Newscast - Africa

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.