Newscast - Africa

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights warns that Mali's new media restrictions reflect a growing intolerance toward freedom of the press in the region.
U.N. human rights officials are expressing deep dismay at Mali's decision to permanently suspend Radio France International and France 24 from operating there.
They are urging Mali's military authorities to reverse the ban and allow independent media to work freely in the country.
U.N. human rights spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani says the current climate of fear in Mali is having a chilling effect on journalists and bloggers.

Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan, reiterated her government’s position that journalists should be allowed to operate freely.
She however says that African reporters must aim for positive reportage.
President Samia insisted that they should make African media platforms cherish its development goals and promote Africa’s rich resources, rather than stereotypical reporting under the influence of foreign media.
The president says her administration is now in dialogue with media stakeholders following complaints that the laws were hindering media development in Tanzania.

The AFP news agency reports that Paris has responded to Mali's decision to end its military cooperation agreement with France, describing it as unjustified.
Mali's military government earlier said it was breaking off all defence agreements and cited multiple violations of its sovereignty by French troops and noted a profound deterioration of the military cooperation with France for some time now.
France says that it considers this decision to be unjustified and absolutely contests any violation of the bilateral legal framework.

The head of Nigeria’s Sovereign Investment Authority, Uche Orji, says Nigeria bought emergency supplies of Canadian potash in April after the country was unable to import the key fertiliser ingredient from Russia due to the impact of Western sanctions.
Reuters reported that the move showed one of many unintended negative consequences of sanctions to punish Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, which it calls a special military operation.
Orji says Nigeria has enough potash inventories to cover 40 per cent of blending demand and bought three cargoes of Canadian potash, which should arrive within the next month.

Former Governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi says banditry attacks and other insecurity challenges across the country are a form of revenge on Nigeria for neglecting to invest in human capacity building for several years.
Peter Obi believes that what Nigeria is suffering is a cumulative effect of many years of leadership failure and if nothing is done fast, the country could be classified as a failed state.
He says a country that suffers a high level of insecurity and cannot manage its economy properly is already experiencing some signs of a failed state.

The National Human Rights Commission says the press is a critical agent for the protection of democracy and development and must be supported to enable them to effectively discharge their constitutional duties as the watchdog of the society.
NHRC Executive Secretary, Tony Ojukwu, asked the society to see journalists as the oxygen of democracy and agents of change and development, adding that their constitutional duty which is enshrined in Section 22 of the 1999 Constitution as amended.
He observed that Nigerian journalists fought very hard to achieve the nation’s democratic status and deserve a better deal.

The United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, has arrived in Nigeria on a two-day official visit to Africa’s most populous country.
He proceeded to Borno, the state ravaged by a decade-long insurgency as Nigeria makes concerted efforts to wipe out terrorism.
Guterres is expected to meet with the Borno State governor, Babagana Zulum in Maiduguri, the state capital before embarking on a field mission where he will meet families affected by the Boko Haram conflict ravaging the region for more than 12 years.
The UN chief will also evaluate the impact of climate change on vulnerable communities and assess progress made as well as the challenges to the COVID-19 recovery.

Russia halted gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria after blasts in a breakaway region of neighbouring Moldova led Kyiv to accuse Moscow of seeking to expand the Ukraine war further into Europe.
The Russian energy giant Gazprom says it had cut supplies to Poland and Bulgaria, in Moscow’s latest use of gas as a weapon in a conflict that has now dragged into its third month and claimed thousands of lives.

Food giant Kellogg's is taking the government to court over new rules that would prevent some cereals from being prominently displayed in stores because of their high sugar content.
Kellogg's says the rules fail to consider the nutritional value of the milk added to the product.
The government however says the new rules would help tackle childhood obesity.
Under the new regulations for England, which come into force from October, retailer promotions on food and drink high in fat, salt or sugar will be restricted.
Products covered by the restrictions will also not be allowed to be featured in key locations such as checkouts, store entrances, aisle ends and their online equivalents.

US President Joe Biden proposed a huge $33 billion package for arming and supporting Ukraine, saying that caving into Russia is not an option for the West as the war stretches into the third month.
Biden also outlined proposed new laws to allow using luxury assets stripped from Russian oligarchs under unprecedented sanctions to compensate Ukraine for the destruction wreaked by the invading Russians.
He acknowledged the dramatic costs of US backing for Ukraine but said there was no real choice in the struggle with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
He pushed back against increasingly heated claims by Russian officials and state media that Moscow is fighting the entire West, rather than only Ukraine.