Newscast - Africa

The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, says there are no plans to lay off the staff of the state-owned newspaper, the Nigerian Observer.
He noted that the media outfit is being revamped and upgraded to conform to the requirements of the digital era to enhance productivity.
Obaseki says the government, in line with the reforms of the state-owned media organisations, directed the closure of the newspaper for a period of one month, for re-organisation and re-launch of the media outfit.
The governor noted that those who cannot be retrained in digital media would be redeployed to other ministries.

The Nigerian Air Force disclosed plans to establish an aviation city in Osun State while it formally took possession of the MKO Abiola Airport, Ido-Osun, Osun State.
The Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Oladayo Amao, recalled that NAF had earlier relocated its Research and Development Centre from Kaduna to Osogbo.
He says the aviation city will be established in addition to the existing NAF Institute of Safety and Special Operation at Ipetu-Ijesa, Osun State.

The Federal Government says plans to commence Universal Health Coverage which would provide affordable and accessible health care to 83 million vulnerable Nigerians.
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, says the signing into law of the National Health Insurance Authority Bill by President, Muhammadu Buhari signaled a new lease of life to the health sector, which would make universal health coverage accessible to the vulnerable in every nook and cranny of the country.
He added that signing into law of the NHIA bill would go a long way to reduce poverty and improve the economic lives of Nigerians.

Surging inflation and severe slowdowns in the United States and China prompted the IMF to downgrade its outlook for the global economy this year and next while giving an even starker assessment of what may lie ahead.
IMF chief economist Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas says the outlook has darkened significantly since April adding that the world may soon be teetering on the edge of a global recession, only two years after the last one.
The International Monetary Fund cut the 2022 global GDP estimate to 3.2 percent, four-tenths of a point lower than the April forecast, and about half the rate seen last year.

Russia says it was leaving the International Space Station after 2024 amid tensions with the West, in a move analysts warned could lead to a halt to manned flights.
Space experts say the departure from the International Space Station would seriously affect the country’s space sector and deal a major blow to the program of manned flights, a major source of Russian pride.
The new head of Russian space agency Roscosmos, Yury Borisov, says they will start putting together a Russian orbital station while calling it the domestic space program’s main priority.

Google has announced that it will open its Google Play application to alternative payment methods in order to meet new EU regulations.
Google says it recognised that the recently adopted Digital Markets Act would require Google Play and other industry players to adjust the operating models of their online marketplaces for European Users.
Google’s director for EU Government Affairs and Public Policy, Estelle Werth says as part of their efforts to comply with these new rules, we are announcing a new program to support billing alternatives for EEA users.
Google says the fee would be reduced by three percentage points.

The World Bank released $100 million for the World Food Programme to tackle deep food insecurity for two million people in Sudan, where aid was suspended following an October coup.
The funds will help provide an emergency safety net amid worsening hunger in the northeast African nation caused by a poor harvest and rising international food prices.
The bank says the funds will be channeled solely through the WFP to scale up the food security response and provide direct support to the most vulnerable people of Sudan.

A proposed new law to make vaccines compulsory for all adults in the event of a mass disease outbreak has been rejected by Uganda's parliament.
The health ministry says the bill was designed to tackle emerging health threats like hemorrhagic fevers and wanted any rule-breakers to be fined up to $1,045 or face a six-month jail sentence.
MPs however raised concerns about the rights of individuals to choose and questioned who would take liability for vaccine side effects.

The WHO and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, have invited developing countries like Ghana, Kenya, and Malawi to apply for funding to access the RTS malaria vaccine.
International support worth $160m from 2022 to 2025 will be made available to the aforementioned countries, which piloted the jab in 2019.
The WHO recommended the widespread use of the RTS vaccine in October 2021, which has led to more countries expressing an interest in it however the jab only provides 30% protection.

South Africa’s central bank raised its benchmark interest rate by three-quarters of a percentage point to 5.5 percent the steepest hike in a decade.
The move announced a day after South Africa reported a 13-year high in inflation was the fourth rate hike in a row, as the South African Reserve Bank voiced concerns over high inflation and weak economic growth.
Governor Lesetja Kganyago says the central bank decided to increase the repurchase rate by 75 basis points to 5.50 percent per year with effect from Friday.
Kganyago says the rate increase aimed to help bring inflation back down to the bank’s target band of three to six percent.