South Africa Scraps Controversial E-toll System in Gauteng

The Japanese yen has slumped to a 34-year low against the United States dollar. The yen on Monday sank to 160.17 per dollar, the lowest since April 1990, prompting speculation that Japanese authorities would intervene to prop up the currency for the first time since late 2022. The yen has been on a continual slide since early 2021 as the Bank of Japan (BOJ) has maintained ultra-low interest rates, while the US Federal Reserve and other central banks have hiked borrowing costs. The downward spiral has continued in recent weeks despite the BOJ raising interest rates last month for the first time in 17 years, as expectations of interest rate cuts in the US fade amid above-target inflation. The Japanese central bank kept its benchmark rate unchanged at 0-0.1 percent. BOJ Governor Kazuo Ueda says that exchange-rate volatility would only affect monetary policy if there was a significant impact on the economy.

Dubai has started work on a $35bn airport terminal that is set to have the world’s largest capacity upon completion, the emirate’s ruler has said. Dubai’s Prime Minister and Vice President Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum said that the new terminal would be five times the size of the current Dubai International Airport and handle up to 260 million passengers annually. Sheikh Mohammed says All operations at Dubai International Airport will be transferred to the newer Al Maktoum International Airport over the coming years.

Burkina Faso’s media regulator has suspended more international media outlets over their coverage of a report accusing the Burkinabè army of killing civilians. The military government has now banned the French network TV-Cinq and the websites of Le Monde and the Guardian, as well as the German broadcaster, Deutsche Welle. The suspension comes days after the Burkinabè authorities imposed a two-week ban on BBC and US public broadcaster Voice of America for covering the same Human Rights Watch report. The Superior Council for Communication says that the coverage of the HRW report by the newly suspended outlets "constitutes disinformation likely to bring discredit to the Burkinabè army". The media regulator also reiterated a warning to all media outlets against covering the report, threatening sanctions.

Several African leaders are gathering in Kenya's capital, Nairobi, for the World Bank's International Development Association (IDA21) summit. The two-day summit aims to address development challenges on the continent and work towards creating prosperous, inclusive, and sustainable economies. The IDA is the part of the World Bank that helps the world’s 75 poorest countries, 39 of which are in Africa. Among presidents attending the summit include Andry Rajoelina (Madagascar), Julius Maada Bio (Sierra Leone), Lazarus Chakwera (Malawi), Samia Suluhu Hassan (Tanzania) and Hassan Sheikh Mohamud of Somalia. Others include Évariste Ndayishimiye of Burundi, Mohamed Ould Ghazouani of Mauritania and Comoros' Azali Assoumani.

The Office of the Surveyor General of the Federation has pledged to deploy a Geographical Information System expert for the Border Communities Development Agency to help establish its GIS unit. The Surveyor General of the Federation, Abuduganiyu Adebomehin, reassured the agency of his support and collaboration in the areas of mapping, identification, and information regarding border communities across the country. He noted that it was one thing to have imagery and another to be able to read it.

President Bola Tinubu has insisted that his administration’s decision to remove the petrol subsidy was vital to prevent the country from going bankrupt. Tinubu justified the petrol subsidy removal, maintaining that it was needed to reset the economy. He says Nigeria is immensely consistent with the belief that economic collaboration and inclusiveness are necessary to engender stability in the rest of the world. He added that the subsidy removal was necessary for the country not to go bankrupt, to reset the economy and pathway to growth.

President Bola Tinubu has secured a $600m investment from Danish shipping and logistics firm A.P Moller-Maersk with a deal to help in expanding port infrastructure to accommodate more container shipping services in Nigerian ports. Presidential spokesman Ajuri Ngelale says there was a need to expand the port infrastructure, especially in Lagos, where they need a bigger hub for logistics services. Chairman of A.P Moller-Maersk, Mr Robert Maersk Uggla, says they believe in Nigeria and will invest $600 million in existing facilities and make the ports accommodating for bigger ships.

President Joe Biden has been urged to ban imports of Chinese-made electric cars to the US. The chair of the Senate Banking Committee, Senator Sherrod Brown, wrote that Chinese electric vehicles are an existential threat to the American auto industry. The White House earlier said the US was opening an investigation into whether Chinese cars pose a national security risk. Senator Brown says China will not be allowed to bring its government-backed cheating to the American auto industry. China's vice finance minister, Liao Min, says China's competitive advantages are due to its "large-scale market, complete industrial system and abundant human resources.

Togo's parliament has given final approval to a new constitution extending the president's term after critics denounced the move as a coup. The West African country will move from a presidential to a parliamentary system. President Faure Gnassingbé's supporters argue the changes reduce his powers by transforming the presidency into a ceremonial role. The opposition however says the reforms remove limits on his stay in office and the removal would enable him to remain president until 2031.

Gauteng province, home to South Africa's major cities of Johannesburg and Pretoria, has officially scrapped tolls on freeways, ending more than a decade of public defiance. Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi says that removing the charges would bring much-needed relief to the people of Gauteng who have had to bear the brunt of paying e-tolls. Transport Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga says that motorists with outstanding fees are expected to clear it, but the ministry does not yet have a mechanism for enforcing the payments.