The hottest and most trending news articles for this week in all categories are captured in one shot. Find articles ranging from News to Sports, to Politics, to Entertainment, to Economy, to Metro plus, and many other categories. See below the top news for the week:
NEWS
- Banks to pay N1m fine daily over failure to collect redesigned naira notes, says CBN
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) says any commercial bank that fails to pick up the new naira notes for distribution will be fined N1 million daily. Adeleke Adelokun, a deputy director at CBN, made this known while sensitising traders on the need to embrace the new currency and return old ones to banks, at Ayegbaju International Market in Osogbo, the Osun state capital, on Friday.
Two weeks ago, the CBN ordered banks to halt dispensing the new currency notes over the counter, and only make them available via automated teller machines (ATMs). It further threatened to penalise commercial banks who fail to comply with the directive of loading the redesigned naira notes in their ATMs.
Speaking with the traders, Adelokun said the apex bank had printed enough naira notes but observed that commercial banks were not collecting them. “As at today, CBN has printed enough new naira notes of N200, N500 and N1,000,” NAN quoted the CBN official as saying.
But, what we discovered was that most of the banks that are supposed to collect the new notes have not collected them. So, we have put a sanction on the banks.
- Naira redesign: CBN launches cash swap programme in ALL LGAs
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has launched a cash swap programme in partnership with super agents and deposit money banks (DMBs). The apex bank said this in a circular on Friday, jointly signed by Haruna Mustafa, director, banking supervision department; and Musa Jimoh, director, payments system department.
The circular was addressed to all DMBs, mobile money operators (MMOs), super agents and agents. Super agents are companies licensed by the CBN to recruit agents for the purpose of agency banking. The CBN said the cash swap programme will be effective from Monday, January 23, 2022. It said the initiative is aimed at enabling citizens in rural areas or those with limited access to formal financial services to exchange old naira notes for redesigned notes. The old notes are expected to be out of circulation by January 31.
To promote financial inclusion, the CBN said the service is also available to anybody without a bank account. It said agents may, on request, instantly open a wallet or account, leveraging the CBN tiered know your customer (KYC) framework. This, according to bank, will ensure that this category of the populace (unbanked citizens) are able to exchange or deposit their cash seamlessly without taking unnecessary risk or incurring undue cost.
CBN also directed agents to sensitise customers on opening wallets/bank accounts and the various channels for conducting electronic transactions. CBN said cash swap agents would be readily identifiable in all local governments, particularly those in the rural areas.
- Emefiele, DSS running battle paused as CBN gov resumes
The battle between the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, and the Department of State Services over a plan to arrest the CBN governor may have been put on hold as Emefiele resumes duty. The CBN governor on Monday resumed office at the CBN headquarters, after spending several weeks in the United Kingdom and the United States following reported plots by the DSS to arrest him.
In a statement by the CBN Director of Corporate Communications, Mr Osita Nwanisobi, the apex bank said the governor had resumed to work, amid concerns over his absence since last month. The bank further urged Nigerians to continue to support the policies of the bank aimed at ensuring a stable financial system and the Nigerian economy in general. Meanwhile, the Department of State Services has denied invading the CBN head office in Abuja.
- Police presence at Emefiele’s Abuja home stirs controversy
Controversy has surrounded the presence of a team of policemen at the Federal Capital Territory home of the Central Bank of Nigeria Governor, Godwin Emefiele. The armed police officers, numbering over 10, were seen by our correspondent around 8.40pm, Tuesday, at the Maitama, Abuja home of the embattled governor of the apex bank.
A credible source in the Nigeria Police Force told our correspondent that the presence of the policemen was in furtherance to Emefiele’s expected appearance at the Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday (today) over a $53m judgment debt arising from the Paris Club refund.
The source said, “The police officers are not there to arrest, but to ensure that he doesn’t run away again as he did weeks ago.”
The Nigeria Police Force Headquarters and the Federal Capital Territory Police Command denied knowledge of the police presence. The Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, said, “I have no knowledge of such an event. However, kindly contact the FCT command.”
- I’m not aware of any siege on Emefiele’s house – Police spokesperson
The Force headquarters on Tuesday night said it is unaware of any deployment of police personnel to the Abuja home of the governor of Central Bank, Godwin Emefiele. Reacting to reports that policemen were laying seige on the CBN governors, Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Muyiwa Adejobi said, “I am not aware”.
There had been reports that police officers had been sighted laying siege at the Maitama home of the Central Bank Governor, Godwin Emefiele Tuesdsy night. The armed police officers were said to have mounted at No. 8 Colorado Street, Maitama, Abuja which is the CBN governor’s abode.
- Governors invite Emefiele over naira redesign, cash withdrawal limit policies
The Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) has issued an invitation to Godwin Emefiele, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor, for a virtual meeting on the recent naira redesign and cash withdrawal limit policies. Asishana Okauru, director-general of NGF, said the meeting is scheduled to hold on Thursday, January 19, 2022, at 9 pm. The theme, ‘the economic and security implications of naira redesign and withdrawal policy’, will drive discussions at the virtual meeting.
Okauru said the invitation to the CBN governor was issued by Aminu Tambuwal, chairman of the forum and governor of Sokoto. He said the meeting would foster participation and dialogue between various stakeholders, including governments and civil society organisations, and enable them to proffer solutions to the lingering issues regarding the policies.
In October last year, Emefiele had announced the plan to redesign the biggest denominations of the country’s currency to control money supply and aid security agencies in tackling illicit financial flows. The governor had said the new notes (N200, N500 and N1000) will be effective from mid-December 2022, advising customers to deposit their old notes before January 31, 2023, when they will become illegal tender.
- Northern Christian Elders raise alarm over worsening insecurity
The Northern States Christian Elders Forum, NOSCEF, has raised the alarm over the worsening insecurity in the region, warning that it can lead to the disenfranchisement of eligible voters. NOSCEF condemned in strong terms the increasing targeting and killing of clerics and others, calling on the government to beef up security in the region ahead of the general elections.
Chairman of NOSCEF, Ejoga Inalegu in a statement yesterday, among others, said “We were excited when politicians were able to make night visits to areas of hitherto high insecurity only to at the same time be greeted with sustained attacks against communities in Southern Kaduna at about the same time.
As the 2023 elections approach, we urge parents to counsel their wards against making themselves available to be used as political thugs to cause violence during the coming elections.
- Mass Metering: Four Million Units To Be Distributed In Second Phase, Says Buhari’s Aide
The Federal Government says four million metres will be distributed in the second phase of the ongoing National Mass Metering Programme.
Special Adviser to the President on Infrastructure, Ahmad Zakari, who made a live appearance on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Wednesday, added that one million units were deployed in the first phase of the programme.
- Corruption responsible for insecurity, says ICPC chair
The Chairman, Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, Prof Bolaji Owasanoye, has said corruption impedes national development and the flow of foreign direct investment. He, however, expressed the belief that the war against corruption is steadily making progress with the collective commitment of stakeholders in the country.
Owasanoye said this on Thursday in Kogi State during the inauguration of the commission’s prototype state office building by Governor Yahaya Bello. He said, “Corruption as we all know is a great impediment to the socio-economic growth and development of any nation. It does not only blight the country’s reputation among the comity of nations, but also impedes the flow of foreign direct investments, and a challenge to national security.
He said the ICPC is ready to support the Kogi State government and any other state to deal with the monster. Owasanoye said the commission’s Constituency and Executive Project Tracking Initiative had demonstrated the imperative of citizens participation, open governance and inclusivity in the implementation of the country’s budget as it affected the people, as well as the need for a transparent procurement process that should engender value for money.
POLITICS
- Alleged graft, treason: Tinubu, Atiku seek each other’s arrest, disqualification
The intrigues trailing the race for the presidency assumed a dangerous twist, yesterday, as the presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu; and his Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, counterpart, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, called for the arrest and disqualification of each other over allegations of graft.
Tinubu threw the first punch when he asked security agencies in the country to invite, arrest, interrogate and prosecute Alhaji Atiku Abubakar over what he described as #AtikuGate.
Citing a video clip made by one Michael Achimugu, said to be a former aide of the PDP standard bearer, Tinubu said Atiku as vice president between 1999 and 2007, colluded with his then boss, President Olusegun Obasanjo, to operate an illegal account tagged, “Special Purpose Vehicles” SPVs. He accused the PDP-led administration between 1999 and 2007 of running a criminal enterprise, describing the era as the “SPV Years.”
Responding in kind, Atiku and the PDP described Tinubu as a convict, who should not be in the presidential race, adding that Tinubu’s alleged $460,000 drug money forfeiture was evidence of a crime. In like manner, the PDP dismissed Tinubu’s calls and allegations against Atiku as “simulated allegations” and attempts to divert public attention from the issues affecting Nigerians.
National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Mr Debo Ologunagba, in a statement said: “It is indeed ironic that an embattled Tinubu, who is beleaguered by uncountable cases of fraudulent activities, including perjury, forgery, treasury looting, corruption and narcotic-related conviction can attempt to impugn on the unimpeachable integrity of the PDP Presidential Candidate.
“For clarity and for the interest of Nigerians, it is on record that Atiku Abubakar is one of the most investigated public officials in this country. It is also on record that in all the investigations undertaken over him and his affairs, Atiku Abubakar was never found culpable in any of the allegations.
- 2023: Donald Duke deplores present state of Obudu Cattle Ranch
Ex-Gov Donald Duke of Cross River on Monday in Obanliku, near Calabar, bemoaned the present state of the once famous Obudu Cattle Ranch. Duke, however, said that the time for restoration was near, and urged the people of the locality not to lose hope.
The former governor said this while addressing traditional rulers in the locality, when the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), governorship campaign team belted in the area. He noted that the people of the state needed a public spirited person to restore their hope, adding that the PDP governorship candidate, Sen. Sandy Onor, was a public spirited person who had all it would take to restore the lost hope.
- No cause for alarm over Akeredolu’s health — Ondo govt
Following anxiety over the state of health of Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State, the state government, yesterday, declared that there was no cause for alarm. There has been growing anxiety over the governor’s health across the state. But the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Richard Olatunde, in a statement, assured the people of the state and Nigerians that the governor is in good condition.
The statement reads: “We have observed the growing anxiety about the state of health of Ondo State Governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu. The good people of the state and, by extension, other friends and well-wishers continued to express concern over the wellness of the Governor, especially since yesterday. We are constrained to respond to these concerns and assure our people that by the grace of God, there is no cause for alarm on the Governor’s state of health.
“Governor Akeredolu, just like every other mere mortal, has had some health challenges for which he has since received treatment and recuperated speedily. Since the Governor is not a superhuman and the immunity his office enjoys does not extend to physical wellness or otherwise, the health issue is therefore not an unusual one.
“However, contrary to speculations and insinuations making the round, the Governor though frail, is discharging his official functions. Mr Governor is not faced with any life-threatening illness that would have encouraged any alleged conspiracy in his administration.
- Soludo: Obi didn’t allow LP to campaign freely in Anambra when he was governor
Chukwuma Soludo, governor of Anambra, has accused his predecessor, Peter Obi, of denying the Labour Party (LP) the opportunity to freely campaign in the state when he was governor.
Soludo spoke on Thursday in an interview on Channels Television.
During the interview, the Anambra governor was asked to react to allegations from LP leaders that the state government is restricting the party in terms of political campaigns. Reacting, Soludo said he had twice granted Obi, LP presidential candidate, the opportunity to use government properties in the state for campaign.
“It does not worth my time to comment on the rantings of some people — about their billboards or no billboards and so on,” he said. I don’t want to be drawn into that. I think that has been exhaustively dealt with by the government and the Anambra state signage agency that regulates this. The point that was repeated is that the signage agency had commended me for being the most tolerant governor as it regards free and fair electoral practice.
“It is on record and everybody knows that I have twice granted the presidential candidate of the Labour Party to use government properties — government house — for his campaign without charging him a penny. Nobody has done that. He did not do that when he was in government. He did not even allow Labour Party, where he is now, to freely campaign in Anambra. He denied them even the venue that they paid for.
“But I have allowed him to use the government house twice free of charge. They were in Onitsha to go and campaign. They have their billboards all over the place but the point is when you failed to play by the rule, you put up billboards and you don’t pay for the relevant things. Of course, the signage agency will come after you. Even yesterday, I heard a complaint they pulled down even the billboard of an APGA candidate for a federal house. He has not paid and they pulled it down. This is the state’s rule of law.
- I’m ready to stand surety for Nnamdi Kanu – Soludo
Governor Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra state said he is ready to provide surety for Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). Soludo stated this in an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday.
Recall that Soludo had joined the list of those calling for Mr Kanu’s release during the presidential campaign flag-off of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in Awka, Anambra State on 15 January.
* Obi at Chatham House: We will destroy structure that has impoverished Nigeria
Peter Obi, the standard bearer of the Labour Party (LP), says if he is elected president, he will “destroy the structure” that has kept Nigerians in poverty. Obi said this on Monday while speaking at the Chatham House in the United Kingdom.
The LP candidate also said his administration will fight the structure and “big boys” who prevent the power sector from functioning properly. “Let me assure you of what we’ve been campaigning on. You have heard them say we don’t have structure; that is the structure we are trying to destroy — structure of criminality,” Obi said.
The former Anambra governor also said if elected, his administration would create a suitable platform to attract foreign investors into the country.
- Keyamo hits Atiku over ‘vote-for-contract’ comment
Spokesperson of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Festus Keyamo (SAN), has taken a swipe at the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, over a comment credited to him.
While speaking on Wednesday at a town hall meeting with stakeholders and members of the party in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, Atiku had promised to give contracts and appointments to those who win their polling units for the PDP.
“If I am president, if you come and say you want a job or you want a contract, I will ask you to let me have the result of your polling booth. That is what I am going to direct to everybody, because unless we do that, we will not win the elections. You cannot be following the governor to all the places or the senator to all the places and then you don’t win your polling booth and you come and say you want to be a minister or you want to get this contract,” he said.
Reacting to the comments, Keyamo, in a tweet, said the former vice president had forgotten that the Public Procurement Act stipulates how contracts are awarded. “#Atikugate. A leopard cannot change its skin,” the Minister of State for Labour said. He is already promising contracts to political allies, forgetting that there is a law called the Public Procurement Act. Mr. SPV!”
ECONOMY
- FG denies hike in petrol price
The Federal Government has denied any increase in the price of Premium Motor Spirit popularly called petrol, despite the hike in the cost of the commodity across the country. The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, in a statement issued by his media aide, Horatius Egua, in Abuja on Friday, said President Muhammadu Buhari had not approved any price increase for PMS.
He was quoted as saying, “President Muhammadu Buhari has not approved any increase in the price of PMS or any other petroleum product for that matter. There is no reason for President Muhammadu Buhari to renege on his earlier promise not to approve any increase in the price of PMS at this time. Mr. President is sensitive to the plight of the ordinary Nigerian and has said repeatedly that he understands the challenges of the ordinary Nigerian and would not want to cause untold hardship for the electorate.”
The minister continued, “Government will not approve any increase of PMS secretly without due consultations with the relevant stakeholders. The President has not directed the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority or any agency for that matter to increase the price of fuel. This is not the time for any increase in pump price of PMS.”
He said what was playing out was the handiwork of mischief makers and those planing to discredit the achievements of the President in the oil and gas sector of the economy. “I appeal to Nigerians to remain calm and law abiding as the government is working hard to bring normalcy to fuel supply and distribution in the country.” Oil marketers had earlier confirmed the increase in petrol price by N10, stating that this was one of the reasons why major marketers were dispensing the commodity at higher rates currently.
- Rising petrol price hits N300 per litre
The scarcity of Premium Motor Spirit, popularly called petrol, grew worse across the country on Thursday, as massive queues were witnessed in Abuja, Lagos, Port Harcourt, Calabar, Warri, Nasarawa, Minna, among other places.
Oil marketers stated that the scarcity became worse due to the fact that dealers could hardly access the product from the only two depots that were dispensing the commodity in Lagos State as of Thursday.
The few filling stations, particularly those of independent marketers, that dispensed the commodity on Thursday, sold it at between N250/litre and N300/litre, depending on area of purchase. Oil marketers told newsmen that over 1,000 tickets, belonging to marketers which had paid for products, remained unattended to, at the few depots that dispense the commodity in Lagos.
It was gathered that the tickets, which were for over 1,000 tankers, had continued to pile up due to the pressure on the two depots, namely MRS and Pinnacle. It was also gathered that the cost of petrol could have been increased quietly by the Federal Government, as stations that used to sell the approved price of N179 – N180/litre had raised their prices to between N185 – N190/litre.
- Why petrol is scarce, by major marketers
The unending scarcity of the Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) has been blamed on increase from cross-border demand, according to Major Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN). The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) yesterday witnessed a worsened situation of the dearth of the product as most of the retail outlets were not opened to customers.
MOMAN Executive Secretary, Mr. Clement Isong, who spoke with The Nation on phone, said despite the volume that the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) is supplying, the demand for the product keeps rising, suggesting there is increase in demand from neighbouring countries.
- FG increases petrol price to N185 per litre
The Federal Government has officially increased the price of petrol by 8.8 per cent to N185 per litre, from N170 per litre. However, newsen’s findings show that many filling stations have been selling far above this new price, a situation which may have made the new price almost unrealistic.
In a notice to fuel marketers, on Thursday, the government directed that the new price should take immediate effect. A source said an internal memo was sent by the government to all marketers, including the Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria, MOMAN, and the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, IPMAN.
- FG can save N10trn from fuel, forex subsidies in 2023 — CPPE
The Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise (CPPE) has said that the Federal Government stands to save an estimated N10 trillion in 2023 if the incoming administration musters the will to end the controversial fuel subsidy and multiple foreign exchange (forex) window regimes.
He said that while a minimum of N6 trillion could be unlocked with the removal of fuel subsidy alone, an estimated N4 trillion could also be saved from halting the foreign exchange subsidy.
He stated that removal of the forex subsidy would correct distortions in the forex ecosystem, boost government revenues, curb corruption in forex transactions and enhance liquidity in the forex market.
According to him, it would also improve efficiency in forex allocation, promote transparency in the forex environment and raise investors’ confidence in the Nigerian economy. He, therefore, called for a review of the exchange rate assumption in the 2023 budget to reflect the exchange rate realities and boost revenue to the federation account.
- NESG projects Nigeria’s unemployment rate to hit 37% in 2023
The Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) says the country’s unemployment rate is may to rise to 37 percent in this year. The private sector-led think-tank made the projection in its latest 2023 macroeconomic outlook report titled, ‘Nigeria in transition: recipes for shared prosperity’.
The projected rate is almost 4 percentage points higher than the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) unemployment rate of 33.3 percent as at fourth quarter (Q4) 2020. Launching the 2023 outlook report, NESG said the country’s poverty headcount will increase to 45 percent.
“The unemployment rate will increase to 37 percent and the poverty headcount will amplify to 45 percent due to weak performance in the job-elastic sectors, low labour absorption of sectors that will drive growth, and population growth estimated at 3.2 percent will lead to a decline in real per capita income,” the report reads.
NESG said real gross domestic product (GDP) growth is expected to moderate to 2.98 percent, while economic growth would be subdued in 2023 due to strains on investment and low productivity in critical sectors. “The services sector will drive economic growth, but this growth will not be strong enough to generate significant jobs,” the report adds.
NESG said the country’s inflation rate is expected to average 20.5 percent in 2023. According to the group, inflationary pressure is expected to remain elevated, driven by structural, cost, and monetary factors. It added that food inflation would remain the fundamental driver of inflation due to the enduring impact of flooding, increased production costs due to increased cost of credit, insecurity and displacement. Also, existing fuel shortages and the removal of fuel subsidies would continue to increase the core components, especially transportation.
EDUCATION
- ASUU may sue FG over withheld salaries
The Academic Staff Union of Universities may drag the Federal Government over its members’ eight months’ withheld salaries, newsmen have learnt. ASUU will resort to the court, it was learnt, once the government goes ahead to pay members of the parallel union, the Congress of Nigerian University Academics. Counsel for ASUU, Femi Falana, disclosed this in an interview with newsmen on Monday.
It had reported that the FG, through the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, is set to pay the withheld salaries and allowances of lecturers under the aegis of CONUA. This was contained in a memo addressed to the President, CONUA, Dr Niyi Sunmonu, by the Director, Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System, Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, Charles Wali.
Recall that the government withheld the salaries of Nigerian lecturers during the eight-month strike by ASUU. During the strike, the government also registered CONUA as a trade union.
When asked for his reaction to the plan by the FG to pay CONUA members and leave out ASUU, Falana said, “We want them to pay the (CONUA) money. That is why we have not reacted. The National President of ASUU, Prof Emmanuel Osodeke, could not be reached for comment at the time of filing this report.
Meanwhile, the Joint Action Committee of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities and Non-Academic Staff of Educational and Associated Institutions said the government has no justification to withhold members’ salaries and pay CONUA. SSANU’s National President, Mr Ibrahim Mohammed, who spoke on behalf of the two groups, in an interview with newsmen, said, “The idea of separating some groups is not welcome. We are all working in the same place. The strike was a result of negotiations and renegotiations. No union should be held responsible for strike actions. We went on strike because the government failed to fulfil all agreements signed with them 12 years ago.
WORLD
- Chris Hipkins Set To Be New Zealand PM
New Zealand’s former Covid-19 response minister Chris Hipkins will replace Jacinda Ardern as prime minister after receiving the only nomination from fellow MPs, the ruling Labour Party said Saturday. The 44-year-old senior politician must be formally endorsed by the party’s caucus on Sunday to take over as the country’s 41st prime minister, after Ardern’s shock resignation on Thursday.
“The Labour Party caucus will meet at 1pm on Sunday to endorse the nomination and confirm Chris Hipkins as Party Leader,” said a statement by senior Labour Party member Duncan Webb. As leader of the governing Labour Party he will also become prime minister. Hipkins, currently the police and education minister, will take his party into an uphill battle to win general elections in October, as it lags in latest opinion polls.
Ardern, a global figurehead for progressive politics, stunned New Zealand announcing her abrupt exit from office, less than three years after securing a second term in a landslide election win. The 42-year-old — who steered the country through natural disasters, the Covid pandemic, and its worst-ever terror attack — said she no longer had “enough in the tank”.
Ardern said her decision to step down was “tinged with sadness” but after having made the announcement she had “slept well for the first time in a long time”.
Political commentators have lined up to condemn the social media abuse that was increasingly directed at Ardern before her resignation. Former New Zealand prime minister Helen Clark said Ardern had “faced a level of hatred and vitriol” that was “unprecedented in our country”. Her successor is widely seen as a safe pair of hands with more than 14 years in parliament. Political commentator Josie Pagani has described Hipkins as “sensible, likeable, tough and capable”.
- China’s population drops for first time since 1961
China’s population has decreased for the first time in 60 years, with the national birth rate hitting a record low of 6.77 births per 1,000 people. The population which was 1.4118 billion in 2022 fell by 850,000 from 2021, according to BBC. China’s birth rate has been dropping for years, stimulating a deviation of policies to try to slow the trend.
But seven years after scrapping the one-child policy, it has entered what one official described as an “era of negative population growth.” According to reports on Tuesday, the birth rate in 2022 was also down from 7.52 in 2021, according to China’s National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) published today.
Populations are also shrinking and ageing in other East Asian countries, such as Japan and South Korea. Yue Su, principal economist at the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) was among the experts who expect China’s population would shrink further through 2023.
“This trend is going to continue and perhaps worsen after Covid,” Su said. The high youth unemployment rate and weaknesses in income expectations could delay marriage and childbirth plans further, dragging down the number of newborns,” she added. And the death rate in 2023 is likely to be higher than it was pre-pandemic due to Covid infections, she said. China has seen a surge of cases since it abandoned its zero-Covid policy last month.
- British PM Fined For Not Wearing Seatbelt In Car Video
British police on Friday fined Prime Minister Rishi Sunak for failing to wear a seatbelt in a moving car while filming a social media video. Lancashire Police said in a Twitter statement not directly naming Sunak: “We have today issued a 42-year-old man from London with a conditional offer of fixed penalty.”
A fixed penalty means Sunak can pay a fine to avoid a court hearing. Downing Street said in a statement that Sunak “fully accepts this was a mistake and has apologised”. “He will, of course, comply with the fixed penalty,” it said. The BBC reported that the fine for not wearing a seat belt as a car passenger would be £100 ($124). If the case went to court, Sunak could pay £500.
In Thursday’s video, produced for distribution on Sunak’s social media channels, the beltless Conservative leader speaks from the back seat of a moving car about his policies for boosting growth during a trip to Lancashire in England’s north. Sunak apologised for an “error of judgement” soon after the video came out on Thursday, according to Downing Street, and it has been removed from Instagram.
Sunak’s transportation habits were already a talking point in the United Kingdom. His political rivals have taken aim at his use of a private jet to make multiple short flights in recent days.
This is not the first time Sunak has been slapped with a police fine. He was fined while serving as Chancellor of the Exchequer for attending a Downing Street party in June 2020 that violated the government’s rules on social distancing.
- Gabon Foreign Minister Dies Of Heart Attack
Gabon’s Foreign Minister Michael Moussa Adamo died on Friday after suffering a heart attack while waiting to go into a cabinet meeting, the government and a presidential source said.
Moussa Adamo, 62, a long-standing ally of President Ali Bongo Ondimba, suffered a heart attack and died “despite efforts by specialists” to revive him, the government said in a brief statement.
He “sat down in the waiting room” just before the start of the cabinet meeting “in the presence of some of his government colleagues and began to feel unwell”, a source close to the presidential palace told AFP. He was taken to a military hospital while unconscious but died just after midday (1100 GMT), the source who spoke on condition of anonymity said.
Reacting to his death, the president described Moussa Adamo on Twitter as “a great diplomat, a true statesman”. “To me, he was firstly a friend, loyal and faithful, on whom I have always been able to count on. It’s a huge loss for Gabon,” he added.
- Ghana Seeks To Convince Bondholders On Debt Swap Deal
Ghana’s government hopes to convince 80 percent of local bondholders to sign on to a voluntary domestic debt exchange by January 31 in order to secure an essential $3 billion in IMF support. Ghana reached a staff-level-agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in December as part of its efforts to pull out of its worst economic crisis in decades.
The debt restructuring is needed before the IMF board will approve the relief package and Ghana has defaulted on most of its external debt and has requested to restructure its bilateral debt. After meeting this week with the individual bondholders, Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta said securing at least 80 percent participation will put Ghana in a better position to secure the IMF deal.
Under the swap programme, domestic bondholders, mostly pensioners, have to exchange government bonds for lower value ones and with zero coupon until 2024 before they will earn interest. President Nana Akufo-Addo, who reversed course about going to the IMF last year, has called on Ghanaians to back his government’s effort to end the economic crisis.
SPORTS
- Leicester sign 20-year-old Kristiansen from Copenhagen
Leicester have bolstered their defensive options in a bid to remain in the Premier League with the signing of Danish full-back Victor Kristiansen from FC Copenhagen for an undisclosed fee. The 20-year-old left-back, capped at under-21 level by his country, has signed a five-and-a-half-year deal and will join the Foxes subject to international clearance.
“The Premier League is probably the best league in the world and Leicester is a top team, so of course I was excited. It was a no-brainer for me to say yes to this great opportunity,” Kristiansen told the Leicester website.
Kristiansen played in all six of Copenhagen’s Champions League group stage matches this season, facing Manchester City twice. He will not be eligible to face Brighton in the Premier League on Saturday. Leicester sit 15th in the Premier League just two points above the relegation zone.
- Anthony Joshua to announce opponent next week
Two-time heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua will announce his comeback opponent next week and promoter Eddie Hearn admits he is close to finalising the contracts for the British-Nigerian’s April 1 comeback. The 33-year-old has not fought since August’s rematch defeat to Oleksandr Usyk which made it back-to-back defeats to the Ukrainian after a previous loss in September 2021.
Joshua’s last victory came over two years ago when he took down Kubrat Pulev. And Hearn is keen to secure a big-name opponent who can put Joshua back on track to fight the likes of Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder. There had been talk of a brutal battle against Filip Hrgovic, but he has been ordered to face Andy Ruiz Jr in an IBF eliminator.
Meanwhile, Hearn has also effectively ruled out Otto Wallin and Demsey McKean after revealing Joshua does not want to take on another southpaw since it doesn’t align with his plans to face other orthodox fighters. That could leave Jermaine Franklin as the man to fight Joshua on April Fool’s Day, with the American looking to avenge November’s London defeat to Joshua’s rival, Dillian Whyt
