Africa Business Radio

French President Emmanuel Macron has warned he intends to make life difficult for people in France who have not been vaccinated against Covid-19. Political opponents however said the strong language he used in the interview was not worthy of a president. His comments came as a bill on Covid passes was delayed by opposition MPs uniting against the government. A debate in parliament on the bill, which would bar the unvaccinated from much of public life, was prevented from continuing after midnight. The legislation was expected to be approved in a vote this week, but it has angered vaccine opponents and several French MPs have said they have received death threats over the issue.

An EU ban on tattoo ink and permanent make-up containing chemicals feared to cause cancers or other health risks went into effect on Tuesday. Officials say the prohibition covers hazardous substances such as certain azo dyes, carcinogenic aromatic amines, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, metals and methanol. The European Commission says the restriction covers carcinogenic, mutagenic and reprotoxic substances, chemicals prohibited in cosmetics, skin sensitisers, skin and eye irritants, metal impurities, aromatic amines and some pigments. Seven EU countries have already applied the ban at the national level.

The German government says that it considers nuclear energy dangerous and objects to European Union proposals that would let the technology remain part of the bloc’s plans for a climate-friendly future. Berlin plans to rely heavily on natural gas until it can be replaced by non-polluting sources for energy. The opposing paths taken by two of the EU’s biggest economies have resulted in an awkward situation for the bloc’s Executive Commission. A draft EU plan seen by The Associated Press news agency concludes that both nuclear energy and natural gas can under certain conditions be considered sustainable for investment purposes.

A Canadian court has awarded $84m to the families of six victims who were killed when Iranian forces shot down a Ukraine International Airlines flight near Tehran in early 2020. Justice Edward Belobaba of Ontario’s Superior Court had issued the ruling in a default judgement on December 31. Iranian forces shot down Flight PS752 after it took off from Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport on January 8, 2020, killing all 176 people on board, including 55 Canadian citizens and 30 permanent residents. The Iranian government blamed the incident on a human error saying that the plane was mistaken for a hostile target in a disastrous mistake.

Top oil-producing countries on Monday picked Kuwaiti oil executive Haitham al-Ghais as the next Secretary-General of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries. He will replace Nigeria’s Mohammed Barkindo, who took over the helm of the organisation in 2016 and led it for two terms. Al-Ghais, who was Kuwait’s OPEC governor from 2017 to June 2021, serves as a Deputy Managing Director of the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC). His decades of experience in the industry include stints in Beijing and London for the state oil corporation.

The United States, Norway, Britain and the European Union have warned the Sudanese military against appointing their own prime minister, saying it would risk plunging the nation into conflict. The countries said they would not support a prime minister or government-appointed without the involvement of a broad range of civilian stakeholders. The former prime minister, Abdalla Hamdok, resigned on Sunday amid a political deadlock and widespread protests resulting from October's military coup. The Western countries again voiced alarm at the military's actions against protesters - more than 50 have been killed since the coup.

Tanzania's President Samia Suluhu Hassan has lashed out at some top officials who have been criticising her government for taking loans from international bodies. She says foreign aid was helping her government fulfil its social and development agenda. She says, unlike other countries that had used such funds to buy protective gear like gloves and masks, Tanzania had used the funds prudently to build new health centres and medical facilities. She says the money was also being used to put up new classrooms and learning facilities in many parts of the country.

South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir has dismissed the central bank governor and appointed a replacement. The dismissal of Dier Tong Ngor was announced in a presidential decree on the national broadcaster on Monday night. He was replaced by Moses Makur Deng who has been a director-general in charge of banks’ supervision and research at the bank. South Sudan’s economy is driven by oil, which accounts for nearly 90% of the country’s national budget.

A South African judicial panel that examined allegations of high-level corruption during former President Jacob Zuma’s tenure will hand over the first of its three-part report to President Cyril Ramaphosan. The panel was chaired by Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo and has been investigating allegations of state capture corruption and fraud in the public sector during Zuma’s time in power between 2009 and 2018. The remaining parts of the report are expected to be handed over to Mr Ramaphosa before the end of next month. Zuma is accused, among other things, of allowing an Indian business family with close links to him to siphon state assets.

The federal government will commence the collection of income tax on bonds, short-term securities. The federal government had in 2012 granted tax waivers on all bonds and debt instruments issued by all tiers of government and corporate entities. The Securities and Exchange Commission had earlier introduced a 0.025 per cent charge on fixed income secondary market transactions, which was expected to become effective today. President, Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers, Mr Olatunde Amolegbe says the introduction of the policy by the apex capital regulator would bring significant regulation to the market.

The Contractor handling Zungeru Hydroelectric Power Project, Sino Hydro, has assured that the $1.3 billion 700 Mega Watts electricity project will be commissioned in four phases in 2022. A statement by the company's Deputy Project Manager, Li Xiao Ming, stated that the first turbine which will generate 175 Mega Watts will be commissioned in the first quarter. He says the second turbine which will also generate 175 Mega Watts is expected to be commissioned second quarter while the third turbine is expected to be commissioned in the third quarter. He says the fourth turbine would be commissioned in December 2022.

Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu has assured that the fourth quarter of 2022 completion time of the red and blue line rail projects in the State remains on course. Governor Sanwo-Olu expressed satisfaction with the pace of work at the stations, noting that the contractors were on course and hoped that they would round up works on the Blue and Red line rails according to the schedule for commercial activities this year.

India’s competition watchdog has ordered an investigation into Apple Inc’s business practices in the country, saying it was of the initial view that the iPhone maker had violated certain antitrust laws. The order from the Competition Commission of India comes after a non-profit group alleged that Apple was abusing its dominant position in the apps market by forcing developers to use its proprietary in-app purchase system. The complainant argued that Apple’s imposition of a 30 per cent in-app fee for the distribution of paid digital content and other restrictions hurts competition by raising costs for app developers and customers while also acting as a barrier to market entry. The CCI says Apple’s restrictions prima facie result in denial of market access for potential app developers and distributors.

Pakistan’s natural gas shortage is hurting its most important export industry, putting even more stress on an economy already struggling with accelerating inflation and a weakening currency. Executive director of All Pakistan Textile Mills Association, Shahid Sattar says About $250 million of textiles exports were lost last month after mills in Punjab were forced to shut for 15 days. He says factories in the province are dependent on regasified imports of liquefied natural gas, while domestic supply is being diverted to other regionsGovernment data shows that Production grew almost 6% in the nine months through March 2021 and the sector accounted for 60% of total exports.

Turkey's annual inflation rate has soared to a 19-year high, underlining the country's financial turmoil and alarm over its president's policies. Prices hit more than 36% in December as the cost of transport, food and other staples ate into household budgets. Most central banks raise interest rates to help cool inflation but Turkey has gone the other way. The lira shed 44% of its value against the dollar last year and fell another 5% on Monday before recovering to trade flat. The drop in the lira has made the price of inflation-fuelling imports more expensive, ranging from energy to many of the raw materials Turkey's manufacturers turn into exports.

India extended Covid vaccinations to teens aged 15-18 after officials tightened restrictions in big cities to avoid a repeat of last year’s devastating outbreak. More than 200,000 people around India died in a huge spring virus wave that overwhelmed hospitals and crematoriums. Government data shows that health workers have since administered more than 1.4 billion vaccine doses but less than half of India’s population is fully inoculated.

Israel health ministry says it will allow entry to vaccinated visitors from low-risk countries, t, five weeks after it shut its borders to slow the spread of the Omicron variant. Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and a group of ministers agreed that entry of vaccinated/recovering tourists from orange countries will be permitted from Sunday. Israel had closed its borders to all foreign tourists last November 28. Bennett said at the time the move aimed to prepare Israel for an inevitable fifth wave of Covid cases. Bennett however says the temporary blanket prohibition on foreign arrivals had achieved its goal, even as domestic Covid infections have soared.

French MPs began debating draft legislation that would require most people to be vaccinated against Covid-19 to enter public spaces such as bars, restaurants and long-distance public transport. The vaccine pass is aimed at getting France’s remaining five million unvaccinated people over 12 to accept a shot. Health Minister Olivier Veran told parliament that the tidal wave has indeed arrived, it’s enormous, but we will not give in to panic. Veran added that selfishness often hides behind talk of supposed liberty.

Tunisia's interior ministry says a detained former justice minister is suspected of terrorism. Noureddine Bhiri of the Ennahdha party was detained over the weekend. Interior Minister Taoufik Charfeddine says that there were reports of acts of terrorism prompting the authorities to act. His wife is quoted by the AFP news agency saying that he had suffered a heart attack and that she was denied access to him.

Guinea's main opposition leader says more than 100 of the country's political parties will present a joint demand for a return to the civilian rule to the military junta that seized power in September. Cellou Dalein Diallo told a news conference that the Collective of Political Parties had agreed on a timetable for a political transition. The Economic Community of West African States is demanding elections within six months. It suspended Guinea from the regional bloc after President Alpha Condé was deposed in a coup nearly four months ago.