Author: Olu Anisere

Hundreds Join Protest Against U.S. Intelligence Base Hundreds of people has joined a two-day protest calling for the closure of the secretive U.S. Pine Gap intelligence base in Australia’s Northern Territory (NT). Around 300 people gathered near the front of the base, followed by a smaller protest on Tuesday calling for the facility to be closed and the land on which it sits to be returned to the local Arrernte people, the traditional Aboriginal owners of the area. The base is located near the NT city of Alice Springs in central Australia, the Pine Gap facility was established by the…

Crimean-Congo Fever on Increase in Afghanistan, 21 Deaths in June-WHO The World Health Organisation’s office in Afghanistan has reported a significant surge in suspected Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever (CCHF), with 483 suspected infections and 21 deaths in June. This represents a 174.4-per cent increase in suspected cases compared to 176 suspected cases and nine deaths reported in May, the office said in its latest report. The WHO attributed the sharp rise primarily to the Eid ul-Adha period, during which heightened contact with livestock and widespread animal slaughtering activities significantly increase the risk of transmission. CCHF is a viral haemorrhagic fever typically…

ASEAN Foreign Ministers Seek to End Middle East Hostilities South-East Asian foreign ministers on Tuesday expressed serious concern over renewed hostilities between the U.S. and Iran in the Middle East and called for the immediate and complete cessation of hostilities. The ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) stated this during their annual meeting in Manila. “We are deeply concerned that these developments severely undermine the ongoing efforts of key mediators and diminish the prospects for a peaceful resolution through dialogue and diplomacy. “We call on all parties concerned to exercise utmost self-restraint and avoid any acts that…

New UK Prime Minister Targets Lower Energy Bills in First Move New British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said on Tuesday he would cut taxes on electricity bills as one of his first moves as prime minister. This is the first of several early moves to signal his ​intent to ease a cost-of-living crisis and quell anger over successive governments’ failure to bring change. In his second day in office, Burnham said ‌his government would remove the value-added tax from domestic electricity bills from Oct. 1, cutting around 45 euros from the average annual bill of around 1,862 euros that households…

The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) kept the benchmark interest rate unchanged at 26.50% following the completion of a 2-day meeting on Tuesday.

Trump Announces New 50% Tariffs on Canadian Imports The U.S. have announced a new 50 per cent tariff on a broad range of Canadian imports, stepping up a trade dispute with one of the U.S. largest trading partners. According to U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, the tariffs would apply to about 20 billion dollars in imports from Canada, including products such as hockey sticks, wine and cement. The tariffs will take effect on August 19, 30 days after U.S. President Donald Trump signs the proclamation. The White House said the move was a response to what it called Canada’s “discriminatory,…

ECOWAS Leaders Sign Agreement on African Atlantic Gas Pipeline Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have signed the Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) for the African Atlantic Gas Pipeline (AAGP) Project. A statement issued on Monday night by Andy Odeh, Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.), stated that the development marks a major milestone towards the implementation of the gas pipeline initiative. According to Odeh, the agreement was signed during the ECOWAS Summit in Freetown, Sierra Leone. “This project is designed to harness West Africa’s natural gas resources, connect…

The financial system liquidity dipped on Monday as the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) debited banks’ cash reserve ratio (CRR) requirement on deposits collected but not disbursed as loans.

The Nigerian Treasury bills yields declined as investors ramped up naira assets via secondary market transactions on Monday.

The Debt Management Office (DMO) under-allotted Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) bonds to investors despite a top-notch subscription level at the auction conducted on Monday.