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Four sources familiar with OPEC+ discussions have told Reuters that additional production cuts were being discussed among options for Sunday's session. Three out of four sources said cuts could amount to 1 million bpd on top of existing cuts of 2 million bpd and voluntary cuts of 1.6 million bpd, announced in a surprise move in April and which took effect in May. If approved, the new cut would take the total volume of reductions to 4.66 million bpd, or around 4.5% of global demand. Typically, production cuts take effect the month after they are agreed but ministers could also agree a later implementation. Three OPEC+ sources also said the group will address the issue of baselines for 2023 and 2024, from which each member performs cuts.

Persons: Prince Abdulaziz, Sunday's, Ahmad Ghaddar, Alex Lawler, Maha El Dahan, Julia Payne, Dmitry Zhdannikov, Hugh Lawson, Emelia Organizations: OPEC, Organization of, Petroleum, Reuters, Brent, Saudi Arabia's Energy, Thomson Locations: VIENNA, Nigeria, Angola, OPEC, Russia, West, UAE, Ukraine, China, India

☆ Fact Check-Audio translation of Emmanuel Macron’s 2022 UN speech is altered
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The faked audio also says he was speaking in April 2023, but Macron was in fact speaking on September 20, 2022. There was no session of the UN General Assembly in New York in April 2023. The 78th session of the UN General Assembly is scheduled to open on September 5, 2023 (here). Emmanuel Macron did not apologize to African nations for wrongs committed during the French colonial period. Audio of a 2022 speech to the UN General Assembly has been altered.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Macron, “, MACRON, France, Read Organizations: United Nations General Assembly, UN, Assembly, Facebook, “ AS, WE, Reuters Locations: New York, French Republic, France, Ukraine, Kigali

☆ Ukraine’s cross-border tactics are aimed at destabilizing Russia. Judging by the response, they’re working
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Sam Kiley | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

The operations of Russian citizens, carrying Ukrainian military ID, wearing Ukrainian uniforms and attacking from Ukraine, remain officially opaque. Back then, “Little Green Men” in peculiar two-tone sport-hunting uniforms – and Russian military fatigues – appeared in Crimea. The Russian Volunteer Corps and the Freedom for Russia Legion – which fall under Ukraine’s Defence Intelligence structure – have been conducting short cross-border raids into Russia. Russia rattledIn Ukraine, it suits Kyiv to have Russians invade Russia on its behalf. Previous days with all the shelling - there was almost no response, no (Russian) military.

Persons: coy, what’s, “, fatigues –, Vladimir Putin, Moscow, Sergey Bobok, for Russia Legion –, –, Putin, it’s, ”, ” Putin, Prigozhin, Wagner, “ Wagner, Yulia Morozova, you’ve, ” Dmitry Medvedev, Medvedev, Vyacheslav Gladkov, Shebekino Organizations: CNN, Fighters, Russian Volunteer Corps, of Russia Legion, Getty, for Russia Legion, Ukraine’s Defence Intelligence, Frontline, Kremlin, Russian, Russian Federation, “ Wagner PMC, Russia, Kyiv, Reuters, Russian Telegram Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Crimea, Simferopol, Soviet, AFP, South, Angola, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Pretoria, destabilization, Belgorod –, Moscow, Kursk, Smelensk, Russian, St Petersburg, Soviet Union, Belgorod, Shebekino, “

☆ Unilever pivots to African suppliers as forex pressure mounts
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Seun Sanni | Richa Naidu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

The war in Ukraine exacerbated supply chain logjams and manufacturing issues that began with the COVID-19 pandemic. Managing foreign exchange costs is largely what is driving a pivot to African suppliers, Unilever said, even though sourcing from the continent can cost more than buying from parts of Asia. “Over 95% of the brands we sell to our (African) consumers are made in African factories,” Reginaldo Ecclissato, Unilever’s chief business operations and supply chain officer, told Reuters. Today more than two-thirds of the ingredients that go into Unilever products sold in African markets come from the continent, the company said. Where is it on the scale of Unilever’s supply chain?” he said.

Persons: Kasali, ” Kasali, “, Knorr, Hellmann’s, Reginaldo, Tedd George, Nestle, ”, Pierre, André, Ecclissato, it’s, bouillon, Iranloye, Busari, Unilever’s Ecclissato Organizations: Reuters, Unilever, REUTERS, ” Unilever, Nestle, Danone, sorbitol Locations: ALAYIDE, Nigeria, Oyo, Africa, Ukraine, Asia, India, China, South Africa, Lagos, Oyo State

☆ Kenya and Russia to sign trade pact, President Ruto says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Speaker of the National Assembly of Kenya Moses Wetangula shakes hands with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov during a meeting in Nairobi, Kenya May 29, 2023. Russian Foreign Ministry/Handout via REUTERSNAIROBI, May 29 (Reuters) - Kenya will sign a trade pact with Russia aimed at boosting cooperation between businesses, President William Ruto's office said on Monday, after hosting Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Nairobi. Kenya's presidency said in a statement that bilateral trade with Russia was still low despite the potential and the pact would give business the "necessary impetus". Russia says its invasion of Ukraine, launched on Feb. 24, 2022, is aimed at protecting its own security against Ukraine's pro-Western leadership. Lavrov has visited the African continent at least three times this year, while Ukraine's foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba travelled to countries including Ethiopia, Rwanda and Mozambique last week.

☆ Opinion | To Be Gay in a Country Where It’s Still Illegal
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-27 | by ( Nicholas Kristof | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

I’m traveling in West Africa on my annual win-a-trip journey, a global reporting expedition on which I take a university student to highlight issues that deserve more attention. By Maddie BenderFREETOWN, Sierra Leone — When Abdul was a teenager and coming to terms with being gay, he was attacked by a group of men. He reported the incident to the police and was told that an arrest could be made — of him, for homosexuality. Sierra Leone is one of more than 30 African nations (over half the continent) that criminalize same-sex relations. While most of the gay people I spoke with there did not seem to fear being arrested, they said discrimination against them was widespread in housing, employment and family life.

☆ Aspen Pharmacare CEO Stephen Saad on the future of medicine in Africa
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Tom Page | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CEO Stephen Saad discussed the future of the pharmaceutical sector in Africa, and what lessons Aspen Pharmacare has learned from the Covid-19 pandemic, with CNN’s Eleni Giokos. During the pandemic, we’ve seen a spotlight on the inequalities that exist on the continent in the pharmaceutical sector. Aspen has had a very strong commercial presence across Africa and now you’re moving up the value chain. When Covid came and Africa needed vaccines, over 90% of the vaccines were supplied by India — and that wasn’t great. If it hadn’t been for Aspen, there would have been no vaccines made in Africa for the continent.

☆ 5 Moments That Defined Trump’s Record on Immigration
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-14 | by ( Maggie Haberman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Mr. Trump began his presidency by signing an executive order that sought to limit travelers from seven largely Muslim countries for 90 days. The order, with some exceptions, affected travelers from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen. Advocates sued, and the case went to the Supreme Court, which upheld the policy in a 2018 ruling. The Border WallIn 2017, Mr. Trump began focusing on one of his earliest campaign promises — building a physical wall along the border between the United States and Mexico. The idea was initially suggested by a Trump campaign aide, Sam Nunberg, as a memory aid to prompt the candidate to remember to talk about immigration in his speeches.

☆ Residents and survivors say 136 killed in Burkina Faso massacre, blaming army
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-29 | by ( Thiam Ndiaga | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

OUAGADOUGOU, April 29 (Reuters) - Residents and survivors of a massacre in a Burkina Faso village said on Saturday 136 people including women and infants were killed, blaming the country's security forces for the April 20 attack. The government condemned the attack on Karma in a statement on April 27, but gave no details on casualties. Neither Burkina Faso's army nor the government responded to a Reuters request for comment on Saturday. The statement sows confusion about the responsibility of security and defence forces for the massacre, he said. We are not fooled, we know our security and defence forces well," the statement said.

☆ US, African states race to extend Sudan truce, gunfire still heard
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

REUTERS/Mahamet RamdaneKHARTOUM, April 27 (Reuters) - The United States and African nations were racing to secure an extension of a ceasefire in Sudan on Thursday, with the Sudanese army giving an initial nod to an African proposal calling for talks even as fighting continued. Gunfire could be heard on Thursday in the Khartoum area, a resident told Reuters. The military said the presidents of South Sudan, Kenya and Djibouti worked on a proposal that includes extending the truce and talks between the two forces. "Burhan thanked the IGAD and expressed an initial approval to that," the army statement said. The U.N. refugee agency has estimated 270,000 people could flee into South Sudan and Chad alone.

Traders seem more focused on the grain deal’s recent success than the risk to Ukrainian exports should Russia cease to cooperate. As of Monday, Ukraine’s 2022-23 grain exports were down about 11% from the same date last year compared with margins of 18% in late March and 27% in late February. According to USDA data, Ukrainian corn exports in 2022-23 will represent 94% of the year’s corn harvest. The inflow of cheap Ukrainian grain has driven down prices in European neighbors, angering farmers and leading some countries to propose bans on Ukrainian goods. The EU last week proposed compensation packages for farmers as well as restrictions on Ukrainian grain imports.

☆ Can Africa Get Close to Vaccine Independence? Here’s What It Will Take.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Stephanie Nolen | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

The expense of putting it all in place means that vaccines made in Africa are going to cost significantly more than those from the Indian pharmaceutical industry, which is the major supplier of routine vaccines used in Africa. But the Covid vaccine rollout made clear that despite the low price of Indian-made vaccines, African leaders cannot afford to rely on them. In March 2021, when millions of Serum-made doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine were bound for Africa, the Indian government imposed an export ban and rerouted those vaccines to its own population. The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the continent’s existing vaccine market is worth an estimated $1.3 billion and is expected to grow to about $2.4 billion by 2030. Gavi buys half the vaccines used in Africa today.

☆ Russian oil slashes OPEC's share of Indian market to 22-year low
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Nidhi Verma | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

OPEC's share shrank as India, which in the past rarely bought Russian oil due to high freight costs, is now the top oil client for Russian seaborne oil, rejected by Western nations following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. India's oil importsIndia shipped in about 1.6 million barrels per day (bpd) of Russian oil in 2022/23, the data showed, about 23% of its overall 4.65 million bpd imports. Higher intake of Russian oil boosted the share of Commonwealth of Independent States (C.I.S.) India's oil imports from various regionsIn March, India shipped in nearly 5 million bpd of oil, marginally higher than the previous month, with Russian oil accounting for about 36% of overall imports, the data showed. "OPEC's output cut decision is helping Russia as well," said Haq, adding the planned supply cut has lifted global oil prices and at the same time narrowed the discounts for Russian oil against Brent and Dubai benchmarks.

☆ Uganda’s anti-gay bill is the latest and worst to target LGBTQ Africans
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Aditi Bhandari | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +14 min

Same-sex activity in Africa is punishable by … Map of the 32 African countries where same-sex activity is illegal. Same-sex activity in Africa … Map of the 22 African countries where same-sex activity is legal. In 1993, Guinea-Bissau became the first African country to legalise LGBTQ activity when it adopted a new Penal Code that didn’t include any laws criminalising it. Country Constitutional protection Broad protections Employment Hate crime Incitement Marriage or civil union Adoption Angola No Yes Yes Yes Yes No No Botswana No No Yes No No No No Cape Verde No No Yes Yes No No No Gabon No No No No No No No Guinea-Bissau No No No No No No No Lesotho No No No No No No No Mozambique No No Yes No No No No Sao Tome and Principe No No Yes Yes No No No Seychelles No No Yes No No No No South Africa Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes YesNote: Broad protections include laws protecting against discrimination in at least 3 of 4 categories: the provision of goods and services, housing, healthcare and education. Namibia and Mauritius criminalise same-sex activity, but around 35% of respondents said they would dislike having a gay neighbour.

☆ Belt and Road Initiative: China spending billions to bail out megaproject's debtors
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( Jessie Yeung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

For one, China’s loans are far more secretive, with most of its operations and transactions concealed from public view. The PBOC requires an interest rate of 5%, compared to 2% for IMF rescue loans, the study said. There is also public concern in some countries over issues like excess debt and China’s influence. Accusations that Belt and Road is a broad “debt trap” designed to take control of local infrastructure, while largely dismissed by economists, have sullied the initiative’s reputation. In January, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang rejected the accusations of China creating a “debt trap” in Africa, a major recipient of Belt and Road investments.

☆ Wagner founder rejects claim that he is about to pull back from Ukraine, saying the group will fight there 'as long as our country needs us'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The boss of Russia's Wagner Group denied reports he's set to reduce operations in Ukraine. Yevgeny Prigozhin has been feuding with Russia's military and said his troops have been denied ammo. Instead, he plans to focus on Africa, where Wagner has been accused of war crimes, the sources said. As long as our country needs us, we are fighting on the territory of Ukraine"Wagner, a private paramilitary group, has sent tens of thousands of mercenaries and former prisoners to fight in Ukraine. Meanwhile, Wagner has been barred from recruiting more prisoners from Russia, the UK MOD said, predicting that it would struggle with troop numbers going forward.

[1/5] Locals in the Chiradzulu district look at the damage on a road after mudslides and rockfalls in the area caused by the aftermath of Cyclone Freddy in Blantyre, Malawi, March 15, 2023. Most people heeded the warnings, knowing from bitter experience the damage such storms could inflict: 600 people had died in Cyclone Idai in 2019. The storm was far more deadly in neighbouring Malawi, where at least 447 were killed as Freddy tore through the country's southern tip and inundated the main commercial hub of Blantyre. Mozambique and Malawi are among the poorest 8% of countries in the world, according to United Nations data. In the case of Freddy, this extra energy allowed the storm to pick up strength again and circle back to strike again.

☆ Is the U.S. falling behind China in Africa’s lithium industry?
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Sydney Boyo | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

The demand for lithium is rising as it has become a critical component needed in electric vehicle batteries. Zimbabwe has been mining lithium for 60 years and the government estimates that its Chinese-owned Bikita Minerals Mine, which is located 300 kilometers south of the capital Harare, has about 11 million metric tons of lithium resources. In December 2022, Zimbabwe passed the Base Mineral Export Control Act that banned the export of raw lithium. That includes Chinese firms Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt , Sinomine Resource Group and Chengxin Lithium Group which have invested $678 million into lithium projects in Zimbabwe. Both the Bikita mine, which is the largest lithium mine in the country, and the Arcadia Lithium mine are Chinese owned.

☆ Russia works to ease visa regime for India, other countries - TASS
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

March 6 (Reuters) - Russia is working on easing visa procedures for six countries, including India, Syria and Indonesia, the state TASS news agency cited Deputy Foreign Minister Evgeny Ivanov as saying on Sunday. "In addition to India (procedures simplification) ... is being worked out with Angola, Vietnam, Indonesia, Syria and Philippines," Ivanov said. Earlier, Ivanov said that Russia is also preparing intergovernmental agreements on visa-free trips with 11 countries, including Saudi Arabia, Barbados, Haiti, Zambia, Kuwait, Malaysia, Mexico and Trinidad, TASS reported. While the United States, Japan and the European Union condemned Russia's invasion and imposed sanctions, China and India have not done either. India kept a neutral stance, declining to blame Russia for the invasion while sharply boosting its purchases of Russian oil.

☆ France's Macron calls Wagner Group 'life insurance of failing regimes' in Africa
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

PARIS, Feb 27 (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday described the Russian mercenary Wagner Group as the "life insurance of failing regimes in Africa", in comments made before he visits the continent. He said that African nations would eventually stop turning to the Wagner Group as they would see that it only sows misery. Reporting by Michel Rose, Layli Foroudi; Editing by Hugh LawsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Macron flies to Africa to counter waning French influence
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

PARIS, Feb 27 (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron will fly to Africa this week in a bid to counter Russian efforts to dislodge France from the continent, after Paris suffered a series of military and political setbacks in its former sphere of influence. France withdrew its forces from Mali last year after the junta there started working with Russian military contractors, ending a decade of operations against Islamist insurgents. Macron has accused Russia of feeding anti-French propaganda in Africa to serve "predatory" ambitions. But French presidential advisers denied in a briefing on Friday that Macron was in a charm offensive to win back lost influence. During the trip, Macron will focus on the environment, with a participation to a summit on forests in Gabon, and will also meet African artists.

☆ Moscow accuses U.S. of attempts to disrupt Russia-Africa relations
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Feb 25 (Reuters) - The United States is "exerting unprecedented pressure" on African countries, including attempting to disrupt a planned Russia-Africa summit, Russia's deputy foreign minister was quoted as saying late on Saturday. Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov, quoted by the state TASS agency reiterated Moscow's accusations of the "collective West" staging a campaign to isolate Moscow. Moscow calls its invasion of Ukraine not a war, but a "special military operation". Since the start of the war, which has killed thousands and displace millions, Moscow has turned to China, India - and African nations, trying to seek closer ties there. Russia has been particularly keen to win over African nations -- Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has visited the continent twice this year already, in addition to a tour mid-last year.

☆ Russia will not fire Zircon missile at South Africa naval exercise
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Siyabonga Sishi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] Russian frigate Admiral Gorshkov and Chinese frigate Rizhao (598) are seen ahead of scheduled naval exercises with Russian, Chinese and South African navies, in Richards Bay, South Africa, February 22, 2023. REUTERS/Rogan WardSummary Russian media reported planned test launch of hypersonic weaponSouth Africa hosting drills with Russia, ChinaWestern diplomats have voiced alarm over drillsRICHARDS BAY, South Africa, Feb 22 (Reuters) - Russia's navy will not fire its new generation "Zircon" hypersonic missile during a joint exercise with South Africa and China, a senior Russian naval officer said on Wednesday, contradicting an earlier Russian media report. A Russian frigate armed with the Zircon weapon system has been deployed to the joint exercise. Along with the Avangard hypersonic glide vehicle which entered combat duty in 2019, the Zircon forms the centrepiece of Russia's hypersonic arsenal. South Africa has defended its decision to host the Mosi II naval exercise despite the concerns of diplomats from European Union and NATO countries.

☆ Uganda, Other African Nations Push for Fossil-Fuel Projects
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( Nicholas Bariyo | Photographs Badru Katumba For The Wall Street Journal | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

MURCHISON FALLS NATIONAL PARK, Uganda—A herd of elephants stomped through savannah grasslands to the throbbing sounds of bulldozers preparing oil wells that will soon start feeding a 900-mile pipeline from this wildlife and nature reserve. The $10 billion project has become a flashpoint in the global battle against climate change, as some African governments with unexplored natural resources seek to resist a global push to limit investment in new fossil-fuel projects.

☆ Debt-laden African countries charged 'extortionate' rates, U.N. chief says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-18 | by ( Dawit Endeshaw | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

ADDIS ABABA, Feb 18 (Reuters) - African countries are getting a raw deal from the international financial system which charges them "extortionate" interest rates, the U.N. chief said on Saturday, as he announced $250 million in crisis funding, including for famine risk on the continent. "The global financial system routinely denies (developing countries) debt relief and concessional financing while charging extortionate interest rates," he said. The coronavirus pandemic pushed many poor countries into debt distress as they were expected to continue servicing their obligations in spite of the massive shock to their finances. Public debt ratios in sub-Saharan Africa are at their highest in more than two decades, the International Monetary Fund said last year. "African countries cannot... climb the development ladder with one hand tied behind their backs," Guterres said.

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