Newscast - Africa

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.