UK 33,196 reportsnew daily coronavirus cases and another 61 deaths

More than 48 million people have now had a first dose of COVID vaccine in the UK, while more than 42.6 million are fully protected. It comes as people wait to hear whether they'll be called forward for a booster shot from next month.

The UK has recorded another 33,196 coronavirus cases and 61 deaths in the latest 24-hour period, government figures show.

The figures compare with 32,406 COVID-19 cases and 133 deaths reported on Saturday, and 31,914 new cases and 49 deaths this time last week.

Another 132,180 people received a second coronavirus vaccine dose yesterday, taking the total number of those over 16 who are now fully inoculated to 42,639,781.

And 42,388 were given their first dose – taking the total to 48,001,316.

The UK government said it plans to give booster COVID-19 jabs, alongside flu jabs, to the most vulnerable groups from 6 September.

As yet, no specific details on the programme have been announced.

Elsewhere, Israel announced they would be offering a COVID-19 booster shot to anyone over the age of 12 who has been fully vaccinated.

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“Starting today, the third vaccine dose is open to all,” health ministry director general Nachman Ash said on Sunday, referring to the Pfizer vaccine which is in use there.

President Joe Biden has also expressed an interest in moving up a booster programme for the US.

On Friday, he said regulators are looking at giving booster jabs five months after people finish their primary vaccinations, shortening the current planned timetable of an eight-month gap.

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Mr Biden, who met with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett on Friday, said health officials were considering following that country’s lead on boosters when the programme starts on 20 September, pending regulatory approval.

“We’re considering the advice you’ve given that we should start earlier,” Mr Biden said.

A handful of European countries, including France and Germany, have already announced plans to give elderly people booster jabs.

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Hurricane Ida blasts ashore in Louisiana as major Category 4 storm

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Hurricane Ida blasted the Louisiana coast on Sunday, with the eye of one of the most powerful storms to ever hit the U.S. coming ashore near the barrier island of Grand Isle with violent winds of 150 mph (241 kph).

Ida’s landfall came on the same date Hurricane Katrina ravaged Louisiana and Mississippi 16 years earlier, about 40 miles (64 kilometers) west of where Category 3 Katrina first struck land.

The storm is expected to move across the southeast Louisiana wetlands, weakening only slightly, and to bring devastating weather to New Orleans and Baton Rouge

Ida rapidly intensified overnight as it moved through some of the warmest ocean water in the world in the northern Gulf of Mexico.

VIA ASSOCIATED PRESS

Vehicles drive through Hurricane Ida storm surge floodwater in Biloxi, Miss., on Sunday.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Hurricane Ida rapidly grew in strength Sunday, becoming a dangerous Category 4 hurricane just before hitting the Louisiana coast near one of the country’s main centers for drilling for and moving oil.

As Ida moved through some of the warmest ocean water in the world in the northern Gulf of Mexico, its top winds grew by 45 mph (72 kph) to 150 mph (230 kph) in five hours. The system was expected to make landfall early Sunday afternoon on the exact date Hurricane Katrina ravaged Louisiana and Mississippi 16 years earlier.

Hurricane force winds started to strike Grand Isle on Sunday morning. Before power was lost on the Louisiana barrier island, a beachfront web camera showed the ocean steadily rising as growing waves churned and palm trees whipped.

Wind tore at awnings and water began spilling out of Lake Ponchartrain in New Orleans. Officials there said Ida’s swift intensification from a few thunderstorms to massive hurricane over three days left no time to organize a mandatory evacuation of its 390,000 residents.

Mayor LaToya Cantrell urged residents to leave voluntarily. Those who stayed were warned to prepare for long power outages amid sweltering heat.

Nick Mosca was walking his dog, like most of those who were out Sunday morning.

“I’d like to be better prepared. There’s a few things I’m thinking we could have done. But this storm came pretty quick, so you only have the time you have,” Mosca said.

Cars were parked on the median Sunday in New Orleans, which is a few feet higher and can protect against potential flooding. Most businesses were closed, but Breads on Oak, located three blocks from the Mississippi River levee, was open and offering two-for-one deals to get as much of their baked goods sold as possible.

“Everybody’s like, ‘Oooh, we need our hurricane pastries,’” co-owner Chamain O’Mahony said. “So everyone’s coming out for hurricane food — biscuits and a lot of cinnamon rolls and brioche. You want treats. And you want bread.”

Once conditions got too rough or the inventory ran out, O’Mahony and her husband planned to ride out the storm in an apartment they usually rent attached to the bakery.

Ida’s eye was nearing Port Fourchon, where boats and helicopters gather to take workers and supplies to oil platforms in the ocean and the oil extracted starts it journey toward refineries. The port handles about a fifth of the nation’s domestic oil and gas, officials said.

Along with the oil industry, Ida threatened a region already reeling from a resurgence of COVID-19 infections, due to low vaccination rates and the highly contagious delta variant. More than 2 million people live around New Orleans, Baton Rouge and the wetlands to the south.

New Orleans hospitals planned to ride out the storm with their beds nearly full, as similarly stressed hospitals elsewhere had little room for evacuated patients. And shelters for those fleeing their homes carried an added risk of becoming flashpoints for new infections.

Forecasters warned winds stronger than 115 mph (185 kph) were expected soon in Houma, a city of 33,000 that supports oil platforms in the Gulf and Gulfport, Mississippi, to the east of New Orleans was seeing the ocean rise and heavy rains bands.

Gov. John Bel Edwards vowed Louisiana’s “resilient and tough people” would weather the storm.

Edwards said Louisiana officials were working to find hotel rooms for evacuees so that fewer had to stay in mass shelters. He noted that during last year’s hurricane season, Louisiana found rooms for 20,000 people.

President Joe Biden approved emergency declarations for Louisiana and Mississippi ahead of Ida’s arrival.

Comparisons to the Aug. 29, 2005, landfall of Katrina weighed heavily on residents bracing for Ida. A Category 3 storm, Katrina was blamed for 1,800 deaths as it caused levee breaches and catastrophic flooding in New Orleans and demolished oceanfront homes in Mississippi. Ida’s hurricane force winds stretched less than 40 miles (64 kilometers) from the storm’s eye, or less than half the size of Katrina.

Officials stressed that the levee and drainage systems protecting New Orleans had been much improved since Katrina. But they cautioned flooding was still possible, with up to 24 inches (61 centimeters) of rain forecast in some areas.

“Ida will most definitely be stronger than Katrina, and by a pretty big margin,” said University of Miami hurricane researcher Brian McNoldy. “And, the worst of the storm will pass over New Orleans and Baton Rouge, which got the weaker side of Katrina.”

Hurricane Ida nearly doubled in strength, going from an 85 mph storm to a 150 mph storm in just 24 hours, which meteorologists called “explosive intensification.”

“Yikes! Ida leaves me stunned,” said Jeff Masters, a former National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration hurricane hunter meteorologist and founder of Weather Underground.

He warned the region could face devastation to its infrastructure, which includes petrochemical sites and major ports. The state’s 17 oil refineries account for nearly one-fifth of the U.S. refining capacity and its two liquefied natural gas export terminals ship about 55% of the nation’s total exports, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Louisiana is also home to two nuclear power plants, one near New Orleans and another about 27 miles (about 43 kilometers) northwest of Baton Rouge.

The Interstate 10 corridor between New Orleans and Baton Rouge is a critical hub of the nation’s petrochemical industry, lined with oil refineries, natural gas terminals and chemical manufacturing plants. Entergy, Louisiana’s major electricity provider, operates two nuclear power plants along the Mississippi River.

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Reeves reported from Gulfport, Mississippi. Associated Press writers Rebecca Santana, Stacey Plaisance and Janet McConnaughey in New Orleans; Emily Wagster Pettus in Jackson, Mississippi; Jeff Martin in Marietta, Georgia; Seth Borenstein in Kensington, Maryland; Frank Bajak in Boston; Michael Biesecker in Washington; Pamela Sampson in Atlanta; and Jeffrey Collins in Columbia, South Carolina, contributed to this report.

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Nigeria Still Africa’s Biggest Economy After South Africa Rebased GDP

*South Africa’s GDP now $370bn, Nigeria’s $432bn

Nigeria has maintained her position as Africa’s biggest economy after South Africa released the report of its rebased Gross Domestic Product (GDP) that pushed the latter’s economy up by 11 per cent, an analysis of a new report by Statistics South Africa (SSA), has revealed.

After a comprehensive overhaul of its national accounts up to the end of the 2020 fiscal year, South Africa disclosed in the SSA that the value of her economy increased to $370 billion as a result of the rebasing exercise.

The rebasing of South Africa’s GDP coincided with the release of Nigeria’s latest GDP report, which showed a 5.01 per cent growth in the second quarter of 2021.

During the period under review, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) and the World Bank put Nigeria’s GDP at $432.29 billion, indicating that her economy was $62.29 billion bigger than South Africa’s after the latter rebased its GDP.

In a summary report obtained from its official website at the weekend, South Africa’s statistics agency said the latest GDP rebasing and benchmarking exercise had resulted in an upward revision in the size of the economy, as well as changes to the composition of the supply and demand sides of economic activity.

Specifically, SSA’s rebasing report showed that the rebased GDP “is 11 per cent larger in 2020 than previously estimated. Between 2011 and 2020, the percentage difference between the previous and revised levels averaged 9.6 per cent.”

“The percentage difference ranged between 8.6 per cent in 2014 to 11 per cent in 2020. The time series was revised from 1993. Differences between previous and revised levels are a typical outcome of rebasing and benchmarking exercises,” SSA revealed in its latest report released midweek.

Comparatively, the report said the average increase between previous and revised GDP estimates across OECD countries was 3.8 per cent in 2010, ranging from 0.2 per cent for Luxembourg to 7.8 per cent for South Korea.

It added: “Latin America recorded an average increase of 8.8 per cent and closer to home; Botswana revised the size of its economy down by 10 percent. How does South Africa’s revised GDP affect its standing in Africa?

“In terms of purchasing power parity (PPP), the World Bank currently ranks South Africa as the third biggest economy on the continent after Egypt and Nigeria.

“Egypt’s GDP (PPP$ in current prices) was PPP$1,290 billion, according to the World Bank’s estimate, higher than that of Nigeria (PPP$1,069 billion) and South Africa (PPP$717 billion),” the report said.

Despite the 11 per cent increase recorded after rebasing, Africa’s most advanced economy still lags behind Nigeria, which is at N154.25 trillion or $432.29 billion in 2020 as shown in the data of the NBS and World Bank.

The rebasing of South Africa’s GDP coincided with the release of Nigeria’s latest GDP report, which showed a 5.01 per cent growth in the second quarter of 2021.

The latest growth, according to the NBS in its new report, makes three consecutive quarters of growth following the negative growth rates recorded in the second and third quarters of 2020.

In the report, the NBS said: “The Q2, 2021 growth rate was higher than the -6.10 percent growth rate recorded in Q2 2020 and the 0.51 per cent recorded in Q1, 2021 year on year, indicating the return of business and economic activity near levels seen before the nationwide implementation of COVID-19 related restrictions.

“The steady recovery observed since the end of 2020, with the gradual return of commercial activity as well as local and international travel, accounted for the significant increase in growth performance relative to the second quarter of 2020 when nationwide restrictions took effect.

“Year to date, real GDP grew 2.70 per cent in 2021 compared to -2.18 per cent for the first half of 2020. Nevertheless, quarter on quarter, real GDP grew at -0.79 percent in Q2, 2021 compared to Q1, 2021, reflecting slightly slower economic activity than the preceding quarter due largely to seasonality.

“The nominal GDP growth rate in Q2, 2021 was higher than -2.80 per cent growth recorded in the second quarter of 2020 when economic activities slowed sharply at the outset of the pandemic. The Q2, 2021 nominal growth rate was also higher than the 12.25 per cent growth recorded in Q1 2021. For better clarity, the Nigerian economy has been classified broadly into the oil and non-oil sectors.”

Reacting to the development yesterday, the immediate past Director-General of Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Dr. Muda Yusuf told THISDAY that the size of an economy “matters a lot.”

Yusuf, an economist, and a leading private sector advocate, pointed out that the size of an economy “indicates the inherent opportunities for investment, revenue, profit, job creation and the welfare of the people.”

However, the economist observed that the size of the economy “is not an end in itself. Rather, it should be a means to an end. The quality of lives must be positively impacted.”

He, therefore, pointed out that economic inclusion “is critical in ensuring an impactful economy. Nigeria and South Africa are the two biggest economies in Africa. Yet, the two economies are grappling with profound challenges around inequality, poverty, social discontent, and insecurity.

“All of these are manifestations of the absence of inclusion and social dislocations. Only recently, the two countries witnessed looting and destruction on an unprecedented scale.

“Although the triggers were different, the events were reflections of the underlying social problems that existed in these two countries. The standard of living in many countries in Africa is far higher than what we have in the two leading economies of the continent.”

Yusuf, therefore, challenged the governments of Nigeria and South Africa to design economic and social policies to fix these gaps, which according to him, would require a greater focus on investment in social infrastructures such as education, healthcare, and the environment.

He explained that high investment in social infrastructure “impacts significantly on people’s welfare. Investment in economic infrastructure – roads, railways, or power – is critical as well. This would impact productivity, cost of production, inflation, and the general level of competitiveness of firms.

“The macroeconomic management is also crucial to ensure that the economic fundamentals support investment and productivity. This should support low inflation, stable currency, and low-interest rates. The growth of small businesses is vital to the promotion of economic inclusion because of their number and spread across the country.

“An investment-friendly policy, regulatory and institutional environment is imperative. Hostile regulatory and institutional environments undermine investors’ confidence and impact negatively on the economy,” Yusuf explained.

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US says drone kills IS bombers targeting Kabul airport

By KATHY GANNON, LOLITA C. BALDOR, TAMEEM AKHGAR and JOSEPH KRAUSS

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A U.S. drone strike blew up a vehicle carrying “multiple suicide bombers” from Afghanistan’s Islamic State affiliate on Sunday before they could attack the ongoing military evacuation at Kabul’s international airport, American officials said.

The strike came just two days before the U.S. is set to conclude a massive airlift of tens of thousands of Afghan and foreign civilians and withdraw the last of its troops, ending America’s longest war with the Taliban back in power.

The U.S. State Department released a statement signed by around 100 countries, as well as NATO and the European Union, saying they had received “assurances” from the Taliban that people with travel documents would still be able to leave the country freely. The Taliban have said they will allow normal travel after the U.S. withdrawal is completed on Tuesday and they assume control of the airport.

At around the same time as the drone strike, Afghan police said a rocket hit a neighborhood near the airport, killing a child. Rashid, the Kabul police chief, who goes by one name, confirmed the rocket attack, and video obtained by The Associated Press showed smoke rising from a building around a kilometer (half a mile) from the airport.

The Taliban described the drone strike and the rocket attack as separate incidents, but residents of the Afghan capital heard only one large blast.

Two American military officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss military operations, called the airstrike successful and said the vehicle carried multiple bombers.

U.S. Navy Capt. Bill Urban, a military spokesman, said the strike was carried out in “self-defense.” He said the military was investigating whether there were civilian casualties but that “we have no indications at this time.”

“We are confident we successfully hit the target,” Urban said. “Significant secondary explosions from the vehicle indicated the presence of a substantial amount of explosive material.”

The strike came two days after an Islamic State suicide attack outside the airport killed at least 169 Afghans and 13 U.S. service members. The U.S. carried out a drone strike elsewhere in the country on Saturday that it said killed two IS members.

President Joe Biden had vowed to keep up the airstrikes, saying Saturday that another attack was “highly likely.” The State Department called the threat “specific” and “credible.”

The Sunni extremists of IS, with links to the group’s more well-known affiliate in Syria and Iraq, have carried out a series of attacks, mainly targeting Afghanistan’s Shiite Muslim minority, including a 2020 assault on a maternity hospital in Kabul that killed women and newborns.

The Taliban have fought against the IS affiliate in the past and have pledged to not allow Afghanistan to become a base for terror attacks. The U.S.-led invasion in 2001 came in response to the 9/11 attacks, which al-Qaida planned and executed while being sheltered by the Taliban.

The Taliban increased security around the airport after Thursday’s attack, clearing away the large crowds that had gathered outside the gates hoping to join the airlift.

Britain ended its evacuation flights Saturday, and most U.S. allies concluded theirs earlier in the week. But U.S. military cargo planes continued their runs into the airport Sunday, ahead of a Tuesday deadline set by President Joe Biden to withdraw all American troops.

In interviews with Sunday talk shows, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the U.S. was working with other countries to ensure that the airport functions normally after the U.S. withdrawal and that the Taliban allow people to travel freely.

The Taliban have given similar assurances in recent days, even as they have urged Afghans to remain and help rebuild the war-ravaged country.

Tens of thousands of Afghans have sought to flee the country since the Taliban’s rapid takeover earlier this month, fearing a return to the harsh form of Islamic rule the group imposed on Afghanistan from 1996 until 2001. Others fear revenge attacks or general instability.

The Taliban have pledged amnesty for all Afghans, even those who worked with the U.S. and its allies, and say they want to restore peace and security after decades of war. But many Afghans distrust the group, and there have been reports of summary executions and other human rights abuses in areas under Taliban control.

The shooting of a folk singer in a tense region north of Kabul was bound to contribute to such fears. Fawad Andarabi’s family said the Taliban shot him for no reason, just days after they had searched his home and drank tea with him.

“He was innocent, a singer who only was entertaining people,” his son, Jawad, said. “They shot him in the head on the farm.”

The shooting happened in the Andarabi Valley, for which the family is named, some 100 kilometers (60 miles) north of Kabul, where the Taliban battled local fighters even after seizing the capital. The Taliban say they have retaken the region, which is near mountainous Panjshir, the only one of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces not under Taliban control.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said his group would investigate the shooting, without providing any further information. The Taliban banned music as un-Islamic when they last ruled the country.

Andarabi played the ghichak, a bowed lute, and sang traditional songs about his birthplace, his people and the country. A video online showed him at one performance, sitting on a rug with the mountains behind him.

“There is no country in the world like my homeland, a proud nation,” he sang. “Our beautiful valley, our great-grandparents’ homeland.”

Karima Bennoune, the United Nations special rapporteur on cultural rights, said she had “grave concern” over Andarabi’s killing. “We call on governments to demand the Taliban respect the #humanrights of #artists,” she tweeted.

Agnes Callamard, the secretary-general of Amnesty International, also decried the killing.

“There is mounting evidence that the Taliban of 2021 is the same as the intolerant, violent, repressive Taliban of 2001,” she tweeted. “Nothing has changed on that front.”

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Baldor reported from Washington, Akhgar from Istanbul and Krauss from Jerusalem. Associated Press writer Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, contributed.

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ADDI and Eretmis Academy collaborate to train African youth in cybersecurity

The African Diaspora Development Institute (ADDI) through its Youth Empowerment Program has partnered
with Eretmis Cybersecurity Academy to help train the African Youth to become a continental cybersecurity workforce for Africa.

Eretmis Academy is a premier Cybersecurity Academy that is dedicated to closing the talent gap in the cybersecurity industry. The company agreed to a discounted rate for the sponsorship program by ADDI.

Through this special arrangement between ADDI and Eretmis Academy, eight young men and women have been enrolled and will complete the special four to five-month course.

In a brief interview with DNT, ADDI Founder Ambassador Arikana Chihombori-Quao stressed the need for all to help the youth in Africa to venture into the cyber security industry to close the existing tech gap.

“ADDI invites you to be part of the effort to build Africa’s skilled cybersecurity workforce by financially
sponsoring one or more African Youth to be enrolled in a three-month program at the Eretmis Cybersecurity
Academy,” Chihombori-Quao said.

The African Diaspora Development Institute was born out of the desire to bring Africa to the world and the world to Africa. There currently is no one resource to easily find information about Africa. ADDI aims to become that resource.

ADDI realizes that the current status of the African economy is due to the mass exodus of the African Diaspora out of Africa. This exodus began with the loss of Africa’s children through slavery 400 years ago, followed by the recent Migrants who left Africa in search of greener pastures or running away from famine and wars.

Here are the eight students from five African countries:

  

 

DNT News, Accra

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War-weary Libyans yearn for end to daily blackouts

Power cuts have become a regular occurrence in the war-torn country where people say authorities are not doing enough.

Walk down any commercial street in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, and the pavement will be lined with generators ready to spring into action whenever the mains electricity supply cuts out.

In the decade since the NATO-backed overthrow of longtime dictator Muammar Gaddafi, repeated outbreaks of fighting have caused heavy damage to the power distribution network, while there has been virtually no new investment in generating capacity.

On most days, Tripoli residents can expect multiple cuts to the main supply totalling 12 hours a day.

The hum of generators and the acrid fumes and smoke of diesel fuel have become some of the most hated aspects of daily life in the once-affluent city.

“We’ve put up with this mess for the past 10 years … It has a big impact on our daily lives,” said 23-year-old pharmacist Sufian Zerkani. “It’s a basic right the state should guarantee.”

Keeping the generators fuelled up has become a daily chore for many.

At service stations, pedestrians equipped with funnels and jerrycans for the generators queue alongside motorists.

The destruction and decay have come as a shock in a country that boasts Africa’s largest reserves of oil and gas, and a population of just seven million.

‘Nothing’s changed’

The most recent round of fighting ended with a United Nations-backed ceasefire last year. That paved the way for peace talks and the formation of a transitional government this March, ahead of elections set for December.

The new peace process has raised hopes there might be light at the end of the tunnel after a decade of rival governments fighting with the support of shifting alliances of local militias.

But for many, the promise of a return to peace and normality is not coming quickly enough.

“Nothing’s changed – the promises made by one government after another have never been kept,” said 25-year-old student Nader al-Naas.

In the hottest months, temperatures in Tripoli regularly touch 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit).

“It’s a disastrous situation, especially in the summer,” al-Naas said.

It is worse for those without the means to buy a generator, who sleep outside on rooftops to escape the stifling heat at night.

A technician works on the maintenance of an electric power generator in at a shop in Libya’s capital Tripoli [Mahmud Turkia/AFP]

Basic generators sell for about $470, but more reliable models cost thousands.

Last year’s ceasefire came after a year-long offensive against Tripoli by a rival administration based in the east. For a time, the east and its main city Benghazi enjoyed a more reliable electricity supply than Tripoli and the west.

But as the conflict intensified, it, too, was forced to adapt to the daily grind of power cuts.

“When there’s no power, we stop work,” said Benghazi mechanic Ali Wami. “It’s been a week since I was able to carry out any repairs to that vehicle,” he said, pointing to a heavily damaged car.

‘Need a radical solution’

Nearby, grocery shop manager Osama al-Dalah said the blackouts were bad for profits and bad for staff.

“All these power cuts wear us down, dampen our spirits and lose us money,” he said. “We need a radical solution.”

While the country basks in a plentiful supply of sunshine, few Libyans are yet to set up solar panels as an alternative source of energy.

Decade of decay

In a recent report, the Libyan Audit Bureau took the state-run General Electricity Company of Libya (GECOL) to task for unfinished projects and investments that “brought nothing to the network”.

A GECOL spokesperson said the problem was the infrastructure that has been “decaying for 10 years and requires extensive maintenance”.

During the abortive 2019-20 assault on Tripoli by renegade military commander Khalifa Haftar’s forces, hundreds of high-tension lines serving the capital and its suburbs were destroyed.

Children study by the light of candlesticks in a flat in Libya’s capital Tripoli [Mahmud Turkia/AFP]

Foreign firms pulled out fearful for the safety of their employees, delaying the construction of new generating capacity. Thieves pulled out the distribution cables to scavenge copper wire.

Generating capacity from oil and gas power stations of between 5,000 and 5,500 megawatts falls well short of the demand of 7,000 MW in winter and 8,000 MW in summer, the GECOL official said.

Two new power stations are under construction by a German-Turkish consortium in Tripoli and Libya’s third city Misrata. They are expected to add 1,300 MW of capacity to the grid in the first quarter of next year.

A third new power station in Tobruk, in the far east of Libya, is scheduled to follow.

SOURCE: AFP

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DNT Across Africa in five minutes

LIBYA

Libya’s interim prime minister has pushed back against parliament’s threats to withdraw confidence from his unity government, as a burgeoning rift raises fears over the continuing peace process to end years of war. Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, who took office in March, said the eastern-based parliament’s reasons for not approving his repeated budget proposals were “unrealistic and flimsy” and blamed the body for hindering planned December elections.

NIGERIA

The Federal Government has postponed the Nigeria at 60 Jubilee Special Award ceremony, scheduled earlier to hold on September 3. Adeniyi Adebayo, the minister of industry, trade and investment, made this known in a statement by his Special Assistant on Media, Ifedayo Sayo, on Sunday in Abuja. Mr Adebayo said the Nigeria @ 60 Award ceremony, was planned as part of Jubilee celebrations of Nigeria’s Independence to honour 60 notable Nigerians, who had made immense contributions to the nation’s growth. The minister regretted any inconveniences the postponement might have caused stakeholders and the general public.

CAMEROON

The federal government through the ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development is set to begin the repatriation of 322,000 Nigerian refugees from Niger, Cameroon and Chad. The minister, Sadiya Farouq, disclosed this while receiving the draft report from the technical working group on the repatriation of Nigerian refugees in Cameroon in Abuja yesterday. The group presented the draft tripartite agreement for the voluntary repatriation of Nigerian refugees in Niger Republic and Chad to the minister in Abuja.

SOUTH AFRICA

It’s been in existence since the 1500s but the Kaaps language, synonymous with Cape Town in South Africa, has never had a dictionary until now. The Trilingual Dictionary of Kaaps has been launched by a collective of academic and community stakeholders – the Centre for Multilingualism and Diversities Research at the University of the Western Cape along with the hip hop-driven community NGO Heal the Hood. The dictionary – in Kaaps, English and Afrikaans – holds the promise of being a powerful democratic resource. Adam Haupt, director of the Centre for Film & Media Studies at the University of Cape Town, is involved in the project and tells us more.

MALI

Tyler Okari and Griffin Ligare starred as the Kenya Morans shut down Mali 72-66 in their final group match to proceed to the second round at the FIBA Afrobasket in Kigali on Sunday. Ligare who had been used sparingly in the first two matches exploded for 12 points while Okari contributed a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Heading into the last match of the group phase, Morans who had lost to Ivory Coast and former champions Nigeria in their first two matches of the group needed a win to remain in the tournament and they delivered it in style, beating the West Africans.

KENYA

Kenya’s education sector was hardest hit by the Covid-19 pandemic that paralysed learning in all levels, from primary school to universities in 2020. After the first case was reported in the country, President Uhuru Kenyatta announced the closing of all learning institutions in the country on March 15 in an effort to curb the spread of the virus. An Education Taskforce Committee on Covid-19 was also appointed by Education Cabinet Secretary Prof George Magoha to advise on reopening of schools and reorganisation of academic calendar.

TANZANIA

Tanzania has expressed dismay at the Danish government’s decision to close its embassy in Tanzania by 2024. Yesterday, the Danish government announced its intention to close its mission in Dar es Salaam in 2024, citing the adjustment of its international presence as one of the reasons. A statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation today said Ambassador Liberata Mulamula, expressed concern over the Danish move, especially considering the government’s efforts to revive and strengthen diplomacy and relations with friendly countries, including Denmark.

CAPE VERDE/RWANDA

The national basketball team on Saturday, August 28 lost its last group stage game 74-82 to Cape Verde in the ongoing Afrobasket tournament. The loss means that Rwanda finished second place in its Group (A), and will thus not directly qualify for the quarter-finals, but rather, will have to go for a playoff match to seek the ticket. According to the tournament’s format, the leading team in each of the 4 groups automatically advances to the quarterfinals, while the second and third-placed teams have to go for playoffs to vie for the remaining slots. The match against Cape Verde was a difficult one for Rwanda, specifically in its early stages where Rwanda trailed by big margins.

ZIMBABWE

A 99-year lease offer letter that was issued and signed by the minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Resettlement Anxious Masuka to a fugitive who skipped the country 14 years ago has removed the lid on massive corruption in the ministry. According to a copy of the offer letter signed by Masuka on December 11, 2020, seen by NewZimbabwe.com, Bornface Naison was granted Subdivision 27 of the Hippo Valley North dry land measuring 60 hectares despite having been holed up in South Africa since 2007 after skipping bail in a serious criminal case in which he was accused of vandalising TelOne copper cables.

SUDAN

Sudan’s Ministry of Finance and the US Agency for International Development (USAID) have signed an agreement for a $5.5 million development grant to support the democratic transition and to promote the economic growth in Sudan, as part of a total estimated amount of $200 million by 2024. At a press conference following the signing ceremony in Khartoum yesterday, Finance Minister Jibril Ibrahim explained that the agreement aims mainly at boosting development, consolidating the democratic transition, and confronting the challenges facing the transitional government. He hailed the agreement as the start of much joint work that will boost the relationship between Sudan and the USA in the coming period.

SOUTH SUDAN

The South Sudan National Police Service has deployed officers on the streets of the capital, Juba, and warned South Sudanese not to take part in the scheduled nationwide Monday protests against the government. A group calling itself the People’s Coalition for Civil Action is organizing the protests after launching a public campaign for change in July, saying the Revitalized Transitional Government of National Unity led by President Salva Kiir is doing very little to address the many challenges facing the people of South Sudan.

LESOTHO

The signed cooperation pact between Rwanda National Police (RNP) and Lesotho Mounted Police Service (LMPS) is an important sphere to share common interests and respond to cross-border security threats, according to a joint communique issued by the two parties on Saturday, August 28. “Cooperation in the field of policing constitutes one of the important spheres of bilateral relations to serve the parties’ common interest and to contribute to the peace and stability of the respective countries,” reads the joint communique signed by Inspector General of Police (IGP) Dan Munyuza and Commissioner of Police for LMPS, Holomo Molibeli.

RWANDA

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali arrived in Rwanda, Sunday afternoon for a two day working visit. The Premier was received by Dr Vincent Biruta, Minister of Foreign Affairs and international cooperation. It is expected that Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed will then head to Village Urugwiro, where he will be hosted by President Paul Kagame. “Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali and his delegation arrived in Kigali, Rwanda for a two day working visit during which the Prime Minister will be meeting President Paul Kagame,” PM Abiy’s office tweeted on Sunday.

ETHIOPIA

A scholar has urged the people and government of Ethiopia to stand together to successfully repel the foreign pressures being exerted by some members of the international community with the intention of weakening the country and instill a puppet regime in the horn of Africa. Head of School of Diplomacy and International Relation at Civil Service University Endale Niguse told that some western countries are working their level best to weaken the government of Ethiopia with a view to instilling a puppet regime that will serve their interest in the Horn of Africa.

MOZAMBIQUE

A scholar has urged the people and government of Ethiopia to stand together to successfully repel the foreign pressures being exerted by some members of the international community with the intention of weakening the country and instill a puppet regime in the horn of Africa. Head of School of Diplomacy and International Relation at Civil Service University Endale Niguse told that some western countries are working their level best to weaken the government of Ethiopia with a view to instilling a puppet regime that will serve their interest in the Horn of Africa.

DNT News, Accra

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