in Al-Qadarif state.
Al-Qadarif state is one of the main entry points for people fleeing the war in the Ethiopian Tigray region. Their number last week rose to nearly 70,000.
The decision to close the border was taken to prevent the entry of foreigners except those determined by the authorities.
Those exempted will go through strict health procedures to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
Imams at local mosques are ordered to perform Taraweeh prayers - nightly prayers in Ramadan - only in the mosques' courtyards.
The Central Bank of South Sudan says it will auction $5m to commercial banks and foreign-exchange bureaus every week in order to bring down high prices of basic commodities.
People have been complaining about skyrocketing prices, which economists attribute to the disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The first auction was conducted on Tuesday morning in the capital, Juba, with 22 commercial banks participating.
Twenty banks managed to access foreign exchange resources at various rates based on the bids they submitted.
The bank’s governor, Dier Tong Ngor says the resources will provide traders and clients of commercial banks with the necessary foreign exchange resources that they need and also help business people to bring in essential commodities to South Sudan.
South Africa's Health Minister Zweli Mkhize has announced the suspension of the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 jab to investigate a possible link with blood clots.
Dr Mkhize says the decision was a precautionary suspension.
Hours earlier US health authorities paused the use of the one dose jab after cases of extremely rare blood clotting.
The US Food and Drug Administration says six cases in 6.8 million doses had been reported and it was acting out of an abundance of caution.
Johnson & Johnson says it was also delaying its vaccine rollout in Europe.
The US move follows similar rare cases in the AstraZeneca vaccine, which has prompted some curbs in its use.
Former South African president Jacob Zuma has up to Wednesday to suggest the penalty the country's highest court should impose if he were to be found guilty of contempt.
The penalty relates to his ignoring of summons to appear before the commission of inquiry chaired by Justice Ray Zondo to answer corruption allegations - which he denies.
The commission had earlier asked the court to sentence the former president for two years, to stamp the authority of the court and show the seriousness of Mr Zuma's actions.
An appeals court on Tuesday upheld an earlier judgement for the state to recover money that it had spent on the former president's legal fees. It said the state funding in the corruption case was "unlawful, unconstitutional and invalid".
It is estimated that the state paid between $1m and $2.2m in legal costs for him.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has invited the former Governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha for questioning.
Okorocha had reportedly refused to honour previous invitations from the anti-graft commission.
He was arrested at about 4 pm at his Unity House private office in Abuja after a five-hour standoff with EFCC operatives who trailed him to the location.
Mr Okorocha was invited for questioning by the Commissioner of Police in Imo State, Nasiru Mohammed.
The police say the Senator’s invitation was prompted by his alleged involvement in gaining forceful entry into a property confiscated by the State Government.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, has assured the National Association of Resident Doctors that their demands would be met in four weeks’ time.
NARD President, Dr Uyilawa Okhuaihesuyi, had on April 12 asked the Federal Government to honour its agreement with the union, warning that should the government fail to honour its agreement in the next four weeks, they would be forced to declare another indefinite nationwide industrial action.
The Speaker, after listening to their demands, promised that the government is doing all within its power to ensure the doctors do not down their tools.
Nigerian Government says the country is expected to receive six of the 12 Super Tucanos ordered from the United States in mid-July.
The presidential spokesman, Garba Shehu, says 14 Nigerian pilots are currently training with the aircraft at the Moody Air Force Base in Georgia.
Mr Garba posted a video of what appeared to be test-flight operations on his verified Twitter handle.
The video was credited to the Sierra Nevada Corporation, a private American aerospace firm.
The announcement comes after the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant-General Ibrahim Attahiru, appeared before a committee of lawmakers at the House of Representatives on Monday.
Authorities in and around Minneapolis have announced a curfew for Monday night after a police officer shot dead a young Black man, dramatically escalating tensions in the US city.
Mayor Jacob Frey declared a state of emergency in the city of Minneapolis which will begin at 7:00 pm (2300 GMT) tonight (and) go until 6:00 am tomorrow morning.
The curfew will also be enforced in the twin city of St. Paul and surrounding communities including Hennepin County, where 20-year-old Daunte Wright was killed Sunday when a police officer mistakenly used her gun instead of a taser during a confrontation.
That killing sparked a series of protests across the nation, some of them violent, and led to an ongoing racial reckoning in America.
The head of Libya’s new interim government and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan have affirmed their commitment to a controversial 2019 maritime agreement that has angered Greece and Cyprus.
Erdogan pledged to support Libya’s unity, its reconstruction and its military in a meeting on Monday in Ankara with Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah.
Turkey also signed an agreement with the Tripoli-based government delineating the maritime boundaries between the two countries in the Mediterranean, triggering protests from Greece and Cyprus.
Erdogan says the memorandum of understanding concerning the maritime jurisdiction in the Mediterranean that we signed with our neighbour Libya, has secured the interest and future of both countries.
Both countries denounced the agreement, saying it was a serious breach of international law that disregarded the rights of other eastern Mediterranean countries.
The head of the World Health Organization says Confusion and complacency in addressing COVID-19 mean the pandemic is a long way from over, but it can be brought under control in months with proven public health measures.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a news briefing that they want to see societies and economies reopening, and travel and trade resuming however intensive care units in many countries are overflowing and people are dying.
He says the COVID-19 pandemic is a long way from over but there are many reasons to be optimistic.
The WHO team leader on COVID-19, Maria Van Kerkhove, told the news briefing the pandemic was growing exponentially, with a nine per cent increase in cases last week, the seventh consecutive week of increases
Twitter has announced that its Africa headquarters will be in Ghana.
The company's co-founder Jack Dorsey made the announcement on Twitter:
African technology commentators may have bet on Twitter choosing Nigeria, Kenya or South Africa as all three countries have more established tech hubs.
Mr Dorsey in his Twitter blog however said that Ghana’s recent appointment to host the secretariat of the African Continental Free Trade Area aligns with their overarching goal to establish a presence in the region that will support their efforts to improve and tailor service across Africa.
Somalia’s Lower House of Parliament has voted to approve a bill to extend President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo’s term in office by two years.
The controversial special election bill was overwhelmingly approved by 149 members. It needs to be approved by the upper chamber before becoming law.
Mr Farmajo welcomed the passing of the bill in the lower chamber, adding that after two years the Somali people will finally be able to elect their own president.
Opposition candidates and some of the regional state leaders however have rejected the resolution.
Former Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khayre, who is now part of an opposition coalition, said the country is in crisis and urged the international community to urgently intervene.
The head of the World Trade Organization says a meeting this week to tackle glaring inequity in COVID-19 vaccine allocation will be attended by major manufacturers and look at solutions such as firing up idle or under-used manufacturing plants in Africa and Asia.
Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala says the April 14 meeting will bring together vaccine makers from the United States, China and Russia, ministers from wealthy and developing countries, and banking officials to discuss vaccine export restrictions, scaling up manufacturing and a waiver of intellectual property rights for COVID-19 drugs and shots.
She says the vaccine inequity is glaring and they have the technology in the world to save lives.
Members of the National Association of Resident Doctors have asked the Federal Government to honour its agreement with the union.
They warned that should the government fail to honour its agreement in the next four weeks, they would be forced to declare another indefinite nationwide industrial action.
President of NARD, Dr Uyilawa Okhuaihesuyi, gave the warning on behalf of his colleagues.
He says they have been given a leap of faith to believe in the system and hope and pray that the system does not fail them.
Former President Goodluck Jonathan has advocated the need for legislation that will prevent the courts from declaring a winner in an election.
Jonathan insisted that the situation where the judiciary is allowed to declare winners in an election, because of electoral fraud should not be abhorred, as it is undemocratic.
He explained that the ballot papers should be the only means of choosing political leaders, adding that when a politician or the electoral system is found wanting, the courts should only be made to order for a re-run and not to declare a winner.
He noted that in Nigeria where politicians induced voters with money and foodstuff on election day, such action is a criminal offence in other African countries.
President Muhammadu Buhari welcomed the beginning of Muslims’ holy month of Ramadan, which marks the commencement of 30 days of fasting.
President Buhari prayed to Allah to accept the sacrifices and increase the unity, solidarity, peace and prosperity of the nation.
He urged Muslims in the country to exercise patience and tolerance and reject voices that seek to divide the nation.
He also urged all citizens to show compassion to the millions of the less endowed and remember those that have been displaced by conflict in their charity and prayers in this important period.
Australia has abandoned its target of vaccinating nearly all the country’s 26 million people against COVID-19 by the end of 2021 after medical authorities changed their advice on vaccine use for the under-50s.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison says Australia would not set any new target for administering all first doses.
Morrison says the Government has also not set, nor has any plans to set any new targets for completing the first doses.
Australia’s vaccination programme was built about the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine, but regulators adopted a more cautionary approach after a tiny number of cases of rare blood clots were found mainly among younger people who received the jab.
Medical authorities last week recommended those under the age of 50 have the Pfizer BioNTech shot instead.
Bangladesh has announced plans to ban all international and domestic flights for a week from Wednesday, coinciding with yet another lockdown to counter a spike in novel coronavirus infections.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh says all international passenger flights to and from Bangladesh will remain suspended from April 14 to 20.
The CAAB’s Air Vice Marshal M Mafidur Rahman says more than 500 flights will be cancelled because of the ban.
The aviation authority says domestic passenger flights and chartered helicopter flights are included in the suspension, while some exceptions may be made for medical evacuations, humanitarian relief and cargo flights.
The authorities imposed a ban on air passengers from Europe and 12 other countries on April 3. Passenger flight operations on domestic routes were suspended on April 5.
US President Joe Biden welcomed a last-minute agreement ending a trade dispute between two South Korean electric-vehicle battery makers that he said represented a win for American workers and the American auto industry.
The companies in a joint agreement say under the last-minute resolution of the trade-secrets dispute, SK Innovation will provide LG Energy Solution with a total of $1.8 billion and an undisclosed royalty.
It says they had agreed to withdraw all pending trade disputes in both South Korea and the United States and to not assert new claims for 10 years.
They have decided to settle and to compete in an amicable way, all for the future of the US and South Korean electric-vehicle battery industries.
A real-world data study in Israel found that the coronavirus variant discovered in South Africa may evade the protection provided by Pfizer/BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine to some extent through its prevalence in the country is very low and the research has not been peer-reviewed.
The study, released on Saturday, compared almost 400 people who had tested positive for COVID-19, 14 days or more after they received one or two doses of the vaccine, against the same number of unvaccinated patients with the disease.
It matched age and gender, among other characteristics.
The South African variant, B.1.351, was found to make up about 1% of all the COVID-19 cases across all the people studied, according to the study by Tel Aviv University and Israel’s largest healthcare provider, Clalit.
The researchers say the vaccine is less effective against the South African variant, compared with the original coronavirus and a variant first identified in Britain that has come to comprise nearly all COVID-19 cases in Israel.
The CEO of Chile´s Antofagasta told Reuters that miners will think twice before splashing out on major new projects even as copper prices have soared to decade-long highs this year.
Antofagasta CEO Iván Arriagada however says many miners had learned the lessons of the previous supercycle of high prices, driven by the growth of the Chinese economy, in which bold but only marginally profitable investments were punished when prices plunged later in the decade.
He says there are relatively few promising deposits being discovered or for sale, further complicating prospects.
He says Antofagasta had no plans beyond an upgrade of its ageing flagship Los Pelambres mine, which will churn out an additional 60,000 tonnes annually, and a pending investment decision over a 140,000-tonne-per-year expansion of its Centinela division.
Uganda and Tanzania have signed three key agreements aimed at developing Uganda’s oil and gas industry, during Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s first trip abroad.
The agreement on the host government and shareholding for the pipeline, as well as the transportation and tax deals, is a step towards the start of the construction of the crude oil pipeline.
The two countries entered a partnership to build a 1,443km (896 miles) oil pipeline to pump Uganda’s oil from the Albertine basin in the west of the country, to Tanzania’s Indian Ocean port of Tanga.
They hope that the pipeline will bring socio-economic benefits and revenues to the region, by creating an estimated 10,000 jobs during the construction and operation of the project.
Uganda is projected to pump its first of an estimated 1.4 billion barrels of commercially viable oil in 2025.
The federal government has received the report of the compensatory contracts and other incentives committee on the abandoned $1 billion Kaztec Engineering Limited fabrication yard, located in Ilase village, Snake Island, Amuwo-Odofin Council, Lagos State.
Chairman of the Committee and Member of the Board of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Senator Magnus Abe explained that the federal government would not sit by and allow such humongous waste of resources on the project.
He stressed that aside from the 3,000 jobs lost to the collapse of the facility, over $650 million had already been expended on the abandoned project.
Abe noted that the facility was to add over 19 million barrels to the national oil reserve before Addax Petroleum declared a force majeure on the project which has not been operational since 2015 due to contractual issues.
The National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control has found out that the chemical added to the killer flavoured drink that led to the death of three persons in Kano State contained ‘Hyroxylamine,’ used for terrorism.
It says all the merchants of the deadly chemicals and additives had been apprehended while further investigation continued.
The Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye warned Nigerians against adding chemicals and additives to food and drinks to enhance the taste.
She stated that such practices could result in severe illness and even death.
The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammed Sa’ad Abubakar III charged Nigerians to embrace inter-religious harmony to ensure peace in the country.
He has also directed Muslims to look out for the crescent of Ramadan from today.
Abubakar prayed that the excellent relationship between Muslims and Christians in the state would continue to be strengthened to ensure peace not only in Kogi but the entire country.
He thanked the people of Kogi State for the inter-religious harmony in the state and urged other Nigerians to emulate it.
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project has called for a slash in the pay of political office holders such as the President, Vice-President, governors and their deputies, as well as lawmakers.
SERAP in a statement issued by its SERAP Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, asked the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission to urgently review upward the remuneration, allowances, and conditions of service for Nigerian judges, and to review downward the remuneration and allowances of high-ranking political office-holders in order to address the persistent poor treatment of judges and to improve access of victims of corruption to justice.
SERAP also urged the commission to send its review and recommendations to the National Assembly for appropriate remedial and legislative action, as provided for by the Nigerian Constitution 1999.
The letter followed the nationwide industrial action by the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria to press home their demand for financial autonomy for the judicial arm of government, and the federal government’s silence on the judiciary workers’ strike that has grounded courts across the country.
The United Nations Office for the coordination of humanitarian affairs has confirmed the attack on its facility in Damasak, Borno state.
The humanitarian coordinator and head of the un mission in Nigeria, Mr Edward Kallon, says he is deeply concerned about the recurrent reports of violent attacks by non-state armed groups putting the lives of civilians at risk.
He also condemned the attack on humanitarian aid operations and facilities that are, the lifeline for people affected by violence and conflict in northeast Nigeria who are dependent on assistance to survive.
He adds that humanitarian operations in Damasak have been reduced due to the violent attack as the support to 8,800 internally displaced people and 76,000 people in the host community receiving humanitarian assistance and protection there has been halted.
Governors from the South East of Nigeria have established a security outfit called EBUBE AGU as part of plans to checkmate the rising unrest in the region, stemming from an increase in criminal activities.
A communique put out by the governors of the Southeast says the agency is to oversee and monitor the activities of vigilante groups in the region.
Chairman of the Southeast Governors Forum, Dave Umahi noted that the headquarters of the EBUBE AGU security outfit will be in Enugu state.
The International Monetary Fund’s managing director says unprecedented policy response and speedy vaccine development helped pull the global economy back from the brink last year, but the outlook is still marked by severe uncertainty and increasingly lopsided access to wealth and opportunity.
IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva says there is light at the end of the tunnel.
The IMF lifted its global growth forecast to 6 per cent in 2021 and 4.4 per cent in 2022 on Tuesday. But the upgrade is driven primarily by rebounds in the United States, China and India.
Georgieva urged governments to ensure people have a fair shot at COVID-19 vaccines, economic recovery and stable futures.
Georgieva says that getting back to business requires ramping up vaccine distribution and ensuring that surplus vaccines are transferred to poorer countries.
Italy recommended on Wednesday that AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 shot only be used on those over 60 and Britain that people under 30 should get an alternative, due to possible links between the vaccine and very rare cases of blood clots.
European Union health ministers failed to agree on common guidance on the use of the shot, despite calls for coordination across member states to combat public hesitancy over a vaccine set to be a key component of many vaccination programmes.
Italy’s health authority recommended that the shot only be used on people over 60 years old but said those under 60 who have taken a first AstraZeneca shot can also take a second one.
President Xi Jinping told German leader Angela Merkel that he hoped Europe would make positive efforts with China following an international row over the treatment of Uyghurs and other minorities in Xinjiang.
Chinese state media reports that Xi said China-EU relations are facing a new development juncture, as well as various challenges also urging the EU to make a correct judgment independently.
The president added that China wishes to put multilateralism into practice with the EU, and cooperate with the bloc on issues including climate change.
China and the EU completed negotiations for a landmark trade deal in December, which has yet to be ratified by the EU Parliament.
Uganda says it has signed a military intelligence-sharing agreement with Egypt against a backdrop of rising tensions between Egypt and Ethiopia over a hydropower dam on a tributary of the Nile river.
A statement by the Uganda People’s Defence Forces says the agreement was signed between UPDF’s Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence and the Egyptian Intelligence Department.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has warned of the risk of conflict over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam which Addis Ababa is building on the Blue Nile, one of the tributaries of the Nile.
Ethiopia is banking on the dam to boost its power generation capacity and fuel economic development but Egypt fears the project will imperil its freshwater supplies.
The head of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, John Nkengasong says the African Union has dropped plans to secure COVID-19 vaccines from the Serum Institute of India for African nations and is exploring options with Johnson & Johnson.
John Nkengasong says the institute will still supply the AstraZeneca vaccine to Africa through the COVAX vaccine-sharing facility but the African Union would seek additional supplies from Johnson & Johnson.
Nkengasong says the possible link had nothing to do with the African Union’s decision.
He says the bloc of 55 member states shifted its efforts to the Johnson & Johnson vaccine citing the deal signed last week to secure up to 400 million doses beginning in the third quarter of this year.
Tanzania has clarified that the lifting of a media ban announced by the country's new president only applies to online television.
President Samia Suluhu Hassan had earlier directed authorities to lift a ban on media outlets, imposed under the previous president John Magufuli's regime. She also asked the information ministry to ensure that the concerned media follow the law.
President Samia says she only lifted the ban on online television only and not other media, including newspapers that were banned according to the laws”.
Information Minister Innocent Bashungwa says the government will first consult the laws involved in banning newspapers.
Ugandans have reacted to the announcement that the government has allocated land for Senegalese-American singer Akon to build a city that will operate on his Akoin cryptocurrency.
Akon says he had identified the preferable piece of land after being given various options by the government.
He says the city will borrow a lot from a similar project planned in Senegal but didn't disclose how much it will cost to set up and who will finance it.
Ugandans online questioned why the government was giving land to Akon when local investors were also in need.
Former Head of State Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar expressed concern over the proliferation of all calibres of weapons in the country, which he estimated at six million.
Abdulsalami lamented that the proliferation of weapons has heightened insecurity in the country and led to over 80,000 deaths and close to three million persons internally displaced.
He stated that the challenges facing the country were not only insecurity in the narrow sense of the military definition but that it had assumed an all-encompassing nature.
He listed the challenges to include the Boko Haram insurgency, banditry, kidnapping, increasing poverty, the threat of hunger arising from the insecurity that farmers have faced and continue to face and the increasing sense of collective despair and despondency among the populace.
The Senate Minority Leader, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe asked the Federal Government to be more sincere in handling the security affairs of the country.
Abaribe was of the opinion that if Nigeria is to be saved from implosion, then the government must become more nationalistic.
The senator called for a thorough investigation into the rising wave of attack on police formations across the country, especially the ones that happened in Imo State.
Senator Abaribe further expressed worry that the country is fast sliding into total anarchy and cautioned that the time has come when the federal government should rise up and address the poor security situation in the country holistically looking at Nigeria as a nation.
Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki has raised an alarm over the country’s rising debt profile, saying the situation is more critical now because of the huge amount borrowed to service the ailing economy.
Obaseki noted that the major oil giants like Chevron and Shell no longer invest so much oil as was obtainable in the past.
The governor explained that Chevron is now one of the world’s investors in alternative fuel, adding that Shell intends to pull out of Nigeria.
He says his fear is that Nigeria might keep borrowing without any means or idea of how to pay back.
Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma has blamed the recent attack on security facilities in the state on aggrieved politicians, saying their aim was to destabilise his government and that of President Muhammadu Buhari.
He explained that security agencies have gathered intelligence on the sponsors of the thugs and their planning leading to the attack on government establishments on Monday.
He says they have credible evidence leading to those who paid the hoodlums, where they met, and how they met.
He says security agencies are already working with this information.
Taiwan foreign minister says the country will fight to the end if China attacks, adding that the United States saw a danger that this could happen amid mounting Chinese military pressure, including aircraft carrier drills, near the island.
Joseph Wu told reporters at his ministry that they clearly see the danger of the possibility of China launching an attack against Taiwan.
Washington, Taiwan’s most important international backer and arms supplier, has been pushing Taipei to modernise its military so it can become a porcupine, which is hard for China to attack.
Wu says they were determined to improve their military capabilities and spend more on defence.
Taiwan’s Defence Ministry added that they will run eight days of computer-aided war games this month of a Chinese attack on Taiwan, forming the first phase of Taiwan’s largest annual war games, the Han Kuang exercises.
Oxford University says a British trial of the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine on children has been paused while regulators assess its possible link to blood clots.
The university in a statement says whilst there are no safety concerns in the paediatric clinical trial, they await additional information from the MHRA on its review of rare cases of thrombosis/thrombocytopaenia that have been reported in adults, before giving any further vaccinations in the trial.
The WHO and the European Medicines Agency will reveal their findings later this week.
The European Medicines Agency says it has not yet reached a conclusion and the review is currently ongoing.
EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides later said that the agency was expected to make its decision late Wednesday, adding that she was in close contact with the EMA.
The IMF says accelerated vaccinations and a flood of government spending, especially in the United States, has boosted the outlook for the global economy, but more must be done to prevent permanent scars.
The International Monetary Fund’s World Economic Outlook now sees world growth of 6.0 per cent this year after the contraction of 3.3 per cent in 2020 amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
IMF chief economist Gita Gopinath says rapid government responses prevented a much worse outcome, a collapse that could have been at least three times as large.
The United States, which deployed another $1.9 trillion last month, is expected to grow by 6.4 per cent while China’s economy, one of few that grew last year, will expand 8.4 per cent in 2021.
She however stressed that the health crisis remains the critical factor in the economic recovery and the slow rollout of vaccinations to many developing countries fuel risks not just of a worsening Covid-19 outbreak.
Tanzania's new president has announced that bans placed on a number of media outlets by her predecessor who died last month are now to be lifted.
She says media rules, regulations and penalties should be transparent so that everyone knows what to expect should they do wrong and the punishment is proportionate.
President Samia says the government must not be seen to curtail media freedoms.
But some say this does not go far enough.
Two United Nations agencies say about a third of the entire population of the Democratic Republic of Congo is facing acute hunger and have appealed for urgent additional funding to deal with the crisis.
The World Food Programme and the Food and Agriculture Organization say it’s never been this bad with more than 27 million Congolese now urgently in need of food.
They describe the scale of the crisis as staggering and say DR Congo should be able to feed its population and export a surplus.
They added that the situation is dire in the central Kasai provinces where there's also been conflict.
The UN agencies say the Covid-19 pandemic and an economic downturn have made the situation even worse.
The latest round of talks between Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam has ended with no progress made.
Egypt’s foreign ministry says the talks failed after Ethiopia rejected a Sudanese proposal to include international mediators in talks.
Spokesman Ahmed Hafez said Ethiopia rejected the United States, European Union, the United Nations and the African Union playing a role in overseeing the negotiations.
Egypt’s foreign ministry in a statement says this position reveals once again Ethiopia’s lack of political will to negotiate in good faith.
Sudan’s foreign minister says Ethiopia’s unilateral moves over the dam were a clear violation of international law.
South Africa’s Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize has assured South Africans that the government is working to improve efficiency in its vaccination rollout.
He says in preparation for the mass vaccination campaign, they have undertaken a deep study of the Sisonke Protocol to draw lessons from the programme and enhance the efficiency of future operations.
He says they have also continued to engage stakeholders across all sectors to sensitise ourselves to the needs of various communities.
He says they are working on a strategy that will help meet the government’s targets, as far as the rollout is concerned.
Dr Zweli Mkhize says upon completion of the ratification process, they will announce the details of the revised vaccination programme to the public and call on the first group of eligible citizens to register on the Electronic Vaccination System.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has warned that Nigeria is heading for the brink, urging that there is an urgent need to pull it back.
He says despite huge human and material resources the country is heading for the brinks and there is an urgent need to pull it back from this catastrophe.
Nigeria has recently witnessed increasing insecurity, leading to the killing of security agents and innocent citizens by bandits.
Mohammed, says the manifestations of the general state of insecurity in the country, especially with secessionist narrative, crass politicisation of ethnic and religious differences need to be addressed urgently.
Mohammed added that the correct starting point towards addressing the problems is building an elite consensus on the security, unity, indissolubility and peaceful existence of Nigeria.
The Federal Government says an additional 100,000 doses of the Oxford/Astrazeneca vaccine has been received from India.
Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, Boss Mustapha says the vaccines, donated by the government of India to Nigeria, will help boost the number of Nigerians be vaccinated by about 50,000.
Mr Mustapha also announced that President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the transitioning of the PTF to the Presidential Steering Committee on Covid-19, effective from April 1, 2021.
Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Oladayo Amao has expressed confidence that the Nigerian Air Force will oust the terrorists and other criminal elements in Nigeria in no distant time.
Air Marshal Amao reiterated the commitment of President Muhammadu Buhari and the Nigerian Air Force towards ensuring that insurgency and armed banditry are put to an end.
The Chief of Air Staff commended the 013 Quick Response Force and Air Component of Operation GAMA AIKI as well as the gallant officers, airmen, and airwomen urging them to remain resolute in the fight against insurgency and banditry.
He told them not to relent in their dedication and hard work towards achieving the mandate of protection of lives and properties of Nigerians.
The NAF boss stated that efforts are ongoing to recover the crashed NAF Alpha Jet Aircraft which was declared missing on 31st March 2021.
President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the appointment of DIG Usman Alkali Baba as acting Inspector General of Police.
The president had on the 4th of February, extended the tenure of Mohammed Adamu as the Inspector General of Police for three months out of which the erstwhile police boss spent two months and three days.
The Minister of Police Affairs, Maigari Dingyadi says Baba’s appointment was carefully made after the president considered issues of professionalism, competence, and numerous years of service.
The president urged DIG Usman Alkali Baba to ensure that policing reform policies are fully prioritized to engender peace across the country.
Many Indian state leaders have asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to open up vaccinations to most of the country’s hundreds of millions of adults, following a second surge in infections that has eclipsed the first wave.
India breached the grim milestone of 100,000 daily infections for the first time on Monday, and cases are likely to stay high again when fresh figures are released later on Tuesday.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and many other states have also asked for faster and wider vaccinations, with some flagging tightness in vaccine supplies even for the prioritised groups.
The federal government says it will widen the vaccination campaign in the near future to include more people, and that vaccine supplies are being stepped up.
Israel’s president plans to announce a candidate to try to form a government after consultations he held with political parties left Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the apparent favourite with the most endorsements.
President, Reuven Rivlin, has wide discretion under the law in making his choice.
He says that ethical considerations could come into play, an apparent reference to the three corruption cases against Netanyahu.
A spokesman for Rivlin says the round of consultations had ended and the president would give his decision on Tuesday.
Netanyahu received the recommendations of 52 lawmakers in the 120-member Knesset.
Netanyahu has urged Bennett and another former ally, Gideon Saar, who founded the right-wing New Horizon party after leaving the prime minister’s conservative Likud, to join him to break the deadlock.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday gave final approval to legislation allowing him to hold office for two additional six-year terms, opening the possibility for him to stay in power until 2036.
Putin proposed the change last year as part of constitutional reforms that Russians overwhelmingly backed in a vote in July. Lawmakers approved the bill last month.
The legislation will reset presidential term limits, allowing Putin to run in elections again after his current and second consecutive term expires in 2024.
The term reset as part of constitutional reforms that included populist economic measures and sweeteners for traditionalists such as an effective ban on gay marriage.
Russians voted yes or no to the entire bundle of amendments in a vote last summer that was held over the course of a week, in a move authority said was aimed at limiting the spread of the coronavirus but critics said left the process open to manipulation.
Saudi authorities say only people immunised against Covid-19 will be allowed to perform the year-round Umrah pilgrimage from the start of Ramadan, the holy fasting month for Muslims.
The hajj and umrah ministry in a statement said that three categories of people would be considered immunized those who have received two doses of the vaccine, those administered a single dose at least 14 days prior, and people who have recovered from the infection.
It added that the condition also applies for entry into the Prophet’s Mosque in the holy city of Medina.
The ministry said the policy starts with Ramadan, which is due to begin later this month, but it was unclear how long it would last.
The kingdom’s health ministry said it has administered more than five million coronavirus vaccines, in a country with a population of over 34 million.
Sudan has declared a state of emergency in West Darfur state following ethnic clashes that have left at least 40 dead and thousands of people displaced.
The UN says that at least 40 people had been killed and more than 50 injured after violence broke out on Saturday between Arab groups and the non-Arab Massalit ethnic community in the city of El Geneina.
UN humanitarian affairs agency OCHA says the situation remains tense in the town as the two sides mobilise their forces.
The agency says humanitarian operations have been suspended and the humanitarian flights have been cancelled until the security situation improves.
A report by the World Bank has estimated that Africa needs about $12bn to buy and distribute enough coronavirus vaccines to interrupt transmission of the virus.
The paper is written by the International Monetary Fund also argues that G-20 countries should extend their moratorium on debt repayments offered to the world's poorest countries.
It says this should be done for another year, in response to the pandemic.
The World Bank and the IMF are hosting their spring meetings this week to discuss issues of global concern, including vaccines, debt, economic recovery and climate change.
The federal government may tinker with the COVID-19 vaccine deployment strategy by redistributing unutilised doses out of the consignments sent to states to others that need them more.
THISDAY says that following the unanticipated shortage of the AstraZeneca vaccine, the government is considering rejigging its plan to redistribute yet-to-be utilised doses to states that have already exceeded their limit in administering the first dose.
A source at the National Primary Health Care Development Agency says that the measure, which is the usual practice in vaccine rollout is aimed at maximising the usage of the costly vaccine and avoiding wastage if it expires.
He blamed the recent upsurge in the COVID-19 pandemic in India for the sharp drop in the supply of vaccines across the globe.
The Nigerian Bar Association has appealed to the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria to reconsider the proposed industrial action by its members scheduled to begin on Tuesday.
NBA President, Olumide Akpata described the decision of the judiciary workers to go on strike as commendable and laudable.
He, however, decried its timing and the devastating consequences it would pose for justice administration in the country.
He says courts are trying to play catch-up for lost time and it will be catastrophic for the administration of justice for the courts to be shut down again due to the strike by JUSUN.
The senior lawyer also noted the adverse economic consequences of the strike for families and lawyers alike, who earn a living by providing various support services to the court system.
He stated that the NBA has reached out to JUSUN on the prospects of reconsidering the industrial action at this time.
Nigeria’s Inspector-General of Police Mohammed Adamu has revealed that the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB)/Eastern Security Network is behind the attack that was carried out on the Imo prison facility.
The IGP’s statement comes few hours after gunmen on Monday attacked the Nigerian Correctional Services and the Police Headquarters in the state freeing an unspecified number of prison inmates.
The IGP in a series of tweets while condemning the attack, disclosed that preliminary investigations have revealed that the attackers, who came in their numbers with sophisticated weapons are members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra.
The IGP has ordered the immediate deployment of additional units of Police Mobile Force and other Police Tactical Squads to Imo State to strengthen security in the State and prevent further attacks on security formations or any other critical national infrastructure in the State.
President Muhammadu Buhari has described the attacks on the Owerri Custodial Centre and Police Command Headquarters in Imo State as an act of terrorism.
The President praised the initial response by the security guards and security forces for preventing greater loss of life and the destruction of public property, President Buhari has directed the security and intelligence agencies in the state and in the South-East to fully mobilise and go after the assailants whom he described as terrorists, apprehend them, and get them punished under the full weight of the law.
The President appealed to the people to assist the law enforcement agencies with relevant information that could lead to the arrest of the criminals who attacked the custodial centre and police headquarters.
He also urged them to be vigilant, saying everybody has a stake in preserving the way of life from disruption by terrorists and anarchists.
The Saudi Arabia-led alliance’s military intervention in Yemen has not only failed in its objective to rout the Houthi rebels, but the kingdom finds itself in a position in which it might be forced to capitulate.
Saudi Arabia has failed its primary objectives of defeating the Houthis and restabilising the internationally recognised government in Yemen.
Nader Hashemi, director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Denver, told Al Jazeera that the Houthis have proven to be a formidable fighting force. Saudi Arabia does not have a comparable ground game that can match its adversaries.
He says Saudi Arabia thought it would win this war via a bombing campaign, and it would all be over in a few weeks. they have now entered the seventh year of this war with no clear end in sight.
South Korea’s LG Electronics Inc will wind down its loss-making mobile division after failing to find a buyer, a move that is set to make it the first major smartphone brand to completely withdraw from the market.
An analyst at Hi Investment & Securities, Ko Eui-Young says in the United States, LG has targeted mid-priced models and that means Samsung, which has more mid-priced product lines than Apple, will be better able to attract LG users.
LG’s smartphone division says it has logged nearly six years of losses totalling some $4.5 billion. Dropping out of the fiercely competitive sector would allow LG to focus on growth areas such as electric vehicle components, connected devices and smart homes.
Analysts have also criticised the company for lack of expertise in marketing compared to Chinese rivals.
Senegal says it will open a consulate in Western Sahara on Monday, joining other African and Arab countries in supporting Morocco’s claim to the disputed territory.
It says the consulate will be opened by the Moroccan and Senegalese foreign ministers in the Atlantic city of Dakhla, making Senegal the 22nd nation to establish a diplomatic mission in the territory.
Morocco has long sought international recognition of its claim to the region it calls its southern provinces. The Polisario movement and Algeria have denounced the opening of consulates in the territory.
Rabat says the most it can offer as a political solution to the dispute is autonomy. The Polisario Front and Algeria have called for a referendum with independence as one of the options.
Egypt in a statement says the latest meeting between Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam may be the last chance to re-launch talks before it is filled for the second year in a row.
The meeting concludes on Monday in Kinshasa. Previous attempts at reaching an agreement over the giant dam that Ethiopia is building on the Blue Nile have ended in deadlock.
Ethiopia says the dam is key to its economic development and power generation. Egypt fears it will imperil its supplies of Nile water, while Sudan is concerned about the dam’s safety and about regulating water flows through its own dams and water stations.
Ethiopia says it will again fill the reservoir behind the giant hydropower dam after seasonal rains start this summer, a move that both Sudan and Egypt oppose.
Sudan says Ethiopia had raised the stakes in the negotiations by seeking to re-open discussions on the distribution of Nile water.
Nigerian Government has commenced the process that will pump the technology, entertainment and creative sectors with over N240 billion in financing and investment set to take off by the end of the year.
A presidential source says that the financing, which is a $500 million loan to be sourced from the African Development Bank (AfDB), could harness the potential in Nigeria’s creative and technology industries.
The plan was to collaborate with the AfDB and other financial partners to set up the $500 million fund in support of the Nigeria Innovation Programme.
Osinbajo’s media aide, Mr Laolu Akande, says that it was public knowledge that the vice president had spoken publicly about the $500m facilities.
Akande stated that the plan to get the funding is an outcome of the Technology and Creativity Working Group set up a few years ago with members drawn from the private and public sectors.
The Kaduna State Government has vowed to prosecute anyone caught using its name to negotiate with bandits or terrorists in the state
The Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, made the government’s position known via a statement issued on Sunday.
The commissioner described it as untrue, media reports suggesting that the Governor Nasir El-Rufai administration appointed representatives to dialogue with the criminal elements while noting that the government has not appointed an intermediary to negotiate with bandits on its behalf
He says the Government will not negotiate with or pay ransoms to bandits. Anyone who claims to do so in any capacity will be prosecuted accordingly.
Former President Goodluck Jonathan has urged Nigerians to work in unity and peace, saying that such is needed for the West African nation to overcome its present challenges.
The former Bayelsa State governor urged all Christians and all Nigerians to work in love, peace and unity and exercise faith and hope, so they can overcome the current national challenges and build a prosperous nation.
He charged Christians, to, imbibe and sustain godly values of righteousness, peace and justice which are the true nature of Christ.
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo and popular Islamic scholar, Sheikh Abubakar Gumi, met to discuss and propose possible solutions to the security challenges in Nigeria.
The meeting was part of efforts to find solutions to the menace of banditry, kidnapping, and payment of ransom, among other security threats in the land.
Discussions centred on the causes, effects and implications of the various security threats, as well as the reactions by communities, local authorities, state governments, and the Federal Government, as well as authorities in neighbouring countries and nations within West Africa.
Obasanjo and Gumi agreed that banditry, kidnapping, and other crimes that have led to general insecurity were a nationwide phenomenon.
They acknowledged that people from various parts of the country and outside Nigeria were involved, although some people were more predominantly involved than others.
Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai says a strong link has been established between the bandits terrorising the North West and the Boko Haram insurgents operating in the North East.
Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, stated this on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, saying his government would not negotiate with bandits.
He says It has been established that the kidnapping operations by bandits are substantially funding Boko Haram activities in the North East.
The governor decried that banditry and insurgency have evolved with time into what he described as a business and a structured industry.
He explained that this was so as the criminals now have various specialised roles within their ranks which enable them to attack communities.
The United States will brief South Korea and Japan on Friday on President Joe Biden’s long-awaited review of North Korea policy in talks on Friday that will also cover concerns about a shortage of semiconductor chips, a senior administration official said on Thursday.
Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, will hold a full day of talks with his Japanese counterpart, Shigeru Kitamura, and South Korea’s national security adviser, Suh Hoon, at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.
Biden earlier said the United States remained open to diplomacy with North Korea despite its ballistic missile tests but warned there would be responses if North Korea escalates matters.
The senior administration official says the Annapolis talks would include a discussion of the missile launches, the extent of coronavirus infections within North Korea, and recent diplomacy between Pyongyang and its main ally, China.
Oil-producing countries grouped together under the OPEC+ alliance led by Saudi Arabia and Russia agreed on output increases as of next month at a ministerial meeting on Thursday.
A statement from the alliance says that they had agreed to boost output by no more than 0.5 million barrels per day in May, June and July.
The decision comes despite the expectation ahead of the meeting that the bloc would err on the side of caution.
Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdelaziz bin Salman stressed that the decision could still be changed in the alliance’s monthly meetings.
Salman praised the OPEC+ alliance nations for more than fulfilling their commitments to restrain output.
The OPEC+ group is enforcing drastic cuts in production, meaning seven million barrels that could be shipped to markets every day are being left in the ground.
The head of the IMF and the African Caucus says Africa needs carefully-calibrated domestic policies and stronger support from the international community to recover from the COVID-19 crisis and return to its path of stronger growth.
International Monetary Fund, Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva and Domitien Ndihokubwayo, Chairman of the African Caucus, issued a joint statement after a meeting of the African Consultative Group, which includes senior representatives from 12 African countries.
They said the key priority remained to significantly scale up COVID-19 vaccine production capacity and accelerate vaccine roll-out, but it was also essential to prioritize policies to help protect livelihoods and vulnerable groups.
The IMF and African Caucus leaders say the recovery was likely to be much slower in Sub-Saharan Africa noting that per capita incomes in many countries were not expected to return to pre-crisis levels before 2025.
They called for transformative policies, including increased investment in digital technologies and climate-resilient infrastructure.
Mauritius has extended its lockdown for another month starting Thursday, and police will enforce a new Temporary Restrictions of Movement Order.
Failure to wear a mask can now result in a fine of up to Mauritian rupees 500,000 and also a jail term.
Police say 2,674 people have been fined for not wearing face masks and another 7,127 fined for breaching the restriction of movement order.
No public gatherings will be allowed and markets and fairs will remain closed.
People aged 18 and under will not be allowed to leave their homes except for examinations or medical emergencies.
Mauritius has so far recorded 12 deaths as a result of coronavirus.
Malawian president Lazarus Chakwera postponed the announcement of a new cabinet line-up, saying he needed more time.
His office says he had received cabinet assessment reports from Vice-President Saulos Chilima and could not make the changes immediately - as the reports were substantial and needed the president's thorough review.
The president had on Monday told Malawians that there would be a cabinet reshuffle in 48 hours.
He has asked for patience, saying he will announce the Cabinet the instant he completes this sacred duty in a manner that conforms with the constitution.
Nigeria primary healthcare chief told Reuters that the country hopes to receive up to 70 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine this year through the African Union amid concerns about delayed deliveries of AstraZeneca shots.
Nigeria has recorded 2,049 deaths from COVID-19 and began vaccinations this month, plans to inoculate 40% of its people this year and another 30% in 2022.
Johnson & Johnson says it will supply the AU with up to 400 million doses of its single-dose vaccine beginning in the third quarter.
The head of Nigeria’s National Primary Health Care Development Agency, Faisal Shuaib told Reuters that Nigeria expects to initially receive 30 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine in July through the AU.
The Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Pantami, says Nigerians who fail to enrol for the National Identity Number risk imprisonment.
Pantami explained that the decision to imprison those without a NIN was in line with the Nigerian Constitution, saying no one should enjoy government services without the number.
Pantami made the emphasis that while obtaining a Subscriber Identity Module card may be optional, NIN is mandatory, noting that a lot of transactions in the country should not be conducted without the NIN.
He noted that rather than the population census which can be manipulated, NIN will determine the accurate number of Nigerians because of its uniqueness and tamper-proof.
He stressed that the government would not renege on the ban on SIM registration for security reasons arising from a huge compromise of the process.
The President of the Senate, Ahmed Lawan has called on Nigerians to continue to support the Federal Government in its efforts to tackle insecurity and provide an enabling environment for the country’s economic growth.
He assured that the National Assembly will continue to work for the people in achieving peace in the country.
He urged Nigerians to continue to support the Government in its efforts to provide security and an enabling environment for economic growth and prosperity.
He says the ninth National Assembly will always work to support the policies of the government.
He added that the various Committees are currently working on the various proposals for amendment of the 1999 Constitution and the Electoral Reforms Act to mention just a few as well as the Petroleum Industry Bill.
The Independent National Electoral Commission says the Continuous Voters Registration exercise will resume on June 28 across the country.
INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, disclosed that the electoral umpire has set aside the Direct Data Capture Machine, and would introduce a new device being developed by its in-house software engineers.
Professor Yakubu explained that the new device, INEC Voter Enrolment Device was developed to be compatible with the android operating system.
He hinted that the engineers were also developing a portal where Nigerians can register for the exercise to reduce the usual rush experienced and avoid breach of the COVID-19 protocols.
President Muhammadu Buhari urged Nigerians not to allow those he described as a few mischief mongers to destroy the country’s unity.
Buhari also acknowledged the efforts of frontline health workers in the nation’s fight to contain the COVID-19 pandemic.
The president, in his Easter message to Nigerians, commended law enforcement agents and military personnel, who continued to confront evil-minded individuals through the darkest of nights to keep us safe.
Buhari expressed the conviction that the new resolve of the security personnel to combat insecurity would be successful.
Buhari also acknowledged the sacrifices of doctors, nurses and other frontline health workers who have made the difference in saving lives and ensuring the reduction of the spread of the virus.
A group of 14 countries has raised concerns over a new report by the World Health Organization into the origin of the coronavirus, citing delays and a lack of full access to data, while the agency’s own chief called for further investigation into a theory the outbreak was the result of a laboratory leak.
The WHO team composed of 17 international experts concluded in the report it was extremely unlikely COVID-19 sprang from a lab leak, a position that was first advanced by the United States last year. China has strongly rejected such allegations.
The scientists say it was likely to very likely that the virus was introduced among humans through an intermediate host, and that it was possible-to-likely that the virus was transmitted to humans from animals.
Germany is suspending routine use of the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine for people aged below 60 because of a risk of rare blood clots.
The German medicines regulator found 31 cases of a type of rare blood clot among the nearly 2.7 million people who had received the vaccine in Germany.
It says it was continuing to analyse its database to understand "whether these very rare cases of blood clots associated with thrombocytopenia occur any more commonly than would be expected naturally in a population of millions of people".
The EU and UK medicine regulators both backed the vaccine after previous cautionary suspensions in Europe this month.
The European Medicines Agency and the UK Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency stressed that the benefits of the AstraZeneca vaccine continued to outweigh the risk of side effects.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says data was withheld from World Health Organization investigators who travelled to China to research the origins of the coronavirus epidemic.
The United States, the European Union and other Western countries immediately called for China to give full access to independent experts to all data about the original outbreak in late 2019.
One of the team’s investigators has already said China refused to give raw data on early COVID-19 cases to the WHO-led team, potentially complicating efforts to understand how the global pandemic began.
The inability of the WHO mission to conclude yet where or how the virus began spreading in people means that tensions will continue over how the pandemic started - and whether China has helped efforts to find out or, as the United States has alleged, hindered them.
The Egyptian president has warned of severe regional consequences if the country’s water supply is impacted by a giant hydropower dam under construction in Ethiopia.
President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi while speaking at the Suez Canal says Egypt would continue insisting on talks between Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan to resolve a decades-long dispute over the $5bn hydropower project that has strained relations between the countries.
Ethiopia says it will advance with plans to fill the Grand Ethiopia Renaissance Dam for the second time in June when the rains begin. But Egypt and Sudan want a deal in place before that is done.
Three-way talks among the countries have stalled with Egypt and Sudan calling for international mediators to be involved in the negotiations.
Ethiopia has however resisted, insisting instead on what it says is its sovereign rights to utilise the waters of Africa’s longest river, the Nile.
The president of the Central African Republic, Faustin Archange Touadera, has promised to reconcile the country in his second five-year term amid a civil war and following an election rejected as fraudulent by the opposition.
Mr Touadera promised to fight corruption, revive farming, and deploy the country's vast natural resources to restore an economy that is currently in free fall.
His task will be made all the harder now that the former president, Francois Bozize, is heading the rebel coalition that is trying to overthrow him.
Much of the Central African Republic is controlled by armed groups that emerged after a civil war erupted after the overthrow of then-President Bozize eight years ago.
President Cyril Ramaphosa during a national broadcast on Tuesday appeared to be quite optimistic about SA’s national vaccine rollout.
He gave quite a hefty update which took up about half of his speech, saying it’s in the bag.
He added that they are also finalising an agreement for 20 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine, which requires two doses.
The government is currently in various stages of negotiations with the manufacturers of other vaccines such as Sinovac, Sinopharm and Sputnik V.
Ramaphosa went on to say that although there have been delays in securing vaccine supplies, he is still confident in achieving SA’s vaccination targets.
The Minister of Police Affairs, Mr Muhammad Dingyadi, reiterated the commitment of the federal government to continue with the comprehensive reforms of the Nigeria Police.
The Head, Press and Public Relations Unit of the Ministry of Police Affairs, Mr Bolaji Kazeem, says the minister made the declaration at the biennial lecture of the Sultan Maccido Institute for Peace, Leadership and Development Studies which was held at the Faculty of Sciences, University of Abuja.
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Police Affairs, Mr Tope Fashedemi, the minister says the police would be enhanced with modern technology, capacity building and a robust welfare programme.
He charged participants to embrace the virtue of honesty, unity of purpose and commitment in the pursuit of patriotic ventures.
The minister appreciated the Sultan Maccido Institute for bridging the gaps between academics and societal realities through leadership and development mentoring for pragmatic leadership in nation-building.
The National Primary Health Care Development Agency says a total of 638,291 eligible people have taken their first dose of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine in Nigeria.
The NPHCDA says more people have continued to receive the vaccine jabs across all states of the country and the Federal Capital Territory except in Kogi State where authorities have yet to commence vaccination.
The latest figure indicates that 124,665 more eligible people took the vaccine jabs in the last two days, following the 513,626 total figure that was reported on Sunday.
It also shows an increase of 6.2 per cent of the proportion vaccinated, compared with the 25.5 per cent earlier reported.
A further breakdown of the figure reveals that Lagos has the highest number of eligible people who have taken the vaccine jabs with a total of 122,714.
The Presidency says President Muhammadu Buhari has only travelled to the United Kingdom for a routine medical check-up.
Mr Garba Shehu noted that there was no serious condition that prompted the President’s trip.
He says It is a medical trip and there is absolutely no urgency, no emergency and the President is not in any sick condition.
He says It is a routine medical check-up; the President has undertaken this with a set of doctors that he has retained over many years
The Presidency says the President, who met with the service chiefs before he travelled, was expected back in the country in the second week of April.
Nigerian Presidency says It is unnecessary for President Muhammadu Buhari to transmit power to the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, explained that President Buhari has not contravened the laws of the land by not transmitting power to Professor Osinbajo while away from the country for a number of days.
He says President Buhari will continue from wherever he is when asked if the President had transferred duties to the vice president.
He added that the requirement of the law is that the President is going to be absent in the country for 21 days and more, then that transmission is warranted. In this particular instance, it is not warranted.
Canada's top public health officer says the country is pausing the use of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine for adults below age 55 after an advisory panel cited substantial uncertainty around the potential risk of developing rare blood clots.
The National Advisory Committee on Immunization earlier recommended a pause in the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine for Canadians in that age group.
Canada’s deputy chief public health officer, Howard Njoo says they are acting decisively with their unified position to pause the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine in Canada in those under age 55 at this time.
He says they are taking this precautionary measure while Health Canada, as the regulator, completes its updated risk-benefit analysis based on emerging data.
Canada is the latest country to temporarily suspend the use of AstraZeneca vaccines after rare cases of blood clots were reported.
The United Nations urges international donors to pledge up to $10 billion on Tuesday to help Syrians fleeing a decade of civil war in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, saying that the need for humanitarian support has never been so great.
The event hosted by the European Union will seek $4.2 billion for people inside Syria and $5.8 billion for refugees and their hosts in the Middle East.
Some 24 million people need basic aid, a rise of four million over the past year and the highest number yet since a crackdown on pro-democracy protesters by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in 2011 led to civil war.
U.N. aid chief Mark Lowcock says plummeting living conditions, economic decline and COVID-19 result in more hunger, malnutrition and disease. There is less fighting, but no peace dividend.
The US suspended a trade pact with Myanmar Monday and led international condemnation of the junta’s ruthless crackdown, as protesters and mourners took to the streets after the deadliest weekend since the military coup.
Soldiers and police have killed hundreds in a brutal campaign against mass anti-coup protests demanding a restoration of democracy and the release of ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
The United Nations says at least 107 people, including seven children, were killed on Saturday as the regime staged a major show of might for Armed Forces Day an annual parade showcasing Myanmar’s military prowess.
US President Joe Biden’s administration announced Monday that the 2013 Trade and Investment Framework Agreement, which laid out ways to boost business but was not a fully-fledged deal, would remain suspended until democracy is restored.
A government audit says Tanzania’s national carrier posted a $26m loss in the financial year 2019/20.
Auditor General Charles Kichere says they have discovered that the airline has made losses of up to 60bn but also in the past five years this company has been making losses annually. There are several challenges that the government ought to address immediately.
Air Tanzania acquired two Boeing 787 Dreamliner, but critics say they have not been deployed to operate in lucrative routes.
The International Air Transport Association says the airline resumed regional and international flights in October 2020, seven months after it suspended operations because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The South African president, Cyril Ramaphosa, has told members of his party they must resign within 30 days of being charged with corruption or face suspension.
Mr Ramaphosa was addressing an executive meeting of the African National Congress.
Party officials have been asked to compile lists of those facing charges.
Mr Ramaphosa has been at odds with the ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule - who's denied corruption charges against him and has refused to step aside.
The president pledged to clamp down on corruption in the ANC after becoming party leader in 2017.
The Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi says that the Federal Government has borrowed about $2.5billion for the construction of a railway linking Lagos to Ibadan.
The Minister explained that the Federal Government’s decision to extend the rail line to the nation’s seaports is for the economic benefit associated with it.
He added the project is costing about $2 billion. The government added $200 million and they are bringing out about $700 million because they have to end the seaport in Apapa which was not part of the original design.
He says China also lent them about $1.4 billion for the Lagos-Ibadan while the Federal Government had to add about $200 million to make it $1.6 billion.
Chairman of Nigerian Governors Forum, Governor Kayode Fayemi says proceeds of banditry and kidnapping are being used to fuel insurgency within the North East.
Governor Fayemi was of the opinion that military action alone will not be sufficient in the war against the insurgents.
Fayemi insisted there are reasons to believe that there is a correlation between activities of bandits in the Northwest, kidnapping in the Southwest, and insurgency in the Northeast.
He says the nation is in urgent need of a political will to bridge the gap between the government and the youths as well as synergy among security operatives to tackle the Boko Haram crisis.
The governor further disclosed that the president has accelerated moves to procure additional security equipment through partnerships with other countries and is confident that the National Assembly would speedily work in tandem.
President Muhammadu Buhari says Nigerians are better and even stronger together as a nation.
He says despite occasional inter-ethnic tensions in the national history, notwithstanding the diversity of ethnicity, culture, language, and religion, Nigerians are better together; even stronger together.
He says Nigerians must count their blessings in Nigeria and see in them the crucial factors of peace and unity.
Chief Bola Tinubu on Monday asked the Federal Government to recruit 50 million youths into the Nigerian Army in a bid to oust the insurgents and miscreants threatening the nation’s peace.
He says the insurgents and bandits are taking advantage of the high unemployment in the country and are recruiting the youths to indulge in their criminal activities.
Tinubu emphasized that the nation is under-policed, adding that drafting the youth into various national security agencies should not be based solely on educational qualification or literacy.
He urged the government to create opportunities in agriculture to stem the unemployment rate.
President Muhammadu Buhari proceeds to London, the United Kingdom for a routine medical check-up.
This was announced in a statement issued on Monday night by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina.
President Buhari would meet with the security chiefs in the morning. Before departing the country for the UK
He is expected back in Nigeria during the second week of April 2021.
His long absence sparked rumours that he had passed on speculations that were denied by the presidency.
Chinese officials say Sweden’s H&M and other foreign companies should not make rash moves or step into politics after the companies raised concerns about forced labour in Xinjiang, sparking furious online backlash and boycotts.
H&M, Burberry, Nike and Adidas and other Western brands have been hit by consumer boycotts in China since last week over comments about their sourcing of cotton in Xinjiang.
The growing rift comes as the United States and other Western governments increase pressure on China over suspected human-rights abuses in the western region.
Xu Guixiang, a Xinjiang government spokesman at a news conference says that a company should not politicize its economic behaviour.
He says to rush into this decision and get involved in the sanctions is not reasonable. It’s like lifting a stone to drop it on one’s own feet.
The Venezuelan government has hit out against Facebook after the social media giant put a freeze on the page of President Nicolas Maduro over COVID-19 misinformation.
The country’s information ministry accused Facebook of going after content geared toward combatting the pandemic.
Maduro without any medical evidence has touted Carvativir, an oral solution derived from thyme, as a miracle substance that he says can fight the novel coronavirus.
The ministry says they are witnessing digital totalitarianism exercised by supranational companies who want to impose their law on the countries of the world.
It described Carvativir as a retroviral of national production and engineering.
Hundreds of Cubans joined a protest caravan on Sunday along the seaside road in the capital, Havana, to demand an end to the longstanding United States trade embargo against the country.
The caravan was one of several actions held this weekend in more than 50 cities around the world aiming to put pressure on US President Joe Biden to lift the embargo and reverse other harsh economic measures imposed by his predecessor, Donald Trump.
The Cuban government supported the demonstration, with Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla telling reporters the blockade has been harmful, illegal, immoral, criminal and that it must be lifted.
Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel also tweeted that the feelings of rejection at the #blockade that tries to suffocate the people, hundreds of citizens from the capital, threw themselves on the boardwalk in an enthusiastic caravan.
Governor Andrew Cuomo and New York state lawmakers formally agreed in late-night talks on a deal to legalize recreational marijuana use for adults 21 and over.
A statement from Cuomo’s office says the change could net an additional $350 million in annual tax revenues and create tens of thousands of jobs.
The draft law would allow adults 21 and over to purchase cannabis and grow plants for personal consumption at home, with a plan to divert some funds to drug treatment and education.
Cuomo in the statement says Legalizing adult-use cannabis isn’t just about creating a new market that will provide jobs and benefit the economy.
He says it is also about justice for long-marginalized communities and ensuring those who’ve been unfairly penalized in the past will now get a chance to benefit.
Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta has banned all inland travel in and out of five counties, including the capital Nairobi, to stop a surge of Covid-19 cases.
He says No road, rail or air transport will be allowed until further notice, Mr Kenyatta said. He declared Nairobi, Kajiado, Kiambu, Machakos and Nakuru counties to be "disease-infested zones."
All in-person meetings in the counties have been banned. International travel will continue on the condition that all passengers present negative Covid-19 certificates.
The president has also increased curfew hours to now begin at 20:00 until 04:00 in the five counties and revoked all special passes that allowed people to travel during the restricted hours.
France's foreign minister has accused Russia of using its Sputnik coronavirus vaccine as an instrument of aggressive diplomacy.
Jean-Yves Le Drian contrasted the fanfare around a recent Russian delivery of a consignment of Sputnik V to Tunisia with that given to the much larger delivery through the UN-backed global Covax initiative.
He made a similar contrast with a delivery of the Chinese Sinopharm vaccine in Senegal with Covax consignments.
The AFP news agency quotes the minister telling France's Info Radio that Russia had announced with a lot of media attention" that it would deliver 30,000 vaccine doses to Tunisia.
The manufacturers of Sputnik V have not yet applied for market authorisation for the vaccine in the European Union, although EU regulators have begun a rolling review of test data.
Zambia's government has announced it will acquire Covid-19 vaccines from the UN's Covax facility.
Chief government spokesperson Dora Siliya says 3.6 million Zambians aged 18 and above will be targeted in the first vaccination campaign.
Ms Siliya says healthcare workers, police officers, security forces, teachers, traditional leaders, clergy and immigration officers are among groups that will be prioritised.
Traders, including bus and truck drivers involved in cross-border business, and those with chronic illnesses are also on the list.
She says the cabinet decided that the administering of any vaccines to be injected to the people in Zambia will be done on a voluntary basis.
The Sudanese government has signed a declaration of principles that calls for freedom of religion and cultural identity in a democratic state.
The agreement also seeks to separate religion and the state.
The signed document states that no religion shall be imposed on anyone and the state shall not adopt any official religion.
The agreement was signed with the SPLM-North, a predominantly Christian rebel group that operates in the Nuba Mountains.
He had introduced sharia law in 1983, but the SPLM-North insists Sudan must be a secular state.
The signing on Sunday is viewed as a crucial step in efforts by the power-sharing government to end decades of conflict with a wide range of rebel factions.
The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, says Nigerians must stop dwelling solely on the negatives if the country is to forge ahead in the progressive path.
He argued that there are silver linings in the sky, stressing that it is typical of Nigeria that when the break in the clouds come, no one talks about them.
Adesina’s comments come on the heels of some assertions made by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, following a recent report that tagged Nigeria as the nation with the highest unemployment rate in the world.
Adesina maintained that all nations in the world experience negatives and if that becomes a focus then there will be more to talk about.
He, however, declared that there are positives in Nigeria, adding that Nigerians must look out for the positives and encourage themselves.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar says the Nigerian government lacks the capacity to address issues facing the country, calling on stakeholders and elder statesmen to help in rescuing the West African nation which he noted is on the precipice.
Atiku’s statement was in reaction to a recent report that tagged Nigeria as the nation with the highest unemployment rate in the world.
He says all stakeholders and elder statesmen have to speak up on time, while there is still a Nigeria to save.
He says the government obviously lacks the capacity to address the current challenges, and they must help them, not because of the government, but because of the people.
The Presidency says that it has never promised to make one naira equivalent to one dollar.
Mr Femi Adesina, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, says the claims suggesting that President Muhammadu Buhari made such a promise, are false.
Mr Adesina while appearing as a guest on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics says It does not exist, it is fake and apocryphal.
Adesina says the minister of information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed has debunked the claim severally and challenged anyone with clips and publications to make them available.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has defended the EU's decision to procure coronavirus vaccines jointly as the bloc struggles with delays in the rollout.
EU leaders are to hold virtual talks shortly to discuss ways of boosting vaccine supplies and improving distribution across the 27 nations.
Pressure is mounting upon them to deliver after other countries, like the UK, achieved much faster vaccination.
The European Commission is seeking added controls on vaccine exports.
Such controls could affect supply to the UK, where Prime Minister Boris Johnson has warned against imposing blockades.
The virtual summit comes as the third wave of coronavirus infections sweeps across much of mainland Europe.
Google announced that it has signed licensing deals with numerous Italian media publishers to pay for news content, in the US tech giant’s latest move to tamp down media anger over lost advertising revenue.
The deal will give the Italian publishers access to the Google News Showcase programme, which sees its pay outlets for a selection of enriched content.
Google News Showcase will be available in Italy in the coming months, it added.
Fabio Vaccarono, CEO of Google Italy, says these agreements represent an important step forward and confirm Google’s commitment to Italian publishers.
The Hong Kong government tells foreign consulates to stop accepting a British travel document that many of its young people use to apply for working holiday visas in Europe, North America and parts of Asia.
The government informed about a dozen foreign consulates in a letter that it no longer considered the British National Overseas passport a valid travel document as of Jan. 31.
A diplomatic row broke out over the BNO in January after Britain introduced a new visa scheme offering a pathway to full citizenship for Hongkongers who want to leave the Chinese-ruled territory.
Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud on Wednesday agreed to oppose any interference in the internal affairs of other countries and defend the interests of developing countries.
Home Affairs Minister, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi says that his Home Affairs department is working on a number of tech-focused features, with plans to take some services digitally.
Motsoaledi says that the department will also introduce a number of changes that are aimed at increased identity security for citizens.
He says this will curb identity theft from the onset as an ID number gets allocated and remains with the child for life.
Motsoaledi said with live capture the department is able to identify applicants through online verification which has a direct interface with the Home Affairs National Identification System to identify persons through biometrics.
Motsoaledi says that the South African Smart ID card and passport also have enhanced security features.
The State Capture Commission is set to appear at the Constitutional Court on where its application to have former president Jacob Zuma arrested, will be heard.
Chairman of the commission, Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, approached the apex court seeking a contempt of court order against Zuma and have him sentenced to two years in prison for his refusal to appear.
The matter stems from the former president’s defiance of a January order by the Constitutional Court, compelling him to appear before the commission, following several delays on his end.
Zuma however replied that the laws of this country are politicized even at the highest court in the land.
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamilas says lawless officers must be made to feel the full weight of the law if faith in the Nigeria Police Force is to be totally restored.
Hon. Gbajabiamila says that there are many good officers and men of the NPF, that there are erring officers that must be cropped off if the nation’s police force is to maintain its dignity.
The PSC Act amendment bill was developed following the recent nationwide #EndSARS protests. It enabled the House of Reps to propose various reforms concerning police affairs in the country.
The Speaker says reforming the Nigerian security architecture, with specific emphasis on the nation’s policing system and law enforcement, is one of the cardinal commitments of the 9th House of Representatives.
Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Mr Timipre Sylva says the National Assembly will pass the Petroleum Industry Bill which is currently before it by April 2021.
He told reporters that the bill would not suffer a setback, going by all indications from the leadership of the National Assembly.
The minister stated that if the nation must diversify from petroleum, it must go in the direction of the gas.
He stressed the importance for Nigeria to steer away from oil to gas, adding that the 20-year-old PIB would attract a lot of investments to the gas sector.
Sylva faulted Senator Dino Melaye’s analysis of the proposed rehabilitation of the Port Harcourt refinery.
The minister said the Federal Government remained committed to its promise to deliver a functional refinery to Nigerians in due time.
The University of Aberdeen says it would return a Benin Bronze to Nigeria within weeks, one of the first public institutions to do so more than a century after Britain looted the sculptures and auctioned them to Western museums and collectors.
The university says the sculpture of an Oba, or ruler, of the Kingdom of Benin, had left Nigeria in an extremely immoral fashion, leading it to reach out to authorities in 2019 to negotiate its return.
Neil Curtis, Aberdeen’s head of museums and special collections, says the Bronze, purchased in 1957, had been blatantly looted.
Professor Abba Isa Tijani, director-general of Nigeria’s National Commission for Museums and Monuments says the importance of displaying the Bronze inside Nigeria for the first time in more than 120 years was inexpressible.
India’s Oil Minister, Mr Dharmendra Pradhan says Nigeria and other African nations could play a central role in efforts by India to diversify its sources of oil and gas as the nation strives to reduce its energy reliance on the Middle East.
India has asked state refiners to speed up the diversification of oil imports to gradually cut their dependence on the Middle East after the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries decided earlier this month to continue production cuts in April.
He says as India seeks to further diversify sourcing of crude oil and LNG, Africa has a central role largely due to its proximity and absence of any choke points in trans-shipments.
Reuters reported that India imports over 80 per cent of its oil and has a huge oil import bill.
The House of Representatives has mandated its committee on Petroleum Resources Downstream to organise an investigative hearing to ascertain the true state of the Port Harcourt refinery which the Federal Government has approved the sum of $1.5billion for the rehabilitation.
The House also mandated the committee to carry out a comprehensive audit of funds previously spent on the Port Harcourt refinery and other refineries across the country.
The lawmakers expressed worry that so much had been spent on maintaining and rehabilitating the refineries but the outputs have barely improved.
They also asked the Federal Government to grant licenses and provide incentives for the construction of modular refineries.
The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, who made the announcement after the FEC meeting says the rehabilitation will be carried out in three phases.
The Delta State Government has asked the Federal Government to return the £4.2 million James Ibori loot being repatriated to Nigeria by the United Kingdom to the state.
Governor Ifeanyi Okowa believes that since the money was stolen from the state, it would only be just to return the funds back to the state.
The protest by the state is in reaction to the decision of the Federal Government to spend the funds on federal projects.
Governor Okowa, however, expects the Federal Government to take a similar route as the UK Government by returning the money to the source it was pilfered from.
EU officials say the European Commission on Wednesday will extend EU powers to potentially block COVID-19 vaccine exports to Britain and other areas with much higher vaccination rates and to cover instances of companies backloading contracted supplies.
An EU official says the regulation is aimed at making vaccine trade reciprocal and proportional so that other vaccine-making countries sell to Europe and the EU does not export much more than it imports.
They have their international obligations and want to keep supply chains going and the global system moving and flowing.
The regulation will be the basis for the EU’s 27 governments to decide whether to block vaccine exports or not.
The United Nations Human Rights Council has adopted a China-sponsored resolution calling on states and other stakeholders to undertake constructive and genuine dialogue and cooperation in the field of human rights.
China's Ambassador to the UN, Chen Xu says introducing the resolution, that the COVID-19 pandemic was seriously impacting the economic, social development and human rights of all countries across the world.
Chen says It also proposes that the Human Rights Council held a meeting in a timely manner on the promotion and protection of the human rights of persons in vulnerable and marginalized.
Chen says that China has already held two informal consultations with various parties of the draft resolution and took on board reasonable suggestions for changes.
The threat of a third wave has become imminent with the first noticeable rise in cases expected before Easter.
Experts from the Nelson Mandela Bay University have shared their latest modelling for a potential resurgence in COVID-19, and they believe that history could repeat itself in the Eastern Cape.
Professor Azwinndini Muronga, the executive dean of the Faculty of Science at NMU, believes that the first crash of a third wave will be felt on his own doorstep, in the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality.
Professor Darelle van Greunen, the director of the Centre for Community Technologies, states that Buffalo City will also be hit ‘as early as next week.
NMU’s sharpest minds are calling for strict preventative measures to be put in place as early as possible.
The four members of the South African Police Service arrested in connection with the fatal shooting of Mthokozisi Ntumba, during the Wits University protests, are set to apply for bail in the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday.
The police officers face charges of murder, attempted murder and defeating the ends of justice.
Students across all ends of the country took to the streets in recent weeks to protest over free quality education and the scrapping of historical debt at institutions of higher learning.
The National Prosecuting Authority indicated that it would be opposing bail for the police officers.
NPA spokesperson Phindi Mjonondwane says the state had received written statements from three people who were injured during the chaotic scenes.
The rebel administration in eastern Libya has officially handed power to the country's new interim government, based in Tripoli.
A handover ceremony took place on Tuesday in Libya's second city, Benghazi, headquarters until now of the eastern administration.
A new Government of National Unity, led by Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah and backed by the UN, was sworn in last week in Tripoli to replace the two rival administrations which have been fighting for control of Libya.
President Emmanuel Macron announced that Paris will reopen its embassy in Tripoli next week, which was closed in 2014, as violence spread in the country.
The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr Godwin Emefiele, expressed concerns that the worsening insecurity in the country, particularly in food-producing areas is limiting expected outcomes and further fuelling food inflation.
He added that as part of measures to address forex challenges, the apex bank disburses not less than $80 million weekly to banks either for personal travels or business travels or payment of school fees.
The Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry hailed the bank’s decision to retain the 11.5 per cent interest rate.
Emefiele stated that the rise in inflation has continued to be attributed to the increase in both the food and core components of inflation, which rose to 21.79 per cent and 12.38 per cent in February, respectively, from 20.57 per cent and 11.85 per cent in January.
A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has ordered the extension of the deadline for National Identity Number by two months.
Justice Maureen Onyetenu granted the extension while delivering a ruling in a fundamental right suit filed by a legal practitioner, Ubani against the federal government, the Attorney General of the Federation, Nigerian Communications Commission and the Minister of Communication and Digital Economy.
Ubani asked the court for an order halting the said ultimatum and extending the deadline.
Justice Onyetenu in his ruling granted all the reliefs sought by Ubani.
The House of Representatives has accepted a petition by a group of Tiv indigenes from Benue State in the diaspora which generated controversy last week.
The lawmakers received the petition during Tuesday’s plenary at the lower chamber of the National Assembly in Abuja, the nation’s capital.
It was filed by a group – Mzough U Tiv Amerika on the insecurity in Benue, Nasarawa, and the Taraba States.
A member of the House representing Gwer East/ Gwer West Constituency of Benue, Mark Gbillah explained that he was submitting the petition on behalf of the group because Tiv indigenes of the affected states had been sacked from their ancestral lands.
The Monetary Policy Committee of the Central Bank of Nigeria has voted to retain the monetary policy rate at 11.5 per cent.
The announcement was made on Tuesday by the CBN governor, Godwin Emefiele at the end of a two-day meeting at the CBN headquarters.
The committee also retained the liquidity ratio at 30 per cent and the cash reserve ratio at 27.5 per cent.
Emefiele explained that increasing the MPR will increase the cost of borrowing and reduce access to credit for businesses which he said might reverse the growth trend of the economy.
He also concerned over the nation’s rising inflation rate which he says was triggered by insecurity and a rise in the prices of petroleum and electricity.
Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, has asked the Federal Government to tackle the deteriorating insecurity in the country.
Akeredolu warned that the 2023 general elections might be threatened if the insecurity situation worsens.
He also condemned Saturday’s attack on the Benue State, Samuel Ortom, wondering why governors would be the target of attack.
Governor Akeredolu noted that Nigerians should be worried if banditry activities reach their full-scale.
He says there is nobody that can carry out any election under an insecure atmosphere.
Microsoft says it would start reopening its headquarters offices next week and implementing a hybrid workplace that brings back more employees around the world after a year of remote work during the pandemic.
The tech giant says its approach is data-driven and research-backed.
Executive vice president Kurt DelBene in a blog post says currently, Microsoft work sites in 21 countries have been able to accommodate additional workers in our facilities.
DelBene says the hybrid model would allow flexibility in allowing some employees to continue remotely while bringing back some to the office when conditions permit.
Eritrea has condemned as malicious the European Union's decision to impose sanctions on its National Security Office for alleged human rights abuses.
The foreign ministry in a statement says he EU has no legal or moral prerogative for its decision and has merely invoked trumped-up charges to harass Eritrea for other ulterior motives.
The EU accused the NSO of extra-judicial killings, torture, enforced disappearances and arbitrary arrests. It did not give further details about the sanctions.
The foreign ministry says the EU was trying to drive a wedge between Eritrea and Ethiopia and was trying to bring back to power the Tigray People's Liberation Front in Ethiopia's Tigray region.
The US has welcomed the formation of an interim government in Libya, and emphasised the need to end the conflict through an inclusive political process.
State Secretary Antony Blinken spoke to Libya’s interim Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah saying the interim administration was an important milestone in the process.
He also cited the need to provide essential public services and ensuring free, fair, and credible elections planned for 24 December.
The two leaders also spoke about the implementation of a ceasefire agreement between rival sides in Libya, which includes the “removal of all foreign forces and mercenaries from Libya without delay.
Libya descended into conflict after the ousting of Muammar Gaddafi 10 years ago.
Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng has turned down an invitation to meet with Africa4Palestine.
Africa4Palestine says it had reached out to Mogoeng with the aim of engaging him on his pro-Israel comments.
The organisation says it was disappointed that the CJ would reject to meet with them, but speak on a foreign Israeli platform. This is in reference to a virtual discussion hosted by the Jerusalem Post, during which he made the controversial remarks.
Mogoeng’s comments on Israel have now landed him on the other side of the bench as earlier this month, the Judicial Conduct Committee found him guilty of breaching the code of conduct by becoming involved in political controversy and ordered him to apologise.
The EFF condemned the discrimination against indigenous languages being practices by the South African Broadcasting Corporation.
The party accused the SABC of cultural treason, as well as the highest form of tribalism and erasure adding that it’s dangerous because it perpetuates the superiority of other languages.
The party says the removal of other languages is done at the expense of the rest of the population while the SABC will continue to broadcast in isiZulu, isiXhosa and English
The party points out at restructuring at the expense of indigenous languages “is corrosive.
The EFF, therefore, calls for equal access to digital platforms and the treatment of producers of all news segments.
Uganda says it had detained an American national for involvement in subversive activities amid a deadly crackdown against opponents of longtime President Yoweri Museveni that has drawn growing international censure.
Uganda Police in a brief statement on its Facebook account says it had arrested the American, Guy Smith, in a town in the country’s west on Sunday.
He was detained for his alleged involvement in anti-government subversive activities. He remains in custody as inquiries continue.
In an email, a U.S. State Department official in an email says the government was aware of the arrest but did not provide details.
The United Nations Children’s Fund says that nearly one-third of Nigerian children lack access to enough water.
UNICEF in a statement marking World Water Day says more than 1.42 billion people including 450 million children are living in areas of high or extremely high water vulnerability in the world.
Peter Hawkins, UNICEF Representative in Nigeria says children are its biggest victims of the world’s water crisis.
UNICEF says the figures in Nigeria are particularly worrying, with 26.5 million Nigerian children experiencing high or extremely high water vulnerability – or 29 per cent of Nigerian children.
The United States Agency for International Development announced the notification of an additional $168.5 million in development assistance to Nigeria.
It explained that the assistance was to continue support for the goals outlined in a 2015 bilateral agreement between the U.S. and Nigerian governments.
The latest funding increases the total U.S. assistance to the Nigerian people to $2.16 billion under the five-year Development Objectives Assistance Agreement signed between USAID and the Federal Ministry of Finance.
The USAID noted that more than $115 million of the new funding would finance new and existing activities to improve public health in Nigeria.
it noted that $40 million would be for maternal and child health, $28 million to control malaria, as well as ensure significant boosts in family planning, tuberculosis control, nutrition, and pandemic relief.
Nigerian Government received 300,000 additional doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines.
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha noted that the vaccines were donated to the government by telecommunications giant – MTN and called on other partners to contribute towards the fight against COVID-19 in the country.
Mustapha described the disclosure that some Nigerian scientists have produced at least two local COVID-19 vaccines which were awaiting clinical trials and certification as significant.
He says it is a welcome development that will open a new vista in scientific breakthrough and will boost the morale and image of the medical industry in the country.
The Minister of Defence, Major General Bashir Magashi says Nigeria is in a critical situation following the insurgency in the northeast, banditry in the northwest and attacks in other parts of the country.
He says the country is in a critical situation that requires the understanding, buy-in, support and collaboration of important stakeholders and key players in this strategic option and national task.
He says this is important to minimize distractions and maximize civil support in order to facilitate operational success and mission outcomes.
The Minister also called for support from the civilian populace and other major stakeholders to facilitate operational success and mission outcomes.
Members of the ad-hoc committee, chaired by Olaide Akinremi, summoned the Central Bank’s Governor and the Army Chief after they failed to honour an earlier invitation extended to them.
The motion for their summon was moved by a lawmaker, Bede Eke, because the army chief, for a second time, did not appear before the committee despite having rejected his representative on the first day of the hearing which held in March 12.
The lawmakers are among the committee that is reviewing the purchase, use, and control of arms, ammunition, and related hardware by the military, paramilitary, and other law enforcement agencies in the country.
The army chief and CBN governor, however, failed to appear before the committee, an action which was condemned by the lawmakers.
The Federal Government has highlighted some of the measures it is taking to ensure Nigeria does not slip into a third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dr Osagie Ehanire says the country will continue to sustain its testing rate to identify, isolate, and treat positive cases.
As a member of the PTF, he noted that the government would continue to work towards better outcomes of cases.
He explained that this would be achieved by critically reviewing all the areas that would lead to the better management of infections while focusing on the evolving nature of the virus and the disease.
He added that the country has seen a reduction in the number of confirmed daily cases despite sustaining its testing rate.
Australia’s parliament debated on Monday a motion to condemn systematic breaches of human rights by China, saying other legislatures had described as genocide its actions towards Uighurs in the far western region of Xinjiang.
Parliaments in Canada and the Netherlands drew rebukes from Beijing after they passed non-binding motions in February that said the treatment of China’s Uighur Muslim minority constituted genocide.
The Chinese embassy in a statement says they flatly reject the ridiculous and absurd rhetoric on Xinjiang by a handful of MPs in today’s House session.
It added that the allegations, based on disinformation and lies and out of political motive, were deliberately made to smear China.
Niger’s presidency says China donated 400,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Sinopharm to Niger on Sunday, the first vaccines the West African nation has received.
China has donated vaccines to several other African countries as it aims to cultivate goodwill through so-called vaccine diplomacy.
Niger President Mahamadou Issoufou received the vaccines at a ceremony in the capital Niamey that was also attended by the Chinese ambassador.
He says from March 27, 2021 they are going to start to vaccinate the Nigerien population with this vaccine.
The head of the World Health Organization, Ethiopian Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has sent his congratulations to Tanzania's newly inaugurated president, saying he hopes they can work together to tackle coronavirus.
He says he looks forward to working with with them to keep people safe from Covid-19, end the pandemic and achieve a healthier Tanzania.
Samia Suluhu Hassan has just been sworn-in as the East African nation's new leader - two days after the death of President John Magufuli.
Tanzania has not published details of its coronavirus cases since May, and the government has refused to purchase vaccines despite a plea from the WHO that Tanzanians be inoculated.
Mauritania has resumed diplomatic relations with Qatar after a four-year freeze.
Foreign ministers from both countries held talks in Doha, Qatar on the resumption of ties.
The Mauritanian state news agency quoted a statement from the foreign affairs ministry as saying the Islamic Republic of Mauritania and Qatar decided to resume diplomatic ties after intensive contacts over the past week and with much-appreciated support from the Sultanate of Oman.
The Qatar News Agency says they reviewed bilateral cooperation relations and the resumption of diplomatic relations between the two brotherly countries.
South Africa health minister says the country has sold a million doses of the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine for distribution in 14 fellow African nations.
South Africa last month suspended its vaccination programme, which had started with AstraZeneca jabs after doubts were raised over that vaccine’s efficacy against a local variant of Covid-19.
Pretoria instead announced its intention to sell its AstraZeneca doses to the African Union.
Health Minister Zweli Mkhize says that the first batch of vaccines that is being delivered will benefit 9 (AU) member states. The balance will be collected this week to be delivered to 5 other countries.
The Federal Government has reiterated its commitment to completing the rehabilitation of the Port Harcourt Refinery, saying it would be functional within 18 months.
The Minister of State for Petroleum, Timipre Sylva in an interview on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics says Port Harcourt Refinery will work, and certainly within the next 18 months.
He added that the Nigerian government also plans to rehabilitate other refineries in the country, stressing that the move is not a waste of funds as believed in some quarters.
He says there are plans to also fix the Warri Refinery and Kaduna Refinery and then we would get all those staffs to work.
The Nigerian government had on March 17 approved $1.5 billion for the rehabilitation of the Port Harcourt Refinery, an amount which many had described as too much for the project.
The National Agency for the Control of AIDS says it is working to ensure that all patients of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus are given a priority in the ongoing COVID-19 vaccination in the country.
The Director-General of the NACA, Dr Gambo Aliyu noted that the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines were safe and would go a long way in boosting the immune system of HIV patients.
He says the Astra-Zeneca vaccine is safe for everyone, including those with HIV-AIDs, and we are collaborating with the Federal Ministry of Health and the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, to ensure that victims of HIV are prioritised in the vaccination across the country.
He explained that the beneficiaries are trained HIV/AIDS people in Jigawa state that were grilled on six income-generating trades to become self-reliant.
The Inspector-General of Police, IGP M.A Adamu, has ordered full-scale investigations into the circumstances surrounding the attack and reported an attempt on the life of the Governor of Benue State.
The police spokesman, CP Frank Mba says the IGP who condemned the incident, has equally directed the Commissioner of Police of Benue State Command to take adequate measures towards strengthening and improving security in the State, particularly around the governor.
CP Mba further revealed that the IGP has also specifically directed the commissioner to carry out painstaking investigations into the incident and ensure the arrest and prosecution of persons indicted in the course of the investigations.
The IGP has assured the people of Benue State and the country at large that the Force will continue to do its best in stabilizing the security situation in the country.
The Federal Government says the rehabilitation of the Port Harcourt refinery in Rivers State will not significantly add to the nation’s burden.
The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Mr Timipre Sylva, doused the concerns that the project would worsen the nation’s debt profile.
He stated that the government does not intend to borrow all the funds to rehabilitate the refinery which he said would be functional in 18 months.
Sylva disclosed that a subsidiary of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Nigerian Petroleum Development Company Ltd and others would contribute the money to be used for the project.
President Muhammadu Buhari described the attack on Benue State Governor as an unacceptable, warning, however, that the incident should not be politicised.
Buhari welcomed the deployment of a high-level team of crack investigators to the state from the Police headquarters in Abuja, calling on the officers to fish out the perpetrators of the attack and bring them to justice.
President Buhari says the unfortunate incident must not be politicized, reiterating that an attack on one Nigerian is an attack on all Nigerians.
The Nigerian leader, therefore, directed the Police to undertake a thorough investigation into the incident involving the governor and into all such incidents affecting individuals and communities in the state.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says both pressure and diplomatic options are on the table for dealing with North Korea hours after a senior North Korean diplomat rejected any talks until Washington changed its policies.
Blinken told a joint briefing with South Korean officials in Seoul that the administration of President Joe Biden would complete its review of North Korea policy in the next few weeks in close consultation with its allies.
He says President Biden plans to complete a North Korea policy review in the weeks ahead in close cooperation and consultation with the Republic of Korea, with Japan and with other key partners, including resuming pressure options and the potential for future diplomacy.
He declined to elaborate when asked what approach the United States would take after the review.
World Health Organisation released guidelines to provide new and updated recommendations on the use of point-of-care testing in children under 18 months of age and point-of-care tests to monitor treatment in people living with HIV; the treatment monitoring algorithm; and timing of antiretroviral therapy among people living with HIV who are being treated for tuberculosis.
The new recommendations outline key new actions that countries can take to improve the delivery of HIV testing, treatment, and care services by providing greater options for differentiated approaches.
Dr Meg Doherty, Director of the WHO Global HIV, Hepatitis and STI Programmes says these recommendations make it clear that there is evidence that integrated delivery of a people-centred HIV, TB, NCDs, mental health and sexual and reproductive health services will be needed to reach our goals of ending AIDS as a public health issue by 2030.
South African Presidency spokesperson Khusela Diko has been allowed more time to respond to the Special Investigating Unit as it continues looking into personal protective equipment corruption.
This was revealed by Deputy Minister in the Presidency Thembi Siweya during a question-and-answer session in the National Assembly.
Siweya says the presidency deemed it appropriate to grant Ms Diko an extension until March 25 2021 so that she can respond to the allegations.
Siweya has also promised to return to the Parliament to provide an update on the matter.
Deputy President David Mabuza clashed with the Freedom Front Plus after they were left highly unsatisfied with DD’s response to one of their questions in Parliament.
Ramaphosa’s right-hand man found time to explain why he was out of the limelight in 2020, claiming he has a comorbidity that makes him vulnerable to COVID-19. His long-term absence aside, questions have been raised about his lack of accountability in the past year.
Mabuza continued to play with a straight bat throughout and churned out a relatively generic response to the controversy.
He claims that accountability remains high within the executive, despite claims to the contrary.
Madagascar health minister has announced that they will wait and see how the Covid-19 AstraZeneca jab vaccination roll-out fares elsewhere before procuring any itself.
Jean Louis Rakotovao on national television says several countries have decided to suspend the use of vaccines because of the side effects.
The minsters say It would be too hasty to make a decision now. The risks and benefits should be assessed first.
Madagascar has chosen not to join the Covax vaccine sharing, despite being listed as eligible by the World Health Organization.
The High Court in Kenya has dismissed an application to decriminalise female genital mutilation for adult women.
Judges ruled that the practise violated the right to health, dignity and in some instances the right to life.
The ruling says the court holds that one cannot choose harm on themselves.
The judges also said that the person behind the case had failed to prove that there was public participation or insufficient public participation.
Dr Tatu Kamau says women should be able to undergo the traditional practice in the hospital, without fearing arrest.
A bill that seeks to create an Armed Forces Commission stirred controversy in the Senate as the lawmakers
It all started when the Senate Minority Leader, Enyinnaya Abaribe presented the lead debate of a bill for the Establishment of the Armed Forces Commission 2021 for second reading.
The lawmakers were sharply divided over the bill as those against it argued that it will cause more disunity in the country.
Senator Abaribe however noted that the constitution mandates the National Assembly to set up the commission.
The lawmaker noted that the bill seeks to among other things, address the lopsided appointment of heads of security agencies by the president.
Governor Aminu Masari of Katsina State says Nigeria has become economically attractive to kidnappers and bandits within the Sahel region of the continent.
The governor in an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today strongly opposed the idea of granting blanket amnesty to the bandits, stating that the idea is enabling the miscreants to continue with their crimes.
Masari argued that the security situation in the country has improved since the All Progressives Congress took the reigns.
Masari also kicked against the intervention of Sheikh Ahmad Gumi in quelling the banditry activities in the northwest.
The Director-General of the World Trade Organisation, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has urged the federal government to restart the Safe Schools Initiative launched at the World Economic Forum in Abuja in May 2014 to protect schoolchildren from abductions.
Okonjo-Iweala says that she had discussed the programme with President Muhammadu Buhari and the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs Zainab Ahmed.
She also expressed concerns that the Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, as well as women-owned businesses, have been relegated in the country’s export drive.
Okonjo-Iweala expressed optimism that a former British Prime Minister and United Nations (UN) Special Envoy for Global Education, Mr Gordon and the UN would be willing to support Nigeria to restart the programme.
The federal government unveiled plans to spend $1.5 billion to revamp the Port Harcourt refinery.
The FEC also approved N3.07 billion for the procurement of laboratory equipment for the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control centres nationwide as well as the increase in the cost of the repair of the Enugu-Onitsha highway to N8.649 billion.
Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, says the contract for the rehabilitation of the refinery was awarded to an Italian company, Tecnimont spa, which is an expert in refinery maintenance, while the funding will be sourced from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Internally Generated Revenue, budgetary allocations provisions and Afreximbank.
He added that local content would be fully involved in the final execution of the project.
President Muhammadu Buhari directed the Minister of Health to ensure effective utilisation of Global Fund’s generous provision of $890 million, over the next three years, to support Nigeria’s fight against HIV-AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
President Buhari issued the directive for the period of 2021-2023, which will also support the establishment of resilient and sustainable systems for health in the country.
The President, says the funding would complement investments in the health sector, help curb new infections, and reduce HIV-AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria-related morbidity and mortality.
The President also applauded the Global Fund for their contribution of the sum of $51 million during the early stages of Nigeria’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, to procure Personal Protective Equipment, test kits, and scale up diagnostic capacity.
Taiwan’s newly-appointed defence minister says it has strengthened deployments in the disputed South China Sea and that the United States has approved the export of sensitive technology to equip Taiwan’s new submarine fleet.
China has increased its military activity near the island in recent months seeking to pressure Taipei to accept Beijing’s sovereignty. Taiwan has vowed to defend itself.
Defence Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng, says Taiwan has increased personnel and armaments on Itu Aba, the main island Taiwan occupies in the South China Sea.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says that China was acting aggressively and repressively, citing its actions in the East and South China Seas where it has territorial disputes with Japan and other Asian nations.
Blinken says Beijing was raising tensions not diminishing them in the region by its maritime actions and posturing over Taiwan.
China’s extensive territorial claims in the East and South China Seas have become a priority issue in an increasingly testy Sino-U.S. relationship and are an important security concern for Japan.
Blinken says Beijing was acting both more repressively at home and more aggressively abroad, including in the East China Sea, including with regard to the Senkakus, as well the South China sea and also with regard to Taiwan.
Lithuania on Tuesday followed more than a dozen other countries in suspending AstraZeneca vaccinations pending checks by the European Medicines Agency.
Health Minister Arunas Dulkys says the vaccine will not be used as a precaution until the European Medicines Agency provides its final conclusions over its safety.
Lithuania’s medicines control agency says three people have developed blood clots in the Baltic state of 2.8 million people after taking the vaccine but said it has no indications that the vaccine has caused them.
The EU’s medicines regulator says it is looking at any serious side effects of all coronavirus vaccines and is expected to publish its conclusions on Thursday.
A senior World Health Organization official has urged African governments not to lose faith in the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine after several European countries suspended the use of the jab.
The WHO's head of immunisation in Africa, Dr Richard Mihigo says the product had so far proved to be safe.
The European Medicines Agency had earlier reaffirmed its conviction that the benefits of the jab outweighed the risks.
African nations are relying on the AstraZeneca jab, as it's cheaper and easier to store than other vaccines.
Many have already received doses under the Covax global sharing initiative.
A senior World Health Organization official has urged African governments not to lose faith in the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine after several European countries suspended the use of the jab.
The WHO's head of immunisation in Africa, Dr Richard Mihigo says the product had so far proved to be safe.
The European Medicines Agency had earlier reaffirmed its conviction that the benefits of the jab outweighed the risks.
African nations are relying on the AstraZeneca jab, as it's cheaper and easier to store than other vaccines.
Many have already received doses under the Covax global sharing initiative.
The High Court in Kenya is due to rule today on whether to decriminalise female genital mutilation for adult women.
The case is in response to a 2017 petition by a doctor who argued that banning the practice was unconstitutional as women had the right to choose what to do with their bodies.
Dr Tatu Kamau says women should be able to undergo the traditional practice in hospital, without fearing arrest.
Campaigners fear the case may set back their attempts to eradicate the procedure.
The United States mission has begun contacting all immigrant visa applicants whose applications were affected by the travel restrictions under Presidential Proclamations 9645 and 9983 signed by former President Donald Trump in 2020.
It is also prioritising the processing of such pending cases in Nigeria.
Trump had suspended entry into the United States for certain nationals, including Nigeria, based on visa type.
The US mission, in a statement, says its Consulate-General in Lagos had already contacted all immigrant visa applicants whose applications were affected and was prioritising the processing of such pending cases.
It says the proclamation announcement applied only to certain immigrant visa cases and did not apply to tourist, business, student or other non-immigrant visas.
Zenith Bank held its 30th Annual General Meeting at the Civic Centre in the Victoria Island area of Lagos State.
The meeting held in spite of the COVID-19 pandemic which crippled among other things, economic activities in 2020.
The bank recorded a 5% increase in its gross earnings placing its result for the year ended December 31 2020 at ₦696.5 billion from ₦662.3 reported the previous year.
The bank’s Chairman, Jim Ovia, says the result was achieved through the resilience of the brand as well as the ability of the bank to leverage the innate opportunities within the environment.
The Lagos State government has identified 88 healthcare facilities across the state where residents can go to take the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines.
the Commissioner for Health in Lagos, Professor Akin Abayomi in a statement says the centres, which include military and police hospitals, have been selected to provide vaccination across the 20 Local Government Areas.
He stated that vaccination can only be obtained at any of the accredited facilities listed and warned that vaccination outside of the centres was highly prohibited.
Abayomi advised residents to stay away from unaccredited centres, stressing that failure to do so would attract heavy sanctions through the relevant government agencies.
He noted that the vaccine would be administered in two doses, with 12 weeks apart to increase efficacy.
The Central Bank of Nigeria has imposed a 6.98 naira service charge on Nigerians for all USSD transactions.
A statement jointly signed by the apex bank and the Nigerian Communications Commission says Customers will pay a flat fee of N6.98 per transaction every time they use USSD services from March 16.
The deal was part of an agreement reached with banks following a disagreement between banks and telecom firms over USSD and other text message transaction requests.
The statement partly read that the approach is transparent and will ensure the amount remains the same, regardless of the number of sessions per transaction.
The CBN noted that the charges were part of the agreements after banks and telecommunication operators met on Monday to discuss the ₦42bn debt owed mobile operators by banks.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission will be demanding the assets declaration forms of all bankers across the country.
The chairman of the anti-graft agency, Abdulrasheed Bawa, announced that bankers would be required to present the forms from June 1.
He explained that the commission took the decision as a result of concerns raised on the roles played by bankers in the fight against corruption.
Bawa stated that this was because criminals would always want to have access to the proceeds of their crime.
He noted that bankers would be asked to declare their assets and the commission would ensure that all employees in the nation’s banking industry comply with the directive.
A document laying out the country’s post-Brexit foreign policy priorities says Britain wants to expand its influence among democratic nations in the Indo-Pacific region while preserving strong ties with the United States.
The biggest review of British foreign and defence policy since the end of the Cold War three decades ago will set out how Prime Minister Boris Johnson wants to be at the forefront of a reinvigorated, rules-based international order based on cooperation and free trade.
The government highlighted a British aircraft carrier deployment to the region and announced a previously postponed visit to India will go ahead in April.
Johnson’s government has vowed the Integrated Review will show Britain still had clout on the world stage and define a new era for the country.
A senior U.S. official says the Biden administration has told China that normalising relations with Australia is a precondition to Washington taking any substantial step towards improving relations with Beijing.
The U.S. president’s Indo-Pacific coordinator, Kurt Campbell, says China’s economic coercion of Australia had been raised in every meeting between U.S. and Chinese officials and will be underscored in interactions in Anchorage later this week.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will meet with China’s top diplomat Yang Jiechi and State Councillor Wang Yi on March 18 in Alaska, the first high-level in-person contact between the two countries under the Biden administration.
Campbell says Biden had told Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison that they stood together during the meeting of the Quad group of leaders, which also included Japan and India, on Friday.
The World Health Organization says Countries should continue using AstraZeneca’s Covid vaccine after many governments halted rollouts because of blood clot fears.
WHO chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan says they do not want people to panic and would, for the time being, recommend that countries continue vaccinating with AstraZeneca.
Her comments came as a growing list of nations suspended the use of the vaccine, pointing to cases of blood clots in people who had received the shot, which was jointly developed with the University of Oxford.
Swaminathan stressed that no causal link had been established between the vaccine and clotting.
Kenya's Finance Minister Ukur Yatani has denied reports that the country risks losing its main port to China should it fail to pay huge loans advanced for the construction of a new railway line.
A local newspaper reported that Chinese lenders could take control of the port of Mombasa if Kenya defaults on the $3.2bn (£2.3bn) loan.
The finance minister however says there is absolutely no risk of China or any other country taking over the port".
He says the loans for the railway cannot be paid through any other fund or any other entity without the approval of parliament.
Ghana’s Minister of Energy, Matthew Opoku Prempeh, has expressed the government’s commitment to ensuring the country’s only Refinery, Tema Oil Refinery, TOR, is up and running.
The refinery has not been operational for a while now due to several challenges, including the inability of the entity to pay its workers.
The Energy Minister however says government will do everything within its power to ensure TOR resumes full operations.
He says that since the government is the only shareholder in TOR, the government will work to bring partnership in TOR that will help TOR grow not to help TOR break.
The Economic Freedom Fighters’ application to have President Cyril Ramaphosa’s CR17 campaign funding documents revealed, is expected to be heard in the Pretoria High Court on Tuesday.
Ramaphosa’s campaign bid for the African National Congress leadership back in 2017 generated R1 billion rand and the secrecy surrounding who exactly donated, has prompted heavy criticism towards the president.
The controversy surrounding his CR17 campaign funding, is also at the heart of a heated court battle with Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane.
The High Court in Pretoria found that Mkhwebane did not have jurisdiction to investigate the president’s campaign funding records.
Sudan has formally requested an expanded mediation team on the dispute over the mega-dam that Ethiopia is building on the Nile River.
Sudan’s Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok has written to the UN, the Democratic Republic of Congo President Felix Tshisekedi, who is also the African Union chairman, the European Union and the US.
Mr Hamdok in a statement expressed concern over Ethiopia's declared intention to fill the dam for the second time in June without a binding agreement between the three concerned countries.
The Sudanese PM says the negotiations will provide significant international and regional support and constitute the required guarantee to build confidence in the negotiations.
Rights groups and supporters of Osama al-Hasani have condemned Morocco for extraditing the Saudi-Australian theologian to Saudi Arabia, where they say he could face torture.
They accuse Morocco of violating the non-refoulment principle under the UN Convention against Torture.
Moroccan officials confirmed they had handed Mr Hasani to the Saudi authorities, who had issued a warrant for his arrest on charges of theft, which he denies.
Mr Hasani's legal team say it is politically motivated and has urged the UN to speak to Moroccan and Saudi authorities.
The Australian government confirmed on Thursday it was in contact with Morocco on the matter and that an embassy official had visited him.
The UN has named Mauritanian diplomat El-Ghassim Wane as its special representative and head of the peace-keeping mission in Mali.
The world body announces that Mr Wane has 25 years of experience in conflict prevention, mediation and peacekeeping.
He is taking over from former Chadian Foreign Minister Mahamat Saleh Annadif.
The Mauritanian served as assistant secretary-general for peacekeeping operations at the UN between 2016 and 2017 and later worked at the African Union (AU) up to 2019.
He led a team conducting an independent strategic review of the UN-led peacekeeping operation in South Sudan.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed described the reported formation of Biafra Customary Government by ex-militant leader, Mr Asari Dokubo, as a theatre of the absurd by a joker seeking attention.
He told the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos that President Muhammadu Buhari will not be distracted by the absurdity.
He says if Asari Dokubo wants to form and run a phantom government, he thinks he is free to do so.
He says the federal government would not give any attention or time to a joker like Dokubo who said was just looking for attention.
He adds that the beauty of Nigeria is that it is never a dull country.
The Federal Government will allocate half a per cent of Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product to research and innovation in a determined effort to enhance the country’s economic growth and development.
President Muhammadu Buhari says the measures adopted over the years have helped to increase research and innovation with the aim of achieving sustainable development.
He says they are happy that this has been achieved in line with the decision taken by the African Union’s Executive Council in 2006 to establish a target for all member States of 1% of GDP investment in Research and Development in order to improve innovation, productivity, and economic growth.
The Christian Association of Nigeria has filed a lawsuit before the Federal High Court Abuja challenging the legality of the just gazetted controversial Companies and Allied Matters Act 2020.
CAN by its General Secretary, Joseph Bade Daramola, noted that the Christian body is not comfortable with the law.
CAN explained that all attempts to convince the Federal government why it should not intervene or interfere with the management of the Church in the country through any of its agencies failed.
President Muhammadu Buhari congratulates Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, newly appointed Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), telling her that despite the robust support Nigeria gave to her candidacy for the position, The President says Dr Okonjo-Iweala was putting Nigeria more on the world map and congratulate the country.
President Buhari lauded Nigerian women once again, pointing to key positions they hold like Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, and many others.
He says the same way, the government would encourage the youths so that they can be ready for the challenges of the future.
Twitter will roll out Spaces globally next month.
The social network launched its alternative to invite-only Clubhouse back in December, which it described as a small experiment focused on the intimacy of the human voice.
A spokesperson has confirmed that the in-app feature which lets users create their own rooms for others to join and share audio clips in tweets and DMs will be available worldwide in April.
Twitter earlier expanded its beta test to include Android users after an initial period focused on iOS devices.
Twitter promised it would give an additional layer of connection to its users.
They explained that audio adds an additional layer of connection to the public conversation. Musicians and authors have used it to bring their works to life, while other people used audio to tell stories, share emotion, and be their true, funny selves.
The South African Revenue Service has advised property owners that all forms of rental income must be declared in their income tax returns
South African Revenue Service says property owners, whose properties are located in South Africa and who host fee-paying guests, must declare the rental income they receive.
The South African Revenue Service has advised property owners that all forms of rental income must be declared in their income tax returns.
They adde that it is the same principle that applies to any person who has rental income from letting out their property as a homeowner, placing them under the same obligation to declare such rental income to SARS.
All plans are in the works to shut down South Africa’s 26 public universities and other institutions of higher learning on Monday as students still await a satisfactory response from the government on how it intends to address their grievances.
The South African Union of Students convened a meeting over the weekend, after issuing a list of demands to the Higher Education Ministry.
SAUS however is less than pleased with a response from Deputy Minister Buti Manamela.
The student Union says it would have feet on the ground to ensure that every university takes part in the shutdown. It has also warned Vice-Chancellors against targeting members of the SRC for following through with enforcing the shutdown.
The petroleum ministry says Egypt aims to produce 7.2 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day in the 2021-2022 financial year which starts in July.
The ministry had said in December that production levels in the calendar year 2020 were at around 6.6 billion cubic feet per day, which covered local needs and provided some for export.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry says Turkey’s actions must show alignment with Egypt’s principles and goals for relations between the two countries to return to normal.
Shoukry confirmed contacts between Cairo and Ankara after years of tensions but indicated that dialogue was limited.
Shoukry says there is no communication outside the normal diplomatic framework.
Top Turkish officials say last week that diplomatic contacts had resumed and that Ankara was seeking further cooperation. Erdogan said contacts were not at the highest level, but right below the highest level.
Egyptian intelligence sources said Turkey had proposed a meeting to discuss cooperation.
The World Food Programme says it will procure 200,000 tonnes of wheat for Sudan in 2021, in the second year of a programme that allows the country to help prevent shortages while preserving precious foreign currency reserves.
The system agreed with the WFP last year allows Sudan to reimburse the organization for the wheat in the local currency, and aims to help reduce the impact of frequent shortages of wheat, which have become common as Sudan suffers a protracted economic crisis.
Sudan had previously devalued its currency as part of an IMF-monitored programme and is seeking foreign financing to help it build up foreign reserves.
Ward says the WFP buys the wheat in a competitive tender on the international market and delivers it to silos in Port Sudan where it is then processed by local millers.
A human rights lawyer, Mr Femi Falana, says President Muhammadu Buhari has consistently said former Head of State, Gen. Sani Abacha, never stole and yet Buhari uses Abacha’s recovered loot to implement projects.
He argued that the Delta State Government could not be denied the billions recovered from its former Governor, James Ibori, just because the state government once said Ibori never stole.
Falana says the Federal Government, under the President’s watch, has continued to recover the remaining Abacha loot and no one has suggested that such recovered loot be paid to the account of the United Nations or African Union on moral grounds.
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control on Sunday warned Nigerians to be wary of fake COVID – 19 vaccines in the country.
The organisation also warned Nigerians to refrain from procuring the vaccine online to avoid falling into the wrong hands of merchants of death.
The agency warned Nigerians to be vigilant and expose anyone who might want to divert COVID-19 vaccines donated by international donors for profiteering.
The Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye, issued the warning in a statement by its Resident Media Consultant, Sayo Akintola.
She says the public must be on the lookout for these spurious and counterfeit vaccines and other regulated products.
The Pan-Niger Delta Forum has faulted the proposals by the National Leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress, Senator Bola Tinubu, on the herders-farmers’ crisis, saying that it is an effort to placate all sides of the conflict.
Tinubu says both farmers and herders were victims of circumstances and, therefore, needed help.
Pan-Niger Delta Forum’s, National Publicity Secretary, Hon. Ken Robinson, says that in an attempt to be politically correct, Tinubu ended up offending both sides.
He says that the reality is that a group of people, whom some have referred to as aliens seem determined to forcefully take over other people’s territory, land and forests; killing and molesting innocent citizens and destroying livelihoods across certain regions of the country, which appears to some as a covert expansionist expedition that could be likened to the chronological notion of manifest destiny in western culture.
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo described the current travails being faced by Nigeria as stepping stones to a greater future for the country.
Osinbajo says despite the challenges the nation faces the Nigerian people, are more than able to surmount the problems.
The vice president urged him to stay focused on delivering quality leadership in service to the people while ensuring that their well-being remains a cardinal point for the state government.
He says there are at least three possible forms of opposition to the government.
He identified them as political opposition, time and when the leader is discouraged or distracted.
Member countries of the World Trade Organisation have been unable to agree on a proposal for a waiver from patents and other rules for efforts to combat the pandemic.
The organisation's rules require member countries to protect patents and copyright so that inventors can make a return on their investment.
The Indian delegation at the WTO told a meeting says that the world is not producing enough vaccines despite the existence of several approved ones and unused manufacturing capacity.
The proposal to waive patent rules aims to make it easier for some poorer countries to produce vaccines themselves.
The Indian delegate says the waiver was being opposed by the same countries that had hoarded more vaccines than they needed, which was hindering a coordinated global programme.
Minister of Higher Education Blade Nzimande addressed the media with regards to National Student Financial Aid Scheme funding and rising student debts.
The Cabinet met to discuss the matter of the funding shortfall at NSFAS. Nzimande says government remains committed to supporting deserving students with access to higher education.
Cabinet agreed to a comprehensive review of the student funding policy and will be looking carefully at the funding requirements to support students in financial need in the post-school education and training system.
Nzimande explained that this will be used to model the holistic requirements of students, including those from poor and working-class backgrounds as well as the missing middle.
The National Prosecuting Authority says it could not enrol the cases of the students arrested during the public protests at Wits University due to insufficient evidence.
Dissatisfied students took to the streets of Braamfontein, Johannesburg on Wednesday demanding that management still allow those with outstanding fees to register for the 2021 academic year.
NPA Regional Spokesperson-Gauteng Local Division Phindi Mjonondwane, says seven students were arrested on three separate dockets.
Ramaphosa while addressing the death of Ntumba at the Wits protest says there was indeed an overreach by police.
While Ramaphosa and Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande both said that priority should be given to education, it did come too late as an innocent life had already been lost.
Glencore Plc, the world’s biggest commodities trader, says Tony Hayward will step down as chairman at the latest by next year’s annual general meeting.
Hayward had originally expected to leave Glencore at the end of a nine-year term, in line with a U.K. governance code.
He says that the board supported him once again extending his term as he navigates the company through both a change in leadership and ongoing legal probes into the company.
Chief Executive Officer Ivan Glasenberg is stepping down this year, after two decades at the top of the company, to be replaced by hand-picked successor Gary Nagle. The company is also facing multiple probes, including from the U.S. Department of Justice.
Glencore in a statement says a search for Hayward’s successor is underway.
The central bank data shows that South Africa’s current account surplus narrowed to 3.7% of gross domestic product in the last quarter of 2020 from 5.9% in the prior quarter as the trade surplus fell and there was a larger shortfall on the income account.
The rand value of the current account surplus was at 197.8 billion rand ($13.20 billion) in the three months to the end of December from 294.4 billion rand in the third quarter.
The trade surplus narrowed to 425.2 billion rand in the fourth quarter from 450.9 billion rand in the previous three months.
US magazine, Global Finance, specialising in financial markets and investment banking says the African Development Bank has been named the Best Multilateral Financial Institution in the world for 2021.
It is a global recognition for the path breaking efforts of the Bank as it transforms itself into a solutions bank for Africa through a combination of its operations, knowledge services and investment positioning, which continue to help accelerate Africa’s development.
The award by Global Finance is an affirmation of the success of the operational strategy being pursued by the African Development Bank under the leadership of Dr. Akinwumi Adesina.
Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, has disclosed that Nigeria has lost $235 million due to the long delay in the passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill.
Omo-Agege stated that an estimated $15 billion is lost annually as a result of the delay in passing the PIB.
The Deputy Senate President stressed that the delays, through different administrations, in enacting the PIB have cost the country an estimated $235 billion.
He explained that before the pandemic and oil slump, the petroleum industry was the backbone of the Nigerian economy.
He says it is the highest contributor to the national wealth, accounting for about a third of our GDP, over 75 per cent of government revenues and 95 per cent of foreign exchange earnings.
The trial of Abubakar Ali Peters and his company, Nadabo Energy Limited, for an alleged ₦1.4bn fraud continued on Wednesday before Justice Christopher Balogun of the Lagos State High Court sitting in Ikeja.
The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission Abdulrasheed Bawa, made history as the first chairman of the Commission to give evidence in Court.
Bawa had given evidence against the defendants, who pleaded not guilty to the alleged fraud, stating that Nababo Energy Limited allegedly obtained the sum of ₦1,464,961,978.24 from the Federal Government as an oil subsidy with forged documents.
The United States has funded a programme for Nigerian judicial officers, prosecutors, and law enforcement officials to boost efforts to tackle human trafficking in the country.
A statement issued on Wednesday by the spokesman of the US Consulate, Temitayo Famutimi, focused on improving the investigation and prosecution of human trafficking cases.
The statement says the retreat provided an opportunity for members of the judiciary and prosecutors at the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, to discuss the admissibility of electronic evidence in human trafficking cases under Nigerian law.
Paris health authorities warn that Intensive care units at hospitals in the Paris region are nearly saturated with COVID-19 patients with doctors now putting off non-urgent operations in order to free up more beds.
The surge in cases comes ahead of a government crisis meeting Wednesday, with officials hoping to avoid a new lockdown for the capital as the fast-spreading British variant of the coronavirus hits France.
A nationwide curfew of 6 pm is in place, and weekend shutdowns have been ordered for the northern Pas-de-Calais region, where transfers of Covid patients to less crowded hospitals began last week, and in the Mediterranean region surrounding Nice.
The agency says officials will now postpone 40 per cent of non-urgent operations in order to have a total of 1,577 beds available for Covid cases soon.
Russia and China have unveiled plans for a joint lunar space station as Moscow seeks to recapture the glory of its space pioneering days of Soviet times, and Beijing gears up its own extraterrestrial ambitions.
The Russian space agency Roscomos in a statement says it signed an agreement with China’s National Space Administration to develop a complex of experimental research facilities created on the surface and/or in the orbit of the Moon.
China’s National Space Administration says the project was open to all interested countries and international partners in what experts said would be China’s biggest international space cooperation project to date.
The U.S. House of Representatives approved legislation to expand protections for labour union organizing and collective bargaining, at a time when workers at an Amazon.com facility in Alabama are deciding whether to join a union.
The Protecting the Right to Organize Act being pushed by Democrats passed the House by a vote of 225-206.
The bill now goes to the Senate where it is expected to have a more difficult path because Democrats and Republicans are split 50-50 in the chamber and most legislation needs at least 60 supporters to advance.
Employees at the Amazon.com Inc fulfilment centre in Bessemer, Alabama, are voting whether to become the company’s first workers to join a labour union. Voting in the election continues through March 29.
Burundi's ministry of commerce has banned maize grain and flour imports for the next six months starting 8 March.
A statement from the ministry says recently imported maize was found to be not good and could affect people’s health.
It didn't specify which countries the imports were from.
Jeremie Banigwaninzigo, the permanent secretary in Burundi’s ministry for commerce and tourism says while this grain and flour are being rejected by neighbouring countries they need to make sure that it does not enter the country.
He says the central African nation has had a good yield from the last crop season reassuring consumers that the commodity would be available even with the ban.
Mauritius entered into a 15-day national lockdown on Wednesday morning after a rise in new local Covid-19 cases since the beginning of the month.
The nation recorded five new cases on Tuesday, bringing the total of new cases to 15, in what the authorities suspect could be a second wave.
Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth in a televised address on Tuesday night says the situation is no longer the same and the virus is no longer in a single cluster.
The announcement prompted panic buying of supplies and long queues at petrol stations.
Violators of the lockdown will be fined or be jailed for not more than five years.
A similar lockdown was lifted in June last year.
President Muhammadu Buhari launched the $3.2 billion rehabilitation and reconstruction of Port Harcourt- Maiduguri eastern narrow gauge railway project, Bonny Deep Sea Port and the Railway Industrial Park, Port Harcourt, to be executed with 85 per cent loan and the federal government’s 15 per cent counterpart funding.
The three projects will be co-financed with a loan from a syndicate of Chinese financiers.
He says the railway project, when completed, would reactivate the dormant economic activities on the eastern corridor.
He says the rehabilitation of the Port Harcourt-Maiduguri railway line will reactivate economic activities along the eastern corridor.
The Delta State government faulted the decision of the federal government to spend the £4.2 million forfeited by associates of a former governor of the state, Chief James Ibori, on the completion of the Second Niger Bridge, Abuja-Kano Expressway and the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway under the coordination of the Nigeria Social Investment Authority.
The forum also found as unacceptable the argument of the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr Abubakar Malami, that the federal government is appropriating the funds because the offenders committed a federal offence, contending that in the similar case of forfeiture by former governor of Bayelsa State, Chief Dieprieye Alamieyeseigha, the repatriated funds went to the state.
Zamfara State Governor, Bello Matawalle, has issued a two-month ultimatum to all bandits in the state to either repent and surrender their weapons or face serious consequences from the security personnel.
The governor decried that the activities of informants were becoming worrisome and asked residents engaging in such acts to have a rethink.
He warned that the state government would squarely face any bandit that refused to surrender within the stipulated time.
Governor Matawalle stated that the Federal Government would soon deploy additional 6,000 soldiers to help the state government fight the recalcitrant bandits.
The Federal Government says all that is necessary for the resumption of international flight operations at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano will be fast-tracked.
The Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika says that the ministry was willing to reopen the airport for international flight operations, saying the continued suspension of international flights to and from the airport was denying the Federal Government and its agencies a lot of revenue.
He says it does not make economic sense for the government to spend so much money as it has done in the airport and just decide to leave it inoperative with the attendant degeneration on infrastructure, redundancy amongst operational staff, revenue losses, and hardship to travellers, among other challenges.
Kamala Harris is due to make her United Nations debut as U.S. vice president next week when she addresses an annual United Nations meeting on the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women.
Harris will speak at the virtual 65th Commission on the Status of Women on March 16, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield said on Monday, adding Washington would also join a U.N. Group of Friends for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and Girls.
Thomas-Greenfield says they all believe and understand that when women do better, countries do better.
She says the United States would take a leading role to combat sexual and gender-based violence around the world and to push for more women to be included in peace talks globally.
The authorities in Kenya have banned maize imports from neighbouring Uganda and Tanzania over safety concerns, media outlets in the three countries report.
They cite a letter from Kenya's Agriculture and Food Authority as saying maize imports from Uganda and Tanzania were found to have high levels of mycotoxins.
Tanzania's Citizen newspaper reports that Long queues of lorries loaded with maize were seen on the Tanzanian side of the Namanga border.
Ugandan Trade Minister Amelia Kyambadde is quoted as saying she was waiting for more information before commenting.
The US has reversed a decision to temporarily ease sanctions on Israeli billionaire Dan Gertler, who is accused of corruption over mining deals in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
A statement from the US State Department says the license previously granted to Mr Gertler is inconsistent with America’s strong foreign policy interests in combatting corruption around the world, specifically including U.S. efforts to counter corruption and promote stability in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The latest US move reverses a decision granted in former President Donald Trump administration’s final days.
The Trump administration had given Mr Gertler a one-year reprieve until 31 January 2022, to be able to continue doing business with US companies.
The first batch of 96,000 doses of the Covid-19 vaccine has arrived in Sierra Leone under the Covax initiative.
The doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine come weeks after the arrival of 200,000 doses of the Chinese vaccine.
A new poll shows only 43% of people in Sierra Leone’s capital are willing to take a Covid-19 jab.
Even less are willing to receive the Chinese one.
The country has confirmed 3,920 cases of coronavirus and 79 deaths.
A directive by the Independent National Electoral Commission to its Resident Electoral Commissioners in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory to commence the inventory of all election materials in preparation for 2023 election.
The commission says it would review its deliberations with stakeholders on the expansion of polling units.
The directive was aimed at determining material shortfalls and to take adequate steps to ensure adequacy and availability of such materials for the 2023 general election.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, says the RECs have been directed to compile and submit an inventory of all election materials in order to determine shortfalls and take early steps to ensure their adequacy and availability.
Yakubu affirmed the commitment of the commission to deepening the culture of preparation for credible elections.
President Muhammadu Buhari has praised Nigerian women, saying they can perform creditably both locally and globally if given the opportunity.
Buhari in a statement issued on Monday by his media aide, Femi Adesina, described women as the bedrock of society.
President Buhari pledged support towards female gender inclusiveness in all sectors of national life, stressing that women are key to a happy and stable family, society, and nation.
President Buhari states that any government which neglects such a crucial component of its demographic asset stands the risk of stunted growth and likely failure.
The First Lady, Mrs Aisha Buhari, called for an end to the abduction of women and schoolgirls in her goodwill message to Nigerian women on International Women’s Day.
President Muhammadu Buhari condemned discrimination against women in their places of work based on their gender, saying despite the gender discrimination, women remain the bedrock of society.
Dr. Aisha Muhammadu Buhari, on the occasion of the International Women’s Day 2021,’ the first lady urged governments at all levels to end the abductions.
Aisha raised the alarm that girl-child education is being negatively affected by the abductions of schoolgirls by bandits.
She added that it was important, not just to continue spreading the message of the COVID-19 protocol, but to remember and support those affected negatively by the pandemic.
President Muhammadu Buhari expressed Nigeria’s commitment to ensuring political stability in the neighbouring Niger Republic, as it is in the best interest of the country to do so.
The president, in a statement by his media adviser, Mr Femi Adesina, says since Nigeria shares more than 1,400 kilometres of border with the Republic of Niger, it should be concerned about the stability of that country.
He congratulated Sambo and his team for a job well.
The ECOWAS Head of Mission on the election says he met with all the stakeholders before the polls, which went into a run-off after the initial poll in December last year was inconclusive.
Sambo described the election as a great improvement on that of December 27 last year and thanked Buhari for facilitating the transportation needs of his team.
The federal government has commenced the movement of the AstraZeneca vaccine to all the states of the federation.
The Executive Director, National Primary Health Care Development Agency Dr Faisal Shuaib, says the federal government is designating Vaccine Accountability Officers in the states and local government areas to closely monitor the management and utilisation of the vaccine as well as ensure retrievals of vaccine vials for proper disposal.
Shuaib assured the nation that adequate provisions have been made to deploy the vaccines in all the states and vaccination sites where people will be vaccinated.
He stated that the state launch of the COVID-19 vaccination for frontline health workers is slated for today while governors will launch the vaccination tomorrow.
The White House has urged computer network operators to take further steps to gauge whether their systems were affected amid a hack of Microsoft Corp’s Outlook email program, saying a recent software patch still left serious vulnerabilities.
White House official says it is an active threat still developing and they urge network operators to take it very seriously adding that top US security officials were working to decide what next steps to take following the breach.
The White House official, in a statement, says the administration was making “a whole of government response.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has written to Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, suggesting ways to accelerate Afghanistan’s stalled peace process in Afghanistan and achieve a lasting ceasefire.
IBlinken proposed convening a United Nations-facilitated conference with foreign ministers and envoys from Russia, China, Pakistan, Iran, India and the United States to discuss a unified approach to supporting peace in Afghanistan.
Blinken says these documents will enable the government in Kabul and the Taliban to move towards developing principles that will guide the country’s constitutional and governing arrangements, develop a road map to a new, inclusive government and develop the terms of a permanent ceasefire.
The education ministry says Schools in Senegal will shut until March 15, after days of violent protests that have paralysed parts of the capital Dakar and are expected to continue next week.
Opponents of President Macky Sall have called for further protests on Monday.
The education ministry strongly recommends that students’ parents keep a close eye on their children and keep them from the risks that come from the protests.
Political pressure has mounted on President Sall, whose presidency has been plagued by accusations that he unjustly torpedoes political rivals and worries that he may seek to extend his rule beyond his allotted two-term limit.
Swiss voters have narrowly approved a proposal to ban face coverings in a decision that critics branded Islamophobic and sexist.
Official results showed that 51.2 percent of voters, and a majority of federal Switzerland’s cantons, supported the proposal.
The vote comes after years of debate in Switzerland following similar bans in other European countries, despite Muslim women wearing full-face veils being an exceptionally rare sight in Swiss streets.
Campaign posters reading “Stop radical Islam!” and “Stop extremism!”, featuring a woman in a black niqab – a veil worn by some Muslim women which, in addition to a headscarf, covers the lower half of the face – have been plastered around Swiss cities.
Officials in Equatorial Guinea have appealed for international help following a series of explosions that left at least 15 people dead and 500 injured.
The cause of the blasts has been put down to an accident at a military base.
President Teodoro Obiang Nguema says the explosions had been caused by the negligence of the team in charge of storing dynamite inside the military base.
He says that the health services were quickly overwhelmed because of the extreme powerful explosions that flattened homes and tore the roofs off buildings.
Videos from the scene showed injured people staggering through clouds of smoke to reach safety.
Ghana suffered a nationwide power cut on Sunday, the west African country’s electricity provider GRIDCo said, as it attempted to restore power.
The Ghana Grid Company Limited says it was dealing with a total system shutdown.
The company says a challenge in the power system led to a total system shutdown. This led to an interruption in power supply to all parts of the country.
It added that the technical team is currently working to restore power supply. GRIDCo is also working to ascertain the reasons behind the total system shutdown.
Ghanaians took to social media to express their frustration.
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation and the Chairman Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, Boss Mustapha, and members of the PTF will on Monday in Abuja receive doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines.
The Director Press, Office of the SGF, Willie Bassey, said this in a notice on Sunday night.
The development about 48 hours after the President, Major General The SGF and the PTF members would received theirs on Monday after it got a clearance from the Executive Director National Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr. Faisal Shuaib.
Bassey said that the vaccination will be held at the OSGF during the weekly live joint national briefing of the taskforce.
The presidency has dismissed some media reports suggesting that a fire outbreak was recorded inside the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President, Garba Shehu, said there was no fire within the seat of power.
The presidential spokesman says 24 hours after an online medium reported a fire outbreak at the Presidential Villa, causing confusion among workers.
He says the bush fire, which started and ended outside the perimeter walls of the Villa, was seamlessly contained by fire stations of the State House and the one nearby from the Federal Fire Service.
He says no loss of life, no loss whatsoever to building and property was recorded.
The Presidency has assured all citizens, that the vaccine administered to President Muhammadu Buhari and his vice, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, has no side effects on them.
Mr. Garba Shehu the Senior Special Assistant to the President in a short communique put out to dispel fears and misconceptions about the safety of the vaccine administered said all has remained normal after the jabs.
Mr. Shehu in his statement hoped that a strong message will be sent among the people, especially those grappling with hesitancy about the efficacy and safety of the vaccine.
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell says the US labor market faces a lengthy recovery and the economy will not see maximum employment this year.
He expressed hope about the restoration of jobs lost during the pandemic, Powell noted that millions of workers have left the labor force.
Powell during an event hosted by The Wall Street Journal says it is not at all likely it would reach maximum employment this year. I think it’s going to take some time to get there.
He stressed that the central bank is in no rush to raise its benchmark lending rate in another effort to assuage financial markets worried that rising prices will lead to increased borrowing costs.
The head of the popular online video sharing platform, Yutube says former US president Donald Trump will be allowed back on YouTube but only when the threat of his inciting violence abates.
YouTube in late January suspended Trump’s channel, joining other social media platforms in banning his accounts following the deadly January 6 Capitol riot.
YouTube chief Susan Wojcicki during a streamed Atlantic Council interview says they will lift the suspension of the Donald Trump channel when we determine that the risk of violence has decreased.
Wojcicki said that when the Trump channel is reinstated, it will remain subject to the same three strike system as everyone else at YouTube.
The authorities in South Sudan say a partial lockdown, brought in to reduce the spread of Covid-19, will remain in place for another month.
Schools and universities will remain closed, while social gatherings - including religious and sporting events - remain banned.
The head of the Covid-19 national taskforce, Hussein Abdelbagi Akol says the partial lockdown will run until 3 April.
He termed the extension as necessary to prevent wider spread of the Covid-19 across the country.
Mr Abdelbagi directed law enforcement agencies to implement the measures and ensure that violators face penalties.
Algeria is preparing a law which would strip the nationality of its citizens who join, finance or glorify a terrorist organisation abroad.
The justice minister outlined the proposed changes during a cabinet meeting, reports the state-run news agency APS.
Reuters news agency quotes the prime minister's office as saying that the new law would remain compatible with international conventions and guarantee the right to appeal.
The authorities, however, appear to have not given any reason for the amendment.
Human Rights Watch has called for an urgent United Nations-backed inquiry into alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Ethiopian region of Tigray.
The lobby group accuses Ethiopian and Eritrean forces of indiscriminately shelling the city of Axum in November.
Human Rights Watch says the Eritreans later massacred an estimated 200 civilians while referring to a report last week by Amnesty International
Eritrea has previously dismissed the allegations. Ethiopia's Human Rights Commissions says they should be taken seriously.
The UN Security Council failed to agree on a joint statement on the conflict in Tigray.
The UN citing reports that Women in Africa are less likely to die from Covid-19 than men, but more likely to succumb to maternal complications due to limited access to reproductive services since the pandemic started.
A study of 28 African countries including Guinea, Mauritius and Uganda showed that on average women accounted for a slightly smaller proportion of coronavirus infections and deaths compared to men.
Overall around 41 percent of reported Covid-19 cases were women, although the figures ranged widely from 31 percent in Niger to more than 57 percent in South Africa.
World Health Organization regional director for Africa Matshidiso Moeti told an online news conference that in most countries, women are somewhat less likely to die from Covid-19 than men.
The federal government foreclosed access to the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine it received on Tuesday to states without adequate security at their cold stores.
Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr. Faisal Shuaib, says states yet to fulfill stipulated conditions for benefitting from the vaccines would not get the vaccines.
He spoke as the federal government firmed up preparations for distributing the vaccine to states ahead of the vaccination, expected to begin tomorrow with the immunisation of President Muhammadu Buhari, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo among other dignitaries, billed to be televised live to assure people of the safety of the vaccine.
The governors of the 36 states also rose from a meeting that all of them with their deputies will take the COVID-19 vaccines on March 9 in their respective states.
The federal government says the country had at least two vaccine candidates but no resources for clinical trial phases.
President Muhammadu Buhari has directed the Nigeria Immigration Service to improve surveillance and control around the nation’s borders.
He urged the NIS to collaborate with international security organisations such as INTERPOL in safeguarding the borders.
The President asked the service to ensure that criminal elements do not find Nigeria as a safe haven to hide and perpetrate their criminality.
He also instructed all security agencies to raise their performance in protecting lives and property, with a mandate that the nation’s Global Security Index must be improved.
The European Union promised legal action on Wednesday after the British government unilaterally extended a grace period for checks on food imports to Northern Ireland, a move Brussels said violated terms of Britain’s divorce deal.
The British government extended a grace period for some checks on agricultural and food products imported by retailers to Northern Ireland until Oct. 1 in a move it said was necessary to ensure the free flow of goods to the British region.
The European Union in a statement expressed strong concerns at a move it said amounted to a violation of the substantive provisions of the Northern Ireland Protocol, the most contentious part of Britain’s divorce deal with the EU.
Rwanda has received its first batch of Covid-19 vaccine doses from the UN-backed Covax distribution initiative which it will use to immunise people identified as priority risk groups.
The health ministry says the country received 240,000 doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, and with a further 102,960 doses of Pfizer vaccine expected to arrive later in the day.
Rwanda expects to receive the total of 1,098,960 doses of both the AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccines.
Health Minister Daniel Ngamije says their target is to vaccinate 30% of the population by the end of 2021, and 60% by the end of 2022.
South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir has ordered the suspension of the operations of a local airline whose plane crashed on Tuesday, killing all on board.
The small plane operated by South Sudan Supreme Airlines Aviation Company crashed in the eastern Jonglei State shortly after take-off at Pieri airstrip.
President Kiir in a statement says the suspension of the airline was a temporary measure to deal with these avoidable air accidents before laws governing civil aviation are strengthened via legislative means.
He says the measure is necessary for these institutions to ascertain air worthiness of the remaining South Sudan Supreme planes.
The Police Service Commission dismissed a report that it is not fair to all constituent parts of the federation in the promotion of senior police officers of the Nigerian Police Force.
The commission, in a statement by its spokesman, Mr Ikechukwu Ani, says promotion in the police was guided by rules and regulations devoid of ethnic or religious considerations.
The commission says it had since sanitised the processes of recruitment, promotion and discipline in the force and had ensured that they were also governed by rules and regulations.
The commission added that it is on record that it has contributed to ensuring sanity in the recruitment of qualified Nigerians into the police where the principle of federal character is now considered alongside merit.
President Muhammadu Buhari and others are to receive the COVID-19 vaccine dose in the open.
According to the Minister of State for Health, Dr Olorunnimbe Mamora, explained the rationale behind the decision.
He says there is no specific time as to when President Buhari would be vaccinated.
He answered they want to let the people know that this vaccine is safe, that is why they will do it in the open because we need to generate that confidence and build trust in the people.
The National Primary Health Care Development Agency on Wednesday dispelled fears that people may not want to be vaccinated against COVID-19, noting that up to 2.3m Nigerians have indicated an interest in taking the jabs.
The Executive Director of NPHCDA, Faisal Shuaib, says there is enthusiasm in Nigeria over Monday’s arrival of about 4m doses of AstraZeneca COVID-19 jabs.
He explained that the agency has put plans in place for the rollout of the vaccine and that it is only waiting for the approval of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control.
Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum has called on the Federal Government to seek support from neighbouring countries in the fight against insurgency.
Zulum at the North East Governors’ Forum held in Bauchi, noted that joint action is required to end the insurgency.
He says support from neighbours, especially the Republic of Chad and Niger with a view to providing a joint action that will look into the possibility of ending this crisis.
He added that the Federal Government has to look into the possibility of employing mercenaries with a view to ending this insurgency.
Governor Bello Matawalle says he is not at variance with the Federal Government regarding the declaration of ‘No-Fly Zone’ in Zamfara.
He says the decision that was taken is very good and what all Nigerians are looking for is how the bad elements can be flushed out from all corners of the country.
The governor says contrary to claims making the rounds, he is not intimidated by anyone; adding that the order is not something to be worried about.
Matawalle however, expressed disappointment that the National Security Council did not consult him before making the declaration.
President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered security agents to shoot anyone with illegal possession of sophisticated weapons such as AK-47,
Spokesman to the President says Mallam Garba Shehu, says the president also directed a clampdown on bandits who have refused to surrender.
The presidential directive came just as governors of the six states in the North-east, the epicentre of insurgency in Nigeria, unfolded plans to set up a joint security agency to combat insecurity in the zone.
They also pushed for new military approaches to restoring normalcy in the zone.
Besides, the pan-Northern socio-political organisation, Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), has asked the president to declare Benue, Taraba, Borno and other parts of the country ravaged by bandits and insurgents a no-fly zone as he did in Zamfara State.
The head of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, says more than 200 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine are expected to be sent to 142 countries by the end of May.
They will be delivered under the Covax scheme which provides poorer countries with free inoculations.
A shipment of nearly four million coronavirus vaccines has arrived in Nigeria - the third West African country to receive Covax shots after Ghana and Ivory Coast where vaccination campaigns have now begun.
Dr Tedros says vaccine deliveries were also planned on Tuesday to Angola, Cambodia and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
A new study published in eBioMedicine, part of the medical journal The Lancet, has found that about 4% of people who had HIV in the Democratic Republic of Congo were naturally able to suppress the virus without taking medication.
It has raised the hopes of finding better ways to control HIV, which disproportionally affects women in sub-Saharan Africa.
A lead scientist, Dr Mary Rodgers, told the BBC the group was the biggest detected in one country.
She says understanding how it was able to maintain low or undetectable viral loads would be crucial to controlling the epidemic, but more research was needed.
The US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has urged Ethiopia to allow an international investigation into alleged atrocities in the northern region of Tigray.
Mr Blinken called for an immediate end to hostilities and the withdrawal of outside forces from Tigray, including Eritrean troops and Amhara regional security forces.
Ethiopia last week criticised a US statement on the war, saying it was an internal matter.
Thousands of people have been killed and hundreds of thousands displaced in the conflict between Tigrayan regional forces and federal troops and their allies.
Egypt and Sudan have backed the Democratic Republic of Congo to lead negotiations on their row with Ethiopia over the mega dam on the Nile River.
A statement by foreign ministers Sameh Shoukry of Egypt and Sudan's Mariam Al-Sadiq affirmed their support for an enhanced structure of negotiation sponsored by the African Union that include the US, the European Union and the UN.
The ministers also noted that a unilateral filling of the dam for the second phase would be a direct threat to their countries’ water security.
The plan for enhanced talks comes after DR Congo President Felix Tshisekedi took over as AU chairman last month.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued new public health requirements for U.S. visitors who have recently been in the Democratic Republic of the Congo or Guinea that take effect on Thursday to address Ebola concerns.
Travelers who have been in the two central African countries within the past 21 days must fly to one of six U.S. airports - New York-JFK, Chicago, Atlanta, Washington Dulles, Newark or Los Angeles, according to the order first announced on Monday but signed on Tuesday.
The CDC will require airlines to collect and transmit passenger information electronically to the agency for public health follow-up for all passengers who have been in the two countries who are boarding a flight to the United States.
State Department spokesman Ned Price says the United States has been in touch with Ethiopia’s broadcast authorities and other government officials over the detention of journalists to express U.S. concern and seek an explanation.
A BBC reporter and two translators working with journalists from the Financial Times and Agence France-Presse news agency have been detained in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region.
The head of the government’s task force for Tigray did not immediately respond to a request for comment late on Tuesday.
Mulu Nega, head of Tigray’s interim administration, told Reuters that the three were still under investigation, but gave no more details.
Ghana launched its coronavirus vaccination drive on Tuesday with doses from the global COVAX vaccine-sharing programme, which delivered shipments to other African countries as its vaccine rollout to developing nations accelerates.
The start of vaccinations in Ghana, and in neighbouring Ivory Coast on Monday, along with the expected delivery of millions of vaccines from the COVAX programme this week, will enable more poor countries to start inoculating mostly frontline workers and the most vulnerable, months after wealthier countries began.
Health Minister Ahmadou Lamin Samateh in a statement says it is a historic and momentous occasion for The Gambia.
The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, warned against Nigeria repeating the mistakes of the past by neglecting agriculture.
He says the country should immediately start to build its own food reserves, as the experience from the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated lockdowns globally had demonstrated that countries only export out of their reserves.
Emefiele, however, called for support to sustain the current efforts of the apex bank to galvanise agricultural production towards meeting the requirements of the country’s growing population.
The House of Representatives has called for improved welfare for troops and effective delivery of welfare packages across the ranks.
A total of 356 troops of the Nigerian Army were reported to have resigned from the service in July 2020, a development that sparked controversy from various quarters.
The soldiers were said to have tendered their resignations at the time because they had lost interest in the job due to poor welfare and claims that the army was not well equipped to battle insurgents.
The President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, says the Armed Forces is expected to take the fight to the insurgents and bandits.
He made the remark on Tuesday shortly after lawmakers in the Senate confirmed the service chiefs during plenary in the upper chamber of the National Assembly in Abuja.
He thanked the former service chiefs for doing their best and advised their successors that Nigerians expected so much from them.
Senator Lawan called for inter-agency and cooperation among the security agencies and asked the Nigerian Army and Nigeria Air Force to take the lead in the fight against crime.
The Senate has confirmed the appointment of the newly appointed Service Chiefs.
Senate President Ahmad Lawan advised the new service chiefs to take the insurgency war to the terrorists and bandits and dislodge them from their enclaves.
He reminded them to be conscious of the fact that Nigerians expect a lot from them to address the security problems confronting the country.
President Muhammadu Buhari had appointed the new service chiefs on January 26, following the resignation of the former officers.
The NAFDAC-approved Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines arrived at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, around noon on Tuesday, via an Emirates airline.
Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, Boss Mustapha says that Nigeria will receive its first tranche of about 4 million doses of the coronavirus vaccines.
The Health Minister had noted that also noted that once the vaccines arrive in the country, about 70% of the population is expected to be inoculated within two years.
President Muhammadu Buhari has declared Zamfara a no-fly zone and banned all mining activities in the state.
The National Security Adviser, Major General Babagana Monguno explained that it was part of measures to tackle the security challenges witnessed in the north-western state.
General Monguno also stated that all non-state actors have been placed under surveillance as the Federal Government will not hesitate to use kinetic means to restore normalcy in the country.
A top health official has warned that the spread of highly contagious coronavirus variants is threatening to fuel a potential fourth surge of cases in the US.
The head of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says she was concerned by recent Covid-19 data.
Dr Rochelle Walensky says with variants spreading, they stand to completely lose the hard-earned ground gained.
She says the variants are a very real threat to the people and the progress.
The CDC has predicted the highly contagious B.1.1.7 variant first found in the UK will become the dominant strain in the US this month.
The French government says older people with pre-existing conditions can now get AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine, revising its stance on the issue.
The health minister says People affected by co-morbidities can be vaccinated with AstraZeneca, including those aged between 65 and 74.
Last month France approved use of the vaccine for under-65s only, citing lack of data for older people.
Since then studies have shown the jab is highly effective among the elderly.
The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine is widely used across the UK, but several EU countries are still limiting it to the under-65s, including Germany.
The EU drugs regulator has approved it for all adults, but it is up to each member to set its own rollout policy.
The WHO says It is unrealistic to think that the world will be done with the Covid-19 pandemic by the end of the year.
The World Health Organization’s emergencies director Michael Ryan says it might be possible to take the sting of tragedy out of the coronavirus crisis by reducing hospitalisations and deaths.
He says the virus however remains very much in control especially given that global new case numbers increased this week after seven consecutive weeks of decline
Ryan says the WHO’s focus was on keeping virus transmission low, to help prevent the emergence of variants, but also to reduce the numbers of people who get sick.
Morocco announces that it has suspended contacts with the German embassy in the country over its stance on Western Sahara.
The country's foreign affairs ministry cited deep disagreements concerning crucial issues without elaborating.
Reuters news agency reported that a senior Moroccan diplomat cited Germany's reaction to the US decision in December to recognise Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara as a reason for the suspension of relations.
The diplomat also cited Germany's decision not to invite Morocco to an international meeting about Libya last year.
Germany called a UN Security Council meeting to discuss the issue after former US President Donald Trump said Washington recognised Morocco's sovereignty over Western Sahara.
Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa has relaxed lockdown restrictions in place since 5 January.
He cited a decline in the number of cases, fatalities and hospitalisation.
The curfew has been reduced and now runs from 22:00 to 05:00.
Written permissions are no longer required for movement and intercity travel is now permitted.
Businesses and markets can reopen, while schools and universities must prepare to reopen although no date was given.
Funeral gatherings remain restricted to 30, while other gatherings including church meetings are limited to 50 people.
According to the latest figures from the health ministry, Zimbabwe recorded 31 new cases and no deaths on Sunday.
Zamfara commissioner for security and internal affairs, Abubakar Muhammad Dauran, says that a total of 279 students were freed and are currently in the state capital, Gusau.
He says the earlier figure of 317 has now been discovered to be inaccurate as no girl has been left behind in captivity.
It is not clear whether a ransom was paid.
The schoolgirls were seized by gunmen in Jangebe on Friday morning. President Muhammadu Buhari condemned the kidnapping as "inhumane and totally unacceptable".
Zamfara state governor Bello Matawalle is expected to address the girls on Tuesday morning.
The Lagos State Government has further extended the work-from-home directive to civil servants on salary grade levels 12 and below.
A statement by the Head of Service, Mr. Hakeem Muri-Okunola, says this was to further stem the spread of COVID-19 within the public service and other stakeholders.
He expressed the government’s delight that measures put in place to curb the spread of COVID-19 in the state has resulted in a steady decline in the number of recorded cases in the preceding weeks.
Muri-Okunola stated that in order to sustain the success so far recorded, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has extended the directive to the affected public servants by four weeks, with effect from Monday, March 1 to 26, 2021.
The HoS says the directive did not preclude any of the exempted civil servants from reporting for duty whenever the accounting officer deems it necessary.
The National Primary Health Care Development Agency has commenced online registration of Nigerians interested in taking the jab.
The government says it is employing a T.E.A.C.H strategy, which combines indigenous (traditional) approaches with modern technologically enabled systems of vaccination and leverage experiences gained during the polio immunisation programme.
The Executive Director/CEO of the NPHCDA, Dr. Faisal Shuaib, said the vaccination process would be in four phases.
He says the first group is frontline health workers who are the first priority group of eligible populations to receive the first doses of vaccines arriving in the country.
The former vice presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party and ex-Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi, has asked the Federal Government to allow states to operate their regional security system.
Obi says the move would help curb the myriads of security challenges the country faces.
He says the government has to come out genuinely to tackle the issue of security of lives and properties by investing in them.
He says for Nigeria to surmount the several challenges and become better and the nation needs to restructure.
The Presidency has assured Nigerians of improved security in the country despite reports of abductions and killings in several parts of the nation.
The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina says President Muhammadu Buhari is committed to tackling the security challenges the country grapples with.
The presidential spokesman explained that President Buhari had sworn in 2015 and 2019 respectively to protect the lives and properties of Nigerians, noting that his principal is committed to the pledge.
South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in says that the Tokyo Olympics could provide a chance to reopen talks between North Korea and the United States, North Korea and Japan, and the two Koreas.
Moon says South Korea will work with Japan for the success of the Tokyo Olympics, which could help the two countries recover from the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic.
Moon’s speech came as North Korea’s relations with South Korea and Japan have soured after its denuclearisation negotiations with the United States fell apart in 2019.
Seoul is pinning high hopes on the Tokyo Olympics to revitalise diplomacy with North Korea despite uncertainty over the coronavirus pandemic and Pyongyang’s cutoff of exchanges with the outside world.
Britain says that it has given more than 20 million people at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, with the rapid rollout providing hope in a country with Europe’s highest death toll.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock made the announcement in a video on Twitter.
In mid-February, the UK met a government target of 15 million of the most vulnerable people receiving first doses.
The government says it plans to offer a first jab to the whole adult population by the end of July.
Only Israel and the United Arab Emirates have vaccinated more people per head of population.
Iran has ruled out holding an informal meeting with the United States and European countries to discuss ways to revive its 2015 nuclear deal with major powers, insisting that Washington must first lift all its unilateral sanctions.
foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh according to Iranian media says considering the recent actions and statements by the United States and three European powers, Iran does not consider this the time to hold an informal meeting with these countries, which was proposed by the EU foreign policy chief.
The US in response says it was disappointed but remained ready to reengage in meaningful diplomacy to achieve a mutual return to compliance with JCPOA commitments referring to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the formal name of the Iran nuclear deal.
The Nigerian-American, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, starts work as the new head of the World Trade Organisation on Monday.
A former Nigerian finance and foreign minister, she is the first woman and first African to run the WTO.
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala says that addressing the health and economic consequences of the pandemic would be a key priority.
There are concerns in Washington and other capitals about China’s trade policies and how well equipped the WTO is to deal with them.
Dr Okonjo-Iweala is known to be reform-minded, but will be constrained by the wishes of member countries.
President Cyril Ramaphosa says South Africa has signed an agreement with Johnson & Johnson to secure 11 million COVID-19 vaccine doses and will ease restrictions due to a decline in new cases.
Ramaphosa in a televised address says that 2.8 million of the J&J doses would be delivered in the second quarter, with the rest spread throughout the year.
Ramaphosa says 20 million doses of Pfizer’s vaccine had also been secured, 12 million shots would come from the World Health Organization’s COVAX scheme and that the government was finalising its allocation from the African Union.
Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo urged citizens of the West African state to ignore conspiracy theories surrounding coronavirus vaccines ahead of the launch of its nationwide inoculation campaign against the virus on Tuesday.
Akufo-Addo in a nationwide address says taking the vaccine will not alter the DNA, it will not embed a tracking device in the body, neither will it cause infertility in women or in men.
Health authorities in Ghana, like in other countries, are facing rumours and scepticism about vaccines, driven mostly by mistrust of pharmaceutical companies and other beliefs.
Akufo-Addo says to reassure the public that the vaccine is safe, he and the first lady, together with the vice president and second lady, would take the vaccine publicly on Monday.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called on the African Union and other international partners to help address a deepening crisis in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region as he condemned alleged atrocities in fighting there.
Blinken’s statement suggested growing frustration with the response so far from Ethiopia and neighboring Eritrea to what America’s top diplomat described as a worsening humanitarian crisis.
He says the United States is gravely concerned by reported atrocities and the overall deteriorating situation in the Tigray region of Ethiopia.
Former President Goodluck Jonathan has called on African leaders to adhere to the rule of law and prioritise equality and justice in order to build a continent of peace, prosperity and development.
The former president says that for peace to reign, those who wield power should respect the rule of law, be fair to all and dispense justice in a manner that promotes equity and boosts the people’s confidence in their nation.
He says when politicians undermine democratic principles and usurp citizens’ rights; it creates a situation that impacts negatively on peace and development.
Jonathan also underscored the importance of democracy, stable leadership and peace and development to national growth.
Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project has sent a Freedom of Information request to the Minister of Water Resources Engr. Suleiman Adamu, urging him to clarify the action that his Ministry has taken to address and find the alleged billions missing from the Ministry and its agencies.
The organisation is also urging him to ensure the full recovery of any missing public funds, revealed in the 2017 annual audited report by the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation.
The organistion says allegations of corruption and mismanagement in the Ministry and its agencies can cause serious harm to the socially and economically vulnerable.
The Chairman Senate Committee on Army, Ali Ndume says the provision of blanket amnesty to bandits has the tendency to breed new forms of criminality in the country.
He says the government must tackle the banditry situation with the carrot and stick approach.
Senator Ndume says the government must strive to get to the root of the situation to ascertain what the true cause of the banditry problem is.
He further inferred that the government should form a committee of eminent persons who can reach out to the grassroots and get to proffer lasting solutions to the issue.
The Federal Government has confirmed that Nigeria will receive the first tranche of the COVID-19 vaccine on Tuesday, March 2nd, 2021.
The Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, Boss Mustapha explained that the first shipment of 3,924,000 million doses of covid-19 vaccines is coming from COVAX, a World Health Organization backed initiative set up to procure and ensure equitable distribution of vaccines for free among countries across the globe.
He says the vaccines are coming and they are coming very quickly barring any change in the delivery plan that has been released to them by UNICEF.
Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana says it is no crime for any citizen to call for President Muhammadu Buhari’s resignation.
Falana’s statement is not unconnected to the arrest of Salihu Yakasai, a former special adviser on Media to Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje.
State security operatives reported arrested Yakasai shortly after criticizing President Buhari on Twitter.
Falana condemned the action of the Department of State Services stating that there is no justification for the arrest and detention of Yakassai.
Buhari resignation due to the deteriorating security situation across the country.
He further argued that in the past those who called for the resignation of former presidents did not get intimidated nor arrested.
A document released by the US Food and Drug Administration states that the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine is highly effective in preventing severe Covid-19, including newer variants.
The news came as the regulator was set to convene an independent panel Friday that will likely vote to authorize the vaccine, making it the third available in the country hit hardest by the coronavirus pandemic.
The vaccine was generally well-tolerated, with no reports of severe allergic reactions which have been seen in rare cases for the Pfizer and Moderna shots.
There were no reported deaths in the vaccine group, but five in the placebo group.
Senegal kicked off its wider COVID-19 vaccination campaign after an official launch ceremony the day before saw dozens of officials vaccinated to demonstrate its safety.
Ousmane Dieng, an imam, says he traveled throughout the city ahead of the campaign’s launch, hoping to convince people to put aside fear and take the vaccine for the greater good.
The West African country is one of the first in the region to start vaccinating its population against COVID-19. It has so far recorded 33,242 cases and 832 deaths from the disease.
The Chairman, Senate Committee on Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Peter Nwaoboshi, has assured the Niger Delta Development Commission of the support and collaboration of his committee in the development of the Niger Delta region.
Senator Nwaboshi states that the Commission’s strategy of engagement and collaboration was important for progress in the Niger Delta region.
The Senate Committee Chairman assured that they would continue to collaborate with the Interim Administrator and the NDDC for as long as Effiong Akwa remained as the Chief Executive Officer of the Commission.
Former military president, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida says the security threats faced by Nigeria at this time, can be dealt with but requires long-term planning.
He said quashing the threats posed by kidnappers, bandits, and the insurgents require a lot of planning, adding that it is not a short-term plan.
General IBB says he has obtained information suggesting that security agencies are working together to map out new strategies on how to deal with the situation.
The former president while stating that he is concerned about the situation in the country urged the government and the citizenry to join forces to overcome the problem.
The Governor of Bauchi State, Bala Mohammed, has appealed to all arms-bearing herders to drop their weapons, particularly the AK-47 as the country continues to grapple with various security challenges.
He assures all innocent farmers, herders and people of the state that their wellbeing will remain a priority of his government while efforts are being made to reduce the farmer-herder clashes.
He also promised to continue to be a voice for the innocent Fulani herdsmen while advising them to conduct themselves peacefully and identify the miscreants among them for punitive measures.
He, however, assured Nigerians that his previous comments were not intended to generate controversies and escalate tension.
Iraq will purchase China's COVID-19 vaccines developed by Sinopharm, according to a statement by the media office of Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi on Tuesday.
The Iraqi Health Minister Hassan al-Tamimi confirmed on the same day that the first batch of the Chinese vaccine will arrive on March 1.
Europe will impose a fresh round of sanctions on Russian officials behind the arrest and sentencing and persecution of opposition figure Alexei Navalny, as tensions between Brussels and Moscow intensify.
The bloc's chief diplomat Josep Borrell while speaking after a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels says Russia was drifting towards an authoritarian state and driving away from Europe.
The ministers unanimously interpreted Russia's recent actions and responses as a clear signal of not being interested in cooperation with the European Union.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen supported a call by French President Emmanuel Macron to donate COVID-19 vaccines to health care workers in Africa, as a star-studded event was announced to support equitable distribution.
Von der Leyen in a webcast with the World Health Organisation says Vaccines are still scarce everywhere but it is in the common interest to share.
The European Union has contributed an additional 500 million euros to the WHO-backed COVAX programme to supply COVID-19 shots to emerging economies, doubling the bloc’s initial contribution.
Ireland’s Prime Minister Micheal Martin says the country’s third Covid-19 lockdown will be extended by a month blaming a virus variant first identified in the UK for the decision.
Current lockdown measures in place since late December were due to expire on March 5 but will now be prolonged until April 5.
Non-essential businesses, restaurants, pubs and gyms are to remain shut, government stay home advice has been renewed and a five-kilometre limit travel limit will continue.
The Irish prime minister emphasised that a Covid-19 variant first identified in the UK had become a major problem and was now responsible for up to 90 per cent of new infections.
The US State Department says it's considering a range of targeted options against members of the Ugandan security forces it holds responsible for abuses against opposition candidates and civil society.
The run-up to January's election was marked by a series of deaths, arrests and detentions of opposition supporters, including Robert Kyagulanyi popularly known as Bobi Wine, who was contesting the presidency.
Bobi Wine abandoned his challenge to the result of the vote on Monday, saying the Supreme Court was biased in favour of President Yoweri Museveni.
Rwanda's President Paul Kagame has faulted the hypocrisy and double standards in the global distribution of Covid-19 vaccines.
President Kagame made the comments in a tweet after the World Health Organization (WHO) director, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, saYS deals between rich nations and vaccine manufacturers had made it hard to acquire vaccines for its Covax initiative.
It called on all pharmaceutical corporations working on Covid-19 vaccines to openly share their technology and intellectual property so that billions more doses can be manufactured and made available to everyone who needs them.
South Africa’s health minister says the government advisers had organised COVID-19 vaccines into three groups and those considered for immediate use were the Johnson & Johnson (J&J), Pfizer and Moderna shots.
The country started rolling out the J&J vaccine in a research study targeting healthcare workers last week and hopes to receive Pfizer doses in the coming months.
Health Minister Zweli Mkhize says the government had placed huge orders on J&J and Pfizer which will be finalised in the next few days and announced when concluded adding that discussions with Moderna were ongoing.
Mkhize says the Ministerial Advisory Committee on vaccines had placed Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine and alternatives from China’s Sinopharm and Sinovac in a second group where South Africa is interested but requires more technical information.
Senegal began its coronavirus vaccination campaign on Tuesday with 200,000 doses that it purchased from China’s Sinopharm, which it received last week.
The first shots were given to government ministers and health workers at the health ministry in the capital, Dakar.
Health Minister Abdoulaye Diouf Sarr in a brief speech after receiving the vaccine says they are going to continue so that all the Senegalese who must be vaccinated can be.
Senegal aims to inoculate about 90% of a targeted 3.5 million people, including health workers and high-risk individuals between the ages of 19 and 60, by the end of 2021. The country’s population is about 16 million.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed says the federal government has no more excuses for not rapidly rolling out the Digital Switch Over with N9.4 billion paid to stakeholders, including service providers, approval by the Federal Executive Council and with 31 states to cover.
The minister, says the process could create over one million jobs in the next three years.
He stated that as part of the federal government’s efforts to maximise the opportunities inherent in the process, it reviewed the Broadcast Code to protect local jobs and production.
He added that the federal government has also started the process of introducing world-class Audience Measurement and Media Monitoring to deliver on the potential one-billion-dollar TV.
International music streaming giant, Spotify, has expanded its operation into more than 80 new markets around the world, including Nigeria and Ghana.
A company statement says these moves represent Spotify’s broadest market expansion to date.
The Swedish company enters a Nigerian music streaming market which boasts of services such as Apple Music, Boomplay, and YouTube Music.
The House of Representatives has confirmed the appointment of the newly appointed Service Chiefs.
The report of the Committee on Defence was presented by the Chairman, Babajimi Benson, during plenary on Tuesday and considered by the committee of the whole, before it was adopted by the House.
The service chiefs are also being screened by the Senate Committee on Defense.
The process had commenced last Wednesday when the new appointees were called upon to share their portfolios as well as their vision if they are confirmed to take on the new roles.
The President of the African Development Bank Group, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, has opined that the restructuring of Nigeria should be driven by economic and financial viability, which he noted are necessary for political viability.
Adesina stressed the need to diversify the source of financing for states across Nigeria, noting that Nigerians in Diaspora remitted $24 billion in 2019, which accounted for half of crude oil exports.
The AfDB President also called for a better way of supporting states in financing critical infrastructure while charged states to focus on turning their resources into wealth, based on their areas of comparative advantage.
Adesina suggested that resources in each state should be managed by the States, while they pay federal taxes and royalties to the Federal Government.
President Muhammadu Buhari says the administration’s policy of lifting 100 million Nigerians out of poverty is a deliberate one that will be pursued with remarkable grit and determination.
The President agreed with the Council that the country required a poverty reduction strategy that would usher in a rapid, sustained, sustainable and inclusive economic growth.
He also aligned with the Council’s position that the programme of lifting 100 million Nigerians out of poverty was a challenging one, but one that could be achieved.
Forty homeless people in Saint Petersburg received coronavirus vaccine jabs on Sunday, under a charity initiative that has received the backing of local officials.
Taysia Suvorova, of the Nochlezhka non-governmental that organisation provides aid to the homeless in Russia’s second city says there are many people at risk. It is important for them to be vaccinated.
Official figures shows that there are 15,000 homeless people in the former imperial capital, out of a total population of five million.
Nochlezhka believes the real figure is at least double that.
Fellow recipient Aleksandr Suvorov, 60, echoed her sentiment, adding that the vaccine was a good thing because the situation is complicated with coronavirus.
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan says the United States had begun to communicate with Iran over the country’s detention of American citizens, calling the matter a complete and utter outrage.
Sullivan told CBS News that it was a significant priority of President Joe Biden’s administration to get those Americans “safely back home.”
Sullivan says they have begun to communicate with the Iranians on this issue.
He says they will not accept a long-term proposition where they continue to hold Americans in an unjust and unlawful manner.
Japan inoculation chief says the country will only receive limited doses of COVID-19 vaccines for the first months of the rollout and shots for the elderly will be distributed gradually.
Administrative Reform Minister Taro Kono says they would like to start vaccinations for the elderly in April, but unfortunately the number of doses allocated to them will be very limited at first, so we want to start slowly.
Japan has negotiated to receive more than 500 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines developed by Western drugmakers.
Domestic regulators have only approved one vaccine so far, and the nation remains dependent on imported supplies that have been held up by production snags and export controls.
Senior Chinese diplomat Wang Yi says the United States and China could work together on issues like climate change and the coronavirus pandemic if they repaired their damaged bilateral relationship.
Wang says Beijing stood ready to reopen constructive dialogue with Washington after relations between the two countries sank to their lowest in decades under former president Donald Trump.
Wang called on Washington to remove tariffs on Chinese goods and abandon what he said was an irrational suppression of the Chinese tech sector, steps he said would create the necessary conditions for cooperation.
Wang urged Washington to respect China’s core interests, stop smearing the ruling Communist Party, stop interfering in Beijing’s internal affairs and stop conniving with separatist forces for Taiwan’s independence.
The World Health Organization says a total of Six cases of Ebola have now been confirmed in the Democratic Republic of Congo and that includes two health worker infections.
The UN Health Agency is on the on-ground supporting vaccination efforts. WHO says that over 250 health workers and high-risk contacts have been inoculated.
World Health Organization announced more than 11,000 Ebola vaccines were expected in Guinea, which has equally been hard hit by Ebola cases, this weekend.
Guinea has 8 cases, 5 deaths while 348 contacts are being monitored.
The federal government has begun the replacement of electricity supply equipment destroyed by insurgents in Maiduguri, Borno State, on January 17, 2021.
Maiduguri and the surrounding communities were thrown into total darkness after suspected members of the Boko Haram sect attacked an electricity tower supplying power to the city and disconnecting it from the national grid.
A statement issued on Sunday by the Transmission Company of Nigeria noted that with the support of the Borno State Government, all the needed resources have been mobilised to the area to ensure quick restoration of electricity supply.
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control has vowed to shut down packaged water production facilities that fail its standards.
The agency says it would collaborate with various associations in efforts to sanitise the packaged water sector.
The Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, appeals to the 412 producers that participated in the interactive forum to always maintain the level of compliance with NAFDAC regulatory requirements.
Adeyeye also expressed dismay that shortly after procuring registration approval, many of the over 16,000 registered producers lower standards and produce products that endanger the health of consumers.
Adeyeye appeals to the producers to ensure that they produce safe water for public consumption.
She added that the agency is ever ready for collaboration with the various associations with a view to sanitising the industry.
The United States and the House of Representatives Committee on Air Force have mourned the victims of the military aircraft that crashed near the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja.
The US Mission in Nigeria in a tweet commiserated with the Force, the families of the officers and all Nigerians on the tragedy.
The United States expresses sincere condolences to the @NigAirForce, family members and all Nigerians for the loss of life in today’s aircraft crash.
Chairman of the House Committee on Air Force, Shehu Koko, promised investigation will begin in earnest to determine the remote cause.
Nigerian lawmaker says the committee under the leadership of Femi Gbajabiamila is deeply saddened by this development and will work with the Chief of Air Staff to unravel the remote cause.
President Muhammadu Buhari has mourned the victims of a military plane that crashed near the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja, adding that the safety of the Nigerian airspace remains a key priority of the government.
In a statement issued on Sunday by the presidential spokesman, Femi Adesina, President Buhari extended his heartfelt condolences to family members, friends and colleagues of those who died as a result of this tragedy.
President Buhari says he is joining the Nigerian Air Force, the military and other Nigerians in mourning the unfortunate loss of the dedicated and courageous personnel, who died in the line of duty.
He explains that investigations into the cause of the crash were ongoing.
The Chief of Army Staff, Major General Ibrahim Attahiru has given a 48-hour marching order for the clearance of Marte and three other communities in Borno state.
Attahiru gave the order in Dikwa Local Government, the headquarters of the Super Camp 9 Operation Lafiya Dole.
He says it is now high time they get back and fight through and support the forces ahead.
He says he just spoke to the Theatre Commander, General Officer Commanding to do the needful.
France's President Emmanuel Macron says Europe and the US should urgently allocate 3% to 5% of their coronavirus vaccine supplies to developing countries where vaccination campaigns have scarcely begun.
He says some African nations were having to buy Western vaccines at over twice the price paid by the European Union.
He said that transferring 3% to 5% of the vaccines we have in stock to Africa would not affect domestic inoculation programmes.
He says It is in the interest of the French and the Europeans. Today I have more than 10m of our fellow citizens who have families on the other side of the Mediterranean.
The Ethiopian government has accused Sudan of provoking a conflict between the two countries which have seen a rise in tension due to a border dispute.
This escalation of tension comes at a time when Ethiopia's stability is under strain due to the conflict in the northern Tigray region.
Ethiopia’s ministry of foreign affairs accused what it called the military wing of the Sudanese government of escalating tensions and pushing the two countries into a war.
The Ethiopian statement said the Sudanese army was fuelling the crisis to serve the interests of a third party. This will be widely seen as an accusation against Egypt.
Uganda’s army chief, Gen David Muhoozi, says the beating of journalists by military police was neither sanctioned nor justified, and the army would pay their medical bills.
The incident occurred outside the UN Human Rights office where the opposition MP and musician Bobi Wine was delivering a petition over human rights abuses.
Six journalists were injured after being beaten with sticks.
Gen Muhoozi says the public would be informed of the action taken against the soldiers.
The UN condemned the attack and called for action to be taken against those responsible.
State-owned Suna news agency says African Union special envoy to Sudan has arrived in Khartoum to defuse mounting tensions between Sudan and Ethiopia.
Ambassador Mohamed El Hacen Ould Lebatt arrived in Khartoum on Thursday and met Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and head of the Transitional Military Council (TMC), Lt-Gen Abdel Fattah Abdelrahman Burhan.
He also met Sudan's first vice-president Lt Gen Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo.
Sudan and Ethiopia accuse each other of acts of aggression after clashes erupted last year over an area of fertile land settled by Ethiopian farmers that Sudan says lies in its territory.
The two countries are also yet to agree on the construction of a huge dam on the River Nile.
Africa on Thursday recorded more than 100,000 deaths from Covid-19, a grim milestone likely to understate the real toll, as the continent of 1.2 billion people battles a second wave of infections.
An AFP tally showed that the 54 countries in the region have a death toll of 100,000 from 3,793,660 reported cases.
The continent, relatively spared by the pandemic, is the last except Oceania to reach the threshold of 100,000 deaths, which Europe crossed in April 2020.
South Africa — the worst hit African country — rolled out a mass testing campaign at the start of the pandemic.
Senegal has received 200,000 doses of the Covid-19 vaccine from Chinese company Sinopharm.
President Macky Sall says the government bought the vaccine, and did not wait to receive doses from the World Health Organization's Covax scheme, which aims to make it easier for developing nations to buy them.
Frontline health workers, the elderly and people with underlying health conditions are first in line for the shot.
Mr Sall said that Senegal aimed to get another 6.5 million doses in the coming weeks to widen its vaccination campaign.
The Nigeria Governors Forum in reaction to rising insecurity in parts of the country says they are totally opposed to ethnic profiling of crimes.
Chairman of the Forum, Governor Kayode Fayemi says Governors are totally opposed to ethnic profiling of crimes. He said they do not believe that crimes are associated with particular ethnic groups, and to that extent.
The governors also vowed to provide financial support to victims of the security crises in affected states, as they commit to greater protection of the lives of citizens.
They also underscored that they have unanimously rejected the traditional approach to grazing, hence the urgent need to crystallise the national livestock transformation plan to stem the recurring farmers/ herders clash.
The International Monetary Fund has cautioned against transacting in cryptocurrency, saying regulating the digital currency remains a concern not just to the Central Bank of Nigeria but to other regulators across the world.
The IMF Resident Representative for Nigeria, Mr. Ari Aisen, said this during a virtual media briefing on the Fund’s Article IV on Nigeria that was released last week.
The CBN recently directed banks and other financial institutions to close accounts dealing in cryptocurrency or facilitating payment for cryptocurrency exchange, with immediate effect.
It had also directed banks to expose any individual and entity running such accounts, warning that failure to adhere to the directives would attract strict sanctions.
The federal government has set the terms for the conversion of its stock of Central Bank of Nigeria overdrafts into long-term notes in a bid to create transparency around its dependence on that source of funding.
Bloomberg quoted the Director-General of the Debt Management Office, Ms. Patience Oniha, to have disclosed in an e-mail that the N10 trillion debt will be exchanged for 30-year notes issued to the central bank.
The agreement on timing for the conversion needs to be finalised to get the required approval from the cabinet, at the earliest in the second quarter, Oniha said.
The International Monetary Fund says the financing is costly for the federal government at interest rates of the monetary policy rate plus 300 basis points, and for the CBN, with sterilization done through the issuance of open market operation bills.
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control has just approved the use of Astrazeneca Vaccine for use in Nigeria.
The Director-General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye says NAFDAC got the dossier of the vaccine a week ago, while its safety committee swung into action immediately to evaluate its safety and efficacy for Nigerians.
She says the evaluation of Astrazeneca shows that the vaccine is effective against the United Kingdom variant of the virus which has been reported in Nigeria.
The NAFDAC DG explained that the South African variant had not been reported in Nigeria, while the agency has over 30 herbal medicines undergoing review for listing.
The Federal Executive Council has approved N62.047 billion for the execution of various contract proposals presented by the ministries of Water Resources, Works and Housing and Federal Capital Territory.
Works and Housing Minister, Mr. Babatunde Fashola disclosed that the four memoranda his ministry presented to FEC were approved, including the repairs of Benin-Ore-Ajebamdele Road, particular the section from Ajebamdele to Shagamu.
He says the redesigning of the shoulders and pavement provision necessitated a revised estimated total cost of N22.879 billion to take the contract from original sum of N71.6 billion to N92.5 billion while the stretch involved is 99 kilometres from 162 kilometres to 261.
The Court of Justice in The Hague has ordered the Dutch government to immediately lift the 9 p.m. curfew imposed as a COVID-19 emergency measure last month, saying it lacks proper legal basis.
The court says the curfew represents a violation of people's rights to freedom of movement and privacy and its enforcement was unjustified, as infection rates were already dropping in the country when the curfew came into force.
The state filed a so-called urgent "turbo" appeal, asking to suspend the court order and maintain the curfew until the final appeal ruling next Friday.
The session degenerated into an argument between the judge and the anti-lockdown protest group Viruswaarheid, or Virus Truth.
The government asked for the judges hearing the appeal to be replaced, accusing them of not being impartial.
Tokyo 2020 organizers announced five criteria for choosing their new president after the first meeting of a candidate selection committee on Tuesday.
The selection panel, headed by Tokyo 2020 Honorary President and Canon Inc. Chairman Fujio Mitarai, agreed on the five requirements for the successor of Yoshiro Mori, who resigned last week over sexist comments about women.
The organizers in a statement says that the new president should have profound knowledge of the Olympics, deep understanding of the principles of the Tokyo 2020 Games and the Olympic Charter, experience on the global stage, understanding of the overall background of the Tokyo 2020 Games and organizational management skills and ability.
The Biden administration on Tuesday says everything possible must be done to stop Ebola outbreaks in the African nations of Guinea and Democratic Republic of Congo before they become large epidemics.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki in a statement says We cannot afford to take our foot off the gas even as we battle COVID, we must ensure capacity and financing for health security worldwide.
Congo in central Africa on Sunday confirmed four cases since Sept 7 and Guinea in west Africa had seven confirmed cases and three deaths.
National security adviser Jake Sullivan on Tuesday spoke with the ambassadors of Guinea and Congo as well as Guinea neighbors Sierra Leone and Liberia to convey U.S. willingness to help, according to Psaki.
Zimbabwe says the Covid-19 variant first detected in South Africa now accounts for the majority of cases in the country.
The Government says Results of genomic sequencing conducted recently showed that the variant the nation had in 2020 had receded and that the new and more aggressive variant accounted for 61% of cases.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Monday extended a lockdown in place since early January by a further two weeks.
Covid-19 cases are on the decline, but the 4% fatality rate has authorities worried.
The government said the vaccine roll-out programme will begin on 18 February.
Brazil’s hope unleashed by the first Covid-19 shots is giving way to frustration that the government’s vaccination campaign is beset by the same chaos that has marked its pandemic response.
Rio de Janeiro on Monday had to suspend the campaign in the city of 6.7 million until more doses arrived.
Ethel Maciel, an epidemiologist at the Federal University of Espirito Santo says the government made the mistake of putting all its eggs in one basket.
One of the president’s top opponents, Sao Paulo Governor Joao Doria, meanwhile struck a deal for his state to purchase and help produce another vaccine, CoronaVac, developed by Chinese firm Sinovac.
That was the vaccine that ultimately got injected into the first Brazilian arm, and it has saved Brazil from having even fewer doses on hand.
South Africa on Tuesday says it would offer its doses of Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid vaccine to the African Union after scrapping their use due to efficacy concerns.
The country suspended its vaccine rollout — meant to begin with the AstraZeneca shots earlier this month — after a study found the jab failed to prevent mild and moderate illness caused by a variant found in South Africa.
Health Minister Zweli Mkhize told parliament that the doses they purchased have been offered to the African Union to distribute to those countries who have already expressed interest in acquiring the stock.
The AU, through its African Vaccine Acquisition Task Team (AVATT), has secured some 270 million doses of anti-Covid vaccine for the continent and last week said it would not walk away from the AstraZeneca formula.
It recommended countries where the South African variant has not been detected to proceed with the rollout.
Nigeria’s Minister of Police Affairs, Muhammad Dingyadi says efforts are to install Closed Circuit Television cameras on all major highways across the country to curb the rising cases of kidnapping.
Dingyadi said President Muhammadu Buhari has given the approval for the project and the Federal Government has entered into an agreement with NPS Technology Company to re-fix the abandoned CCTV project.
He says they have already entered into a concession agreement with NPS technologies and are trying to re-fix the entire system to resuscitate it.
Dingyadi said the company in charge of the CCTV project is already purchasing the needed equipment for the project.
President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday pledged the federal government’s support for massive investments in Lagos State, the nation’s economic capital, to boost its economic potential as one of the world’s fastest growing megacities.
Buhari, in a video goodwill message to the Ehingbeti Lagos Economic Summit, said his administration recognised Lagos as central to the economic fortunes of Nigeria and had demonstrated commitment to supporting it to attain its full socio-economic potential.
The three-day event with the theme is facilitated by the organised private sector in partnership with by the state government.
President Muhammadu Buhari says the stability of the country is of paramount interest to him and that the Federal Government will continue to work towards it despite the actions of a few people.
The President attributed the upheavals in some parts of the country to a few people with resources and influence, assuring that they will be identified and dealt with in due course.
President Buhari also noted the request for the upgrade and development of infrastructure in the states and assured that while he would do his best in acceding to the requests, he would, however, prioritise developments in education.
The House of Representatives and the Ministry of Finance on Tuesday disagreed over the procedure for the payment of the sum of N2.8billion to the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in 2017.
The Ministry appeared before the Public Accounts Committee of the House in the ongoing investigative hearing on audit queries by the Auditor-General of the Federation on Ministries Departments and Agencies.
Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Aliyu Ahmed, said the payment was made by the Minister following a memo by OPEC requesting the said amount.
Ahmed said the amount was released from the office of the Accountant General as payment of Nigeria’s contribution to the OPEC fund for international development in 2017.
He said it was a routine payment and there are hundreds of international organizations, so if they had to resort to the president for every approval, it would be unmanageable and cost more.
President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday inducted the newly appointed ambassadors, charges them to fight hard, and protect Nigerians living abroad.
The President who joined the event virtually urged the appointees to go out and represent the nation with utmost dedication and pride.
He said the Federal Government has identified nine priority areas to guide its foreign policy- cutting across health, corruption, transportation, security, education among others, urging the ambassadors to be guided also by these.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyema on his part commended the President’s effort at fostering peace and a good bilateral relationship with the international community, which according to him cuts across security and trade.
He said the relationship has also seen Nigeria receiving money looted from the country.
The bloc's statistics agency Eurostat on Monday said China last year overtook the U.S. as the EU's biggest trading partner, with China-EU trade volume reaching 586 billion euros ($711 billion), compared to 555 billion euros between the U.S. and the EU.
The agency said EU exports to China rose by 2.2 percent to 202.5 billion euros, while imports from China increased by 5.6 percent to 383.5 billion euros.
However, the EU's trade with the U.S. dropped significantly in 2020, with a 13.2 percent dip in imports and 8.2 percent in exports, Eurostat said.
China's resilience came after it suffered from the coronavirus pandemic during the first quarter, then vigorously recovering with consumption exceeding that of a year ago by the end of 2020.
Oil prices hovered near 13-month highs on Tuesday on the back of a cold snap shutting wells in Texas, the biggest crude producing state in the United States, while a wage deal in Norway averted outages in Europe, capping gains.
Prices also gained after Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi group said it had launched attacks on Saudi Arabia, raising supply concerns in the world’s biggest oil exporter, while vaccine-driven optimism over a global economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic also supported.
U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures gained 41 cents, or 0.7%, to $69.88 a barrel by 0836 GMT, after touching their highest since early January 2020. U.S. markets were closed on Monday because of a U.S. federal holiday.
SoftBank Group Corp shares closed at a record high on Tuesday, surpassing a peak reached at the height of the dot-com bubble, as online backers celebrated the recovery in the value of the firm’s tech portfolio.
Shares in SoftBank, a heavily weighted component of the Nikkei 225 index which is trading at 30-year highs, closed up 4% at 10,420 yen, above the record 10,111 yen reached in February 2000.
Underpinned by buybacks and with retail investors buying its shares and baseball-themed junk bonds, SoftBank’s shares have been supported by a growing number of portfolio companies listing in ebullient markets.
The Institute for Energy Security has bemoaned the impact of a judgement debt that has been slapped on the government by the International Court of Arbitration.
Ghana has been hit with a US$134 million judgement debt over the cancellation of its Emergency Power Agreement with GCGP Limited.
The contract, signed in 2015, was among those cancelled by former Energy Minister, Boakye Agyarko with the reason that they were not needed and were only going to further lead to the ballooning of Ghana’s debts in the energy sector.
The International Court of Arbitration in its ruling on the contract cancellation also said the judgement debt comes with a US$30 million interest payment obligation.
A fellow at the IES, Beatrice Annan, noted that this judgement debt has not only caused financial strain on the country but has gone a long way to damage the country’s reputation.
The African Development Bank’s Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa program has agreed a partnership with the African Guarantee Fund to unlock $1.3 to $2 billion in loans to women-owned small and medium-sized enterprises in Africa, by working with financial institutions to enhance their ability to lend to women.
The move signaled the launch of AFAWA’s Guarantee for Growth program, which aims to make available up to $3 billion in financing for women entrepreneurs through de-risking and technical assistance measures.
African Guarantee Fund’s Group CEO, Jules Ngankam said they are already observing an increased appetite from banks for this innovative product that seeks to support women entrepreneurs.
She added that they have recently signed agreements with leading banks on the continent who are keen to increase their women SMEs portfolio.
The Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria has expressed its readiness to collaborate with the federal government in revamping the four non-functional refineries in the country if called upon by the federal government.
The National President of the organisation, Dr Billy Gillis-Harry said that the $1.2 billion needed to fix the facilities would not constitute a huge problem for the retailers, saying that as businessmen, if engaged PETROAN will deliver without excuses.
He added that with the contacts and reach of the members of the association who have about 100,000 retail outlets throughout the country, they can get the best engineers and experts to resuscitate the refineries.
The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation in its latest monthly operations report said the increase in gas supply to 789 million standard cubic feet, which was delivered to gas-fired power plants, led to the generation of 3,358 megawatts of electricity.
The national oil firm stated that it supplied 640mmscfd of gas to gas-fired power plants in January last year to generate 2,683MW, but increased the supply of gas in November to 789mmscfd to produce 3,358MW.
The oil firm further explained that out of the 1,332.82mmscfd of gas supplied to the domestic market in November 2020, about 788.64mmscfd of gas representing 59.17 per cent was supplied to gas-fired power plants.
It said the balance of 544.18mmscfd or 40.83 per cent was supplied to other industries across the country.
The House of Representatives says Nigeria is losing about $750m to gas flaring annually.
It added that the flared gas could have been used to generate electricity for the country.
The Federal Government says ending gas flaring will allow the country to harness its gas resources for maximum economic benefits and in compliance with the Paris Agreement of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
Chairman of the House Committee on Gas Resources, Nicholas Mutu, said available records showed that the country was losing $750m annually from flared gas.
Mutu says Gas flare is a malady that we must work together to eliminate at the shortest time possible because of its all-round adverse effects on the environment and socioeconomic wellbeing of the people of Niger Delta region, as well as on the fiscal measures of the Federal Government.
The naira exchanged at 473/$ at the parallel market, after trading at 477 the previous week.
At the Investors & Exporters forex window, the naira hit a high of 422/$ before closing at 390/$.
The Central Bank of Nigeria however maintained the official rate at 379/$ on its website.
The committee at the recent Monetary Policy Committee meeting noted the CBN’s effort at improving liquidity in the foreign exchange market.
The Central Bank Governor, Godwin Emefiele, noted the need to continue to explore avenues to improve inflow from sources such as the International Money Transfer Operators, diaspora remittances and non-oil export promotion, given the current trajectory of crude oil prices.
The CBN in a recent circular to International Money Transfer Operators and Payment Service Providers had warned operators against paying recipients of diaspora remittances in local currency.
The subsidy on Premium Motor Spirit, popularly known as petrol, may have gulped at least N11.20bn in one week as the rise in global oil prices pushed up the landing cost of the product.
The product is currently being sold at between N160 and N165 per litre at many filling stations in Lagos.
Using an expected open market price of N190 per litre of petrol and an average current pump price of N162 per litre indicates a subsidy of N28 per litre.
With a daily petrol consumption of about 57 million litres and a subsidy of N28 per litre, it means subsidy gulped N1.60bn in a day and N11.20bn in a week.
Crude oil price accounts for a large chunk of the final cost of petrol, and the deregulation of petrol price by the Federal Government last year means that the pump price of the product will reflect changes in the international oil market.
The Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry has highlighted steps Nigeria needs to take in order to fully take advantage of the opportunities offered by the World Trade Organisation under the leadership of Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.
The LCCI felicitated with Nigeria on the appointment of Okonjo-Iweala as the Director-General of WTO.
The Director-General, LCCI, Dr Muda Yusuf, said the emergence of Dr Okonjo-Iweala as the new WTO Director-General is very gratifying and calls for celebration, there is a need to manage expectations around the outcomes for the Nigerian economy, given the numerous productivity and competitiveness issues the country is grappling with.
He says Nigeria needs to build capacity for international competitiveness of its products and services so as to benefit from the WTO.
The U.S. Senate acquitted Donald Trump of inciting the mob that stormed the Capitol last month, sparing him from conviction in his second impeachment trial in a year despite broad condemnation of his role in sparking the deadly siege.
The Senate voted 57-43 in favor of convicting the former president, falling short of the two-thirds majority needed to do so, on a charge that he incited the insurrection that left five people dead, forced lawmakers to flee, and put his own vice president in danger while overseeing the certification of Democrat Joe Biden’s election win.
Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, who voted not guilty in the trial, offered scathing remarks about Trump after the verdict.
He says there is no question that President Trump is practically and morally responsible for provoking the events of the day.
Israel’s largest healthcare provider on Sunday reported a 94% drop in symptomatic COVID-19 infections among 600,000 people who received two doses of the Pfizer’s vaccine in the country’s biggest study to date.
Health maintenance organization said the same group was also 92% less likely to develop severe illness from the virus.
Clalit’s chief innovation officer, Ran Balicer says It shows unequivocally that Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine is extremely effective in the real world a week after the second dose, just as it was found to be in the clinical study.
He added that the data indicates the Pfizer vaccine, which was developed in partnership with Germany’s BioNTech, is even more effective two weeks or more after the second shot.
The White House says President Joe Biden will hold his first event with other leaders from the Group of Seven nations in a virtual meeting on Friday to discuss the coronavirus pandemic, the world economy and dealing with China.
The White House says the virtual engagement with leaders of the world’s leading democratic market economies will provide an opportunity for President Biden to discuss plans to defeat the COVID-19 pandemic, and rebuild the global economy.
The White House says Biden would focus his remarks on a global response to COVID-19 vaccine production and distribution as well as continued efforts to mobilize and cooperate against the threat of emerging infectious diseases by building country capacity and establishing health security financing.
South Korea eased some of its strictest social distancing rules for businesses on Monday, but kept limits on private gatherings as authorities prepared to unveil plans for the roll out of the first coronavirus vaccines later this month
The decision comes after a subdued Lunar New Year holiday last week. Daily coronavirus infections rebounded to above 400 ahead of the break, but have dropped since then with the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) reporting 344 new infections as of midnight Sunday.
The country is planning to start its vaccination programme from Feb. 26, details of which are due to be announced by the head of the KDCA later in the day. Healthcare workers and older residents will be among the first to be vaccinated.
Health Minister Kwon Deok-cheol, however, urged caution as infection clusters continue to plague the densely populated capital of Seoul and neighbouring areas.
The World Health Organization has expressed concern over the resurgence of Ebola in West Africa and activated response efforts.
WHO's Regional Director Matshidiso Moeti says the agency was ramping up readiness.
The government has set up a treatment centre in Goueké town in the south-east where the cases were reported. Officials said newly developed vaccines would be acquired through the WHO.
The AFP news agency quotes Alfred George Ki-Zerbo, the WHO representative in Guinea, as saying the WHO is on full alert and is in contact with the manufacturer of a vaccine to ensure the necessary doses are made available as quickly as possible to help fight back.
Rwanda health ministry on Sunday says it has started immunising its health care workers against Covid-19.
An official in the ministry told the BBC that immunisation with the Pfizer vaccine started last week in a few hospitals in the capital, Kigali.
The ministry in a tweet says the vaccines were acquired through international partnerships in limited quantities.
Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Mauritius, Morocco and Seychelles are the other African countries that have started vaccination.
Officials in Rwanda said there will be a wider roll-out this month with supplies expected from the Covax initiative and African Union.
The police have launched a probe into allegations that people arrested on Saturday over the protest of the reopening of the Lekki Tollgate were molested.
They warned that errant officials found to have violated the standard operating procedure would be punished.
This comes as former Vice President Atiku Abubakar on Sunday threw his weight behind the protesters at the Lekki Tollgate, stating that the 1999 Constitution as altered guarantees individuals’ rights to protest.
This generated an outrage with lawyers and other activists excoriating the police for the alleged maltreatment of the protesters.
However, Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Hakeem Odumosu, condemned the alleged inhuman treatment meted out on the protesters, saying it breached the standard operating procedure of the police.
Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu has asked Ibadan residents not to take laws into their hands, following the violence that erupted in Shasha area of Oyo State.
Akeredolu in a statement he personally signed Saturday night said the south-west governors “note with deep concern, the most unfortunate and avoidable orgy of violence in Shasha, Ibadan, the Oyo State Capital.
The governor said he is compelled to address all residents of the area, especially the Yoruba speaking people, in his capacity as the Chairman, South-West Governors’ Forum over the recent happenings bordering on security.
He also asked residents to be law-abiding, saying he understands “the height of provocation in the light of recent happenings as regards Shasha, Ibadan, I, alongside my other brother governors in the region are against the willful appropriation of Laws into one’s hands.
President Muhammadu Buhari has condemned the attacks across the country and he has renewed the promise of his administration to protect all religious and ethnic groups, whether in the majority or minority.
The President made the promise in a statement issued on Sunday, in reaction to reports of the breakout of violence in some parts of the country by some ethnic and sectional groups and more recently, the violence that occurred in Shasha market in Ibadan, Oyo State on Saturday.
He condemned such violence and gave the assurance that his government will act decisively to stop the spread of such.
The President also appealed to religious and traditional leaders as well governors and other elected leaders across the country to join hands with the Federal Government to ensure that communities in their domain are not splintered along ethnic and other primordial lines.
A Congressional Budget Office estimate released on Thursday showed that the United States will see its second-largest budget deficit since World War II this year, while the federal debt will continue to climb beyond GDP.
The forecast by the nonpartisan office serving Congress came after the United States spent big in 2020 to keep its economy afloat as it battled the Covid-19 pandemic, sending its budget deficit to more than $3.1 trillion and the national debt to 100.1 percent of GDP.
The forecast for the next 10 years does not take into account President Joe Biden’s proposal for a massive $1.9 trillion injection of stimulus into the world’s largest economy, which he argues is necessary both to tame the pandemic and get businesses and consumers back on their feet.
CBO projects the deficit to hit just under $2.3 trillion this year, about $900 billion less than in 2020, while the national debt will rise to $22.5 trillion, or 102.3 percent of GDP.
The continent’s health agency says most countries in Africa should still roll out the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, despite concerns over its use against a coronavirus variant that emerged in South Africa.
John Nkengasong, director of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention says they will not be walking away from AstraZeneca vaccines at all.
Dr Nkengasong says the variant had now been found in six other African countries - Botswana, Comoros, Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique and Zambia.
He advised that with no evidence that it was dominant in any of those countries and other African nations to still use the vaccine.
South Africa has delayed the start of its vaccination campaign, which was due to start this week.
Zimbabwe minister of information says the country is to import 800,000 Covid-19 vaccines from China within the next month.
The first delivery of 200,000 Sinopharm vaccines - a donation from China - will arrive next week while 600,000 vaccines purchased by Zimbabwe will arrive in early March.
Information Minister Monica Mutsvangwa's announcement was posted on Twitter saying Zimbabwe had earmarked $100m (£72,400) for buying vaccines.
The initial objective is to inoculate at least 60% of the population, the threshold for herd immunity.
The first phase vaccinations will prioritise frontline workers, the elderly and those with underlying medical conditions.
Officials in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo are gearing up to begin an Ebola vaccination campaign following the death of two people in North Kivu province.
Eugene Nzanzu Syalita, the province’s health minister, told the BBC that they would start inoculating people in Masoya, a heath zone near Butembo. He did not specify when exactly this would be.
He says 161 people in that area had been traced who had had contact with the first patient.
Samples are being studied in the capital, Kinshasa, to assess whether the cases are a new strain of Ebola.
South Africa’s president spoke of his determination to overcome the coronavirus pandemic and to tackle the country's economic challenges.
Cyril Ramaphosa lamented that more than 47,000 people had died from the virus and that nearly two million jobs had been lost in less than a year.
President Ramaphosa says the government was faced with the task of bringing stability in trying times.
He says the first priority was defeating coronavirus, through a nationwide vaccination campaign – expected to start in the next few weeks.
Correspondents say the governing ANC risks losing a great deal of support if President Ramaphosa does not fulfil his promises to boost economic growth, create jobs and fight the rampant corruption.
The Federal Government on Thursday commissioned a 1.12 MW Captive Solar Hybrid Power Plant at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi.
The plant was executed under the government’s Energizing Education Programme, an initiative aimed at providing 37 Federal Universities and seven Teaching Hospitals with captive energy solutions that will ensure sustainable and reliable power for students and faculty.
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, who commissioned the plant virtually, says Nigeria plans to reduce carbon emission by 20 percent by 2030.
The Vice president says this is in line with the globally endorsed Climate Change agenda and the Buhari administration’s effort to connect more communities to off-grid power and reliable energy sources.
The Nigerian Governors Forum on Thursday said it had reached a consensus on the need for the country to transition into modern systems of animal husbandry that will replace open, night, and underage grazing in the country.
The Forum Chairman, Kayode Fayemi said the Governors were encouraged to put in place systems to accelerate the grazing initiative of the National Livestock Transformation Plan and ranching in the country.
The consensus was reached to address the rising insecurity in the country which has been linked to armed herdsmen operating as bandits.
The Forum however condemned the ethnic profiling of crime in the country and resolved to convene an emergency meeting of all Governors on the matter.
The communique said the Forum respects the right of abode of all Nigerians and strongly condemns criminality and the ethnic profiling of crime in the country in an effort to frame the widespread banditry and the herders- farmers crisis.
The Federal Government warned those planning a fresh protest at Lekki Toll Gate to shelve their plans as violent protests will not be tolerated.
The Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, who gave the warning while addressing journalists in Abuja, says every Nigerian has the freedom to protest but violence in the name of protests will not be condoned.
Mohammed says based on Intelligence there are high chances that the protest which is planned to take place on February 13, 2021, at the Lekki Toll Gate will be hijacked by hoodlums.
He also noted that the government is watching the roles being played by social media platforms on the planned protest and that security agencies have been placed on red alert to stop the violence.
The Senate has invited the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele to brief its committees on the opportunities and threats of cryptocurrency on the nation’s economy.
The decision of the Senate to invite the CBN governor is sequel to a motion by a Federal Lawmaker Senator Istifanus Gyang during plenary on Thursday, on the CBN’s directive to stop financial institutions from transactions in cryptocurrencies and matters arising from them.
Federal lawmakers called for caution pointing out that while cryptocurrency has its negative sides and it has become the fastest-growing form of transaction all over the world.
They argued that technology has changed the way business is conducted in Nigeria and the country cannot run away from cryptocurrency adding that regulation was needed.
Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom has asked President Muhammadu Buhari to act swiftly before the killer herdsmen drag the nation into another civil war.
Governor Ortom says the security challenges faced by the country have assumed new dimensions where the now emboldened assailants and armed herdsmen daringly enforce their will on legitimate owners and occupants of ancestral lands.
He says there are many areas of concern over the Federal Government’s actions and inactions, including the widely discussed concern over inequalities in key appointments.
The governor says he has a responsibility to raise major concerns regarding insecurity and to offer some recommendations towards addressing them.
The U.S. Justice Department said President Joe Biden’s administration plans to continue to seek to extradite WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange from the United Kingdom to the United States to face hacking conspiracy charges.
Justice Department spokesman Marc Raimondi on Tuesday said the U.S. government will continue to challenge a British judge’s ruling last month that Assange should not be extradited to the United States because of the risk he would commit suicide.
The British judge set Friday as a deadline for the United States to appeal her ruling forbidding Assange’s extradition.
Raimondi said the United States will challenge Baraitser’s ruling and continue to seek his extradition.
The US Senate on Tuesday opened the historic second impeachment trial of Donald Trump, who stands accused of inciting insurrection on January 6, when the former president’s supporters stormed Congress.
Democratic Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said it is their solemn constitutional duty to conduct a fair and honest impeachment trial of the charges against former president Trump.
Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy is presiding over the trial, which will begin with hours of debate, followed by a vote, on the constitutionality of trying an ex-president.
This will almost certainly be just a formality as the Democrats have enough votes, but it will give an early indication of how to open Republicans are to the case at all.
The main part of the trial will start Wednesday, with each side having 16 hours to present oral arguments.
Spain’s health ministry on Tuesday said the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Spain, one of Europe’s hardest-hit nations, has topped three million since the start of the pandemic.
Spain recorded another 16,402 cases in the last 24 hours, taking its overall figure to 3,005,487. Seroprevalence studies, which test for antibodies using a blood serum sample, suggest the real figure is far higher.
Spain also saw another 766 deaths, bringing the overall toll to 63,061 in the nation of some 47 million people.
Spain saw a surge in infections at the start of the year, with health officials blaming an easing of restrictions over the Christmas holidays.
Since then, the incident rate has started to come down as regional governments, which are in charge of health care, have cracked down.
A U.S. official told a World Health Organization meeting on Tuesday that Washington would participate in a programme to boost COVID-19 testing, diagnostics and vaccines as it joins global efforts to respond to the pandemic.
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus welcomed the announcement which follows confirmation last month that Washington under President Joe Biden will remain in the Geneva-based agency.
Colin L. McIff, Acting Director at the Office of Global Affairs in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said they want to underscore the commitment of the United States to multilateralism and our common cause to respond to this pandemic and improve global public health.
The meeting in Geneva aims to help fill a $27 billion funding gap for the WHO-backed programme, called the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator Facilitation Council that is aimed at broadening global access to COVID-19 fighting tools.
Ghana’s Lawmaker, Alban Bagbin on Tuesday announced that the parliament will suspend sittings for three weeks due to increasing coronavirus cases among lawmakers and staff.
The number of MPs who have contracted the virus has risen to 17 while that of staff has gone up to 151.
Speaker Bagbin said sittings would resume on 2 March but he said parliament's appointments committee would from 10 February continue with the scheduled vetting of cabinet nominees of President Nana Akufo-Addo.
Public broadcaster Ghana Broadcasting Corporation reports that Lawmakers and staff are to resubmit themselves to testing two weeks from Wednesday.
Ghana has so far confirmed over 73,000 cases and 482 deaths since it reported its first case in March last year.
South Africa’s joint lead investigator for the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine trial on Tuesday said that a government regulator was processing an application for the vaccine to be granted emergency use authorisation.
The official, Glenda Gray said discussions were underway with regulatory authorities to roll out the single-dose vaccine to health workers, after the government on Sunday halted distribution of the AstraZeneca vaccine over efficacy concerns.
South Africa had given fast-track approval to AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use last month and had said it was reviewing applications by Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson.
Gray said J&J also submitted a rolling submission to SAHPRA to expedite the regulatory processes in South Africa, so this AD26 vaccine is being processed for emergency use.
The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Pantami on has said the National Identification Numbers database is superior to the Bank Verification Numbers.
Dr Isa Pantami explained that he briefed the National Economic Sustainability Committee, headed by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on the imperative of replacing BVN with NIN.
Dr Pantami argued that while BVN was only for account holders with various banks, the NIN is for all Nigerians, irrespective of their status.
Dr Pantami argued that the National Identification Number is established by law.
The private sector-led Coalition Against COVID-19 on Tuesday shed more light on its squabble with the BUA Group, saying the company cannot lay claims to the acquisition of vaccines for Nigeria as presently no private organisation is authorised to do so globally.
CACOVID said although the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control is yet to approve any of the brands of vaccines for the country.
BUA, in a statement, had said that it had paid for one million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine for Nigeria through the Afreximbank Vaccine programme in partnership with CACOVID.
The company, which said the vaccines would be distributed at no cost to Nigerians, added that the one million doses would be delivered next week. It pledged to buy an additional five million.
President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday flagged off the groundbreaking ceremony of the Kano-Katsina-Jibiya-Maradi railway project with a branch line to Dutse in Jigawa State.
The president said that the project, when completed, will enhance economic activities, particularly the trans-Saharan trade between the two countries.
He urged private investors to take full advantage of the opportunity and engage in legitimate businesses aimed at transforming the nation’s economy.
The rail line is also expected to financially empower Nigeria as the import and export hub for the Niger Republic and help the country compete favourably with other coastal West African countries in facilitating trade with the region’s landlocked countries.
Spokesman Femi Adesina on Tuesday said President Muhammadu Buhari’s position on the issue of killer herdsmen is that anyone caught with illegal arms should be arrested and tried.
Mr. Adesina, who made an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today, was reacting to recent comments made by Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom.
Mr. Ortom had said the President was silent over the issue of armed herdsmen causing havoc across the country.
Mr. Adesina said he does not the exact figure of herdsmen arrested in recent times but a lot of people are awaiting trial.
President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered the military service chiefs to be decisive in dealing with terrorists and ending the insurgency in the North-east without further delay.
The Chief of Air Staff, Air Vice Marshal Oladayo Amao said the president routed the order through the Chief of Defence Staff for them to come up with new strategies to rout the insurgents.
He stated that he has had meetings with the other service chiefs leading to the continuing tour of military formations in the North-east, including Sector 3 Operation Lafiya Dole and the Multi-National Joint Task Force.
He stated that they had already begun to take action in this regard, holding several meetings to evolve strategies for better synergy in the joint operations.
Malawi will proceed with its plan to import the efficient AstraZeneca vaccine.
The country expects to receive its first consignment of the vaccine at the end of February for roll-out in March. It will consist of 1.5 million doses.
The roll-out of the AstraZeneca vaccine was on Sunday put on hold in South Africa after a study showed disappointing results against the South African variant of coronavirus.
President Chakwera however said the strategy of limiting new infections offers the best chance against the disease.
He said the vaccine has an efficacy of between 60% to 65% efficacy which was still high enough to save lives. The president also said the vaccine costs less.
He said the hardship of preventing new infections is better than the hardship of treating them.
Sudan's Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok on Sunday dissolved the cabinet and is expected to announce a new one on Monday.
The prime minister's office in a statement said the ministers would remain in office until the new ones take office and full handover done.
Sudan has been under a transitional council since 2019 when former President Omar al-Bashir was ousted.
The country is moving towards democratic rule after the removal of al-Bashir who had been president for nearly 30 years.
Rwanda's national carrier Rwandair has temporarily suspended flights to South Africa, Zimbabwe and Zambia.
The airline cited the new Covid-19 variants reported in southern African countries.
All flights to and from the cities of Johannesburg, Cape Town, Lusaka and Harare have been suspended effective Monday.
The airline urged customers to request for refunds or reschedule travel to the destinations.
South Africa will put on hold use of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 shot in its vaccination programme, after data showed it gave minimal protection against mild-to-moderate infection caused by the country’s dominant coronavirus variant.
Health Minister Zweli Mkhize on Sunday said that the government would await advice from scientists on how best to proceed, after a trial showed the AstraZeneca vaccine did not significantly reduce the risk of mild or moderate COVID-19 from the 501Y.V2 variant that caused a second wave of infections starting late last year.
Researchers said Prior to widespread circulation of the more contagious variant, the vaccine was showing efficacy of around 75%
The study did not assess whether the vaccine helped prevent severe COVID-19 because it involved mostly relatively young adults not considered to be at high risk for serious illness.
AstraZeneca on Saturday said that it believed its vaccine could protect against severe disease and that it had already started adapting it against the 501Y.V2 variant.
Marketers have said with the current realities in the global crude oil markets, the price of Petrol in Nigeria should be between N185 and N200 per litre, unless the government wants to subsidise the product
The upturn in global oil prices last week has again brought to the fore marketers’ concerns over the non-implementation of the full deregulation of the downstream petroleum sector as the pump prices of petrol have been left unchanged for more than two months.
Fuel marketers had in December expected another upward adjustment of PMS prices to reflect the further rise in crude oil prices, which closed at $51.22 per barrel on December 31.
Crude oil price accounts for a large chunk of the final cost of petrol, and the country has continued to spend so much on petrol imports for many years amid low domestic refining capacity.
Marketers said the pump price of petrol should be between N185 and N200 per litre.
The Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi on Sunday said the Kano-Maradi rail project will cost the Nigerian government $1.9bn.
The minister said the project is going to cost us $1.9bn and we will source it from mostly Europe.
He explained that the project will open up the country to more investment, arguing that it is for the best interest of Nigeria for the Kano-Maradi railway to be constructed.
He said the interest is national; the interest is about Nigeria. The Maradi terminal is just 20 kilometres away from Nigeria so there is no huge investment like Nigerians are thinking.
The Minister who also spoke about politics in the country, dismissed suggestions that he is being touted as the next president, noting that only God knows Nigeria’s next leader.
Former presidential candidate, Kingsley Moghalu, has said that $500 million worth of Bitcoin has been traded in Nigeria within the last five years.
Moghalu disclosed these figures while reacting to the recent CBN policy which directed all banks to close accounts that transact in cryptocurrency.
He faulted the move of the apex bank, saying that regardless of the risks involved in trading in cryptocurrencies, he would not recommend that it be banned outrightly.
He further explained that it is becoming a real factor in the country’s investment ecosystem, as well as a livelihood for many Nigerians.
Mr Moghalu faulted the directive and echoed the sentiments of many other Nigerians, noting that the move is seen as though the government is always taking actions aimed at taking away opportunities from Nigerians especially in a depressed economy.
He believes that any investment has risks and if he was in a position to make a decision, it would be to balance the risks as against the current realities of the country.
Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project has urged the World Bank President Mr. David Malpass to exercise the Bank’s prerogative to release archival records and documents relating to spending on all approved funds to improve access to electricity in Nigeria between 1999 and 2020.
It also asked for the Bank’s role in the implementation of any funded electricity projects, and to identify and name any executed projects, and Nigerian officials, ministries, departments and agencies involved in the execution of such projects.”
The World Bank Board of Directors had last week approved $500m to help boost access to electricity in Nigeria and improve the performance of the distribution companies in the country.
The organization urged the Bank to explain the rationale for the approval of $500m to implement electricity projects in the country, despite reports of widespread and systemic corruption in the sector, and the failure of the authorities to enforce a court judgment ordering the release of details of payments to allegedly corrupt electricity contractors who failed to execute any projects.
President Muhammadu Buhari has called for a comprehensive reform of the structures and operations of the African Union, to make it more functional in meeting targets, warning that the organization would become stale, except it becomes more result-oriented.
The President said global realities demand that the AU be overhauled if it must remain relevant in intergovernmental processes. They must work concertedly to ensure a productive, self-sufficient, and purpose driven organization that will fully serve the interests of the people.
President Buhari commended President Paul Kagame of Rwanda for presenting a special report on the need to reform the AU.
The President also appreciated the support of Heads of State and Government of the African Union in the election of Bankole Adeoye as Commissioner, Political Affairs, Peace and Security.
President Buhari urges Adeoye to deploy his knowledge and experience in foreign policy and diplomacy, particularly on bilateral and multilateral issues, to bring value to the new position, with an assurance of the country’s support.
President Joe Biden announced an end to United States support for Saudi-led military offensive operations in Yemen, indicating that the new administration is planning a more active US role in efforts to end the country’s civil war.
The US president in a speech at the State Department said the war has to end and to underscore their commitment
He said Saudi Arabia faces missile attacks, UAV (drone) strikes and other threats from Iranian-supplied forces in multiple countries.
He said they are going to continue to support and help Saudi Arabia defend its sovereignty and its territorial integrity and its people.
Saudi Arabia welcomed Biden’s remarks, particularly his commitment to the country’s defense and addressing threats against it, according to the country’s state news agency.
The Bank of England left interest rates and stimulus unchanged Thursday, but cut its 2021 growth forecast owing to the deadly coronavirus crisis despite a global vaccine rollout.
BoE policymakers voted to keep borrowing costs at a record-low 0.1 percent, after their first monetary policy meeting since Britain’s divorce from the European Union at the start of January.
The bank also cut its 2021 gross domestic product growth forecast to 5.0 percent from 7.25 percent, while hinting at the possibility of implementing negative interest rates later this year.
Much of the UK re-entered lockdown in early January to curb variant strains that are deemed more transmissible, with restrictions similar to initial Covid curbs imposed in the second quarter of 2020.
Taiwan on Friday blamed Chinese bullying for Guyana’s decision to revoke a deal for the island to open a representative office in the South American country, saying it had tried without success to get Guyana to change its mind.
Taiwan had already begun initial operations at the office, in effect a de facto embassy, last month. It had been welcomed by Washington and condemned by Beijing, which claims Taiwan as its own territory with no right to state-to-state ties.
Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry said that because of Chinese pressure Guyana had unilaterally decided to back out of the deal, and Taiwan expressed deep regret it was unable to get the decision reversed.
The ministry said they express their strongest dissatisfaction and condemnation of the Chinese government once again bullying and compressing Taiwan’s international space and Taiwan’s participation in international affairs.
It added that China’s continued efforts to isolate Taiwan in the international arena runs counter to declarations by its leaders that it is against bullying and that no one with thick arms and big fists has the final say.
The United Nations Security Council called for the release of Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi and others detained by the military as diplomatic and financial pressure grew on the generals who seized power this week to restore democracy.
U.S. President Joe Biden said the military should step down as the administration considered slapping sanctions on the generals responsible for Monday’s coup in the Southeast Asian country.
Myanmar’s long and troubled transition to democracy was derailed on Monday when army commander Min Aung Hlaing took power, citing alleged irregularities in a November election that Suu Kyi’s party won in a landslide. The electoral commission has said the vote was fair.
The 15-member U.N. Security Council released a statement on Thursday stressing the “need to uphold democratic institutions and processes, refrain from violence, and fully respect human rights, fundamental freedoms and the rule of law.
Democratic lawmakers leading the impeachment case against Donald Trump on Thursday requested the former president to testify in his trial for allegedly inciting insurrection in the attack on the US Capitol last month.
Chief impeachment manager Jamie Raskin wrote a letter to Trump, ahead of the February 9 opening of the trial.
Raskin made the request after Trump’s lawyers filed a pre-trial brief denying the allegations that he encouraged the violent assault by his supporters on the US Congress, which left five people dead.
He said trump had attempted to put critical facts at issue, notwithstanding the clear and overwhelming evidence of your constitutional offense.
Public Health England on Monday said Cases in England of the South African coronavirus variant, which are not directly linked to travel, probably came from people who were asymptomatic when they entered Britain rather than a broader infection.
Susan Hopkins, a top official at Public Health England at a news conference said the cases do not appear linked at the moment. They are in quite separate parts of the country, and they’re more likely to be related to somebody who potentially had asymptomatic infection when they came in from abroad.
She added that they are looking to find extra cases in the community to see where they can find links, and to try and close down and eliminate the transmission between people.
The World Health Organization African region on Thursday said Africa will receive nearly 90 million COVID-19 vaccine doses from COVAX in February 2021.
WHO Regional Director for Africa, Matshidiso Moeti during a briefing on the roll-out of vaccines in the continent said Africa has watched other regions start COVID-19 vaccination campaigns from the side-lines for too long.
He said the planned roll-out is a critical first step to ensuring the continent gets equitable access to vaccines.
The agency noted that the vaccines would come mainly from the AstraZeneca/Oxford AZD1222 vaccine.
The rollout is however subject to the vaccine being approved for emergency use by the WHO. The review is expected to be received soon.
Facebook said it has removed the account of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, for repeated violation of its rules on harm and hate speech.
The account of the leader of the secessionist group was blocked after a live broadcast on Tuesday, in which he accused herders of destroying their farms.
Mr Kanu had posted a video of people suspected to be members of the Eastern Security Network - an armed militia group he set up in the south-east region, attacking and killing cattle in herders' settlements.
A spokesperson for Facebook told the BBC that it believes in giving people a voice but it also wants people to feel safe while using the platform.
The spokesman added that Mr Kanu's page was removed in line with its rules for repeatedly posting content that breaks Facebook's Community Standards, including those violating rules on co-ordinating harm and hate speech.
Ipob's lawyer Paul Achalla told the BBC that it will appeal against the ban.
He added that the ban does not affect Radio Biafra and other platforms of the group.
President Muhammadu Buhari approved the extension of the tenure the Inspector-General of Police, Mr Mohammed Adamu by three months.
The Minister of Police Affairs, Muhammad Dingyadi, announced this on Thursday while briefing reporters at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory.
He explained that the decision to extend the tenure of the police chief was to give the Federal Government ample time to select the appropriate person to succeed him.
The Principal Staff Officer to the IGP, Idowu Owohunwa, and the Force Education Officer, Rabi Umar, were decorated with the rank of Commissioner of Police.
President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday assured Nigerian youths that he will offer his full support to see them grow in politics, and other endeavors, admitting the crucial role of young people in the development of the country.
Buhari during a virtual meeting with youths of the All Progressive Congress held at the State House, Abuja offered his full support for youths to grow in politics, public service, entertainment, entrepreneurship and many other sectors because I know that the future we envisage as a country cannot happen without our youths.
The President in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media & Publicity Femi Adesina said in strengthened internal democracy, with transparent electoral processes, pro-people policies and programmes, and value of each member’s contribution to the party’s growth.
Early results of an advanced study published in a British medical journal stated that Russian scientists say the country’s Sputnik V vaccine appears safe and effective against COVID-19 in a boost for a shot that is increasingly being bought by nations around the world who are desperate to stop the devastation caused by the pandemic.
Researchers say based on their trial, which involved about 20,000 people in Russia last autumn, the vaccine is about 91.6 percent effective and that the shot also appeared to prevent people from becoming severely ill with COVID-19. The study was published online on Tuesday in the journal, The Lancet.
Scientists not linked to the research acknowledged that the speed at which the Russian vaccine was made and rolled out was criticised for unseemly haste, corner-cutting and an absence of transparency.
China has blocked a UN Security Council statement condemning the military coup in Myanmar.
The military took power in the South East Asian nation on Monday after arresting political leader Aung San Suu Kyi and hundreds of other lawmakers.
The coup leaders have since formed a supreme council which will sit above the cabinet.
In Myanmar's biggest city Yangon though, signs of resistance and civil disobedience have been growing.
The United Nations Security Council met on Tuesday but failed to agree on a joint statement after China did not support it. China has the power of veto as one of five permanent members of the council.
The UN's Special Envoy on Myanmar, Christine Schraner, strongly condemned the military takeover which came after the army refused to accept the outcome of general elections held in November.
She said it was clear that the recent outcome of the election was a landslide victory for Ms Suu Kyi's party.
The newly formed Myanmar Civil Disobedience Movement said staff at 70 hospitals and medical departments in 30 towns across Myanmar stopped work on Wednesday to protest against the coup that ousted elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
A statement from the group said the army had put its own interests above a vulnerable population facing hardships during the coronavirus pandemic. The virus has killed more than 3,100 people in Myanmar, one of the highest tolls in Southeast Asia.
The statement added that they refuse to obey any order from the illegitimate military regime who demonstrated they do not have any regards for our poor patients.
Four doctors confirmed they had stopped work, but did not want to be identified.
US regulators on Tuesday said Tesla will recall nearly 135,000 cars to repair a computer memory failure that could pose a safety risk.
The electric car manufacturer notified the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration of the massive recall over the problem affecting the cars’ touchscreen that could cause a loss of some features.
Tesla in its notification to NHTSA said the recall covers the 2012 to 2018 Model S sedans and the 2016 to 2018 Model X SUVs equipped with a NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor.
Tesla said it will repair the issue at no cost to car owners, starting in late March.
NHTSA opened a preliminary investigation into the issue of backup camera failures in June 2020 adding that about 159,000 vehicles were affected by the memory issues.
Tesla however said the recall does not cover those that already were upgraded to the Intel Atom processor.
US President Joe Biden will sign three more executive orders on immigration Tuesday as part of a drive to erase the hardline legacy of Donald Trump, including an effort to reunite children separated from their parents at the US border with Mexico.
They are a follow-up to executive orders that Biden signed on his first day in office as he reforms the US immigration system after what was widely criticized as abusive anti-foreigner policy under Trump.
The new action by the Democratic president is aimed at streamlining the legal US immigration process, officials said, with Biden to order a review of all legal obstacles to immigration and integration put in place under Trump.
A senior government official said the review will likely lead to dramatic changes in policies saying the goal is to restore faith in our legal immigration system, and promote integration of Americans.
Jeff Bezos on Tuesday said he would give up his role as Chief Executive of Amazon later this year as the tech and e-commerce giant reported a surge in profit and revenue in the holiday quarter.
The company said Andy Jassy, who heads Amazon Web Services, would take over as CEO in the third quarter.
The announcement came as Amazon reported a blowout holiday quarter with profits more than doubling to $7.2 billion and revenue jumping 44 per cent to $125.6 billion.
Bezos said he will transition to the role of executive chair in the third quarter to hand over the CEO role to Jassy adding that Amazon is what it is because of invention.
He said Amazon is presently at its most inventive ever, making it an optimal time for this transition.
Jassy joined Amazon as a marketing manager in 1997 and in 2003 founded AWS, the web division of the company which has been one of the most profitable but least-known units of the tech colossus.
Amnesty International says Guinea should investigate how four opposition members died in pre-trial detention.
They were arrested in connection with protests last year against a referendum on a new constitution that allowed President Alpha Condé to stand again in elections, which he went on to won.
Those who died in the main prison in the capital, Conakry, include two members of the Union of Democratic Forces of Guinea, the main opposition party whose leader Cellou Dalein Diallo came second in last October’s election.
The rights group also wants the immediate and unconditional release of all others detained for exercising their freedom of expression
It says that about 400 opposition supporters remain in prison and many families are not informed about the condition of their relatives.
A South African commission investigating corruption during the presidency of Jacob Zuma has faulted his decision not to obey summons to appear before it later this month.
The commission, known as the Zondo commission, termed Mr Zuma's decision as completely unacceptable.
Mr Zuma is scheduled to appear before the commission from 15 to 19 February, but on Monday said that he would rather go to prison than obey the summons.
His defiance followed last week's order by a constitutional court compelling him to appear before the commission.
The Zondo commission in a statement said the Commission reiterates that in terms of the Constitution everyone is equal before the law.
It added that it would announce what further action it will take should Mr Zuma not appear before it.
The Northern Elders’ Forum has advised law-abiding Fulani communities to seek protection where it is available, and resist the temptation to take the law into their hands.
It also warned those attacking law-abiding Fulani communities, particularly in some parts of the South, to desist from such.
NEF’s Director of Publicity and Advocacy, Dr. Hakeem Baba-Ahmed in a statement on Tuesday in Kaduna expressed concern over what he called reports of ejections and attacks on law-abiding Fulani herders in some states.
The forum called on President Muhammadu Buhari and state governors to protect law-abiding Fulani communities from killers and criminals who think that Fulani have no rights in Nigeria.
It said it has been receiving reports of attacks on Fulani communities in the South since the night of Sunday, January 31, and had taken the responsible step by drawing the attention of authorities to the dangers, which these attacks represent for all Nigerians.
NEF expressed concern over reports of ejections and attacks on Fulani herders and communities in some states of the South.
The Nigerian Government is worried about the possibility of a scarcity of Premium Motor Spirit in the country.
The Minister of State for Petroleum, Mr Timipre Sylva raised the concern on Monday at a late-night meeting between the government and leaders of the organised labour.
The meeting was a continuation of the series of dialogues between both parties in a bid to persuade the labour unions not to go on strike over the increase in the price of petrol and electricity tariff.
The Technical Committee on PMS presented its report while the Committee on Electricity Tariff said its work was ongoing.
Chairman of the Technical Committee on PMS, Onochie Anyaoku, highlighted the areas where the government should work on to reduce the price of petrol.
The Governor of Zamfara State, Bello Muhammad Matawalle, has announced the donation of the sum of ₦50 million to victims of the Sokoto Main market fire incident which occurred last week.
The Special Adviser, Public Enlightenment Media and Communications, Zailani Bappa, the Governor noted that whatever affects the Sokoto people directly affects the people of Zamfara State.
Governor Matawalle said What affects the eye directly affects the nose too and they are basically the same people and we must share our good and bad moments together.
He said he was unable to visit the state last week due to the security situation arising in Zamfara at the time but prayed for Allah to give the victims of the incident the heart to bear the loss while also urging them to consider it as a special test from God.
The Federal Government has extended the linkage of the National Identity Number to Subscriber Identity Modules by eight weeks.
News of the extension was contained in a statement signed by spokespersons of the Nigerian Communications Commission and the Nigeria Identity Management Commission.
The Commission in a statement, which was dated February 1 said the extension was approved by the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Pantami.
It added that Dr. Pantami stated that the extension is to give Nigerians and legal residents more time to integrate their NIN with the SIM.
The new deadline for the exercise is now April 6.
Nigeria has continued to record more cases of coronavirus as the total number of infections rose to 133,552 on Tuesday.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) disclosed this in a late-night tweet.
It noted that 1,634 new cases were reported from 25 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in the last 24 hours.
Lagos topped the list of states with fresh infections – reporting 440 more cases and was trailed by Anambra FCT and Rivers where 160, 158, and 134 new COVID-19 cases were reported respectively.
Nigeria has continued to record more cases of coronavirus as the total number of infections rose to 133,552 on Tuesday.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) disclosed this in a late-night tweet.
It noted that 1,634 new cases were reported from 25 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in the last 24 hours.
Lagos topped the list of states with fresh infections – reporting 440 more cases and was trailed by Anambra FCT and Rivers where 160, 158, and 134 new COVID-19 cases were reported respectively.
Nigeria has continued to record more cases of coronavirus as the total number of infections rose to 133,552 on Tuesday.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control disclosed this in a late-night tweet.
It noted that 1,634 new cases were reported from 25 states and the Federal Capital Territory in the last 24 hours.
Lagos topped the list of states with fresh infections – reporting 440 more cases and was trailed by Anambra, FCT and Rivers where 160, 158, and 134 new COVID-19 cases were reported respectively.
The United Nations has expressed fears that Africa might be left behind in the global drive for COVID-19 vaccination.
The British government has announced sanctions against four Zimbabwean security officials, accusing them of human rights abuses, including killing protesters.
South Africa has received its first batch of Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccines.
The one million doses will be given to healthcare workers who have been battling the virus in the continent's worst-hit country but no date has been set for the start of the roll-out.
The head of the UN refugee agency has described the situation in Ethiopia’s Tigray region as extremely grave and has urged the government to stop restricting access for humanitarian agencies.
The Federal Government on Monday resumed its meeting with the organised Labour over the issues of increases in the pump price of petrol and electricity tariff hike.
Dr Chris Ngige the Minister of Labour and Boss Mustapha the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), are the two ministers representing the federal government at this meeting.
The Inspector-General of Police, IGP M.A Adamu, on Monday ordered the Assistant Inspectors General of Police in the seventeen (17) zonal commands and their constituent Commissioners of Police in the thirty-six (36) States of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, to carry out full enforcement of the Coronavirus Disease Health Protection Regulations 2021 signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari on the 26th January 2021.
Nigeria has extended its search for COVID-19 vaccines to Russia and India in a bid to get enough supplies to meet its target of vaccinating 40 per cent of its population by the end of 2021.
The federal government said it has obtained vaccine samples from Russia and India for testing by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control.
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Boss Mustapha, said no fewer than 70 per cent of the Nigerian population will be vaccinated when the Federal Government takes delivery of the COVID-19 vaccines on Monday on behalf of the government at an event in Abuja, the nation’s capital.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control has confirmed that six new cases of the B117 strain of COVID-19 have been found in the country.
Nigeria on Monday recorded its lowest number of daily new COVID-19 cases since December when the federal government declared a second wave of the pandemic.
Around 5,000 people defied a ban to march Sunday in Vienna in protest against a curfew and lockdown aimed at curbing the spread of Covid-19.
The march was organised by the far-right FPOe party, and many participants ignored government regulations on mask wearing and the respect for minimum distances from each other.
The Vatican Museums, including the Sistine Chapel, said they will reopen on Monday after being closed for 88 days due to coronavirus restrictions — the longest closure since World War II.
The world-famous collections will open their doors to the public from Monday to Saturday, but visitors must pre-book tickets and will be given timed entry slots.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres strongly condemned the detention of Myanmar's State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, President U Win Myint and other political leaders on the eve of the opening session of Myanmar’s new Parliament.
Guterres expressed his grave concern in a statement regarding the declaration of the transfer of all legislative, executive and judicial powers to the military.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres strongly condemned the detention of Myanmar's State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, President U Win Myint and other political leaders on the eve of the opening session of Myanmar’s new Parliament.
Guterres expressed his grave concern in a statement regarding the declaration of the transfer of all legislative, executive and judicial powers to the military.
Saudi Arabia’s health minister on Sunday warned that new coronavirus restrictions could be imposed amid an uptick in infections, as the kingdom slows the rollout of vaccines due to supply delays.
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project has urged the Senate President Dr Ahmad Lawan, and Speaker of House of Representatives Mr Femi Gbajabiamila to urgently probe allegations that N4.4 billion of public money budgeted for the National Assembly is missing, misappropriated, diverted or stolen, as documented in three audited reports by the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation.
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project has urged the Senate President Dr Ahmad Lawan, and Speaker of House of Representatives Mr Femi Gbajabiamila to urgently probe allegations that N4.4 billion of public money budgeted for the National Assembly is missing, misappropriated, diverted or stolen, as documented in three audited reports by the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation.
The federal government has given more insights into the cut in automobiles’ import tariffs just as it dismissed claims by a section of the organised private sector that its decision amounted to a policy somersault
The Presidency on Sunday threatened another lockdown of the country if Nigerians fail to comply with compulsory wearing of face masks while in public places.
Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State is seeking to have a law enacted which would place a ban on the movement of herdsmen and cattle from the north towards the southern regions of Nigeria.
The Nigeria center for diseases control records 685 new confirmed cases and 8 deaths were in the country Nigeria
Britain on Tuesday announced an outright travel ban on non-citizens arriving from the United Arab Emirates and severe quarantine measures for citizens coming in from there to stem coronavirus cases, hitting Dubai holidaymakers and expatriates.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said the UAE has been added to the government’s red list along with Burundi and Rwanda from 1.00pm on Friday.
He said any British or Irish citizens and third country nationals with residence rights returning from the Gulf state will be required to isolate at home, or in a hotel for 10 days.
A government spokeswoman said the decision to ban travel from these destinations follows the discovery of a new coronavirus variant first identified in South Africa, that may have spread to other countries, including the United Arab Emirates, Burundi and Rwanda.
The United States on Thursday called for the immediate withdrawal of Russian and Turkish forces from Libya after a deadline for them to leave was ignored.
This appeal marked a firmer expression of US policy toward oil-rich Libya under the new administration of President Joe Biden.
The acting US ambassador Richard Mills during a UN Security Council meeting on Libya said they call on all external parties, to include Russia, Turkey and the UAE, to respect Libyan sovereignty and immediately cease all military intervention in Libya.
Mills said per the October ceasefire agreement we call on Turkey and Russia to immediately initiate the withdrawal of their forces from the country and the removal of the foreign mercenaries and military proxies that they have recruited, financed, deployed and supported in Libya.
The UN estimates there are some 20,000 foreign troops and mercenaries in Libya helping the warring factions: the UN-recognized Government of National Accord in Tripoli and military strongman Khalifa Haftar in the east.
Health officials on Thursday said a potent coronavirus variant originating in South Africa and found to be partly resistant to current vaccines and antibody treatments has been detected for the first time in the United States in two South Carolina patients.
Medical experts said arrival of the so-called South African variant presented an alarming new challenge in efforts to contain a raging pandemic that has claimed at least 430,000 American lives in 11 months, as authorities struggle to launch the largest mass-vaccination campaign in U.S. history.
All viruses mutate frequently, and scientists have identified several variants of the novel coronavirus found to be more transmissible than the original strain.
But the presence of the South African variant, which has shown no evidence of causing more severe disease, is nonetheless especially concerning because several laboratory studies have found that it reduces vaccine and antibody therapy efficacy.
The principal investigator of the study said late on Thursday said South Africa’s mid-stage trial of U.S.-based biotech company Novavax Inc’s COVID-19 vaccine has shown it to be 60% effective for non-HIV individuals.
Shabir Madhi, a professor of vaccinology at the University of the Witwatersrand leading the clinical study for Novavax COVID-19 vaccine in South Africa, said the results were good and showed the vaccine is highly effective towards immunization against the coronavirus.
He said the results are far superior than any other vaccine against the new variant.
Algeria Communications Minister said the country is set to receive its first doses of Covid-19 vaccine on Friday and begin immunisation on Saturday.
The country will receive the Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine and says other doses from China and India are expected later.
The elderly and health care workers are among first recipients of the vaccines.
The immunisation is set to begin in the province of Blida.
Data from Johns Hopkins University showed that the country has recorded 106,359 cases of coronavirus including 2,877 deaths.
Algeria had said it would share Covid-19 vaccines with its neighbouring nation Tunisia that has been affected severely as well, news agencies reported.
The German government agreed on Thursday to ban all travel from high-risk countries, including South Africa, Britain, Portugal and Brazil.
The restrictions are due to be signed on Friday and could come into force as early as Saturday, according to Spiegel magazine.
Germany’s Interior Minister Horst Seehofer announced this ahead of a meeting with EU ministers on Thursday, in an effort to limit new virus mutations entering the country.
The ban will include all air, train and road travel, but German nationals who are returning home could be excluded.
There was confusion on Thursday at the venue of the public hearing on the Petroleum Industry Bill as members of host communities broke into a fight.
The fight broke out when the host communities of Nigeria producing oil and gas were called to the podium to make a presentation at the public hearing which was held at the House of Representatives in the National Assembly Complex.
A representative of the Itsekiri stood up to speak but was opposed by other members of host communities present and a fight ensued leading to a rowdy session.
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila had earlier on Wednesday assured that the Reps will protect Nigeria’s interest and ensure quick passage.
He said although the PIB has been in the National Assembly for decades without much success, the ninth Assembly would ensure that it passes it into law.
A total of 384 Nigerians stranded in Saudi Arabia on Thursday arrived at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
The returnees arrived via Air flight B773 at about 1:10 pm local time and were received by officials including those of Nigerians In Diaspora Commission.
A representative of the minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bolaji received the returnees at the Hajj Terminal where he charged them not to despair.
He however said the Nigerian government does not support illegal migration.
The evacuation of the stranded Nigerians follows a call for help my them in a video that went viral recently on social media.
The Chairman of NIDCOM, Abike Dabiri-Erewa while responding to the viral video depicting Nigerians pleading to be returned from Saudi Arabia assured that they will be evacuated from the Muslim country by January 28th and 29th.
She attributed the delay to the coronavirus pandemic as both countries bickered over the responsibility of paying for COVID-19 tests.
The Federal Government on Thursday said it is trying hard to prevent another lockdown, even as fears continue to mount over the rising cases of COVID-19 infections in Africa’s most populous nation.
The Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire in an interview on Channels Television said the lockdown is always a last resort. It is not the first step that the government takes. If you hear of the countries which had to do lockdown
President Muhammadu Buhari had on Wednesday signed the Coronavirus Health Protection Regulation 2021, a move targeted at strengthening Nigeria’s efforts at combating the disease which has infected more than 100 million people globally.
The Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire on Thursday said Nigeria has secured an additional 41 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines.
The date of the vaccine’s delivery into the country however remains unknown as vaccine manufacturers struggle to meet global demand in time.
Dr Ehanire said the date it comes out depends on when the manufacturers are able to deliver, and that is not something that any country can enforce at this time.
The 41 million doses were secured as part of efforts by an African Union task team to help countries on the continent gain equitable access to vaccines.
The AU earlier on Thursday had announced that it had secured an additional 400 million doses of the vaccines for the continent.
Minister Ehanire on Thursday confirmed that Nigeria was expected to take delivery of 100,000 vaccine doses via the WHO-backed Covax sharing facility by the end of January, but the timeline has now been shifted to February.
President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday urged Nigerians to support the federal government in its effort to curtail the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, especially as it relates to vaccine education.
The President made the appeal while receiving the leadership of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs led by its President-General and Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar.
Nigeria is currently battling a second wave of the coronavirus pandemic as cases continue to be recorded across the country.
The president said it is also critical for the religious bodies to lend their voices in support of those basic but fundamental protocols that can significantly curtail the spread of this disease.
The President also warned against stoking ethnic and religious prejudices, according to a statement signed by spokesman Garba Shehu.
The Presidency on Thursday responded to Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index which placed Nigeria 149 out of the 180 countries surveyed.
The TI data suggested that Nigeria’s corruption situation had worsened.
Presidential spokesman Garba Shehu in a statement however said the Muhammadu Buhari administration deserves credit for reducing corruption in the country.
He said the TI report is not an accurate portrayal of the facts on the ground.
Nigeria has recorded 864 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total caseload of the country to 127,024.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control announced this in a post in the early hours of Friday.
The NCDC disclosed that 129 cases were recorded in the FCT, 87 were recorded in Anambra, while Lagos State, which has been the epicenter of the virus in the country with a total of 46,935 cases, was omitted.
100,853 persons are said to have fully recovered from the virus.
As the virus surges on and calls for more testing intensify, the country is also looking to secure vaccines as soon as possible.
A US pharmacist has agreed to plead guilty to tampering with Covid vaccine vials because he believed the jabs could harm people, prosecutors say.
Steven Brandenburg, 46, is accused of removing from cold storage 57 vials with 570 doses of the Moderna vaccine in Grafton, Wisconsin, in December.
Mr Brandenburg could be jailed for 20 years on two charges of attempting to tamper with consumer products.
He also faces a $250,000 (£182,000) fine.
The attorney's office in Wisconsin in a statement on Tuesday said Mr Brandenburg signed a plea agreement acknowledging that he was guilty of attempting to render hundreds of doses of Covid-19 vaccine ineffective.
He was charged with two counts of attempting to tamper with consumer products, with reckless disregard for the risk that another person will be placed in danger of death or bodily injury.
The pharmacist admitted that he believed in various conspiracy theories subscribed to notions of alternative history and was sceptical of vaccines in general and the Moderna vaccine specifically.
The Kremlin on Tuesday said Russia and the United States have struck a deal to extend the New START nuclear arms control treaty a move that preserves the last major pact of its kind between the world’s two biggest nuclear powers.
The White House did not immediately confirm the Kremlin’s announcement but said President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin had discussed the issue by telephone and agreed that their teams work urgently to complete the extension by Feb. 5, when the treaty expires.
The Kremlin declared the breakthrough, which was widely anticipated, in a statement announcing that Putin and Biden had spoken for the first time since Biden took office on Jan. 20.
The Kremlin said Putin and Biden expressed satisfaction that diplomatic notes between the two nations had been exchanged earlier on Tuesday confirming the pact would be extended and that procedures required for the pact to come into force before it expires would be completed in the coming days.
A study on Wednesday showed that COVID-19 vaccination programmes in China and India will stretch until late 2022 due to the sheer size of their population, and more than 85 poor countries will not have widespread access to vaccines before 2023.
While rapid development of vaccines has raised hopes for an end to the year-long pandemic, concerns over unequal distribution have also mounted due to production problems and large bilateral deals between wealthy countries and drug makers.
U.S. President Joe Biden on Tuesday said that the United States aims to secure an additional 200 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer and its partner BioNTech and Moderna Inc by summer.
In Europe, the European Commission is setting up a proposal to restrict COVID-19 vaccine exports amid frustration over delays in deliveries of AstraZeneca’s vaccine and other supply problems.
A Reuters tally on Wednesday showed that Global coronavirus cases surpassed 100 million as countries around the world struggle with new virus variants and vaccine shortfalls.
Almost 1.3% of the world’s population has now been infected with COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, and more than 2.1 million people have died.
The worst-affected countries the United States, India, Brazil, Russia and the United Kingdom make up more than half all reported COVID-19 cases but represent 28% of the global population, according to a Reuters analysis.
It took the world 11 months to record the first 50 million cases of the pandemic, compared to just three months for cases to double to 100 million.
World Health Organization experts on Tuesday cautiously backed delaying second injections of the Moderna coronavirus vaccine in some situations, as they did for the Pfizer-BioNTech jabs.
The WHO’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunisation also insisted international travellers should not be prioritised for any Covid-19 jabs for the time being.
The experts discussed the Moderna vaccine which, like that of Pfizer-BioNTech, uses mRNA technology and is being rolled out across the world.
The WHO’s vaccine advisory group said it was best to respect the tested intervals between doses of 21 days in the case of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and 28 days for Moderna.
Head of the SAGE, Alejandro Cravioto, warned in a virtual press briefing though that the evidence we have does not go beyond that” six-week cut off.
The head of the EU’s medicine regulator told MEPs on Tuesday that It is still not known whether people vaccinated against Covid-19 can still transmit the coronavirus.
There are also concerns about whether vaccines developed last year will be effective against new mutations of the coronavirus strain now circulating the globe.
Executive director of the European Medicines Agency, Emer Cooke said preliminary indications are that the vaccines in use so far in the European Union by BioNTech-Pfizer and Moderna will continue to be effective against at least the UK variant.
She added that on possible post-vaccine immunity, clinical trial data did not look at transmission but it is something that we’re asking the companies to look at.
Cooke also addressed delivery delays to the EU of doses from BioNTech-Pfizer and from AstraZeneca, which is poised to get authorisation by the end of this week
The African Union has urged Kenya and Somalia to engage in dialogue and ensure peace at their border.
Chairperson Moussa Faki tweeted that peace at the border was important for regional stability:
Fighting broke out at Baled-Hawo, a town in the south-western region of Gedo in Somalia, on Sunday night.
Somalia has accused Kenya for being behind the attacks. Kenya has however denied any involvement in the border clashes and called for the AU to intervene.
The federal government and Jubbaland's administration have been disputing the process for elections and control of some regions bordering Kenya.
Somalia last month severed diplomatic relations with Kenya after accusing Nairobi of blatant interference in Jubbaland affairs. Kenya denied the accusation.
Morocco is set to become the latest country in Africa, after Egypt, to roll out a vaccination programme against Covid-19.
Morocco was hit hard last year when it recorded a higher number of cases compared to its neighbours.
Health officials say frontline medical staff will have priority.
The country has received two million doses of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine, and is expected to take delivery of half a million doses from China's Sinopharm on Wednesday.
Tunisia has pushed back its vaccination campaign to April, while Algeria expects to acquire a batch of Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine by the end of this month
Tunisia’s parliament on Tuesday approved a Cabinet reshuffle that deepened the conflict between the prime minister and the president, as hundreds protested outside the heavily barricaded parliament over social inequality and police abuses.
Hundreds of protesters had marched from the Ettadhamen district of the capital, Tunis, where young people have clashed with police several nights this month, and were joined by hundreds more near the parliament.
Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi named 11 new ministers and said he hoped it would inject new blood into his government.
President Kais Saied however indicated on Monday he would reject the Cabinet reshuffle, condemned the absence of women among the new ministers and said some likely new Cabinet members may have conflicts of interest.
President Muhammadu Buhari has accepted the immediate resignation of the Service Chiefs and appointed new officers as replacements.
This was announced on Tuesday by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina who noted that the service chiefs have also retired from service.
President Buhari appreciated the outgoing Service Chiefs for what he calls their overwhelming achievements in our efforts at bringing enduring peace to our dear country, wishing them well in their future endeavours.
He congratulated the new Service Chiefs and urged them to be loyal and dedicated in the discharge of their responsibilities.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control said Nigeria on Tuesday added 15 more deaths to its coronavirus toll.
The agency in a tweet said the disease control agency added that 1,303 new cases had been confirmed nationwide.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control said 124,299 cases have been confirmed, 99,276 cases discharged and 1522 deaths recorded across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
Tuesday’s new cases were reported from 26 states.
Lagos had 478 cases, FCT had 211cases, Nasarawa had 83 cases, Rivers had 72 cases, Kwara had 42 cases, Edo had 36 cases, Ondo had 34 cases, Benue and Kaduna had 32 each, Katsina and Plateau had 26 cases each, Kano and Taraba had 25 cases each among other.
Moderna said it believes its COVID-19 vaccine is effective against new variants of the coronavirus, although it will test a new booster shot aimed at the strain discovered in South Africa after tests showed the antibody response could be reduced.
The EU has warned it will tighten exports of Covid vaccines produced in the bloc, amid a row with AstraZeneca over a cut in planned supplies.
AstraZeneca told the EU it was falling behind on its supply target because of production problems. Pfizer-BioNTech has also said supplies of its vaccine will be lower, slowing down the EU's vaccination drive.
The Philippines has confirmed domestic transmission of the new, highly contagious British variant of the coronavirus, prompting President Rodrigo Duterte to abandon a plan to allow some minors to go outside their homes.
China on Tuesday said it will conduct military exercises in the South China Sea this week, just days after Beijing bristled at a U.S. aircraft carrier group’s entry into the disputed waters.
Zimbabwe's government spokesman has apologised after the country's medical association reacted furiously to his suggestion that doctors were behind the deaths of top government officials who succumbed to Covid-19.
Somalia Information Ministry said it has foiled an attempt to smuggle "high calibre weapons and ammunition" into the country by local and
Schools in Mali reopened on Monday after several postponements following a teachers' strike and efforts to control the spread of coronavirus.
Northern Elders Forum has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately summon a meeting of governors and heads of security agencies to find solutions to the growing tension in the country.
President of the Senate, Dr. Ahmad Lawan on Monday warned against further delay in the passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) as it will result in more colossal losses to the Nigerian economy.
The federal government has cautioned Nigerians against political and ethnic sentiments capable of swelling the current ethnic and religious clashes over security issues in some states.
It stated that the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari is working assiduously to address all issues currently creating tensions in the country.
Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Sunday said his government was in touch with manufacturers of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Governors of the South-West have agreed to ban all forms of open and night grazing across states within the region.
Johns Hopkins University on Sunday said more than 25 million Covid-19 cases have been recorded in the United States since the pandemic began just days after President Joe Biden’s inauguration.
The milestone was reached only five days after the US, the world’s wealthiest and hardest-hit nation, recorded 400,000 deaths from the disease.
Biden has made fighting the coronavirus a priority and is pushing for Congress to approve a $1.9-trillion relief package that would include billions of dollars to boost vaccination rates.
Biden has said he wants 100 million people vaccinated within his first 100 days in office, and he has called for Americans to wear masks for 100 days.
Countries around the world are in a race against time to get their populations inoculated before the coronavirus mutates into a strain that could resist newly approved vaccinations.
Vivek Murthy, Biden’s nominee for surgeon-general, told ABC News on Sunday that 100 million doses in 100 days was a floor, not a ceiling and cautioned about new strains.
The Kremlin on Sunday accused the United States of interfering in Russia’s domestic affairs and downplayed the scale of the weekend’s protests, when tens of thousands rallied in support of jailed opposition politician Alexei Navalny.
The West has widely condemned the harsh tactics used against demonstrators, with French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian saying Sunday the mass arrest of protesters was an intolerable affront and a slide towards authoritarianism.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has said the bloc would discuss next steps on Monday.
Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Sunday accused the US embassy of interfering in Russia’s domestic affairs after the mission distributed a demonstration alert to US citizens in Russia recommending they avoid protests.
Egypt has begun the process of vaccinating its more than 100 million citizens against the coronavirus. The country has recorded nearly 9,000 deaths from the disease.
The first recipients of a vaccine were a doctor and a nurse. They were given a Chinese-made injection.
Vaccines from Britain and Russia will be included in the inoculation programme as it unfolds.
Egypt’s health minister said the country was aiming to produce an injection locally, with a view to distributing it to the rest of Africa.
There have been warnings that the continent is in danger of being left behind, as richer parts of the world strike vaccine-supply deals and drive up prices.
US President Joe Biden is expected to re-impose a travel ban that Donald Trump lifted just days before his term ended.
The restrictions expected to be reinstated later on Monday would apply to non-US citizens travelling from South Africa and Brazil, which are facing new variants of coronavirus.
Travellers from the UK, Ireland and 26 other European countries are also expected to be banned.
The Trump administration's decision to lift the travel ban which had been in place since last March was criticised by President Biden's press secretary Jen Psaki, who had tweeted that the incoming government didn't intend to abide by the change.
A group of Cuban medics, including five doctors and nine nurses, have arrived in Mozambique to help fight the Covid-19 pandemic.
health ministry official Ussene Isse said they will be stationed in hospitals in the capital, Maputo, which is the epicentre of the pandemic in the country.
He said 45 Cuban health care professionals are expected to arrive in the country.
A second group is expected to arrive in Maputo on 2 February. They will include 25 doctors and six nurses.
Mozambique has so far reported 32,418 coronavirus cases since the pandemic started with 305 deaths.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State has admitted that the number of police officers manning Nigeria’s commercial nerve centre is inadequate for the city.
He said Lagos State is under-policed in terms of the ratio and the population is also growing but there is growth in terms of the number of police officers
He said If the the ratio and the proportion is gotten right, then there will be improvement in the security fo the state.
Governor Sanwo-Olu, however, assured that security officers will continue to get the government’s backing while admitting that the State Government can do nothing to increase the number of police officers in the State.
He said he will improve the skills and up the infrastructure and the equipment for the number they have in the Lagos State Command.
The leadership of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria would on Monday meet the South West Governors’ Forum as the seven-day ultimatum issued by Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, to herdsmen to vacate the state’s forest reserves expires.
A source said the meeting was meant to find lasting solutions to the incessant killings, kidnapping, and crises between herdsmen and farmers in the region.
the Ondo State Commissioner for Information, Donald Ojogo who confirming the meeting with Channels Television on Sunday via the telephone, said the meeting would hold by 12:00 noon tomorrow.
Governor Akeredolu had last week ordered that the herdsmen should vacate all the forest reserves in the state.
He also banned under-aged grazing, night grazing, and movement of cattle along the highways and within the cities in Ondo State.
Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project has asked the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadia Umar-Farouk to publish details of the proposed payments of N729bn to 24.3 million poor Nigerians for six months.
The non-governmental organisation also wants the minister to provide details about the mechanisms and logistics for the payments, list of beneficiaries, how they have been selected, projected payments per state, and whether the payments will be made in cash, through Bank Verification Numbers or other means.
SERAP is however demanding an explanation of the rationale for paying out the amount, which it says translates to five-per cent of the country’s budget of N13.6 trillion for 2021.
It also wants to know if the proposed spending is part of the N5.6 trillion budget deficit.
Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu said that his administration does not need to vaccinate over 20 million residents of the state against the deadly COVID-19.
He disclosed this during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, adding that the state government is engaging some companies in the production of COVID-19 vaccines for residents of the state.
He said they don’t have to vaccinate the 20 or 22 million population that they have because the plan is to ensure that there is herd immunity and that typically speaks about 50 to 60 percent of the population.
Sanwo-Olu said his administration is engaging with the private sector when asked how the government intends to fund the vaccine.
He said although the state government has earmarked billions in fighting the scourge of the COVID-19 pandemic, he noted the amount wouldn’t be enough.
The Nigerian Air Force said it had so far taken delivery of 23 new aircraft mainly fighter aircraft procured by the federal government in 2020 to prosecute the war against insurgency.
It said 18 more aircraft, including the 12 Tucano fighter jets are expected to be delivered by the United States this year.
The NAF also said it is set to ramp up its partnership with Hungary in the areas of fighter pilot training, operation and maintenance of Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance cameras as well as other important areas of competence.
The Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, said the federal government has so far acquired 23 brand new aircraft for the NAF, while 18 more are expected to be delivered during the course of the year including eight Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs).
He said the 18 expected manned aircraft comprised 12 Super Tucano attack aircraft that would be based in Kainji as well as 3 JF-17 Thunder multi-role fighter aircraft.
The federal government has assured Nigerians that COVID-19 vaccines will not be hijacked or diverted by any group outside the distribution plan.
There has been growing concerns that politicians may hijack the COVID-19 vaccines, billed to arrive the country next month.
The National Primary Health Care Development Agency however, said it is important to douse the anxiety amongst the people over how government will be deploying the initial few quantities of vaccines.
NPHCDA, at a webinar press briefing, had released the sharing formula for the 100,000 doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine.
The sharing formula has since generated concern amongst some state governments, which expressed dismay over the yardstick applied by the federal government in arriving at what they described as the unfair formula.
The Nigeria Centre For Disease Control confirmed 964 cases and two deaths for the day with the nation now maintaining a run of recording more than a thousand cases per day.
NCDC’s latest data takes the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 121,566. Out of that number, 97,228 people have recovered and have been discharged, while 1,504 people have died.
A breakdown of the cases recorded on Sunday shows that 360 cases were recorded in the nation’s COVID-19 epicentre, Lagos.
The Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, had 88 cases; Ogun had 73 cases; Imo had 72 cases; Kaduna recorded 67 cases among others,
The 964 new cases are reported from 19 states.
The EU disease agency ECDC on Thursday urged countries to prepare more stringent measures and speed up vaccine campaigns in the coming weeks because of the risks of more infectious variants of the novel coronavirus.
The European Centre Disease Prevention and Control in a new report said that countries in the EU and European Economic Area should expect increased numbers of COVID-19 cases due to the gradual spread and possible dominance of the variants with increased transmissibility.
Newly inaugurated US President Joe Biden has reversed a Donald Trump policy that restricted the granting of immigrant visas to Nigerians.
In January 2020, Trump had expanded curbs on immigration to include six more countries, including Nigeria.
Interior minister Priti Patel on Thursday said Police in England will be able to issue bigger fines to those breaking coronavirus lockdown measures by partying, with penalties of up to £6,400.
The new fines regime, which comes into force next week, targets those attending house parties and other illegal gatherings, with penalties doubling for each offence.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said the UK has banned all arrivals from Tanzania and Democratic Republic of Congo from Friday to stop the spread of the South Africa variant of Covid-19.
He said all passengers from these countries except British & Irish Nationals and third country nationals with residents’ rights will be denied entry.
He added that they are continuing to monitor Covid-19 rates and new strains of the virus across the globe, this alongside the suspension of travel corridors and pre-departure testing will help protect our borders.
The Central African Republic has declared a state of emergency as armed groups try to lay siege to the capital, Bangui.
It will last for 15 days and allow the authorities to detain suspects without the authorisation of prosecutors.
The Federal Government has approved N6.45 billion for the setting up of gas plants in 38 locations nationwide in a bid to enhance the treatment of COVID-19 patients who need oxygen.
The Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed while briefing the NEC on the release of the funds, said the President approved the release of the funds for the production of oxygen, necessitated by the increased number of patients who need oxygen due to the surge in Covid-19 infections in the country.
The Nigerian Governors Forum has set up a team of experts to advise on the procurement and administration of the COVID-19 vaccines.
The decision was taken during the 24th teleconference meeting of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum held on Wednesday.
Chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum, Governor Kayode Fayemi, has urged the governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello to tread with care, following his recent statement suggesting that the COVID-19 vaccines are being introduced to kill the masses.
President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday in Abuja directed the Federal Inland Revenue Services and related government agencies to plug all revenue leakages by ensuring strict compliance of tax payments by foreign companies operating in Nigeria.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control in a tweet said 1,964 new cases and seven deaths had been recorded across the country within 24 hours.
This brings the total number of recorded cases to 116,655, with 93,646 discharged cases and a total death toll of 1,485.
President-elect Joe Biden’s choice for the top U.S. intelligence job, Avril Haines, on Tuesday said the United States should take an aggressive stance toward the threat posed by the aggressive and assertive China that it faces today.
Biden’s nominee for Director of National Intelligence (DNI) also said she thought it would be some time before Tehran returned to strict compliance with the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and that the Democratic Biden administration might itself return to the agreement, which outgoing Republican President Donald Trump abandoned in 2018.
The co-chair of a panel reviewing the world's response to the coronavirus pandemic - the former Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf - has expressed disappointment at the way rich countries are monopolising supplies of vaccines.
She told an online briefing of the World Health Organization that vaccine rollout in poorer countries was going too slowly.
The UK-based mining firm Vedanta Resources has agreed to settle all claims brought against it by Zambian villagers concerning pollution by a copper mine.
The claim was brought by more than 2,500 villagers, including children, against Konkola Copper Mines Plc and its parent company Vedanta.
The mining companies did not admit liability. The settlement amount has not been disclosed.
French President Emmanuel Macron says France could regulate its operations in Africa's Sahel region following successes against jihadist groups.
Mr Macron said the arrival of special forces from other European countries would allow France to make changes.
The US has imposed visa restrictions on Tanzanian officials it says were responsible for undermining the general elections last October.
The outgoing Secretary of State, Michael Pompeo, said those targeted subverted the electoral process and violated human rights.
The UN said Libyan envoys at UN-backed talks to end nearly a decade of war voted Tuesday to pass the mechanism to choose an interim executive to govern until polls in December.
The UN called it a significant step forward however talks held in the Swiss city of Geneva have brought together 75 delegates selected by the UN to represent a broad range of constituencies in the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum.
Nigeria’s minister of health said that the country has requested 10 million Covid-19 vaccine doses from the African Union which has secured millions of doses on behalf of African countries.
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo said that the Federal Government’s vision to lift at least 20 million Nigerians out of poverty in the next two years is now within reach.
The Federal Government countered that order saying herdsmen can’t leave the state almost 24 hours after Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu directed herdsmen to vacate forest reserves in the state within 7 days.
The Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has urged Lagosians to consider any malaria-like symptoms experienced as COVID-19 infection unless and until proven otherwise.
The Federal Government on Tuesday said the country has the capacity to store up to 400,000 doses of the expected COVID-19 vaccine.
The Executive Director of the National Primary Health Development Agency, Dr Faisal Shuaib disclosed this during a tour of the National Strategic Cold Store in Abuja.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control reported that Nigeria on Tuesday recorded 1,301 new cases of the novel coronavirus and an additional 15 more deaths.
The disease control agency in a tweet put the total number of virus cases recorded across the country at 113,305.
Authorities in Brazil will roll out a nationwide vaccination campaign Monday, two days earlier than announced.
The accelerated push comes amid a surge in Covid-19 cases and mounting impatience in states including Sao Paulo, which has already launched its own inoculation drive.
The state-owned Egyptian airline, EgyptAir, has resumed its flights to Qatar following an agreement that ended a long-running dispute.
More than three years ago, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates all severed their ties with Qatar - plunging it into isolation.
The United Nations says a deepening row in Somalia over postponed elections is putting the country's progress towards stability under threat.
It says security is also at risk after the withdrawal last week of US troops responsible for training Somalia's special forces.
Rwanda has imposed a 15-day lock down on its capital, Kigali, as the country battles a second wave of coronavirus cases that has resulted in unprecedented deaths and transmission rates".
The government in a statement on Monday night said all movements outside homes in the capital will require an approved permit from the police, except for essential service providers.
Somalia's Information Minister, Osman Abukar Dubbe, has dismissed reports that Somali soldiers took part in last year's Tigray conflict.
He also denied reports that hundreds of Somali soldiers were killed in the fighting
The minister said the Ethiopian government did not request Somali soldiers to fight in Tigray.
Honourable Wole Oke has defended the Federal Government’s plans to sell some national assets to fund the 2021 budget, arguing that it is not a new development.
He said the issue of the sale of assets is not new. Even in the previous budgets, there have always been other sources of revenue and the sales of assets is one of such.
The Federal Government has released the sum of N10billion to support domestic vaccine production.
The Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire said the Federal Government is working to develop the country’s own vaccines.
Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, on Monday ordered herdsmen to vacate all forest reserves in the state within the next seven days
Nigerian government on Monday warned of another lockdown if Nigerians continue to disregard non-pharmaceutical interventions introduced to combat the spread of COVID-19.
President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday emphasised the commitment of Nigeria to the enthronement of democracy and good governance in Africa.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control on Monday said Nigeria recorded 1,617 new cases of the novel coronavirus.
The Chinese economy advanced 6.5% yoy in Q4, after a 4.9% growth in Q3, above market consensus of 6.1%. The latest reading pointed to pre-pandemic growth rates, with industrial output rising the most in 3-1/2 years in December.
European Council president Charles Michel on Sunday condemned the detention of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, urging the Russian authorities to free him after he was arrested at a Moscow airport.
Joe Biden’s top aide on Saturday said the incoming president would sign about a dozen executive orders on his first day in office, as police fearing violence from Trump supporters staged a nationwide security operation ahead of the inauguration.
Officials sought to ease concerns in Europe on Sunday about deliveries of coronavirus vaccines as nations across the world doubled down on restrictions to fight the rampaging pandemic.
The contagion is showing no signs of slowing down, with infections surging past 94 million and more than two million deaths, and Europe among the hardest-hit parts of the world.
The United Nations said the world is falling short of pr3[omises made under the Paris climate deal to help the most vulnerable nations deal with the increasingly devastating impacts of climate change.
Schools in Malawi will close for at least 15 days from Monday under new restrictions to combat a surge in coronavirus cases.
Ghana's President Nana Akufo-Addo has announced that the country has recorded new variants of Covid-19 at its main airport.
Thepresident said the new variants were found on arriving passengers who have since been isolated.
Virologists and other medical experts have warned that 100,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine the country is expecting may become useless, if proper arrangements are not made for their transportation and storage.
The federal government at the weekend pledged to complete work by December on the Apapa-Oshodi-Oworonshoki Expressway, which was officially kicked off in November 2018 by President Muhammadu Buhari.
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project has asked the National Assembly to stop President Muhammadu Buhari from selling government properties to fund the 2021 budget.
SERAP in a statement issued on appealed to the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, and the Speaker of House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila to bar the President from carrying out such moves via a letter addressed on January 16.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control has recorded 1,444 new cases of the Coronavirus in the country
The public health agency said the new infections has taken the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases to 110,387, which includes 89,317 discharged cases and 1,435 deaths.
French Prime Minister Jean Castex has announced a new evening curfew will begin nationally across France starting at 18:00 (17:00 GMT) on Saturday.
The move is a tightening of a curfew already in place since December, which restricts movement from 20:00-06:00.
Lebanon went into a tight lockdown Thursday, with residents barred even from grocery shopping and forced to rely on food deliveries as the country battles to slow spiking novel coronavirus cases.
The new restrictions were only loosely respected in some areas of the country, however, reflecting deep mistrust of a political elite held responsible for a deepening economic crisis.
The UK government on Thursday said Britain will ban all arrivals from South America, Panama, Cape Verde and Portugal from 0400 GMT Friday over fears of importing a new coronavirus variant in Brazil.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps on Twittersaid he has taken the urgent decision following evidence of a new variant in Brazil adding that the new measure does not apply to British and Irish Nationals and third-country nationals with residence rights.
Global health experts gathered on Thursday to tackle new coronavirus strains blamed for a fresh surge in infections as countries including Britain and France tightened restrictions to head off a further worsening of the pandemic.
The number of people inoculated in Israel for coronavirus passed the two million threshold Thursday, with the prime minister saying there was light at the end of the tunnel.
The Gambia State Governmnet on Thursday said the country has registered two cases of a British-identified coronavirus mutation which is likely more infectious.
Gambian Health Minister Ahmadou Samateh told lawmakers the strain was detected in two people entering the country both of whom were asymptomatic but did not give further details.
The continent’s health watchdog on Thursday said African governments must take urgent steps to prepare for distribution of coronavirus vaccines after the African Union announced it had secured 270 million doses.
Director of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, John Nkengasong, told a press conference that they cannot wait as economies are down and people are dying.
The World Health Organisation is collaborating with the African Union to secure 900 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines before the end of this year.
The WHO on Thursday stated in an online press conference that the first batch of the COVID-19 vaccines would arrive in Africa in March under the auspices of COVAX and GAVI.
The federal government released the total sum of N63.8 billion for COVID-19 response for the period that covered between March and June 2020.
The released amount is N20.097 billion lower than the N83.9 billion the Presidential Taskforce on COVID-19 had budgeted in its proposals.
Nigerian Governors of the 36 states of the federation are making moves to take over the distribution of the lifesaving substance following concerns over the opaqueness of the recent allocation of expected
The Minister of Works and Housing Babatunde Fashola has confirmed that the third mainland bridge will be fully reopened to traffic by February 15.
The Minister gave the update on Thursday during an inspection of construction work on major roads and bridges in Lagos State.
The Minister said the partial closure of the third mainland bridge is delaying the scheduled maintenance on Falomo bridge.
The Federal Government has insisted that the January 18 resumption date for schools in the country remains intact despite fears over the surge in COVID-19 cases in Nigeria.
The Federal Ministry of Education in a statement issued on Thursday by its Director, Press and Public Relations, Ben Bem Goong said after extensive consultations with relevant stakeholders, including State Governors, Commissioners of Education, Proprietors and heads of institutions, staff unions and students, the consensus of opinion is that the resumption date of 18th January should remain.
The UN’s World Food Programme appealed on Tuesday for emergency aid of $35 million to fight hunger in southern Madagascar, hit by the coronavirus pandemic and a third consecutive year of drought.
The WFP in a statement said some 1.35 million people are projected to be food insecure — 35 percent of the region’s population.
It said the economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic has amplified the hit from a long-term drought.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Tuesday urged the EU to adopt a standardised vaccination certificate to boost travel this year.
Mitsotakis wrote to European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen in a letter released by his office that Persons who have been vaccinated should be free to travel
He said It is urgent to adopt a common understanding on how a vaccination certificate should be structured so as to be accepted in all member states calling for a standardised certificate, which will prove that a person has been successfully vaccinated.
The International Handball Federation (IHF) confirmed that the United States and the Czech Republic have pulled out of the Jan. 13-31 world handball championship in Egypt after a COVID-19 outbreak among players of both teams.
The sport’s governing body on its official website said USA Team Handball have officially communicated to withdraw their participation in the world championship following several positive results after the obligatory COVID-19 tests.
Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni has accused social media giant Facebook of arrogance and bias as he confirmed ordering the shut down of social media and messaging apps ahead of Thursday's election.
Mr Museveni in a televised speech said that he would not accept anybody playing with the country or decide who is good or bad.
He said if Facebook was to operate in Uganda, it should be used equitably by everyone
Tunisia will commence a four-day nationwide lockdown starting on Thursday to stem the spread of Covid-19 infections.
The government has been avoiding a nationwide lockdown for months, opting instead for a nightly curfew that has been in place since October.
The Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, has ordered the redeployment of 21 Commissioners of Police to new commands and formations across the country.
This was disclosed in a statement on Tuesday by the Deputy Force Public Relations Officer, Aremu Adeniran.
The National Identity Management Commission has insisted that it is compulsory for Nigerians to visit the enrolment centres to complete their National Identification Number registration.
The Federal Government has said Ninety-five career ambassadors and non-career ambassadors-designate are to be posted to various Nigerian missions abroad.
Deputy Chairman, Alliance for Survival of COVID-19 and Beyond, Sina Odugbemi, says it is safer for students to remain at home to minimize the risk of spreading COVID-19.
The Director in the Centre for Infectious Disease Research, Bayero University Kano, Professor Isa Sadeeq-Abubakar, says the number of COVID-19 cases reported daily in Nigeria is not a true representation of the situation in the country.
Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed, said that there is no provision in the 2021 Budget to fund the acquisition of COVID-19 vaccines.
A team of Nigerian professors and scientists, named IVERCOVID Research Group, has investigated the effectiveness and roles that the Ivermectin drug can play in the treatment of coronavirus.
The Department of Defense told Reuters on Monday that the U.S. military has not halted a U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan despite a new law prohibiting further reductions without the Pentagon sending Congress an assessment of the risks.
It said in a statement that no new orders have been issued which impact the progression of the conditions-based drawdown expected to reach 2,500 (troops) by Jan. 15, 2021.
The Trump administration on Monday announced it was returning Cuba to the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism, a move that could complicate any efforts by the incoming Biden administration to revive Obama-era detente with Havana.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Cuba was being listed for repeatedly providing support for acts of international terrorism by harboring U.S. fugitives and Colombian rebel leaders.
The White House press office late on Monday said Donald Trump has approved a state of emergency declaration in the United States capital after US law enforcement officials warned of threats before President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration.
The order authorises federal assistance to be extended through January 24 to support efforts in Washington, DC to respond to the emergency situation.
It allows the Federal Emergency Management Agency to identify, mobilise and provide at its discretion, equipment and resources necessary to alleviate the impacts of the emergency.
The top electoral body on Monday said More than 2,000 hopefuls have applied for selection to the commission that will rewrite Chile’s dictatorship-era constitution.
Applicants have until midnight to register their interest, after which the Electoral Service will publish the official list.
The 14 million eligible voters will then elect on April 11 the 155 members of the Constituent Assembly that will rewrite the constitution, which dates from the rule of military dictator Augusto Pinochet (1973-90).
Civil servants in Chad began a nationwide strike on Monday to press for the restoration of their salaries which were cut four years ago, as well as the payment of various allowances.The decision to go on strike was taken in the capital, N’Djamena, during a meeting that brought together the four largest trade unions in the country.It follows the breakdown in negotiations with the government.Trade union spokesperson Michel Bakar told the BBC that the strike will run for three days, with members providing minimum services in hospitals.