Africa Business News

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.