Newscast - Africa

The Gulf state says Coronavirus vaccinations will not be mandatory for the million-plus fans going to the World Cup in Qatar this year.
The health ministry says players and match officials however may be forced into a secure bio-bubble if Covid-19 cases take off again, with the threat of expulsion from the tournament for those who breach the secure environment.
Qatar organizers, who have predicted that more than one million people will pack Doha for the matches, and football’s governing body, FIFA, have said they want the event to be a sign the world is getting over the devastating pandemic.
Fans will have to wear masks in public transport but authorities are only recommending the use of masks at the eight stadiums in the Doha region where matches will be played.

Spain’s leftist government says it will cut the income tax on lower-income households to help hard-hit consumers grapple with soaring inflation.
Budget Minister Maria Jesus Montero says the government will reduce the income tax on people earning up to 21,000 euros per year, or one in two workers,
She confirmed the government will slap a new tax in 2023 and 2024 on residents whose wealth exceeds three million euros to help pay for inflation relief measures.
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s government announced last week that it would create a temporary tax on the wealthiest population without giving details.

Ugandans who need organ transplants will no longer have to travel abroad, thanks to a new law allowing the procedure in the country.
The new law will clear the way for transplantation centers and a national waiting list of organ recipients to be created, but also contains stringent measures in case of organ trafficking or abuse of donors' rights.
Parliament has approved the new transplant law meaning that it will come into force as soon as the president gives his assent - which is largely a formality because assent is almost always given.

Mali's transitional authorities have received a delegation of the Economic Community of West African States for talks on the fate of 46 Ivorian soldiers detained in the country since 10 July.
The delegation comprises Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo, his Gambian counterpart Adama Barrow, Togolese Minister of Foreign Affairs Robert Dussey, and mediator for Mali Goodluck Jonathan.
Ecowas chairperson Umaro Sissoco Embalo had hinted at fresh sanctions for Mali if it continued to detain the 46 Ivorian soldiers.
Mali's Foreign Minister, Abdoulaye Diop, says his country would not obey any order on the detention of the soldiers, accused of being mercenaries.

Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila says the leadership of the House of Representatives will seek an audience with President Muhammadu Buhari on the resolution of the ongoing face-off between the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities with the outcome of its interactions with stakeholders in the dispute.
He says the leadership, in the next couple of days, will put up a report of its interactions with key stakeholders in the dispute and come up with recommendations that will enable the President to view the issues at stake from an informed second option.
Gbajabiamila says the information gathered from the extensive interactions would assist the leadership in arriving at fact-based recommendations for the resolution of the crisis.

The Lagos government has suspended all activities of the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria with immediate effect.
The Special Adviser to the Governor on Transportation, Sola Giwa, says the move was aimed at fulfilling one of the state government’s cardinal objectives under the T.H.E.M.E.S Development Agenda.
The acronym, T.H.E.M.E.S, refers to the six pillars of the State’s strategic development agenda, namely: Traffic Management and Transportation, Health and Environment, Education and Technology, Making Lagos a 21st Century Economy, Entertainment and Tourism, as well as Security and Governance
Giwa confirmed that the decision was necessary after some pockets of violence were recorded in Ojo and Lagos Island.

The Federal Government says that the maritime sector is responsible for the transportation of about 70 percent of globally-traded goods.
The Minister of Transportation, Mu’azu Sambo urged Nigeria to take advantage of the declaration by the International Maritime Organisation to explore more partnerships.
He says the country should demand an inclusive and fair distribution of global resources and deployment of relevant technology to aid decarbonization and control of marine plastic litter and befouling.
Sambo also said that the need for new technology to drive the maritime sector had become imperative.

The International Monetary Fund says that the food crisis currently ravaging Nigeria and other sub-Saharan countries has been exacerbated by over-reliance on imported foods.
The Washington-based lender says staple food prices in sub-Saharan Africa surged by an average of 23.9 percent in 2020 to 22—the most since the 2008 global financial crisis.
The report says the increase was commensurate to an 8.5 percent rise in the cost of a typical food consumption basket beyond generalized price increases.
The report said that global factors were partly to blame because of the region’s imports of top staple foods, noting that the pass-through from global to local food prices was significant.

Nigeria’s Minister of Transportation, Mu’azu  Sambo, says the Federal Government would soon officially declare the proposed Ondo seaport facility as a deep seaport, to herald the commencement of other processes at the facility.
Sambo commended the steps taken so far by the state government to prepare for the Federal Government’s declaration on the port.
Sambo says the Federal Government would not hesitate to make the Ondo port declaration, pursuant to Section 30 of the Ports Act.
He added that this would be done after all the prerequisites established by the extant laws were met.

Taliban forces fired shots into the air to disperse a women’s rally supporting protests in Iran over the death of a woman in the custody of morality police.
Afghan women protested in front of Kabul’s Iranian embassy before being dispersed by Taliban forces firing in the air.
The protests, banned by the Taliban, contravene a slew of harsh restrictions imposed by the hardline Islamists on Afghan women.
The Taliban have forcefully dispersed women’s rallies in the past, warned journalists against covering them, and detained activists helming organization efforts.