Newscast - Africa

Iran is holding talks with the Taliban to resume the construction of an ambitious rail project that ultimately aims to connect at least five Central Asian countries.
Iranian transit official, Abbas Khatibi says Iran is ready to make further investments and both sides are willing to finish construction on a rail line connecting Khaf in northeastern Iran with Herat in northwestern Afghanistan.
Khatibi, a deputy head of the Construction and Development of Transportation Infrastructures Company of Iran, says the project could boost trade and reduce transit costs.
More than half of the project is proposed for Afghanistan, running through several provinces, including Kunduz and Herat.

Germany’s cabinet has approved legislation that will do away with a Nazi-era law forbidding doctors from providing information about abortions.
The bill put forward by Justice Minister Marco Buschmann must now be debated by both houses of parliament.
Doctors in Germany are allowed to say they offer terminations of pregnancies but are not allowed to provide any further information on such procedures.
Critics have said the law makes it too difficult for women to access information about which procedures are available and who provides them.

Dutch brewer Heineken and Universal Music Group have become the latest Western firms to halt operations in Russia over Moscow’s war in Ukraine.
The world’s second-biggest beer company say it was stopping the production, advertising and sale of the Heineken brand in Russia in response to the continued escalation of the war.
Heineken had already suspended new investments and exports to Russia last week.
The brewer says it would take immediate steps to ring-fence its Russian business from the rest of its global operations to stop the flow of monies, royalties and dividends out of Russia.

The United States has rejected Poland’s offer to send its MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine via a US airbase in Germany, saying the proposal raised serious concerns for the entire NATO alliance.
Warsaw made the surprise offer amid repeated appeals from Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for more warplanes to replenish his country’s air force as it defends against invading Russian forces.
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby however says the prospect of the jets flying from a US-NATO base into airspace that is contested with Russia over Ukraine raises serious concerns for the entire NATO alliance.

The US state department has banned flamboyant Kenyan politician Mike Sonko and his family from travelling to the US over allegations of corruption while in office.
The US says while in office he solicited bribes and kickbacks in exchange for awarding government contracts to his associates.
Mr Sonko denied the allegations and said he was being targeted wrongly.
Mr Sonko becomes the second Kenyan to be publicly banned from travelling to the US during President Uhuru Kenyatta’s era over corruption allegations.

Reuters news agency reports that Ukraine plans to recall all its troops and equipment, including helicopters, from UN peacekeeping missions in Africa and Europe to help in the fight against Russian troops.
Local Ukrainian media say that President Volodymyr Zelensky had issued an order for all Ukrainian soldiers and officers on UN peacekeeping missions to return home and join the resistance against the Russian forces
He added that they have received a Ukrainian notification recalling the troops.
A few other Ukrainians work in various capacities in UN missions in Mali, South Sudan, Sudan, Cyprus and Kosovo.

Zimbabwe's government has hiked fuel prices for the second time in a week, following rising oil prices on the international market.
A litre of diesel will cost $1.68 up from US$1.51, while petrol will cost $1.67 per litre.
Petrol prices have risen 10% in the last week and 18% since February.
The hike is expected to worsen inflation, which surged from 60% in January to 66% in February, meaning that the cost of living is rising.

Pharmaceutical company Pfizer is set to supply Africa's top health body with its coronavirus pill.
The drug - Paxlovid - is intended for use soon after symptoms develop in people at high risk of severe disease.
Africa CDC director John Nkengasong says Paperwork for the deal between the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Pfizer is now in the hands of the African Union's legal office - after which a formal announcement will be made.
He urged health ministries to adopt robust measures spanning vaccines and testing plus the treatments by Pfizer as well as Merck, whose molnupiravir coronavirus pill he said the Africa CDC was also seeking.

The Senate has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission to allow registered and eligible prison inmates to vote during all general elections in the country.
The Upper Chamber discussed this during the plenary when it considered a motion on the prerogative of Prison Inmates to vote in general elections in Nigeria sponsored by Senator Abba Moro.
They called on INEC to determine the status of the inmates that are constitutionally and legally qualified to be registered as eligible voters and should vote at elections.
They urged INEC and all relevant agencies to carry out a voracious voter’s enlightenment in prisons in Nigeria, to educate the inmates of their rights and necessity to exercise their franchise in general elections.

The Senate has rejected the request of President Muhammadu Buhari for amendment of the Electoral Act which prevents appointive political office holders from contesting for election from party primary level without resigning.
The request was rejected after the Senate Leader, Senator Yahaya Abdullahi made the lead debate for the second reading of the bill on Wednesday.
The Senators kicked against it and voted no when put to voice votes by the Senate President Ahmad Lawan.
President Buhari asked the National Assembly to amend section 84 (2) Subsection 12 which states that no political appointee shall be a voting delegate or be voted for at the convention or congress of any political party for the purpose of the nomination of any candidate for an election.
He says the amendment is necessary as the clause constitutes a fundamental defect and leads to the disenfranchisement of political officeholders.