African economies are due to emerge from recession this year, but their recoveries remain fragile, according to the World Bank's Africa's Pulse report. Axel van Trotsenburg, Managing Director of Operations at the World Bank, tells FRANCE 24 that rising inflation has led to more food insecurity across Africa. He wants the Covid-19 vaccine rollout to be accelerated in order to get 40 percent of the continent fully vaccinated by the end of the year.

Former Facebook employee Frances Haugen spent hours testifying to a US Senate committee on Tuesday, accusing the social media giant of pursing profits over safety. She called on lawmakers to pursue stricter oversight of technology companies, but what options does Congress have? We examine the current avenues of regulation that could be beefed up. Also today, unions representing hospitality workers in France call for a pay rise to combat the severe shortage of staff in the sector.

Gas prices have surged to a new high, underscoring the pressure on Europe's energy sector. The cost of natural gas has spiked around 400 percent since the start of the year. EU finance ministers have struggled to reach agreement on a coordinated approach to protect consumers – France and Germany are calling for sweeping reforms. Also in today's show: a whistleblower accuses Facebook of putting "profits before people", and unions in Hollywood call for a strike over working conditions.

Shares in Facebook slumped by almost five percent on Wall Street on Monday after its services – including Instagram and WhatsApp – were knocked offline for several hours by a technical problem. Technology shares in general saw a selloff too, including Facebook's rivals like Twitter. Around $6 billion was wiped off the personal fortune of CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Also today, oil prices have jumped after the latest decision by OPEC and its allies not to increase supplies at a faster pace.

Eurozone finance ministers are set to discuss rising prices for natural gas and electricity, with France and Spain calling for reforms to lower energy costs across the European Union. Also, Chinese media report that embattled real estate developer Evergrande is ready to sell off part of its property services unit, and a Facebook whistleblower reveals her identity.

Hungary dismisses Ukrainian concerns over a new transit deal that deprives Kiev of revenue and gas supplies. Under the agreement, Russia's Gazprom is now transporting gas to Hungary and Croatia via the TurkStream pipeline. Also on the show: we look at reactions to French government moves to relieve the pressure of soaring energy costs, and inflation in the eurozone hits a 13-year high.

The French government is freezing natural gas prices until next April, as pent-up demand and supply shortages drive increased costs across Europe. We take a closer look. Also, another currency devaluation takes effect in Venezuela. Finally, Disney reaches a settlement with Scarlett Johansson, wrapping up a legal dispute that had been closely watched in Hollywood.

The US Senate is set to vote on a stopgap measure later this Thursday to keep the government funded and avoid a shutdown. But why do these budget clashes happen so often, and what has the debt ceiling got to do with it? We look at the context for the looming deadlines ahead of the Senate vote. Also today, inflation has risen sharply in Iran in recent months, pushing more people there into poverty.

The United States and European Union have kicked off talks on how to increase cooperation in trade and technology. Both sides are anxious to better compete with China in areas like artificial intelligence and chipmaking. The forum could also help ease transatlantic trade tensions over a scuppered submarine deal. Also in the show: the UK could see soldiers on the streets "within days" to ease the fuel crisis, and Europe's trucking woes deepen.

The US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has warned that the government could run out of money by October 18, if Congress doesn't raise or suspend its borrowing limit before then. Senate Republicans on Tuesday blocked a measure to raise the debt ceiling, ahead of a looming federal shutdown on Friday. Also today, we report on how a car parts factory near Paris has been adapting its working methods to cope with a shortage of raw materials.