Newscast - Africa

China has delayed the release of its latest economic growth figures, which were due to be published as the Communist Party's leadership gathers.
President Xi Jinping is expected to be confirmed for a historic third term at this week's party congress in Beijing.
The decision has been described as very rare by experts and is seen by some as a sign of further weakness in the world's second-largest economy.
Zhao Chenxin, deputy head of China's National Development and Reform Commission, however, says that the country's economy had picked up significantly in the third quarter.

France braced for nationwide transport strike action as the government and unions remained in deadlock over walkouts at oil depots that have sparked fuel shortages.
Leading unions have called for strikes in their biggest challenge yet to President Emmanuel Macron since he won a new presidential term in May.
The move comes after workers at several refineries and depots operated by energy giant TotalEnergies voted to extend their strike action, defying the government which has begun to force staff back on the job.
Motorists scrambled to fill tanks as the fuel strike, which has lasted for nearly three weeks, cripples supplies at just over 30 per cent of France’s service stations.
The government, increasingly impatient with the striking workers, said it was forcing key staff back to work.

An online media company and 12 other activists have filed a legal challenge against a new Ugandan law, which punishes anybody who shares unsolicited or misleading information on social media with a hefty fine, jail time and barring from public office.
President Yoweri Museveni signed into law the Computer Misuse Amendment Act last week, but the head of Alternative DigiTalk says the law is illegal, unconstitutional and violates fundamental human rights.
Rights group Amnesty International has said the law is designed to deliberately target critics of the government and will be used to silence dissent and prevent people from speaking out.
The supporters of the new law however say it will help to stop online abuse and protect the right to privacy.

The US has blacklisted several individuals in Somalia accused of giving the Islamist al-Shabab group financial and other material assistance.
Washington says they are part of a network that has engaged in smuggling weapons from local and foreign sources.
This comes a day after the Somali authorities warned businesses in the capital, Mogadishu, against paying taxes to the al-Qaeda affiliate.
Al-Shabab frequently extorts businesses in Mogadishu raising tens of millions of dollars for their militant activities in Somalia and neighbouring countries.
President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has declared an all-out war against al Shabab and sought international support to defeat the militants.

South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa has withdrawn controversial perks for cabinet ministers and their deputies that saw their homes supplied with free electricity and water.
The benefits caused a public outcry as they were considered insensitive at a time South Africans are struggling with daily power cuts and rising costs of living.
A spokesman says the president acknowledges and appreciates the public sentiments on the matter.
He says the intention was to try and find some form of balance between what ministers could afford versus some of the costs that they have.

Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni says he plans to invite French President Emmanuel Macron for talks on how to resolve the conflict in the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo.
President Museveni says he would like really to sit down with Mr Macron and talk strategically.
DR Congo is battling rebel activity in large swathes of its eastern region. One of the main armed groups there, the M23, has recently made gains against the army to occupy a strategic border town and areas around it in North Kivu province.

President Muhammadu Buhari has reiterated that the goal to increase electricity generation to 25,000 Megawatts in six years is on course.
He says the plan, through the partnership between the Federal Government of Nigeria and German Siemens, is on course as the first batch of the transformers has arrived in Nigeria already.
He says they are also executing a number of critical projects through the Transmission Rehabilitation and Expansion Programme, which will result in achieving the national goal of improved power supply by 2025.

The leadership of the House of Representatives intervened in the ongoing dispute between Nigeria and foreign airlines over the controversial trapped funds belonging to the airlines.
The AON made a strong case for the protection of the interests of Nigerian airlines in foreign countries, especially the issue of reciprocity in the number of flight slots allocated to Nigerian operators in other countries, compared to the high number of foreign airlines enjoy in Nigeria.
The meeting also discussed the disparity in ticket prices charged by the foreign airlines in Nigeria and other countries, with Nigerians paying higher even when the distance between Nigeria and the foreign country of destination is shorter when compared to the distance from other African countries.

Nigeria’s inflation rate has surged for the eighth consecutive month, hitting a fresh 17-year-high amid rising food and energy costs, and the continued depreciation of the naira.
The National Bureau of Statistics says inflation rose to 20.77 per cent in September from 20.52 per cent recorded in August, the highest since 2005.
Food inflation rose 23.34 per cent year-on-year compared with 23.1 per cent in August, while core inflation increased to 17.6 per cent in September from 17.2 per cent in August.

The Bank of Industry has assured its customers in the Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises segment of the economy of more financing to grow their businesses.
The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the bank, Mr. Olukayode Pitan, described the theme as apt, considering the pivotal role SMEs play as the engine room of the global economy.
He noted that the bank remained committed to supporting the funding needs of its customers and assured them of sustained intervention with the successful completion of the €1bn guaranteed facility.
He explained that the facility, like previous ones, would be utilized to provide the much-needed medium to long-term Nigerian MSMEs and large enterprises with transactions at affordable naira interest rates.