Newscast - Africa

Ghana's parliament was disrupted during a late-night session over a contentious government-proposed levy on electronic transactions.
The chaos started after opposition MPs rushed forward to prevent Deputy Speaker Joseph Osei Owusu from leaving his seat to vote, local media reports.
The opposition National Democratic Congress has rejected the proposed levy of 1.75% on electronic transactions, which includes mobile-money payments.
It says it will hit low-income people and those outside the formal banking sector.
Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Artta however says it is necessary to widen the tax net, arguing that it could raise an extra 6.9bn Ghanaian cedi next year.

The Federal government has reinstated Emirates Airlines daily schedule to Nigeria.
Director-General, Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, Musa Nuhu, stated that following the further consultations with various stakeholders 2021 offer Air Peace Airlines daily slots to Dubai airports.
He noted that the approval was based on compliance with the Dubai Travel Protocol as released by Dubai airports on Friday 26th November 2021 as it affects travellers travelling from Nigeria to UAE.

The House of Representatives at the plenary passed the 2022 appropriation Bill sent to it by President Muhammadu Buhari, raising the sum to N17.126 trillion.
The passage of the budget followed the consideration and adoption of clauses in Bill’s report presented by the Chairman Appropriation Committee, Hon. Muktar Betara.

The IMF says it had approved the fifth and final round of debt relief under a program meant to help the world’s poorest nations weather the Covid-19 pandemic.
The IMF says the $115 million in relief under the Washington-based crisis lender’s Catastrophe Containment and Relief Trust affects debt service payments falling due for 25 member states between January 11 and April 13 of next year
The IMF says its directors view the CCRT relief as having helped its poorest and most vulnerable members to free up resources to tackle the pandemic and its repercussions though they warn not all money pledged for the trust has been received.

President Muhammadu has declined assent to the Electoral Act Amendment Bill over the direct primaries clause. 
President Buhari in a letter sent to the National Assembly cited several issues with the clause.
The President explained that direct primaries are expensive. Adding that it will put a financial burden on the country’s resources.
He further noted that conducting direct primary elections will be tasking, explaining that since such mode of election means a large turnout of voters, the move would stretch the security agencies.
The Nigerian leader equally fears that with direct primaries, citizens’ rights will be violated while smaller political parties may face marginalisation.

World powers have condemned a tightly-vetted legislature vote in Hong Kong, saying rules imposed by Beijing that reduced directly elected seats and controlled who could stand, has eroded democracy in the Chinese territory.
China imposed a national security law, which introduced political rules that vet the loyalty of anyone standing for office and criminalises much dissent.
The first public vote under this new order was held on Sunday for the city’s legislature, with a historic low turnout.

The UN’s refugee agency called for Thailand to allow them urgent access to more than 3,000 Myanmar refugees who fled to the kingdom to escape fighting in a conflict-wracked Karen state.
The UNHCR says 700 refugees crossed the river into Thailand’s Tak province on Thursday, fleeing artillery shelling and small arms fire.
UNHCR and NGOs have requested urgent access to the refugees to ascertain and deliver to them the necessary humanitarian and protection assistance.
Provincial authorities say about 3,500 refugees remain in two locations on the Thai side, as dozens have gradually returned since fighting appeared to have ceased.

Moderna says giving a full dose of Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine as a booster shot provides more antibody protection against the Omicron variant than currently authorised half-strength injections.
Moderna says preliminary data show antibody response to Omicron at the 50 microgram dose increased 37-fold but when the dose was doubled, antibody levels increased 83-fold.
Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel called the results reassuring adding that the company is continuing to develop an Omicron-specific jab.
The statement says clinical trials for a targeted vaccine are likely to begin in early 2022.

Tigrayan rebels announced they had withdrawn from northern Ethiopia’s Amhara and Afar regions and retreated to Tigray, marking a new turning point in the 13-month war which has left thousands of people dead.
A spokesman for the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, Getachew Reda, told AFP that they decided to withdraw from these areas to Tigray and open the door to humanitarian aid.
Getachew says the decision was made a few weeks ago
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s spokeswoman Billene Seyoum however says the rebels' announcement was a cover-up for military setbacks.

The World Health Organization says the Omicron variant of the coronavirus is spreading faster than the Delta variant and is causing infections in people already vaccinated or who have recovered from the COVID-19 disease.
WHO chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan says it would be unwise to conclude from early evidence that Omicron is a milder variant than previous ones.
Soumya Swaminathan says that with the numbers going up, all health systems are going to be under strain.
She warned that South Africa and other places reporting lower hospitalisation rates from Omicron had been hit hard in earlier waves, so many of the Omicron cases may have been reinfections.